Tag: romance

Review: Loving Remains by Esmeralda Stone

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Isaac Collins is trying to run Teagan’s Funeral Home and keep his life as calm as possible.

Cory Hughes is just trying to keep her head—and her death consultant business—above ground.

Thrown together by circumstance, a bit of guilt, and a lot of attraction, Isaac and Cory begin an uncomfortable friendship and soon realize the things that make them different may also be why they can’t seem to stay away from each other. And it could be just in time. Because not everything is as it seems at Teagan’s Funeral Home.

A romantic mystery for adult readers looking for mature characters, honest and open-door intimacy, dark humor, and a happily ever after that feels earned.

Favorite Lines:

“There were some laughs that made you instantly laugh with them. Some  laughs that you couldn’t help but laugh at. And some laughs that were horrific and terrible, like a five-car pile-up you couldn’t turn away from.”

“No one should sit unclaimed for years on end, just waiting to see if someone remembered them.”

“I’ve learned that passing judgement on another person’s actions without knowing all the information can cause more damage than letting things go.”

“That death was supposed to be natural, which meant it was ugly and messy at times.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loving Remains is one of those books where the premise sounds quirky—maybe even a little playful—but the emotional weight sneaks up on you fast. A romance set within the death industry could easily tip into gimmick territory, but this story doesn’t do that. Instead, it treats death as something constant, unavoidable, and deeply human, weaving it into a love story that feels tender, messy, and surprisingly grounded.

What really carries the book is its understanding of grief—not just as a singular event, but as something that lingers and reshapes people. Cory and Isaac aren’t blank slates waiting to fall in love; they’re both already carrying loss, anxiety, guilt, and complicated histories with death long before they meet. Their connection doesn’t magically fix those things. If anything, it brings them closer to the surface. That honesty gives the romance more depth than you might expect, especially for a book that also allows itself to be funny, steamy, and occasionally chaotic.

The death-industry setting isn’t just background flavor. It actively informs the book’s questions about control, ritual, and what it means to “do right” by the dead and the living. There’s a clear tension between traditional funeral practices and more personal, less sanitized approaches to death, and the book doesn’t pretend there’s one perfect answer. Instead, it shows how those choices are often shaped by fear, love, and the desire to protect ourselves from pain—even when that protection backfires.

That said, Loving Remains isn’t a light read emotionally, even when the tone is warm. It deals openly with loss, trauma, addiction, and mental health, and those themes aren’t just mentioned in passing. The pacing is steady, occasionally slower when it sits with heavier moments, but it feels intentional rather than indulgent. By the end, the book feels less like a traditional romance arc and more like a quiet argument for intimacy built on understanding rather than rescue.

Summary:

Overall, Loving Remains is a death-industry romance that’s far more emotionally grounded than its premise suggests. It blends grief, mental health, and love into a story that’s tender, funny, and occasionally heavy, without losing its warmth. It’s a romance about choosing connection while still honoring loss, and it treats death as something to be faced honestly rather than hidden away. Readers who enjoy character-driven romance, stories that engage thoughtfully with grief and mental health, and books that balance emotional weight with genuine warmth may enjoy this book. Happy reading!

Check out Loving Remains here!

 

Review: Fragile by Deborah Jay

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

If you could heal your own body, what risks would you take?

When a childhood accident reveals Betha has a talent for magic, her terrified family insist she must never use it, for in Tyr-en, sorcery attracts the death penalty.

Brokered in marriage to an elderly lord, Betha must give up her dreams of serving in the kingdom’s guard, but as court life and intrigue become her adult world, she starts to discover there are advantages to her new position.

Settling into the privileged life of a noblewoman, she is unprepared when false accusation brings tragedy to her family, yet she determines to bring the guilty party to justice. Will she be able to do so without using magic? Or will she die trying?

FRAGILE is the origin story of a character who grew from a bit part in book #1 of THE FIVE KINGDOMS series, to a major player by book #3. It is a stand-alone story, but also an ideal entry point into the main series.

Trigger descriptions of injuries, self-harm, and torture.

Favorite Lines:

“She might never achieve her childhood dreams, but she could at least make the most of her situation.”

