Blog Archives
The Demon’s Deceit
The Demon’s Deceit is the first book in Andria Carver’s “Divine Evolution” series, and it throws you straight into a gritty, supernatural underworld where addiction, trauma, and power all mix with the occult. The story follows Jeanie Bennett, a washed-up addict who wakes up to find herself under the control of Ms. Cummings, a wealthy, manipulative demon. Cummings offers her a deal, freedom from pain and fear, in exchange for becoming her unwilling assassin. What follows is a twisted dive into the world of the “Divines,” beings who exist beyond humanity, feeding on power, blood, and chaos. The story blends dark humor, philosophical reflection, and raw, uncomfortable honesty in a way that makes you both wince and laugh.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how real Jeanie felt. Her sarcasm, her self-loathing, the way she drifts between wanting to die and wanting to live again. The writing is sharp and punchy, and Carver knows how to make even the filthiest alleyway feel alive. There’s grit under every word, and I loved that the book doesn’t try to glamorize the supernatural. Instead, it makes demons bureaucratic, vain, and disturbingly human. Sometimes the dialogue felt very real, like overhearing someone’s breakdown in a dive bar. I liked that rawness, though. The pacing dips now and then, mostly when the lore gets heavy, but the character work keeps it grounded. I found myself laughing at Jeanie’s bleak humor and then suddenly feeling a lump in my throat when her grief crept through the cracks.
Carver’s ideas about divinity and morality are what really stuck with me. The book doesn’t hand you clean answers, it muddies everything. Who deserves redemption? What’s the price of feeling nothing? And can survival be noble if it’s built on someone else’s pain? These questions hum beneath the action and the blood. I liked how Carver never lets Jeanie off the hook; she’s messy, flawed, and maddening, but she’s trying, and that made me root for her. The mix of horror, dark comedy, and emotional honesty gave the book an unpredictable rhythm that made it feel alive.
The Demon’s Deceit feels like a gritty mashup of Neil Gaiman’s dark whimsy in American Gods, Gillian Flynn’s raw, damaged characters, and the cynical bite of Chuck Palahniuk’s storytelling, all wrapped in a supernatural noir that’s entirely its own. The Demon’s Deceit is a wild story that I heartily enjoyed. I’d recommend it to readers who like their urban fantasy dark, their humor twisted, and their characters broken but fighting.
Pages: 273 | ASIN : B0FLVVHS8J
Protective, Passionate, and Grounding
Liora: Lost In Heaven’s Touch follows a young woman who awakens with no memories in a strange garden, where she must embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I was at a point in my life where I had fallen back in love with reading, especially paranormal and shifter romance. I was devouring stories about angels and mortals, but I kept noticing a pattern: the immortal hero and the mortal heroine. I wanted to flip that dynamic. I wanted the heroine to be the gifted one. Liora was born from that desire. She represents a love so powerful it overrides divinity, proof that being human and in love is something even heaven is worth giving up for.
Liora develops different relationships with Yasim, Locran, and Kairos, each helping her discover various parts of herself. What was the inspiration for the relationship that develops between the characters?
Honestly, I didn’t plan their personalities. They revealed themselves to me as I wrote. I just knew I wanted three distinct dynamics: one man who would become like a brother, one who could’ve been a love interest in another life, and one who would be her ultimate love. Their roles were shaped not only by the needs of the story but also by my own lived experiences with the different types of male energy we encounter in life: protective, passionate, and grounding.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Self-exploration and self-acceptance were huge for me. So many of us are on a journey of finding ourselves. Some through hardship, others through relationships or reflection. Liora’s story is an extreme example, but I wanted to mirror real life, where certain people cross our paths to either awaken something within us or guide us to our truth. It was also really important for me to show that she’s not just some damsel in distress. She’s powerful. She’s in control of her fate even when she doesn’t realise it yet.
Where does the next book in the series take the characters?
While the characters reappear throughout the trilogy, Liora and Kai’s journey mostly wraps up in this first book. They’ll still show up, especially in moments where their guidance or presence matters, but the spotlight shifts to other characters. It was always meant to be a shared universe, and now it’s time to let the rest of the cast step forward and have their stories told.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
As she pieces together who she is, Liora finds herself drawn to Kai, a man whose sharp edges hide more than he lets on. He challenges her, infuriates her, and makes her feel something she has never felt before.
This is a story of love, self-discovery, and second chances… because sometimes, starting over is the only way to find where you truly belong.
