We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark is the first book in a projected trilogy – Empire of Blood

A Romantasy with an Ancient Roman-inspired hierarchy, gladiatorial combat, and magic…yes, please!

To save her sick brother, Arvelle makes a deal with an Ancient vampire. She needs to get close to the emperor to assassinate him, but to do so, she must survive the Sundering, a gladiatorial arena competition. Although Arvelle used to be an impressive fighter, she is out of practice and will face individuals who’ve been training for the Sundering for years. When people and events from her past collide in the present, Arvelle finds herself tangled in her past mistakes and in the sights of two powerful vampire males.

Full disclosure – Initially, I was skeptical about the combination of vampires and gladiators, but I love the dynamic that the author created between the various hierarchical groups in the novel. The novel contains several themes; some of the overarching ones are class conflict, rebellion, and overthrowing oppressive tyrants. Vampires are the ruling class, and the emperor was created by Umbros, the god of vampires. Like Ancient Roman history, the novel introduces twelve main deities. Sigil-marked humans are below vampires and are distinguished because they possess special powers. However, the potency of their powers varies, and sigil-marked are divided into bronze, silver, and gold. At the bottom are the mundanes, humans without magic (I can’t help but think of muggles). Divisions exist amongst the three main classes as well as within each of the three classes, and I look forward to seeing how this plays out more in the trilogy.

Tropes

-Love Triangle – This hasn’t been fully fleshed out, but is being set up for future installments -Enemies to Lovers        -Forced Proximity -Political Rebellion

Narration – 

I enjoyed the female narrator, Meg Sylvan, but felt that all of the male voices sounded similar. I recognize that Troy Duran had to voice several characters, but I would have liked more separation between Tiernan’s damaged, gravelly voice and the rest of the characters. 

It is also important to note that there were several confusing transitions between the past and present that weren’t clearly denoted in the audiobook. These transitions happened at varying points within a chapter, and I didn’t always catch them immediately. This isn’t a problem in the print editions because the transitions are denoted by italicized text. 

I received this audiobook from NetGalley, Penguin and HarperAudio/Avon in exchange for an honest review. 

The Jasad Crown is the second novel in the adult fantasy Scorched Earth duology. I loved The Jasad Heir (4.5 stars) and was excited for the opportunity to listen to an ALC of The Jasad Crown by Sara Hashem. Crown begins four days after the events from the conclusion of The Jasad Heir, where Sylvia/Essiya’s magic separated her and her friends. Essiya has been captured by the Urabi, who hope to capitalize on her power and restore their homeland. However, Essiya is still learning about her abilities, and using them is having significant side effects. Will she rise to save her people, and if so, at what cost? Arin of Nizahl is torn between his feelings for Essiya, loyalty to his father, and the vows he has taken as Commander of the Nizahl forces. As Arin searches for answers, he will have to examine what truly matters and what path to follow. Although the focus remains on Arin and Essiya, The Jasad Crown gives more time to characters like Sefa and Marek, and their arcs, especially Sefa’s, contained some of my favorite moments. They added more depth to the story, but also contributed to its length. I enjoyed this installment and appreciated the full cast of narrators; however, at 22 hours and 16 minutes, some parts dragged for me. Essiya’s stay with the Urabi, although pivotal to the novel, seemed long and drawn out, and I found myself listening to those chapters at a higher speed. Despite my occasional boredom, I was committed to finishing the book because I liked the characters and wanted to know their fate. I’d still rate this at least 3.75 stars! Maybe a trilogy would have allowed for more interesting developments with members of the Urabi and more attention to Sefa and Marek’s storylines. Despite these minor complaints, Sara Hashem writes beautifully, and I enjoyed the novel’s premise. I will definitely read another of her novels in the future! Thank you, Netgalley and Hachette Audio, for the opportunity to listen to this in exchange for an honest review.

Slow Burn…check! Three hot as fire characters…check! Incredible tension and chemistry…check, check, check! Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer is about a King whose subjects are suffering from starvation and blame his fire magic for their bad harvests, the Princess who is being forced to marry him for an alliance, and an assassin who is contracted to kill them both.