“Some things are worth a woman enduring for the benefits they bring.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fragile is one of those books that looks like it’s going to be about magic, but ends up being about power — who has it, who doesn’t, and what it costs to take some back for yourself. From the opening chapters, Betha is framed as small, breakable, and constrained by everyone else’s fear. The irony, of course, is that she may be the most dangerous person in the room.

What makes this story compelling isn’t just Betha’s forbidden healing magic, but the way that magic is entangled with pain, control, and pleasure. This is not a clean, heroic ability. It’s intimate. Addictive. Complicated. The narrative never lets the reader forget that Betha’s power comes from harm — and that knowledge quietly shapes every choice she makes.

The world-building is confident without being overwhelming. Court politics, marriage arrangements, social hierarchy, and religious doctrine all feel lived-in rather than explained. Betha’s forced marriage to Lord Herschel is especially effective in how unromantic and transactional it is. The book doesn’t soften that reality, and it doesn’t rush Betha’s emotional adjustment either. Her growth feels incremental, often uncomfortable, and deeply human.

Friendship becomes one of the story’s strongest counterweights. The relationships Betha forms with other women at court — particularly Denia and Pirolanni — give her access to information, influence, and a kind of education she was never offered at home. These scenes crackle with subtext, gossip, and quiet maneuvering, reminding the reader that survival in this world often depends on who is listening when you speak.

By the time the novel moves into its darker turns — accusation, captivity, and reckoning — Betha is no longer simply reacting. She has learned how to endure, how to observe, and how to choose when to act. Fragile doesn’t pretend that power comes without consequence, but it does argue that denying yourself agency can be just as dangerous. In the end, the title feels less like a description of Betha herself and more like a warning about the systems built to contain her.

Summary:

Overall, Fragile is a character-driven fantasy that’s far more interested in power, autonomy, and survival than spectacle. What stands out most is how Betha’s healing magic is framed as intimate, dangerous, and morally complicated rather than heroic. The book excels at quiet tension—court politics, constrained marriages, and female friendships carry as much weight as the magic itself. While dark and sometimes uncomfortable, the story feels intentional and controlled, ultimately arguing that denying agency can be as destructive as wielding power recklessly. Happy reading!

Check out Fragile here!

 

Review: Driftless Spirits by Karen Ringel

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Charlotte Burke can’t shake her recurring dream. Over and over again she dreams of finding a mysterious journal on a candlelit desk while wandering through a strange house in the middle of the night. Every dream has shown her a framed picture of an old woman sitting at the same desk, except the latest version. Last night, the woman stood and offered Charlotte a keyring. In the morning, Charlotte woke up with her car keys in her hand.

Her best friend is worried but skeptical when Charlotte insists the house is real. The dream is metaphorical, Ivy says, reflecting Charlotte’s restless state. Ivy gifts her a journal and urges her to take the trip her subconscious is demanding before she wakes up behind the wheel. A roadtrip of self-discovery will help Charlotte figure out what she really wants.

Charlotte agrees to the trip but not for Ivy’s reasons. To her, the house, the journal and the woman in her dream are all too real. She sets off to do the impossible. She doesn’t know it yet, but if she can find the house and uncover its secrets in time, she might save far more than her driftless life.

Favorite Lines:

“It’s the kind of place that passerby barely notice and would never stop. It’s also the kind of place that’s cherished if you live there.”

“The internet has everything if you look hard enough.”

“Sometimes you just have to take a chance and jump.”

“Drifting through some days was fine but drifting through her years without intention squandered a precious gift.

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the opening dream sequence, Driftless Spirits establishes an atmosphere rooted in intuition, restlessness, and the slow pull of something unnamed. Charlotte’s story feels immediately familiar in the best way. She is not running from tragedy or danger but from stagnation, from the unsettling realization that her life has begun to feel paused. That emotional starting point gives the book a gentle but persistent momentum.

What Ringel does especially well is treat place as both setting and catalyst. Wisconsin’s Driftless region is not just where the story happens, it is part of what the story is about. The landscape mirrors Charlotte’s internal state: winding roads, unexpected valleys, quiet towns that seem easy to overlook unless you stop and really look. Casten’s Horn feels lived in rather than constructed, and its routines, celebrations, and peculiar rhythms give the town a sense of layered history without overwhelming the narrative.

