Showing posts with label Hayley Dennings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hayley Dennings. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Waiting on Wednesday #752, October 8th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating! 

The Demon and the Light by Axie Oh
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh's The Floating World.

The battle is over, but the war is just beginning...

With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General's insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he's gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn't even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she's grown to love.

But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court's game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.

Blind Date With a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
When the deadly werewolf Asil is gifted five blind dates by some anonymous “friends,” his reclusive life will never be the same, in this enthralling novel in stories from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series.

Includes two all-new stories as well as three previously published stories.

Dear

We are worried about you. A werewolf alone is a sad thing, especially at Christmastime. So we have a challenge for five dates in three weeks. We have taken the work out of it and connected you with five people from online dating sites. You should also know that we have informed the whole pack and instigated a betting pool. Have fun!

Sincerely,
Your Concerned Friends

The Things Gods Break by Abigail Owen
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
THE SECOND BOOK IN THE CRUCIBLE TRILOGY FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES, #1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER, THE GAMES GODS PLAY

She has won the games of the gods, can she stand against the titans? Lyra may have survived the Crucible, but now she faces an even more dangerous test - a deadly race against time begins in Tartarus.

The games continue in the thrilling and highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling romantasy The Games Gods Play. Welcome to Tartarus!
Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
Good girls deserve a treat.

Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected.

After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future. Once she's taken into their fold, the House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as easy prey.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner's new position at the cutthroat University. After 18 months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane's clothes don’t fit right, her girl-dad husband isn’t as present as he thinks he is, and even the few hours a day she's apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House’s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all, achieving a level of collective perfection that Sloane so desperately craves.

As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power.

Our Vicious Descent by Hayley Dennings
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
In this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Ravenous Fate duology, Elise Saint and Layla Quinn must discover the truths behind an alluring poison and the monstrous new presence ravaging New York City

In 1927, shocking upheavals have rocked Harlem's most powerful factions and left Elise Saint estranged from the reaper she loves, Layla Quinn. The Saint family empire is in decline, gangster-run blood houses peddle debauchery, and a dangerous reaper-venom drug has become all the rage with wealthy thrill-seekers. Elise is desperate to find her beloved little sister, Josi, who has gone missing in the chaos. Meanwhile, Layla contends with shifting alliances in the New York underworld, including Karine, an ancient reaper, and the gangster Nicoletta—both with scores to settle.

And then a terrifying new threat a beast making swift, murderous rampages through the city, keeping to darkness while hunting reapers and humans alike. Layla and Elise are joined in purpose when they suspect the monster's origins are related to a far deeper mystery that involves Josi, Karine, and a disquieting new future for reapers. Soon, they will risk everything to unearth these secrets, where the shadowy boundaries between the dead and the living are even more treacherous than they imagined.

A Curious Kind of Magic by Mara Rutherford
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
"If anyone's looking for me, I live in this book now." - Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer and Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Howl's Moving Castle meets Little Thieves in this cozy fantasy about the teenage owner of a (mostly fake) magical curiosity shop and a girl cursed to turn everything she touches into magic.

Everyone in Ardmuir knows that Willow Stokes is a charlatan, including Willow herself. Her father’s shoppe hasn’t sold anything magical in decades, and it’s only hanging on by the skin of the fake dragon’s teeth Willow sells as charms, along with “enchanted” ostrich eggs, taxidermied chimeras, and talismans made of fools’ gold.

Until outlander Brianna Hargrave appears and turns Willow’s fakes into exactly what they’re purported to be. But try as Willow might to enlist Bri’s help, she wants nothing to do with Willow and her curiosities.

Because Brianna is harboring a secret of her everything she touches turns to magic, and the consequences have chased her all the way to Ardmuir. All she wants to do is find a particular missing grimoire, which contains a spell that can finally put an end to her curse.

Desperate to keep her father's shoppe, Willow proposes a bargain that could save them both. Together with the frustratingly handsome printer's assistant, the girls will uncover a plot that goes far deeper than either could have imagined. But when Willow is forced to participate in an ambitious collector's quest for the rarest magical object in the world—a quest that risks almost-certain death—she learns that not all treasure is for sale, and that true magic is closer than she ever could have imagined.

The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering standalone romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries.