Out of the Darkness
Lilly Gayle’s Out of the Darkness blends paranormal romance with medical intrigue, delivering a story that’s both heart-thumping and heart-wrenching. The novel follows Dr. Megan Harper, a biochemist who returns to her hometown to regroup after leaving a high-pressure research job. There, she meets Vincent Maxwell, a mysterious and charismatic stranger with a genetic condition eerily similar to her late sister’s rare disorder, xeroderma pigmentosum. But Vincent hides a deeper secret. He’s a centuries-old vampire seeking not just survival, but redemption. As their lives entwine, science, myth, love, and danger swirl together in a tale of redemption, betrayal, and desire.
To put it bluntly, I got hooked. The way Gayle wove together emotion, science, and sensuality felt fresh. There’s a pulse to her writing that makes even the quiet scenes feel alive. I liked Megan from the jump. She’s brilliant, damaged, and still trying her best. Vincent, on the other hand, is this perfect mix of stoic and smoldering, and watching his emotional thaw unfold gave me chills. I felt genuine tension in their encounters. Sometimes sexual, sometimes just raw and emotional. Their chemistry is off the charts, but it’s the emotional stakes that stuck with me.
There were moments when the dialogue leaned a little too melodramatic for my taste, and a few plot developments felt more convenient. But honestly, I didn’t care much. I was too wrapped up in the push-and-pull between science and the supernatural, the hope for healing, the hurt of loss, and the chance at love. Gayle’s writing isn’t flashy, but it’s emotionally tuned in, which kept me locked in even when the plot veered into familiar territory.
If you’re into moody, brooding vampires and smart heroines with big hearts and haunted pasts, Out of the Darkness is absolutely worth your time. It’s perfect for fans of paranormal romance who crave character depth along with the fangs and fantasy. This book had me feeling things I didn’t expect, grief, longing, excitement, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a vampire story that’s more soul than spectacle.
Pages: 268 | ASIN : B0FB48PMQP
Wishes in a Bottle
Wishes in a Bottle, by Allie McCormack, is a romantic fantasy that weaves together ancient magic, eternal longing, and the power of selfless love. Julian DiConti, a mage from plague-ridden Italy, becomes bound to a mystical bottle after a spell goes wrong, cursed to grant wishes until three truly selfless ones are made. In modern-day New York, his fate collides with Alessandra Taylor, a hospice worker with a compassionate soul, offering him the first glimmer of hope he’s had in centuries. Their story unfolds against the backdrop of pain, healing, and a magical bond neither of them expected.
What struck me most about the book was how real Julian felt despite the genie-in-a-bottle premise. He’s six hundred years old, yes, but his pain is fresh, raw even. The opening scene, in which a selfish woman squanders her final wish on a necklace rather than saving a dying child, was deeply unsettling and emotionally jarring. You can feel Julian’s frustration. I loved that the author didn’t sugarcoat his weariness. He endured centuries of witnessing individuals squander extraordinary opportunities, all while being powerless to intervene. The emotional depth of that experience was profoundly affecting.
Then there’s Alessandra. I adored her. She’s fierce in a quiet, grounded way. Her love for her nephew Bobby and her simmering resentment toward her emotionally absent brother-in-law felt so authentic. There’s a scene where she storms into the hospital after hearing about Bobby’s worsening condition, angry, grieving, full of fire, and yet the moment she sees her sister, she softens immediately. That complexity made her so relatable. When Alessandra meets Julian, there is an immediate sense of connection, marked not only by chemistry but also by trust, skepticism, and genuine curiosity. Their relationship develops gradually, avoiding the trope of instant infatuation, which makes the unfolding of their bond all the more compelling and rewarding.
The magic system is subtle but beautifully handled. It’s not flashy spells and fight scenes, it is ancient rules, quiet consequences, and emotional toll. I especially liked how Julian is punished by pain for bending the rules, like when he visits Bobby without a wish being made. That added meaningful weight to the magical framework, grounding it in emotional consequence. While the middle section leans heavily on dialogue and introspection, it enriches the characters and their relationships. The warmth and underlying tension between them kept the narrative engaging and made it difficult to put down.
Allie McCormack’s Wishes in a Bottle surprised me. It’s not just a love story. It’s about redemption, choice, and the agony of wanting to do good when the world keeps getting in the way. I’d recommend it to fans of character-driven romance with a supernatural twist. If you liked The Time Traveler’s Wife or works by Nora Roberts with a magical edge, you will enjoy this unique romantic adventure.