Charlotte herself is an easy protagonist to root for because her doubts feel honest and unembellished. Her curiosity outweighs her fear, but just barely, and that balance keeps the tension grounded. The mystery elements arrive slowly and organically, never disrupting the cozy tone but gently complicating it. The supernatural aspects are understated and feel more like an extension of intuition and memory than something overtly threatening, which makes them more intriguing than alarming.

At its core, Driftless Spirits is a story about listening. Listening to instincts, to forgotten history, to places that seem to call quietly rather than loudly. The novel resists neat answers and dramatic twists, opting instead for gradual revelation and emotional payoff. It invites the reader to slow down, pay attention, and trust that small moments can still carry significance. The result is a story that feels comforting without being predictable, and reflective without losing narrative direction.

Summary:

Overall, Driftless Spirits may appeal to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries, gentle supernatural elements, and character-driven stories set in small towns. It is well suited for those who appreciate atmospheric storytelling, introspective journeys, and mysteries that unfold through mood and discovery rather than danger. Readers who enjoy themes of self-rediscovery, intuition, and place-based storytelling will likely find this a satisfying and quietly engaging read. Happy reading!

Check out Driftless Spirits here!

 

Review: Unborn by Eva Barber

~ likelystory18 ~ 3 Comments

Synopsis:

Olesya was not born like other people but was found in the Siberian Forest by a couple unable to have children. Plagued by mysterious visions and dreams, she struggles to fit into a society both as a socially inept but brilliant child and as she becomes part of a research team to discover the nature of dark matter. The findings of this discovery never make it to the scientific community as the project leader goes missing and the physics lab blows up, destroyed by a powerful foe with seemingly noble intentions.

Seattle detectives question Olesya in connection with the explosion and the disappearance of her boss. She becomes a person of interest until she herself goes missing. From her kidnappers, she learns that her parents, knowing she lacked a belly button, suspected she was created by the Russian government as part of a scientific experiment, and emigrated to the USA to hide and protect her. She also learns she possesses powers related to dark matter and of the existence of a brother held captive since his discovery by the Russian government. Even though she suspects her kidnappers’ interest in her and their motivations aren’t so noble, she joins them in rescuing her brother. Catastrophic world events following the successful rescue force her to continue working with her foes to save the world from destruction.

While working to save the world, Olesya experiences a moral dilemma and becomes someone she never thought she’d be—a mother. Olesya learns of mysterious chambers scattered around the world, and her visions return to haunt her, until she opens the chambers and learns their secrets, wishing she hadn’t. Now she faces the heart-wrenching realization that she must travel into a dark dimension to save the world from self-destruction. Worse yet, her daughter, Emery, is the key to humanity’s salvation and must follow her mother once she becomes an adult because she is the only being who can travel where no one else can to restore balance to the universe and return with an extraordinary gift for humanity. But powerful entities have reasons to keep the gift away from humanity and will do anything to stop her.

Favorite Lines:

“Being different is not something you should be ashamed of. It’s something you should be proud of.”

“For years now, her hope had lain buried deep inside, waiting for the right moment to awaken.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eva Barber writes Unborn with an eerie tenderness that makes the strange feel familiar, the impossible feel almost believable. It’s a novel that mixes the beauty of myth with the sharp edges of science, and it does so without ever losing sight of its humanity.

The story begins in a Russian forest, where a baby is found alone and impossibly alive. Her name is Olesya. She’s perfect — except she doesn’t have a belly button. That single detail feels small at first, but Barber builds the entire story around it. What does it mean to be created instead of born? To belong to a family, but not to the natural order that defines one? Those questions stay at the heart of Unborn, even as the story stretches across centuries, countries, and dimensions.

What I loved most is how the book keeps its balance — it’s dark without being bleak, intelligent without ever becoming cold. The writing feels cinematic, full of quiet tension and visual detail: candlelight against snow, the hum of a laboratory, a mother’s hand trembling as she holds something she can’t quite understand. And yet, under all of that, the story is deeply emotional. It’s about motherhood, creation, and the lengths we’ll go to protect what we love — even when we’re not sure what it really is.