★ “Beautifully inevitable and surprising at the same time." –Kirkus (Starred Review)

★ “A sensuous and haunting story of love beyond time.” –Library Journal (Starred Review)

In an England fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes.

Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen’s court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other? 

As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them.

But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch?

The Lost Reliquary by Lyndsay Ely
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
“A ruthless, epic, and darkly hilarious read.” —Sara Hashem, author of The Jasad Heir

A divinely blessed warrior bound to the last living goddess plots deicide to win her freedom in this propulsive epic fantasy for fans of Godkiller and Gideon the Ninth.

The Devoted Lands was once home to many gods. Now, after centuries of brutal wars, only Tempestra-Innara, the Enduring Flame, remains.

As a divine warrior, Lys is outwardly loyal to her goddess. If she dreams of deicide, that’s her business. When a routine heretical execution erupts into a near-fatal assassination attempt on Tempestra-Innara, Lys sees a glimmer of hope for her freedom.

Lys is chosen to hunt down the heretics and find an ancient reliquary with the power to kill a god. Annoyingly, she’s not alone. Paired with Nolan, a warrior from a rival cloister who is as pious as he is determined, Lys must feign devotion if she hopes to keep her own god-killing ambitions within reach.

But as they pursue the heretics linked to the assassination, Lys uncovers a world with more possibility—and peril—than she ever anticipated.

Ravenminder by Lindsay Cummings
Expected Publication: October 21st, 2025
From Goodreads:
A kingdom at war. A girl with a gift. A destiny to be revealed.
Your new romantic fantasy obsession awaits in this captivating epic adventure, perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Sarah J. Maas.

………

The sky is a dangerous place for a girl without wings.

In the war-torn kingdom of Lordach, Ezer has spent two years as the Ravenminder of Rendegard. Chained in a prison tower’s aviary, she pays the debts of the man she calls uncle, who rescued her after shadow wolves killed her parents. With three glittering scars on her cheek and mystical ‘strangeties’ unlike any magic in their world, Ezer is haunted by dreams of her death at the hands of an unknown warrior.

Then a Sacred Knight arrives to recruit Ezer for the fight against the enemy, the Acolyte. When her affinity with birds reveals itself on the journey to Citadel, she is given a new mission: to help the Prince of Lordach tame one of the Acolyte’s captured raphons. Half giant raven, half black panther, these creatures are as loyal to the Acolyte as his strongest darksoul soldiers . . and only they can make the flight to infiltrate his lair.

While Ezer forges an unbreakable bond with the raphon, her heart becomes torn between the loyal Knight and the mysterious Prince. But as her dreams take on new clarity, she finds herself faced with a choice and a question: has the darkness been her destiny all along?

Perfect for fans of:

💘 Romance

⚔️ Action & Adventure

🔮 Magic

🐦‍⬛ Mysterious creatures

These are authors that I love, and they all sound so good, and I can't wait for them all to be out! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Monday, August 4, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #739, August 4th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!
What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #738
Teaser Tuesday #746
WWW Wednesday #746
WOW #742
Will the Time Come #739
Third Sentence Thursday #729
Random Reads #715
First Lines Friday #742
Book Blogger Hop #408
Monthly ARC's September Round Up
The Reward Challenge Update #724
Wheel of TBR #271
How Well I Stuck to It #576
Wrote that Review Update #573

OK, so I got 47 posts in 7 days, It was a rough week. Tuesday I was told that we were probably putting the family dog down soon, since his health was deteriorating. Wednesday, we almost did, but instead tried increasing the dose of his meds. He has a lump on his lungs, and congestive heart failure, and has been having trouble breathing, and is panting after the smallest of movements. The increase helped for a few days, but yesterday he started panting again. So we're probably putting him down Wednesday, since today's a holiday, and they're going to be busy tomorrow. If we can get appointment Wednesday. And it's hard, it's getting close to 2 years since we put Dobby down, so I'm struggling. It's just that we got Dobby and Winky, and Winky passed, Dobby remembered her. And then we adopted Jax a few months later. And when Doby passed, Jax remembered him. But we never got another dog, partially because Jax is reactive. So there's not a dog to remember Jax. There's Holly, but they don't get along very well, so I tried my best to keep them separated when he was with me. It hurts, that breaking of the chain. 

