My thoughts on Firevein: The Awakening (Firevein Saga Book 1) by Hanna Park

 

Firevein: The Awakening 
(Firevein Saga Book 1)
By Hanna Park

Publication Date: 14th April 2026

Publisher: Baisong Press 

Print Length: 246 Pages

Genre: Fantasy Romance 

I went to Røros for a wedding—not to fall for a man

who looked at me like he had already mourned me once.

From the first moment Rurik touched me, something beneath my skin burned. Every kiss felt inevitable. Every glance pressed at the edge of memory. He says I’ve lived before, that I’ve died before, that he has loved me through it all. I don’t remember him—but the mountain does.

The tunnels beneath Røros hum when I pass. Runes flare in the stone. The deeper I fall into his arms, the more something inside me begins to awaken—hot, wild, and impossible to ignore. I was never meant to survive what should have killed me. Now something ancient is stirring, and I can’t shake the feeling that it’s because I did.

I have buried Cristabel in every lifetime—though she has worn different names.

Across centuries, I have found her and lost her to the curse my bloodline was sworn to guard. She was never meant to live this time—but she did. Now the fire in her veins is awakening too soon. The balance beneath the mountain is shifting, and the oath I have carried for generations is beginning to fracture.

I waited lifetimes to hold her again. This time, I will not let her go—even if saving her means unleashing what should have remained buried.

A steamy Nordic fantasy romance of reincarnation, fate, and fire.

Triggers: Female cancer survivor. Steamy open-door scenes. 

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Snow, Christmas lights, a wedding in Norway… honestly, what could be better? That’s exactly the sort of cosy atmosphere Firevein: The Awakening starts with, before things gradually become far stranger and far more emotional than I expected.

Cristabel Johnson arrives for her friend’s wedding and almost immediately meets Rurik, who looks at her as though he already knows her somehow. From there, things escalate fairly quickly.

I ended up becoming surprisingly attached to Cristabel as the story went on. She talks constantly, jokes about everything, and comes across as someone trying very hard to stay cheerful. Then you slowly realise how much hurt she’s carrying underneath all of that. The parts about her cancer and being abandoned during it genuinely upset me because the book handles it quite quietly, which somehow makes it hit harder.

The romance is immediate and very physical, so this is definitely not a slow-burn sort of romantasy . But the connection between them feels emotional as well as physical, like there’s something much older tying them together.

I also really enjoyed the mythical side of the story. The gradual realisation that not everyone in this world is actually human gave the book a really immersive atmosphere. By the end, the snowy town felt just as important as the characters themselves.

Very romantic, very spicy — and much more emotional than I expected it to be.

I began my writing career in the pre-dawn of a winter morning while my husband snored like a train. We could call my husband the catalyst. If it weren’t for him, I would never have gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, feed the cat, and sit on the loveseat in front of the fire. It was there, in those moments of wondrous quiet, that I did something I had never thought possible. I opened my laptop, and while the coffee went cold, I wrote a story. My husband had no idea that these sojourns to the loveseat in front of the fire would become a daily occurrence, that writing would become an obsession, but the cat knew. She knows everything.

I write stories that make you laugh, make you cry, and make you love. Thank you, friends, for reading!

In the beginning, there was an empty page.

I am a writer who lives in Muskoka, Canada, with a husband who snores, a hungry cat, and an almost perfect canine––he’s an adorable little shit.

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Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon (Six Tudor Queens) by Nicola Harris

 

Infidel: The Daughters of Aragon 

(Six Tudor Queens)

By Nicola Harris

Publication Date: 5th March 2026

Publisher: ‎Independently Published

Print Length: 268 Pages

Genre: Biographical Historical Fiction | Tudor Fiction | Historical Fiction

Born in the glittering courts of Castile and Aragon and forged in the shadow of war, Catalina de Aragón grows up surrounded by queens, rebels, and explorers. She is her mother’s last daughter, the final jewel of a dynasty built on conquest and faith, and the one child Isabella of Castile cannot bear to lose.

But destiny has already claimed Catalina.

Promised to Prince Arthur of England since childhood, she is raised to bind kingdoms, soothe old wounds, and carry the hopes of an empire across the sea. Yet, Spain fractures under rebellion, grief, and the ruthless zeal of its own rulers.

From the burning streets of Granada to the storm lashed Bay of Biscay, Catalina and her sisters must navigate a treacherous path shaped by ambition, betrayal, and the dangerous love of men who fear the power of queens. She learns to read cyphers, to read hearts, and to stand unbroken even as her childhood is stripped from her piece by piece.