By the time I reached the end, I realized that Unborn isn’t really about science or the supernatural. It’s about inheritance — what we carry from those who came before, and what we unknowingly pass on. It’s about the ache of being human in a world that keeps asking us to prove we exist.

Summary:

Overall, Unborn is a haunting, beautiful story about science, motherhood, and the unknowable threads that connect us. It’s the kind of book that lingers quietly after you’ve finished it — the kind that leaves you wondering whether what you just read was speculative fiction or something closer to a modern myth.

If you like stories that mix atmosphere and emotion — think The Time Traveler’s Wife, Never Let Me Go, or The Daughter of Doctor Moreau — you’ll find something to love here. It’s for readers who enjoy a story that makes you think and feel at the same time; readers who don’t mind when mystery lingers even after the answers come. Happy reading!

Check out Unborn here!

 

Crimson Secrets: Love’s Dark Labyrinth by XuXa

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

Shadows linger in whispers of love; can you trust the heart that betrays you?

When I met Malik, it was all hot glances and sizzling touches in dark corners. We were supposed to be a casual fling—intense, short, purely physical. But the deeper I fell into his bed, the deeper I fell into his secrets.

Now, danger shadows every whisper and kiss. Malik’s past isn’t just dark—it’s dangerous. And it’s catching up with us fast.

As threats close in, our fiery affair turns into a desperate fight for survival. Each touch could be our last. We’re playing with fire, and I’m not sure we’ll both make it out unburned.

Can our passion overcome the past, or will his secrets tear us apart?

Favorite Lines:

“But trust was a thin thread stretched too far between her fragile union of flesh and soul, which was now tortured by doubt, fears, and suspicions.”

“The night had been heavy with secrets…”

“But they had survived. More importantly, they had learned to love”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Crimson Secrets pulled me in from the first page. It’s a book that feels drenched in mood—rain against glass, the pulse of the city at night, a woman standing at the edge of something she doesn’t yet understand. XuXa’s story isn’t just about love; it’s about the danger that hides inside of it, the places it can take us when we stop paying attention.

At the center of the story is Nia, a woman who looks like she has it all together: a sharp career, confidence, control. But when she meets Malik, everything starts to shift. He’s magnetic in the way people are when they’re equal parts promise and warning. What begins as attraction turns into something darker, tangled with secrets neither of them are ready to face. Watching Nia try to hold onto herself as her world unravels is what makes this book so compelling—it’s love, obsession, and awakening all rolled into one.

XuXa writes with a cinematic rhythm. You can almost see the light move across a room, hear the weight of silence between two people who want something they shouldn’t. The story balances its sensuality with tension so sharp it borders on anxiety. Each scene builds like a slow exhale, leading to revelations that are as emotional as they are dangerous.

What I loved most is that the book never settles into being just one thing. It’s romantic, yes—but also psychological, suspenseful, and surprisingly introspective. By the end, Crimson Secrets isn’t about finding love so much as it’s about finding yourself again after love has burned through everything else. Nia’s journey feels messy, real, and deeply human. It’s the kind of story that lingers with you—the way certain people do, long after they’re gone.

Summary:

Crimson Secrets: Love’s Dark Labyrinth is a dark, seductive story about what happens when love and danger start to look the same. XuXa writes with a sharp, visual style that makes every moment feel cinematic and alive. It’s part thriller, part romance, and part reckoning—a story about how power shifts when truth finally comes to light. At just shy of 70 pages, this book could be a quick read for anyone interested in erotic suspense thrillers. Happy reading!

Check out Crimson Secrets here!

 

Review: Finding Destiny by Aliyah Hastings

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Synopsis:

The truth is hidden in plain sight, and the answers will cost her everything.

Tara has spent her life chasing the truth, the mystery of her father’s death, and the secrets buried with him. But when she is torn from her quiet existence and thrust into the heart of Velmora, a city consumed by a malevolent presence, she stumbles into something ancient.