So yeah, this week is going to be even worse, losing the doggie. He seems so alive still, but the way he's breathing, he can't go on like that. I'm going to miss him so much. At least there's some really good books that I need to read that will help. What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read Accomplice to the Villain and The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk!

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Nicole Maehrer's laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to "Evie" or "Stop that."

Evie Sage didn't mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom's most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised "light paperwork and occasional beheadings," and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire—or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

A magical office comedy with grumpy bosses, snarky frogs, and definitely-not-feelings.
New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk.

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again.

When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the impossible: ascend to true divinity.

Their journey will take them through mortal and immortal realms, alongside both old friends and ruthless enemies. But as the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse and the gods prepare for a war, Asar and Mische must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death. In a game of vengeful gods and ancient betrayals, there are some debts that even love may not be able to repay.

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Week 31 Review: Our Vicious Descent

From Goodreads:
In this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Ravenous Fate duology, Elise Saint and Layla Quinn must discover the truths behind an alluring poison and the monstrous new presence ravaging New York City

In 1927, shocking upheavals have rocked Harlem's most powerful factions and left Elise Saint estranged from the reaper she loves, Layla Quinn. The Saint family empire is in decline, gangster-run blood houses peddle debauchery, and a dangerous reaper-venom drug has become all the rage with wealthy thrill-seekers. Elise is desperate to find her beloved little sister, Josi, who has gone missing in the chaos. Meanwhile, Layla contends with shifting alliances in the New York underworld, including Karine, an ancient reaper, and the gangster Nicoletta—both with scores to settle.

And then a terrifying new threat a beast making swift, murderous rampages through the city, keeping to darkness while hunting reapers and humans alike. Layla and Elise are joined in purpose when they suspect the monster's origins are related to a far deeper mystery that involves Josi, Karine, and a disquieting new future for reapers. Soon, they will risk everything to unearth these secrets, where the shadowy boundaries between the dead and the living are even more treacherous than they imagined.

My Review:


Author: Hayley Dennings 
Series: This Ravenous Fate #2
Read: July 28th, 2025 
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved the first book, and it's a End of Series 2025 Book, Historical Fiction 2025 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2025 Book, Sophomore Challenge Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Expected Publication: October 21st 2025
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Monday, July 28, 2025

Phase Out Your TBR Update 16

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was Our Vicious Descent which is for the prompt Blue 9 and I'll be reading Glorious Rivals next! 

My Reading Journey:

Isle of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 2
Started On: July 2nd
Finished On: July 2nd, 7:38 PM
Pages Read: 532 

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 3rd
Finished On: July 3rd, 10:31 PM
Pages Read: 304

Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 12
Started On: July 4th
Finished On: July 4th, 3:48 PM
Pages Read: 317

The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 5
Started On: July 5th
Finished On: July 5th, 11:07 PM
Pages Read: 560

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray 
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 6th
Finished On: July 6th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 336

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 10th
Finished On: July 10th, 11:27 PM
Pages Read: 178

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue Wild (Red 12)
Started On: July 14th
Finished On: July 14th, 7:58 PM
Pages Read: 400

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 16th
Finished On: July 16th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 512

Lord of Ruin by K.M. Enright
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 9
Started On: July 20th
Finished On: July 20th, 8:19 PM
Pages Read: 464

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 7
Started On: July 21st
Finished On: July 21st, 11:04 AM
Pages Read: 400

Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 12
Started On: July 22nd
Finished On: July 22nd, 6:28 PM
Pages Read: 272

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 7
Started On: July 23rd
Finished On: July 23rd, 11:47 AM
Pages Read: 535

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 11
Started On: July 25th
Finished On: July 25th, 4:03 PM
Pages Read: 384

Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 26th
Finished On July 26th, 8:37 PM
Pages Read: 420

The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 27th
Finished On: July 27th, 9:11 PM
Pages Read: 320

Our Vicious Descent by Hayley Dennings
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 9
Started On: July 28th
Finished On: July 28th, 10:28 PM
Pages Read: 512

Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 10
Started On: July 29th
Currently On: Page 0 of 432

Prompts Left: Blue 12, Yellow Wild (Green 12), Green 9, Yellow 7, Yellow 5
Books Read: 16
Pages Read:  5777

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Phase Out Your TBR Update 15

So I've read my next book for the Phase Out Your TBR, and it was The Deepest Night which is for the prompt Yellow 6 and I'll be reading Our Vicious Descent next! 