I love Brigid Kemmerer’s YA novels, and this adult fantasy debut blends her storytelling prowess, character development, and vivid world-building with tension and spice. The team of narrators, Teddy Hamilton, Abigail Reno, & Aaron Shedlock, embody the characters, and Hamilton’s smooth voice is always one of my favorites.

As soon as I finished listening to this audiobook, I began researching when the second title would be released. Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer was one of my favorite Romantasy listens of 2025. Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Audio, for this free eALC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an advanced listener copy. My opinions are my own.

Initial Thoughts: Enigma is my first novel by Runyx, although I’ve heard positive reviews about her Dark Verse series. The cover immediately drew my eye, and the premise made me drop everything else on my TBR list. I love gothic romance, and Runyx has several tropes I generally enjoy, like: -Dark academia

-Secret societies

-Enemies-to-lovers

– Persephone/Hades dynamic

-Standalone

Plot Summary: Salem Salazar knows that her perfect sister would not have committed suicide and is determined to investigate her death. In an attempt to discover the truth, she enrolls at Mortimer, where she uncovers that her sister is just one in a series of young women who’ve died at the prestigious university. Desperate for the truth, Salem decides to use herself as bait. Cazimir van der Waal is the dark, mysterious, sexy, brooding artist. He has secrets, and like Salem, he has his own agenda. He’s also the TA in Salem’s psych class, where their verbal sparring intensifies their rivalry. Eventually, their rivalry transforms into obsession, but can Caz risk everything he’s worked for?

The beginning of the book lived up to my expectations, and I was captivated by the vibes surrounding Mortimer and the mysterious death of the FMC’s sister. Caz is damaged, deranged, and stalker-ish, but I was intrigued by him. Salem is cold, sarcastic, and obsessed with death, and the tension between her and Caz was electric.

The Narration by Aiden Snow and Jaclyn Kelso was superb. Unfortunately, the second half of the book nullified the brilliant first half. The plot veered off in so many directions and tried to do too many things at once. The slow burn and tension between Salem and Caz fell flat for me, and I even replayed a few chapters to see if I missed something. The ending was rushed and didn’t do justice to the buildup in the first half of the book. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I thought the book had a lot of potential, but I was eventually disappointed in the romance and the multiple directions the plot took. I will still give the Dark Verse series a try.

Eden Fox is a newcomer to Hope Falls after purchasing the historic home, Spyglass, with her husband, Harrison. Anticipating her first art gallery exhibition, Eden returns home from her daily run to find that her key for her new home will not work. She’s relieved to see her husband’s car in the driveway and knocks so that he can let her in. However, when the door opens, she is met by a woman who looks and sounds like Eden. Even more disconcerting is her husband, Harrison, who pretends not to know Eden, claiming that this imposter who answered the door is his wife.

Birdy’s story begins in London six months before Eden’s, where a chain of events brings her to Hope Falls. Eventually, the two timelines intersect, and worlds collide in unexpected ways.
The story is told from multiple POVs, and the reader is taken through several twists and turns. Just when the reader thinks they have the story figured out, something else will shatter their theories. This book was all-consuming, and when I wasn’t listening to it, I was in my head reviewing what I knew about each character and trying to piece together the mystery.

Although My Husband’s Wife would be a phenomenal read, I loved the audiobook and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading in that format. The team of narrators are seasoned actors and bring depth and personality to the characters.

Bel Powley voices Birdy and Eden and creates two very different characters. Eden is emotional, rash, and possibly delusional. Birdy is reclusive, sarcastic, and calculating. She alludes to a shady past, leaving the reader wondering what she is hiding.

Richard Armitage, yes, the same person who played Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit, voices Harrison, and his icy and disdainful tone makes readers question his integrity. He is powerful, yet callous, and doesn’t like disruptions to his work.

Henry Powley is the voice of Carter, a policeman who initially appears young and clueless, but is eventually revealed to have more depth and intelligence. Powley’s voice is playful and flirtatious, complementing the banter between his character, Carter, and Birdy.

My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney was, hands down, the best mystery/thriller book I’ve read in ages. Although I cannot add this to my middle-high school library because of language and sexual content, I am definitely picking up a copy to loan to my colleagues! I talked this book up while listening to it, and I already have a waiting list for a book I don’t even own yet.

I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review. My Husband’s Wife releases on January 20, 2026. This is one you will want to move to the top of your TBR list!