What she thought was a simple pursuit of truth was only the beginning. Each revelation unveils a deeper layer of deceit. And when a sacred ceremony ends in bloodshed, Tara is forced to flee. But running is not enough. The Queen is rising, and her influence is rapidly expanding; even the heavens aren’t safe.

The world is teetering on the brink. What’s she going to do?

Favorite Lines:

“Another day dawned, indifferent to my feelings, a quiet statement.”

“Love makes you do weird things.”

“I didn’t heal, not yet. But I sat. I breathed. And for now, that was enough.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Aliyah Hastings’ Finding Destiny is a lush, imaginative coming-of-age tale wrapped in fantasy’s shimmer and shadow. From the very first pages, the novel strikes a balance between aching nostalgia and the thrill of stepping into an unknown world. It opens quietly, with a young woman caught between memory and longing, but soon tumbles into an adventure threaded with myth, family secrets, and a search for belonging.

What makes this story stand out is its lyrical detail. Hastings lingers on sensory moments—the warmth of sunlight breaking through curtains, the sting of stepping on a seashell, the whisper of air inside a cavern—as if reminding us that destiny isn’t just found in grand revelations but in the small textures of living. Each chapter feels both intimate and cinematic, pulling you from pink-painted bedrooms into cavernous secrets and chateaus that breathe menace.

The heart of the book, though, isn’t just fantasy spectacle—it’s vulnerability. The protagonist’s longing for connection, her memories of lost love, and her search for her place in a fractured world all carry an honesty that feels deeply human. Hastings doesn’t shy away from pain or disappointment, but she always threads hope through the narrative. When the heroine finally realizes that destiny is not about running away but stepping fully into herself, the moment lands with quiet, powerful clarity.

For readers who enjoy fantasy woven with emotion, Finding Destiny is both immersive and poignant. It’s a story about courage, grief, and the possibility of transformation—written with a voice that makes you pause and savor.

Summary:

Overall, Finding Destiny is a beautifully written fantasy about grief, self-discovery, and courage. Poetic detail and heartfelt emotion make this novel linger long after the last page. Happy reading!

Check out Finding Destiny here!

 

Review: Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea by Richard L. Levine

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

When they met in the fourth grade, it was love at first sight for Mitchell Brody and Jessica Ramirez. He was the freckle-faced kid who stood up for her honor when he silenced the class bully who’d been teasing her because of her accent. She was the new kid whose family moved to San Juan Island, Washington, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and whom Mitch had thought was the most beautiful girl in the world.

She was his salvation from a strict upbringing. He was her knight in shining armor who had always looked out for her. Through the many years of porch-swinging, cotton-candied summer nights, autumn harvest festivals, and hand-in-hand walks planning for the ideal life together, they were inseparable…until 9/11, when the real world interrupted their Rockwell-esque small town life, and Mitch had joined the Marine Corps.

This is not just the story of a wounded warrior finally coming home to search for the love, and the world he abandoned twenty years before. It is also the story of a man who is seeking forgiveness and a way to ease the pain caused by every bad decision he’d ever made. It’s the story of a woman who, with strength and determination, rose up from the ashes of a shattered dream; but who never gave up hope that her one true love would return to her. As she once told an old friend: “Even before we met all those years ago, we were destined to be together in this life, and we will be together again, because even today we’re connected in a way that’s very special, and he needs to know about it before one of us leaves this earth.”

Favorite Lines:

“To him, those shadows resembled a life slipping away—a life he felt no more able to grasp and hold on to no more than he could grab and hold on to any one of those shadows—and it abruptly reminded him of one of the last times he saw Alex.”

“I’m hoping if I tell that lie often enough, there’s a chance it could come true.” 

“Haven’t you ever been involved with someone so special that you couldn’t concentrate on anything, or you couldn’t catch your breath no matter how hard you’ve tried? Wasn’t there ever someone who made you feel that you wanted to spend your every waking moment with because maybe, just maybe, there wouldn’t be a tomorrow? That’s what it feels like to me when I’m with her. Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking that time really is running out. Apart from that, when we’re not together I feel lost, like I have no direction, no purpose for being. I feel like…as I once told Jess, like a sailboat that has no rudder or keel…completely at the mercy of the wind and the current.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Richard I. Levine’s Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is a quiet novel about coming home, but it’s also about what you carry with you when home isn’t the same place you left. Mitch Brody, a Marine pushed into medical retirement, returns to the San Juan Islands with more questions than answers. He wants to disappear into familiar places—the ferry crossings, the smell of salt air, the memory of an orchard long gone—but the past has other plans. 