My Reading Journey:

Isle of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 2
Started On: July 2nd
Finished On: July 2nd, 7:38 PM
Pages Read: 532 

Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 3rd
Finished On: July 3rd, 10:31 PM
Pages Read: 304

Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 12
Started On: July 4th
Finished On: July 4th, 3:48 PM
Pages Read: 317

The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 5
Started On: July 5th
Finished On: July 5th, 11:07 PM
Pages Read: 560

The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray 
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 6th
Finished On: July 6th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 336

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 5
Started On: July 10th
Finished On: July 10th, 11:27 PM
Pages Read: 178

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue Wild (Red 12)
Started On: July 14th
Finished On: July 14th, 7:58 PM
Pages Read: 400

Three Shattered Souls by Mai Corland 
Prompt Fulfilled: Green 7
Started On: July 16th
Finished On: July 16th, 10:03 PM
Pages Read: 512

Lord of Ruin by K.M. Enright
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 9
Started On: July 20th
Finished On: July 20th, 8:19 PM
Pages Read: 464

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay 
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 7
Started On: July 21st
Finished On: July 21st, 11:04 AM
Pages Read: 400

Sky on Fire by E.K. Johnston
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 12
Started On: July 22nd
Finished On: July 22nd, 6:28 PM
Pages Read: 272

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 7
Started On: July 23rd
Finished On: July 23rd, 11:47 AM
Pages Read: 535

The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang
Prompt Fulfilled: Red 11
Started On: July 25th
Finished On: July 25th, 4:03 PM
Pages Read: 384

Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 26th
Finished On July 26th, 8:37 PM
Pages Read: 420

The Deepest Night by Shana Abe
Prompt Fulfilled: Yellow 6
Started On: July 27th
Finished On: July 27th, 9:11 PM
Pages Read: 320

Our Vicious Descent by Hayley Dennings
Prompt Fulfilled: Blue 9
Started On: July 28th
Currently On: Pages 0 of 512

Prompts Left: Blue 12, Yellow Wild (Green 12), Green 9, Yellow 7, Yellow 5, Yellow 10
Books Read: 15
Pages Read:  5265

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Week 43 Review: This Ravenous Fate

From Goodreads:
AT NIGHT IN HARLEM, THE JAZZ CLUBS COME TO LIFE, AND DEATH WAITS IN THE DARK.

It's 1926, and reapers are growing stronger everywhere. Created centuries ago by cruel medical experiments, these once-human vampires are driven to attack without mercy. Those who protect the city from them hold more power than even the organized criminals who run the nightclubs.

As the reluctant heir to her father's reaper-hunting empire, Elise Saint knows that the Harlem reapers want her dead. Among them is Layla Quinn, who lost her parents, the protection of the Saints, and her humanity the night she was turned into a reaper. And she'll never forget how Elise Saint betrayed her.

A wave of mysterious killings shocks the city, forcing Elise and Layla to work together to find out if some reapers are turning human again—or becoming even deadlier. As their investigation takes them from glittering parties to gangster underworlds, the two must confront their complicated feelings for each other. For a new kind of evil is on the rise, one that will destroy reapers and humans alike if they don't stop it.

My Review:
Oh, this was such a fantastic read! This world of reapers and reaper hunters was so interesting to read about. And infuriating, given what started reapers, and how developments of a "cure" are going, as well. Like, it was just awful!

Elise and Layla were best friends, they loved each other-and with a single betrayal, that friendship was broken. And I understand both sides, though I was more on Layla's side then Elise's. But there's bad feelings on both ends, and having to work together? Yeah, that brings everything to the surface, good and bad.

Watching their investigation, finding out all these moving pieces, was just thrilling to read! I was cheering for them along the way, dealing with Elise's dad, Layla's coven, and trying to find out who was behind all these deaths! I just had to know what was going to happen next! 

I am a bit confused as to how it all went down, with all the different sides, and motivations, and explanations of it all. I think I have the broad strokes down, but I don't have a clear picture. Hopefully when I read the sequel, I'll understand it better! 

Loved reading this book and I'm so excited for the sequel! 

Author: Hayley Dennings 
Series: This Ravenous Fate #1
Read: October 22nd, 2024 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's DAC Book, Historical Fiction 2024 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Recorded Books
Published: August 6th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars