October 2024 Wrap-Up
The Other Side
A.J. Wynn
At the prestigious Montgomery Prep, history teacher Violet Price is an outsider, haunted by a dark past, just trying to survive. Enter Chance Harper, the enigmatic new English instructor whose privilege clashes with Violet’s gritty reality. When students begin to meet suspicious ends, a chilling connection emerges between the ill-fated teens and a decades-old mystery, leaving Violet entangled in a web of deceit and desire.
Forced to work together to investigate, Violet and Chance must navigate the labyrinth of secrets at Montgomery as they struggle to reconcile their differences in the shadow of the chemistry sizzling between them. Will Violet and Chance unravel the truth, against all odds, or be torn apart in the process?
The Other Side is a standalone dark academia mystery romance with spice. HEA guaranteed. Mature readers only.
Cursed by Darkness: A Bluebeard Retelling
C.M. Haines
In a land plagued by darkness, she may be their only saving light.
After a tragic past, King Bodin refuses to let anyone near his heart, but he’ll do whatever it takes to save his people from this never-ending war. Even if that means agreeing to an arranged marriage, trading riches for soldiers and a princess who’s been hidden away most of her life.
Despite being sent to a man most fear, Princess Juniper knows this might be her only chance to escape the shadows. Especially when she discovers a room in her new palace full of portals to magical lands and Bodin gives her the keys to all but one.
She enjoys her freedom to explore, yet she can’t stop wondering what’s behind the mysterious door he won’t let her open. They might have formed an unexpected friendship, but there are still so many secrets between them.
Deadly secrets that could bring devastation to the few people they truly care about, including one another.
Perfect for fans of A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Grave Mercy, and the show Reign… but spicier, Cursed by Darkness is a dark romantasy that can be read as a standalone.
Cursed by Darkness is book four in the Once Upon a Curse series.
Cursed by the Black Heart: A Hansel and Gretel Retelling
Eryn Brooks
History can be twisted…
Everyone knows the story of Hansel and Gretel… Or do they? The true story from the witch’s perspective is not what you would expect.
Cursed with magic in a land where it is a death sentence, Katharina is constantly on guard. Even though she was banished from the castle ten years ago, she still tries to make the most of her new home… until someone close to her is murdered.
Overcome with grief, she retreats into the Black Forest only to be confronted by the terrifying Dark Fae. Stories of his cruelty are that of nightmarish legend, primarily used to scare children into obedience.
As the lines between heroes and villains blur, Katharina finds that lies are being spread about her that paint her as being far more dastardly than even the Dark Fae. Can she finally make peace with her past and bring the truth to light? Or will the darkness of the Black Forest be the only place she can find solace?
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful COnvictions
John Grisham & Jim McCloskey
John Grisham is known worldwide for his bestselling novels, but it’s his real-life passion for justice that led to his work with Jim McCloskey of Centurion Ministries, the first organization dedicated to exonerating innocent people who have been wrongly convicted. Together they offer an inside look at the many injustices in our criminal justice system.
A fundamental principle of our legal system is a presumption of innocence, but once someone has been found guilty, there is very little room to prove doubt. These ten true stories shed light on Americans who were innocent but found guilty and forced to sacrifice friends, families, and decades of their lives to prison while the guilty parties remained free. In each of the stories, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey recount the dramatic hard-fought battles for exoneration. They take a close look at what leads to wrongful convictions in the first place and the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and corruption in the court system that can make them so hard to reverse.
Impeccably researched and told with page-turning suspense as only John Grisham can deliver, Framed is the story of winning freedom when the battle already seems lost and the deck is stacked against you.
The Curse of the SIren
S.E. Nielsen
There is but one lesson humans are slow to learn and quick to forget: the fae lie…
When half-fae Bronwyn is caught fleeing the scene of a robbery, a Crusader arrow finds its mark. But as her roguish partner-in-crime Eoin tends to her wounds, a spark between them replenishes Bronwyn’s magic — revealing her as part-Siren. And quite possibly cursed.
Meanwhile, word is spreading of the two thieves and the illegal magic they left behind them. To escape discovery, Bronwyn and Eoin accept a dangerous yet tempting a wedding heist that leads them into the depths of the fae realm.
But August, the merciless vampire lord of the Selen Court, is used to getting what — and who — he wants.
In a land of deception, seduction and meddling gods, Bronwyn puts her life on the line, only to discover temptation may be her undoing. And time is running out for her to make a choice, before she’s stuck on the wrong side of a looming war.
The Curse of the Siren is a steamy, plot-driven romantasy with magic, political intrigue, and two tempting MMCs.
The Serpent’s Bridge
S.Z. Estavillo
Compelling dialogue, rich, gritty prose, and characters you won’t forget — if you loved The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson, or Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger, you’ll love The Serpent’s Bridge.
Recovering alcoholic Detective Anaya Nazario remains haunted by her father’s murder. Lucas Nazario was the highest-ranking Puerto Rican LAPD detective, and his case has gone unsolved for twenty-four years since his murder. When Mexican immigrants are targeted by a serial killer, Nazario senses a connection and fights to keep the leadless case open. The homicide investigation centers on Sanctuary Baptist, a church composed of immigrants led by Pastor Stan and his wife. Nazario’s personal and professional worlds collide when she is compelled to collaborate with her former lover, Special Agent Blake Huxley. As their lives merge once more, the FBI and Detective Nazario stop at nothing to find a killer.
Is this the same monster who killed her father and left him for dead under a bridge?
Can she put a stop to the murders before more families lose loved ones?
Cursed by Malignant Magic
Jenesis St. Clare
In a war-torn world of magic and power struggles, Collie, a young and mischievous Battle Mage, finds herself caught between the demands of her commanding officer, General Ehuna, and her own rebellious nature. Blessed or cursed with a unique magical ability and a sharp tongue, Collie constantly tests the limits of her authority, much to Ehuna’s exasperation.