What I loved about this book is how ordinary moments are weighted with history. A doctor’s waiting room, a cup of coffee in a ferry galley, a drive down a rural road—Levine makes them feel alive with tension, because Mitch isn’t just moving through space, he’s moving through memory. Ghosts linger here, and not just Alex, the friend whose absence still cuts at him. There’s Jess, the woman he left behind, and the version of himself he can’t quite reconcile.

The writing is unhurried, like the islands themselves. There’s room for silence, for reflection, for scenes to stretch out the way real conversations do. By the end, I found myself rereading the opening lines about ashes on the water, realizing how much weight they’d gathered along the way.

This isn’t a book that hurries to a resolution. It’s a book that asks you to sit with Mitch while he figures out whether forgiveness—his own and others’—is still possible. In the end, like driftwood, he’s shaped by the tides that brought him here, but still moving with them.

Summary:

Overall, Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is a thoughtful, unhurried story about coming home and facing the past you can’t outrun. Richard I. Levine gives us a main character shaped by war, haunted by loss, and pulled back to the San Juan Islands to reckon with love, regret, and responsibility. It’s a novel about memory and forgiveness, written with the patience of the place it inhabits. For readers who appreciate reflective, character-driven fiction rooted in a strong sense of setting, this one lingers like salt air long after you’ve finished the last page. Be ready to cry and happy reading!

You can find the book trailer here.

Check out Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea here!

 

Review: Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse by Frances Mary Dunham

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

A Spicy Fantasy Romance of Blood Magic, Cursed Lovers, and Storm-Bound Passion.

She came for vengeance. He offered ruin. Together, they’ll defy the gods—or die trying.

Heiress Abigail Derby was born to rule the seas. She’s fought her way through storms, smugglers, and scheming noblemen to claim her place at the helm of her father’s shipping business. But when a shipment critical to her family’s legacy is stolen by none other than her long-time rival—Captain Wesley Northrup, the maddeningly seductive pirate with a devil’s grin and a taste for destruction—Abigail launches a personal mission of retribution. What she doesn’t expect is to uncover his devastating secret: Wesley is a cursed warlock.

Bound by ghost-forged chains and the ancient power of a fractured Oathstone, Wesley is slowly being consumed by magic—body and soul. Each silver-blue link etched across his chest is both a prison and a death sentence. The only way to break the curse is through blood magic—dark, forbidden rituals that require sacrifice, pain, and a bond no spell can fake. The deeper they go, the more Abigail must give. Her blood. Her trust. Her desire.

And she’s burning with all three.

As they descend into a world of haunted ruins, sea beasts, smugglers, and betrayal, Abigail and Wesley find themselves fighting not just for survival, but for control—of the curse, of their futures, and of the explosive passion that ignites every time they touch. What begins as an uneasy truce becomes an irresistible hunger neither of them can deny.

Every ritual draws them closer. Every broken chain demands a deeper intimacy. And every act of magic tempts fate itself.

But the curse is not the only danger.

There are forces in Salem who want Abigail’s empire to fall. Enemies from Wesley’s past who would see him dragged beneath the waves. Ghosts. Gods. Monsters. And as the storm builds around them, the final ritual may cost more than blood—it may demand their hearts, their souls, or the destruction of everything they swore to protect.

Will they break the curse before it breaks them? Or will love be the greatest risk of all?

Prepare to be swept away by:
Enemies-to-lovers heat that explodes off the page
Forced marriage by decree
Erotic blood magic & soul-binding rituals
A cursed rogue sea captain & a proud, powerful heiress
Sea monsters, ghost-inked chains & salt-kissed kisses
Savage intimacy, sacred vows & one unforgettable final bond

Set against the dark allure of colonial Salem and the raging Atlantic, Spellbound By The Captain’s Curse is a deliciously wicked blend of slow-burn tension, supernatural danger, and off-the-charts spice. This standalone fantasy romance delivers everything you crave—grit, guts, and gasp-worthy passion wrapped in lyrical prose and high-stakes adventure.