And when she finally sails for England armed with her mother’s lessons, her father’s steel, and the ghosts of the Alhambra at her back, Catalina steps into her fate not as a girl, but as a force.

A princess.

A survivor.

A daughter of Aragon.

Infidel is the story of a young woman raised for greatness and destined to reshape the fate of nations. This is Catalina, as she has never been seen before. She is fierce, vulnerable, and unforgettable.

A sweeping, intimate portrait of sisterhood, survival, and the making of a dynasty, Infidel reveals the hidden lives of a woman whose courage shaped the Tudor world.

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I’ve always been a writer, but it was only when illness forced me to stop everything that I finally had the time to write a novel. After decades of misdiagnosis, I learned I was born with a serious genetic condition, not rare, but profoundly misunderstood. The clues were there from birth, and suddenly, a lifetime of struggle made sense.

Writing became my lifeline: a way to step beyond my pain, to shape my experience into a story, and to find meaning where there had once been only endurance.

I have a lifelong love of children, Counselling, and Psychotherapy Theory and history.

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My thoughts on Another Soul Saved by John Anthony Miller

 

Another Soul Saved 
By John Anthony Miller

Publication Date: April 1, 2026

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 415

Genre: Historical Fiction

Vienna, 1941

Monika Graf, the wife of a wealthy Austrian military commander, steals two Jewish girls from the Nazis—a crime often punishable by death. With soldiers in rapid pursuit, a homeless Jew named Janik, a mysterious man who lurks in the shadows, helps her escape.

Unable to have children of her own, she finds a new purpose in life—rescuing Jewish children from the horrendous Nazi regime. She asks the Swiss for help, trading military secrets she gleans from her husband for the lives of Jewish children. With Janik’s continued support, she also enlists Father Christoff, a priest at St. Stephen's Cathedral coping with unexpected emotions and doubting his commitment to God. Monika quickly forms bonds that can’t be broken, feelings exposed she never knew existed. 

Relentlessly pursued by Gestapo Captain Gustav Kramer, Monika combats continuing risk to her clandestine operation. When her husband, a rabid Nazi, returns from the battlefield severely wounded, she gets caught in a cage that she can’t crawl out of.

Wrought with danger, riddled with romance, Another Soul Saved shows humanity at both its best and worst in a classic struggle of good versus evil.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story follows Monika Graf, a woman living a comfortable life in Vienna who never expects to find herself drawn into something dangerous and life-changing. After witnessing the treatment of Jewish families under Nazi rule, she makes a split-second decision that completely alters the course of her life. From that point on, what begins as a single act of compassion slowly grows into something much larger, and far more risky than she could have imagined.

At first, the story feels quite grounded in everyday life, but there’s an immediate sense that something isn’t right. The tension builds through small moments — the way people behave, what’s left unsaid, and the constant presence of authority watching from the background. It creates this underlying unease that never really goes away, which I thought worked really well. The book doesn’t overwhelm you with action, but instead lets the pressure build gradually.

There’s also a strong emotional thread running throughout the story, particularly in the relationships Monika forms along the way. Her connection with Janik develops under difficult circumstances, which gives it a sense of urgency and depth rather than a traditional slow build. It doesn’t feel overly romanticised, but instead shaped by everything happening around them, which made it feel more believable.

I did find it quite a slow read in places, especially as the author takes time to build the setting and atmosphere. Personally, I appreciated that, as it made everything feel more real and immersive, but I can see that it might not suit readers who prefer a faster pace.

The ending is powerful and doesn’t shy away from the reality of the situation. It doesn’t try to neatly resolve everything, but instead leaves you reflecting on what the characters have been through and what it all means. It’s not an easy ending, but it feels appropriate for the story being told.

A moving and thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.

John Anthony Miller writes all things historical—thrillers, mysteries, and romance. He sets his novels in exotic locations spanning all eras of space and time, with complex characters forced to face inner conflicts—fighting demons both real and imagined. He’s published twenty novels and ghostwritten several others, including Another Soul Saved. He lives in southern New Jersey.

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My thoughts on A Plethora of Phantoms (Spirited Encounters Book 2) by Penny Hampson

A Plethora of Phantoms 
(Spirited Encounters Book 2)
By Penny Hampson

Publication Date: 3rd February 2026

Publisher: PP&M Publishing

Print Length: 259 Pages

Genre:  Paranormal Ghost Romance / Gay Romance

Whose footsteps in the dark?