Thrust into the heart of an escalating conflict, Collie must navigate the treacherous politics of the royal court, the prejudices of the noble-born guards, and the looming threat of a powerful, malignant magic that could consume them all. As she is forced to confront her own past and the mysteries surrounding her origins, Collie must decide whether to embrace her role as a soldier or forge her own path, even if it means defying those she has sworn to protect.
In this captivating fantasy adventure, the reader is drawn into a world where magic is both a gift and a curse, and the line between duty and personal freedom is razor-thin. “(Cursed by) Malignant Magic” promises a thrilling journey filled with intrigue, action, and the struggles of a young mage determined to carve out her own destiny.
For fans of Magic Study, The Unbroken, and The Jasmine Throne, this sapphic romance is Book 7 in the Once Upon a Curse series.
The Time Tournament
Lara Bronson
Elena
Time-traveling witches, dragon lairs, a world pulled straight out of a fantasy. Except, this became my life overnight, and I had no idea how to handle it. One minute, I was walking through European woods with my family. Next, I was thrown into a realm beyond my wildest dreams. Danger lurked around every corner, and the only one willing to help was the lord of the Crimson Dragon House.
Then I met his son, Killian. Words can’t even begin to describe how much I despise him. Arrogance runs through his veins as strongly as my hatred runs through mine. When I became a dragon rider, I was about to face grueling challenges and Killian was determined to make me fail. With no way back to my own time, my only shot at survival was to master dragon riding and Killian won’t stand in my way. I just have to figure out how.
Killian
She ended up in my lair by accident, but her very presence makes my blood boil. My father’s decision to welcome her into Moltenclaw Keep and let her train as a rider was beyond me. The old man must’ve lost his marbles.
On top of dealing with my mother’s death, now I have to train this weak human girl who can barely hold a sword. And if that wasn’t bad enough, soon the Hungarian king will summon us and four other dragon houses for the Time Tournament.
But no matter what, one thing is certain. I’m going to drive that girl out of my lair, my life, and my mind.
The Time Tournament is Book 1 in the historical romantasy series, Order of the Dragon, that melds real historical events with even greater fantasy ones. “Let the dragon games begin!”
Of Brides and Blood
K.L. Ziggler
“So what is it that’s bothering you, Nathalie? What am I doing to make you so upset?”
“Because I want you and I hate it.”
Since the day her family was killed by monsters, Nathalie has been waiting for one thing: revenge. She’s spent years training as a monster hunter, just waiting for her chance for vengeance against the king that failed to protect her family. The opportunity for revenge comes through a paid assassination, but not against the king like Nathalie had hoped.
The king is dying, and a coup is rising. Before the king’s son, Prince Cahir, can take the throne, he must choose a bride through the Rite—an ancient ritual that prevents a new ruler from being crowned without marrying and siring an heir. If Nathalie can kill the prince before he completes his Rite, she will have her revenge, while the resistance will have a way to take over the throne. It is a chance Nathalie can’t refuse.
Posing as a guard to his potential brides, Nathalie will find herself face to face with Prince Cahir—an alluring and cocky man that will test her resolve to end his life. Especially when she realizes she isn’t the only one after the prince. Cahir carries secrets of his own—ones that put Nathalie’s plans, and heart, at risk.
Nathalie swore she would never fail again. But with the growing desire between her and Cahir, she will have to decide if her need for revenge outweighs the feelings she has for the prince. A prince she cannot have. A prince to be betrothed to another. A prince who may die by someone else’s hands if she can’t stop it.
She cannot let herself fail again.
Traitor Son
Melissa J. Cave
Do the promises of war ever survive the peace?
At the end of a brutal war, Remin of Andelin promised his knights that he would build them a good place, far from the carnage of war and the poisonous intrigues of the Empire. But the only thing more difficult than winning a war is securing the peace.
Welcome to the Andelin Valley, where the days are filled with the backbreaking labor of building a city and the nights bring monsters summoned in the waning days of the war. The Andelin devils dare even the sacred soil of the Empire, and it takes all of Remin’s military genius to keep his people alive. Yet even in the face of bandits, traitors, and the implacable hatred of the Emperor, the greatest danger to Remin might be his new wife.
Princess Ophele Agnephus. Daughter of the Stars, the Exile Princess, she is the daughter of the Divine Emperor who executed Remin’s family. Raised in secret and given in the place of her sister as a reward for Remin’s war victory, Ophele carries a secret that could topple the Empire: his family was innocent. But will she risk her life to reveal her family’s crimes to the most dangerous man in the Empire?
A tale of love and redemption.As the summer bleeds on and the walls of their city rise, Remin finds himself drawn to Ophele, who shares so many of his dreams and sorrows. She could be his love and his wife, the mother of his children, the foundation of a dynasty that will last forever. Or she could be the Emperor’s weapon, placed at his side to destroy everything he has left.
A marriage built in the ashes of betrayal. A land built on the ruins of a century of war. And a people determined to rise, with shattered trust and an unquenchable hope…if Ophele can only make them believe it is possible. Traitor Son is the story of a people broken by tragedy, a hero torn between his duty and his dreams, and a young woman who must find the courage to take her place at his side, before their own devils tear them apart.
Begin an unforgettable journey with Traitor Son, the first book of the Empire of the Stars. Perfect for fans of epic fantasy, knights and nobility, and tales of resilience and redemption.
Now it’s your turn!
Share your October reads and let’s discuss — what were your favorite reads from the past month? Or is there a book you’re looking forward to this month? Any new discoveries or treasured rereads? I’d love to see your recommendations and thoughts!