The rituals are brutal. The sex is searing. The love is something they never saw coming.

For readers who devour the seductive danger of The Bridge Kingdom, the raw intensity of From Blood and Ash, and the dark romantic magic of A Soul to Keep, this book will leave you aching, breathless, and completely spellbound.

Favorite Lines:

“I am terrified not of dying, but of opening myself to Wesley—of letting him see the soft, damaged parts I keep hidden even from myself. And that, I realize, is exactly what the curse wants.”

“I forgot how allergic you are to being outbid.”

“You mistake audacity for cleverness…You mistake privilege for immunity.”

“The storm didn’t claim them. Desire did.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the very first page, Frances Mary Dunham’s Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse sweeps you into Abigail Derby’s world of salt‑sprayed decks, candlelit archives, and auctions where fortunes—and honor—are won or lost in a heartbeat. Abigail, acting head of Derby Shipping, is introduced in full force at a high‑stakes auction where she dares to outbid Salem’s fiercest merchant captains—until Captain Wesley Northrup, the legendary “North Sea Devil,” arrives to crush her last vestige of pride.

Dunham balances razor‑sharp wit with crackling sexual tension. Abigail’s fierce determination and Wesley’s dark magnetism play off each other like thunder and lightning: each encounter leaves them both scorched and craving more. Unlike many romances, their enemies‑to‑lovers arc is driven as much by legacy and honor as by desire. The looming threat of the ancient Oathstone—a relic that can bind souls as surely as chains bind wrists—raises the stakes from personal rivalry to a battle for free will itself.

The novel’s pacing is masterful. After the charged auction scene, we follow Abigail into the storm‑lashed Maritime Archives, where she uncovers forbidden laws and the terrible power of the Oathstone. Moments of high romance—stolen glances, near‑touches, and whispered challenges—are threaded through discoveries that could undo her family’s legacy forever. Dunham’s prose is evocative without ever becoming overwrought: you taste the brine on your lips, feel the weight of Abigail’s defiance, and shiver at every hint of magic lurking in Salem’s shadows.

At its heart, this is a story about choice: whether to cling to the safety of solitude or risk everything for connection. Abigail and Wesley must decide if the bond the Oathstone forces upon them is a prison—and whether their own hearts are worth the gamble. 

Summary:

Overall, for readers who love gritty coastal settings, smart heroines, morally complex heroes, and slow‑burn romance that truly earns its happy ending, Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse is an absolute must‑read. Happy reading!

Check out Spellbound by the Captain’s Curse here!

Review: Hearing My Secrets by Julie L. James

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

At first glance, Marion Andrews would seem to have it all. She’s just been promoted at her job at the top home design magazine where she’s worked for a few years on the creative team, and she’s earned it, even after a few blunders. Her personality and work ethic have taken her far, but not everything is as it seems in her personal life.

Marion’s been hiding her biggest insecurity for years, and now that she’s working closer with her handsome and austere boss, Mr. Shaler, she’s never felt more unsure about whether or not she should reveal it. Mr. Shaler isn’t as intimidating as Marion thought and she never expected things between them to be quite so friendly.

During her transition in her new position, she meets Charlie, a stranger who insinuates he knows things about her past. Charlie keeps popping up in her life, revealing more each time, and getting closer to Marion in every way.

Caught between her tragic past and her dramatic present life, Marion realizes she doesn’t have control over everything and has to find a way to navigate how she can “have it all” without the unforeseen drama that comes with it.

Favorite Lines:

“Gratitude is always the best attitude.”

“‘What do you have against hot drinks?’ I asked. ‘The concept of soaking ground bits of vegetation in boiling hot water feels wrong to me,’ he explained.”

“I moved closer, resting my head on his chest, hearing his heart beneath me, and appreciating the sound of every single beat.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Julie L. James’s Hearing My Secrets is a heartfelt and quietly powerful novel that blends workplace drama, hidden disabilities, and unexpected romance into something utterly engaging. From the opening pages, we’re drawn into Marion’s world—a young editorial assistant at a glossy home design magazine who is trying to keep a tightly held secret: she wears hearing aids.