He is heir to the earldom of Batheaston and lives in an elegant, stately home, but handsome twenty-something Freddie Lanyon is not a happy man. Not only is he gay and dreading coming out to his family, but he’s also troubled by ghosts that nobody else can see.

When Freddie’s impulsive purchase of an antique dressing case triggers even more ghostly happenings with potentially catastrophic consequences, he has to take action.

Freddie contacts charismatic psychic Marcus Spender for help and feels an immediate attraction to this handsome antique dealer –– a feeling that is mutual. But the pair’s investigations unearth shocking, long-buried secrets, which prove a major challenge to their task of laying unhappy spirits to rest and to their blossoming relationship.

Being brave isn’t one of Freddie’s standout qualities, but he’ll need all the courage he can muster to rid himself of wayward phantoms and get his life on track.

A Plethora of Phantoms is an uplifting ghostly tale about love, friendship, and acceptance.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Freddie returns to Lanyon Park expecting to deal with responsibility, family, and the usual pressures that come with it—not to find himself dealing with things he can’t quite explain. The story doesn’t take long to suggest that something isn’t right, and from there it builds steadily into something much more unsettling.

What really stood out to me is how much the story is anchored in the family. The Lanyons feel lively and familiar in a way that makes everything else land more effectively. There’s a mix of teasing, quiet support, and the kind of unspoken understanding where half the conversation doesn’t need saying out loud. Hugo brings a bit of chaos, Daphne has that steady, perceptive presence, and Charles feels more reserved but never distant. It all feels very natural, and that sense of normal life continuing makes the stranger elements feel sharper by comparison.

Freddie sits right in the middle of that, trying to hold everything together. He’s not someone who pushes forward straight away—he holds things in, thinks them through, and often waits longer than he probably should before acting. That makes the way things start to spiral around him far more interesting, because you’re watching someone who would much rather keep life manageable being forced to confront things he can’t quite explain.

Marcus shifts that balance the moment he arrives. He’s more direct, more willing to engage with what’s happening, and less inclined to dismiss the uncomfortable. The contrast between them works well, especially as their relationship develops alongside everything else going on. There’s a sense that neither of them expected things to become quite so complicated, and yet neither is particularly willing to step away either. There’s also the intriguing suggestion that Marcus may not be entirely alone in his own way—moments where something seems to intervene on his behalf, with doors very firmly shut on people who are not welcome, which adds another layer to his character without ever being overexplained.

The haunting builds in a way that feels gradual and believable. It starts with small things that could almost be brushed aside, but that becomes harder and harder to do as time goes on. What makes it more interesting is that it doesn’t feel like a single, simple presence. There’s something quieter early on, almost routine in the way it interferes, and then there are moments where the atmosphere shifts completely and becomes far more unsettling. That change in tone keeps the tension steady without ever feeling overdone.

As more of the past begins to come into focus, the story takes on a different weight. It becomes less about strange events and more about understanding why they’re happening at all. There’s also a really nice parallel between what’s being uncovered and Freddie’s own situation, which gives everything an extra layer without feeling forced.

By the end, I found myself genuinely invested in both the outcome and the people at the center of it, including the ghosts. There are some very well-placed dramatic moments, but it’s the emotional thread underneath that gives them weight. The way everything resolves brings a real sense of quiet closure, not just for the past that’s been uncovered, but for the characters still living with it.

Penny Hampson writes mysteries, and because she has a passion for history, you’ll find her stories also reflect that. A Gentleman’s Promise, a traditional Regency romance, was Penny’s debut novel and the first of her Gentlemen Series. There are now four novels in the series, with the latest, An Adventurer’s Contract, released in November 2024. Penny also enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with a hint of the paranormal, because where do ghosts come from but the past? The Unquiet Spirit, a spooky mystery/romance set in Cornwall, is the first in the Spirited Encounters Series. Look out for A Plethora of Phantoms coming soon.

Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

If you’ve enjoyed any of Penny’s books please leave a review on Amazon, Bookbub, or Goodreads, and let other readers know!

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My thoughts on The Scald Crow (Beyond the Faerie Rath Book 1) by Hanna Park

The Scald Crow
(Beyond the Faerie Rath Book 1) 
By Hanna Park

Publication Date: 26th May 2025

Publisher: Baisong Press

Print Length: 260 Pages

Genre: Fantasy / Romance

Calla left her life behind, haunted by a curse she cannot control. She seeks refuge in the land of a thousand hellos, Ireland, for a fresh start—a place where no one knows who or what she is.