Pages: 376 | ASIN : B07KXYJM3Q
Life After a Zombie Apocalypse
Love and Other Cures for the Recently Undead follows a teenage girl who awakens from a two-year blackout to find she has survived the apocalypse but is now one of the undead. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I was talking to a friend about zombies and zombie apocalypses. She’s more of a horror writer and was working on a post-zombie apocalypse story about an ex-zombie who still had cravings for human flesh. But my thought was that if there were ex-zombies, those people were probably really traumatized—it’s where my mind naturally goes. And it was that thought that made me start to really wonder what life would be like for those left over from a zombie apocalypse, what sort of things they’d struggle with on a daily basis, and how they’d cope with everything they’d gone through and lost. I’ve always been passionate about psychology, so this became something of an interesting thought experiment.
What is it that draws you to the paranormal romance genre?
I like the freedom it offers. As I mentioned before, my main interest is in the psychological and I feel like a treasure trove can be explored in paranormal romance. There are the interpersonal and social issues between the main love interests stuck within the broader context of something extraordinary with its own psychological baggage. In CeCe and Derrick’s case, they had to bridge the gap of trust and forgiveness while navigating the trauma from being ex-zombies.
What was the inspiration for Cece’s traits and dialogue?
I love tennis, so I made her this phenomenal tennis player—the type of player I could only dream to be. Because CeCe is so dedicated to a sport and having this identity as an athlete from such an early age, it shaped everything about her and who she is. For her to lose that, it was like losing half of herself. She doesn’t know who she is anymore and has to get to know herself in a way she never has. It’s this feeling of being disconnected that dictates her traits and dialogue moving forward in the story.
Can readers look forward to a follow-up to this novel? What are you currently working on?
I did leave it open for a sequel, and I really love CeCe and Derrick so I’ve definitely been thinking of how the story would continue. Right now, though, I’m working on another paranormal romance that involves a serial killer, who is definitely not one of the main love interests.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
CeCe wakes to a reality she can’t fathom and realizes it’s probably not a good idea to fall for the guy who bit her and made her one of the undead.
But in this post-apocalyptic world, everything she’s known and understood has changed, including the path to love.
This is going to be your next favorite story, so hurry and buy it now!
Love and Other Cures for the Recently Undead
At its core, Love & Other Cures for the Recently Undead is a gritty, emotional, and strangely tender post-apocalyptic coming-of-age tale. We follow CeCe, a teenage girl who wakes up from a two-year blackout only to discover she was among the Infected, essentially the undead, during the downfall of civilization. As she tries to rebuild a life in a world that has changed beyond recognition, she confronts loss, trauma, guilt, and, unexpectedly, the guy who bit her. It’s not just a zombie survival story, it’s about identity, healing, and navigating the ugly mess of grief and rebirth.
I wasn’t prepared for how raw this book would hit. The opening chapters aren’t action-packed in the usual undead thriller way, but they are claustrophobic and gut-wrenching. CeCe waking up in darkness, confused and crushed under bodies, is horrifying, not because of gore but because it’s so human and real. Ramsay doesn’t rush the emotional recovery, and I appreciated that. You really feel CeCe’s pain when she realizes her mother didn’t make it, that her best friend and boyfriend are missing, that she’s been gone for two years and everything she loved (tennis, high school, her future) is shattered. That kind of slow-burn horror hits harder than any jump scare.
The writing style is simple but effective. Ramsay keeps things clean and fast-moving, even when the plot slows down. There’s a lot of introspection, especially in scenes where CeCe returns to her old school as part of the Rehabilitation Program. Those moments of being surrounded by other damaged kids with missing limbs, haunted eyes, and weird silence hit me like a punch to the chest. And the subtle tension with Olivia, the hostile Survivor, is quietly terrifying. But where the book really surprised me was Derrick. The boy who infected CeCe? It turns out he’s been cured, too. And somehow, this book manages to make you feel something when they meet again. Confused anger. Loathing. Maybe even curiosity. I didn’t want to root for him, but I found myself leaning in.
What really stood out was the emotional weirdness of returning to something familiar that’s now unrecognizable. Ramsay captures that eerie feeling of trying to go back to normal when “normal” is gone forever. When CeCe walks through her school, sees her old tennis team photo, or opens her ex-boyfriend’s locker. Those moments are small, but they carry so much weight. And it’s honestly heartbreaking how she’s just expected to rejoin society, do her homework, eat her weird canned spaghetti, and pretend everything’s fine. It’s not. It never will be. And that tension between survival and actual living is what keeps the book from falling into cliché.