The strength of this book lies in its honesty. James doesn’t sugarcoat Marion’s insecurities, frustrations, or her deep desire to be seen for her talent, not her limitations. The writing is warm, often funny, and steeped in the little textures of life—fabric swatches, late-night train rides, whispered lobby secrets. There’s something incredibly comforting in how ordinary everything feels, even as major emotional shifts are happening.

The story evolves gently, but not without stakes. Between a blossoming workplace crush, office politics, and glimpses into Marion’s painful childhood accident, Hearing My Secrets keeps you hooked with emotional resonance rather than high drama. And when romance sparks, it’s the kind that feels earned—tender, tentative, and full of chemistry.

It’s rare to find a novel that explores disability, ambition, and love with this much grace. This is a quiet triumph of a story—one that champions sensitivity without sentimentality, and strength without loud declarations. You’ll be rooting for Marion from the first page to the last.

Summary:

Overall,  this book is full of warmth, wit, and an eye for every day beauty. It offers a slow-burning romance wrapped in emotional honesty, making it a refreshingly grounded and relatable read. If you like romance with a splash of comedy, then this book could be for you. Happy reading!

Check out Hearing My Secrets here!

 

Review: Coven of Andromeda by Ron Blacksmith

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

When a powerful magical artifact disappears from the Tanner home, Bree uncovers her family’s true legacy: they’re descendants of witches who fled a dying world centuries ago. Now, Bree must forge an uneasy alliance with Sam Sorken, her mysterious neighbor who harbors secrets of his own—he’s a necromancer from that same world, sworn to protect the coven.

Together, they race against time to stop Kestral Drach, a vengeful voodoo witch preparing to breach the Realm of the Dead and consume the power of countless spirits. As ancient histories collide with present dangers, Bree must embrace her heritage and master unexpected magic that binds her family across generations, before Kestral unleashes forces that could destroy both worlds.

Favorite Lines:

“The timing of destiny is rarely convenient”

“Balance has never been particularly difficult to disrupt.”

“Different paths sometimes lead to the same destination, my boy.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

At first glance The Coven of Andromeda looks like two different novels stitched together: a high-fantasy apprenticeship set beneath lavender skies on Eldoria, and a contemporary tale of bayou folk-magic unfolding in rural Louisiana. The stitching, however, is deliberate. As dimensional rifts widen, necropolis spirits seep into southern swampland, and the narrative threads converge with satisfying inevitability.

Blacksmith frames the entire story around one idea—that so-called “life-magic” and “death-magic” are complementary halves of the same discipline . Sameril, a meticulous student of necromancy, and Bree Tanner, a reluctant heir to her grandmother’s coven, spend much of the book wrestling with that paradox. Their eventual alliance is persuasive because both characters must confront inherited duty: Sameril through the austere Codex Mortis , Bree through a family legacy that offers “truths we must face” rather than evade .

Structurally, the novel alternates measured training chapters with brisk set-piece battles; the rhythm reminds me of a well-paced anime season. The climax is undeniably crowded—multiple factions, a power-hungry voodoo queen, and a spirit of chaos invoked in a single ritual—but the ambition rarely tips into confusion. When the rifts finally erupt, Blacksmith delivers the promised spectacle without abandoning the quieter question of what balance between worlds should look like.

Stylistically, the writing alternates between lyrical description and colloquial banter. A paragraph detailing obsidian pillars flickering with ghost-light may be followed by a dry aside about who is responsible for bringing refreshments to the next ritual. This tonal flexibility works because the characters themselves embrace both gravity and levity; a sisterly bond forged late in the novel underscores that the real stakes are personal before they are cosmic .

Summary:

Overall, I would describe this as A Darker Share of Magic colliding with Practical Magic at a Cajun cookout. Readers who enjoy expansive fantasy with contemporary texture will find The Coven of Andromeda an engaging—and occasionally demanding—journey. Its length requires patience, but the reward is a robust exploration of power, responsibility, and the fragile equilibrium between the realms of the living and the dead. Happy reading!

Check out Coven of Andromeda here!