Colm fled from Clonmara seven long years ago, but now it’s his father’s birthday, and the clan has gathered to celebrate the ould one. Each day brings back the memories that ruined him.

Saoirse dwells in the shadows of a lost love, unwilling to move on and unable to forget. The crystals say one thing, but the cold, hard truth tells another.

Ciarán walked away from the woman he loved for the fun, for the craic. He didn’t realize that one rash decision would impact the lives of so many, least of all his own.

Four broken hearts, brought together by the thread of love.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

The story follows Calla, who inherits a property in Ireland, possibly from her biological father. After being fired and wanting a way out of her life, she decides to go and claim it, hoping for a fresh start. At first, everything seems fairly normal, but it doesn’t take long before things start to feel a bit strange. Small details don’t quite add up, moments feel slightly off, and there’s this underlying sense that something else is going on beneath it all. The book doesn’t rush to explain anything, which I actually liked—it makes you pay attention.

There’s also a strong romance running through the story. Calla and Colm don’t have a slow build-up—it’s more immediate than that. There’s a clear pull between them from the start, and it only gets more intense as the story goes on. Some of their connection plays out in these dreamlike moments, which makes it feel a bit surreal at times, and when they’re actually together, it can feel quite impulsive and hard to ignore. It adds another layer to the story, especially because it never feels entirely simple or straightforward.

I found it quite a slow read, and that won’t be for everyone. The author really builds a picture up of the background, which I kind of liked, but again, it would not be for everyone.

The ending definitely doesn’t wrap everything up. It finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger, clearly setting things up for the next book. I don't usually like endings to not be resolved, but for this book, I will make the exception.

I began my writing career in the pre-dawn of a winter morning while my husband snored like a train. We could call my husband the catalyst. If it weren’t for him, I would never have gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, feed the cat, and sit on the loveseat in front of the fire. It was there, in those moments of wondrous quiet, that I did something I had never thought possible. I opened my laptop, and while the coffee went cold, I wrote a story. My husband had no idea that these sojourns to the loveseat in front of the fire would become a daily occurrence, that writing would become an obsession, but the cat knew. She knows everything.

I write stories that make you laugh, make you cry, and make you love. Thank you, friends, for reading!

In the beginning, there was an empty page.

I am a writer who lives in Muskoka, Canada, with a husband who snores, a hungry cat, and an almost perfect canine––he’s an adorable little shit.

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My thoughts on The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy) by Jennifer Ivy Walker

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven
(The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy)
By Jennifer Ivy Walker

Publication Date: 1st May 2025

Publisher: Green Mermaid Publications

Print Length: 522 Pages

Genre: Arthurian Fantasy / Historical Romance Fantasy / Paranormal

In this paranormal fantasy adaptation of the medieval legend of Tristan and Isolde, the rightful heir to the Irish crown must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads Issylte to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a Celtic healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom from the ruthless Black Widow Queen.

Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of King Arthur's Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his traumatic past and defend his kingdom of Cornwall against a Viking invasion from Ireland. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks.

Two parallel lives, interwoven by fate. Haunted and hunted by the same Black Widow Queen.

Can their passion and power prevail?

Triggers: sexually explicit, cursing, battle scenes, and dark magic.

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book kind of snuck up on me.

At first, I was just settling into it—the world, the characters, all the detail. It doesn’t rush you, which I actually liked. It feels like you’re slowly stepping into the story instead of being thrown into it. And then somewhere along the way, I realized I actually cared—like really cared about what was happening.

There’s this really strong mix of beauty and unease running through the whole book. Everything feels vivid—the castle, the forest, the court—but there’s always something a little off underneath it. Even the quieter, softer moments don’t feel completely safe, and that tension builds in a way that just sits with you.

A big part of that comes from Morag. From the moment she appears, there’s something unsettling about her. She’s beautiful and composed, but it’s very clear she knows exactly how to use that. The way she completely pulls Issylte’s father in—almost like he’s under a spell—is honestly hard to watch. Once she becomes queen, everything changes. The warmth disappears, the atmosphere turns cold, and Issylte’s life becomes much more controlled and isolating. You can really feel how quickly things shift for her, and it makes everything that follows hit harder.

Issylte’s story is the one that stayed with me the most. She just wants freedom, something simple and real, and instead her world keeps closing in around her. The loss she goes through—and the way it’s handled—feels quiet but heavy, like something she has to carry rather than something that gets resolved.