Love and Other Cures for the Recently Undead is for anyone who’s ever felt like a stranger in their own life, or tried to rebuild something that doesn’t quite fit anymore. It’s not a light read, but it’s oddly hopeful in its own way. There’s still love. There’s still friendship. And there’s still that weird human ability to keep going, even when everything’s broken. I didn’t expect to care this much about a girl with a zombie bite. I’m glad I read it.
Pages: 235 | ISBN-10 : 1957295821
Stone of Doubt, Book 5 Stones of Iona Series
Stone of Doubt is a captivating blend of modern life, gothic aesthetics, and magical realism. The story follows Evie MacDougall, a goth-leaning recent graduate navigating her Fae heritage, familial expectations, and a tantalizing mix of romantic entanglements and supernatural mysteries. Set against the enchanting backdrop of Edinburgh and the mystical Fae realm, this novel is as much about self-discovery as it is about magical intrigue.
From the outset, Izard weaves an immersive narrative with a mix of relatable internal struggles and grand magical adventures. The opening chapter struck a chord with me—Evie’s self-doubt as she walks the graduation stage while scheming a mischievous magical prank with her twin brother, Ewan, is charming. The interplay between mundane moments, like navigating family relationships, and the extraordinary—the Fae powers that Evie and her family possess—kept me hooked. I appreciated how Izard seamlessly integrates these elements to set up a story that’s as much about Evie’s inner world as it is about the external stakes of magical stones and ancient rivalries.
The writing style is vibrant and layered with emotion. One standout scene for me was Evie’s encounter with the ghost child searching for her doll during the Vaults Vigils. The mix of melancholy and warmth in that moment was palpable, showing Evie’s gift for empathy despite her frustration at not being able to capture photographic proof of ghosts. On the flip side, the budding relationship between Evie and Manix felt a bit rushed to me. Manix’s mysterious allure is evident, but some of his dialogue and interactions came across as theatrical, making it harder for me to root for their connection compared to the nostalgic and bittersweet dynamic Evie shares with her Fae love, Aodhán.
What truly shines in Stone of Doubt is the exploration of familial bonds and the legacy of the MacDougall family’s Fae ties. The scenes where Evie and Ewan bicker, support each other, and share mind-speaking powers add a delightful touch of sibling camaraderie. Their playful dynamic contrasts beautifully with the heavier themes of duty and sacrifice. The lore surrounding the Stones of Iona is another highlight, though I wished for more detailed explanations in certain sections. For instance, the Stone of Doubt’s significance felt slightly underdeveloped compared to the emotional weight carried by the family’s previous quests.
By the end, I found myself fully invested in Evie’s journey. Izard crafts a satisfying conclusion that balances closure with the promise of future adventures. Stone of Doubt is an evocative and imaginative story that will appeal to fans of magical realism, Scottish folklore, and character-driven narratives. If you enjoy books that mix moody atmospheres with heartfelt explorations of identity, this one’s for you.
Pages: 187 | ASIN : B0DSGBDMRL
Discovering Who We Truly Are
In Crystal Iris, an art history professor is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths and embarks on a journey of self-discovery after receiving a gift from her late mother on her thirtieth birthday. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
I don’t remember the exact moment or how the idea first came to me, but I’ve been toying with it for nearly a decade. I wanted to write a book where magic isn’t something you’re born with, or only granted to the exceptionally gifted. Instead, it’s something anyone can acquire, as long as they find the right object.
Do you have a favorite scene in this story? One that was especially enjoyable to craft?
My favorite moment in the story is actually the ending—it marks the beginning of a new chapter for the main character. Her decision at that point reveals so much about who she truly is.
There is so much to be said about love in this book. What do you hope your readers take away from your story?
At its core, Crystal Iris is a story about self-love. It’s about discovering who we truly are when confronted with life’s challenges.
Is this the beginning of a series? What can readers look forward to reading from you next?
Yes, book 2 is coming soon!
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Book Review
Professor Iris De Loughery’s life takes an unexpected turn on the night of her thirtieth birthday. A mysterious gift from her estranged father shatters her understanding of reality, propelling her on a journey of self-discovery alongside a dive into the spectral unknown. As she grapples with her shifting relationships, the Harvard art history professor’s challenges intensify when she crosses paths with Hoyt, another prism possessor. Navigating her newfound feelings will be the least of her worries in this captivating series.
LITERARY TITAN 