The magical side of the story is also really well done, and I liked that it’s not overwhelming—it kind of weaves in naturally. The forest feels alive in a way that’s hard to explain, like there’s something older and watching just beneath the surface. And then there’s Ronan, the Avalonian elf, who brings in that deeper sense of magic and calm. His presence feels different from everything else—steadier, warmer—but still tied to that same underlying mystery. He adds this almost dreamlike quality to parts of the story, while also becoming something much more personal for Issylte.

Tristan’s storyline adds a completely different kind of energy. He’s from Lyonesse, and his past is honestly brutal—he witnessed the massacre of his family during a Viking attack when he was a child, and that trauma really shapes everything about him . His journey is more physical and driven—training, fighting, pushing himself—but it’s also tied to something bigger. The whole Tournament of Champions and the chance to become one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, training under Lancelot, adds this epic, legendary layer to his story. It gives his path a sense of purpose that balances out Issylte’s more emotional, internal journey really well.

I also really liked how the setting actually matters. It’s not just there for atmosphere—it shapes the characters and their choices. The pressure of royal life, the expectations, the lack of control… all of that feels very real within the story.

The only reason this is a four-star read for me instead of five is the repetition. Certain phrases and descriptions come up a bit too often, and while the writing is beautiful, it occasionally pulls you out of the moment.

By the end, I wasn’t completely emotionally wrecked—but I was definitely invested. I wanted to keep going, especially with the way the story hints at something bigger still unfolding.

This is one of those books that slowly gets under your skin. It’s immersive, a little haunting, and layered with just enough magic and emotion to keep you hooked. Not perfect, but definitely one that stays with you.

Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval Celtic, Nordic, and paranormal romance, as well as contemporary romance, historical fantasy, and WWII romantic suspense.

A former high school teacher and college professor of French with an MA in French literature, her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, including Celtic myths and legends, Norse mythology, Viking sagas, and Nordic lore.

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Book Spotlight - Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II by Ian Hunter

 

Quetzalcoatl: Time Stones Book II 
By Ian Hunter

Publication Date: 22nd April 2021

Publisher: MVB Marketing- und Verlagsservice des Buchhandels GmbH

Print Length: 277 Pages

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Jessie Mason lives with her nose in the pages of history. But she is discovering that the past is a dangerous place where she doesn't belong, and knowledge alone is not going to save her.

Jessie’s life has become a series of terrible challenges. Now she must lead her friends in the hopeless task Grandfather set them: hunt down and destroy the Time Stones. But her leadership has already failed. Tip has left them and Abe has simply disappeared, while she and Kes are trapped in the heart of an ancient empire in turmoil.

Thrust into a fractured, threatened Mexica nobility, Jessie is immersed in a way of life, fascinating and disturbing in equal measure, yet powerless before the approaching Conquistadors and the impending clash of cultures.

Even as the fabulous city of Tenochtitlan descends into savage violence, Jessie’s determination to succeed is undiminished. But with world history taking a new, bloody direction before her, she is finally forced to decide which is more important: continuing the task or simply surviving.

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Books have been an important part of my life as long as I can remember, and at 54 years old, that’s a lot of books. My earliest memories of reading are CS Lewis’, “The Horse and His Boy” – by far the best of the Narnia books, the Adventures series by Willard Price, and “Goalkeepers are Different” by sports journalist Brian Glanville. An eclectic mix. My first English teacher was surprised to hear that I was reading, Le Carré, Ken Follett, Nevil Shute and “All the Presidents’ Men” by Woodward and Bernstein at the age of 12. I was simply picking up the books my father had finished.

School syllabus threw up the usual suspects – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, “To Kill a Mockingbird” – which I have reread often, and others I don’t immediately recall. By “A” level study, my then English teachers were pulling their hair out at my “perverse waste of talent” – I still have the report card! But I did manage a pass.

During a 35 year career, briefly in Banking and then in IT, I managed to find time, with unfailing family support, to study another lifelong passion, graduating with an Open University Bachelors’ degree in History in 2002. This fascination with all things historical inspired me to begin the Time Stones series. There is so much to our human past, and so many differing views on what is the greatest, and often the saddest, most tragic story. I decided I wanted to write about it; to shine a small light on those, sometimes pivotal stories, which are less frequently mentioned.

In 1995, my wife, Michelle, and I moved from England to southern Germany, where we still live, with our two children, one cat, and, when she pays us a visit, one chocolate labrador. I have been fortunate that I could satisfy another wish, to travel as widely as possible and see as much of our world as I can. Destinations usually include places of historic and archaeological interest, mixed with a large helping of sun, sea and sand for my wife’s peace of mind.

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