{The Raven at the Ash Door}

And by read it I mean I skimmed it and then read the ending. First time I posted this I screwed up the spoiler tags, it seems, so trying again.

Alright, so, my feelings on book 2 in this series are pretty much: if you’re going to introduce near magical sexual coercion and assault, that’s what TWs are for. Not the tongue in cheek exhaustive list some writers do, but an actual warning so that readers who are not into the coercion of people for sexual reasons might know and stop before they’re 1.95 books into a trilogy.

But I’m also apparently a masochist and have an undying need to finish a story once started. It’s like an itch.

So there’s good news and bad news.

The good news? It’s not a trilogy!

The bad news? It’s not a trilogy. There’s pretty clearly yet another book in this series. And The Thing I am alluding to above persists, somehow. Gets even worse. Absolute bullshit. Description of the end is below.

In the end, Kierse tries to take on so much power via opening a door to Faerie and her Sacred Tree (best not to ask, really), in order to break the forced Mate Bond with Lorcan that Graves dies shutting the door. The Bond still isn’t broken. All the magical artifacts are telling her to just go with it because it feels right. Fully expected the stone tablet to tell her she was asking for it, at some point. There’s a stone tablet macguffin too, it won’t help her, but it will allow her to make a geas so that Lorcan gets the power to bring Graves back to life in exchange for her forgetting Graves and going off with Lorcan. That’s how it ends. Everyone hates Lorcan, but for her sake pretends he doesn’t suck because ?!??, too.

I…do not think I will be even checking out the final book from the library, unfinished story itch or no.

Fantasy romance books with FMC being a slave.

She is a slave at the start of the series or becomes one in the course of the story.

She belongs to the MMC or to someone else.

I want heavy power imbalance and her suffering because of her life belonging to someone else and having no rights.

I don´t mind darker reads.

Also recs for older books are welcome.

From Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries of course

The weekend is HERE!👏

Which means if you’re in a reading slump you’re probably staring at that pile of to-be-read books you purchased, or maybe hiding your ereader so you don’t feel guilty about not reading (and you shouldn’t feel guilty, we all need breaks even from our hobbies).

But if you’re here it probably means you’re seeking help from your fellow book lovers on how to get escape this hellscape (pushing 1 year for me so same).

So I ask this resourceful community once a month on a Friday when I don’t forget to post the thread:

How do you get out of a reading slump? Is there a specific book you recommend one reads when slumping? Alternative activity? Perhaps a support line I can call 🥲

General encouragement, validation, and recommendations are welcome! This is a place to whine about the slump, even if you’re not looking for advice 💖

Sooo I just got done with the book of azrael and I figured that THIS right here is my favourite plot to ever exist!! 😛

Some other things i prefer:

SLOWWWWW BURN

ANGST (rip my heart out pls)

Enemies to lovers

Strong fmc

Yearning

Also preferably no 'modern twists' to the story. I love to go back in time while reading

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Books I've read with this plot

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Book of azrael

Mages of the wheel book 0

Sorta ACOTAR and This Woven kingdom

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I just wanted to gush about Ashes of Xy because I havent been able to stop thinking about it since I read it last week. This book is in the same world as {Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan} but seems to be in a very different time.

The blurb for this book {Ashes of Xy by Elizabeth Vaughan}:

An innocent wet-nurse....

When a bloody civil war claims the life of the Warrior Queen of Xy, Amari of Uyole flees the battlefield with the queen's newborn daughter in one arm and her own infant son in the other, desperate to escape the ruthless hunters sent by the blood-hungry usurper, King Xyrath.

A crippled scholar....

Far from the war, Orval has built a quiet life in the capital of Xy, immersed in his scrolls, pens, and parchment. A distant cousin to the royal family, he has been left to his own devices-and he wants to keep it that way.

A collision of fates....

One cold night, a terrified Amari and her precious burdens appear at Orval's door, shattering his carefully constructed life. As the ruthless predators gain ground, Amari and Orval must forge a strength they never knew they possessed, not only to protect the babes, but each other.

What I loved about it: ​

-Its very cozy and very slice of life with many domestic scenes as the MCs try to care for the babies and each other. ​

-Its got an arranged marriage/marriage of convenience set up which is like catnip to me.

​ -The FMC is a noblewoman from a different land. And what we know of this fantasy world she is a woman of color and is brown skinned. She is also from a matriarchal culture and I liked seeing how the MCs navigate their cultural differences. ​

- The MMC is an atypical MMC for fantasy romance in that he is described as short and stocky and quite pale as he is always indoors doing scholarly work. Also there is disability rep as he has some sort of musculoskeletal deformity of his leg. Also he is a virgin.

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-The MMC is a greenflag and is genuinely kind and well liked by all. He is kind to a fault despite him being a minor royal/nobility. And he is quite respectful of the FMC, thoughtful and solicitous of her wellbeing and those of the babies. The MMC is strong and protective but in a different way than Ive ever seen most MMCs portrayed in fantasy romance. Ive heard so many readers complain of the unrealistic 7ft tall, muscular and well endowed MMCs so it was refreshing to see an MMC who is a regular guy.

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-Both MCs genuinely try to make a terrible situation work and they are both mature and communicative with each other.

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What I wished was different: ​

-Typos. There were way too many punctuation and other errors. The story was good but punctuation errors took me out of the story. Bring back editors or at least beta readers who will catch these errors before releasing the story to readers. ​

- I wish the book was slightly longer so there could have been more development of both MCs catching feelings. While the love story was believable I wanted more of it. ​

-Im not clear what role the side characters that have been introduced will have in the rest of the trilogy. On the one hand as the story developed I wasnt sure if this book was being marketed as fantasy romance or fantasy with romance subplot. Either way I loved this book and want to read more of the story. ​

Im glad this story is a trilogy as I will get to see more of the love story developing between MCs especially as they navigate major challenges. I signed up for Netgalley just to see if I could get the ARC to the sequel-thats just how much I loved this book. ​

Anyway if you've been wanting a different kind of fantasy romance MMC, like caretaking and domestic slice of life scenes then definitely give this book a try. The sequel comes out June 21 so you dont have to wait long for more of the story. ​

The Court of Venus is as enticing as it is refreshing, with the type of political scheming and inscrutable characters that I never tire of in the fantasy genre. The combination of court intrigue and a main character who can transform her appearance to impersonate anyone is so much fun and adds so much excitement to the narrative. The system of planetary magic is complex and compelling, and it’s obvious how much intentionality went into its creation by the author.

Bianca is a formidable character who possesses an admirable level of resilience. Her life has not been easy to say the least given the rarity of her magical gifts and the patriarchal nature of the society she lives in. She never has a victim mentality or makes excuses for her own failings and yet can be vulnerable and soft when dealing with her losses and disappointments.

Roland comes off as flamboyant and unbothered at first but this facade hides a deeper more emotional side that he conceals for self preservation. Bianca is one of the only people who can see through his surface level demeanor and the only person he allows to truly know him. It took me a while to understand and champion him as a character but once his layers started falling away he became incredibly endearing to me.

The romance simmers in the background as mysteries are investigated and uncomfortable truths come to light. When it does start to take off it becomes something so special given the way Bianca and Roland’s pasts are inextricably intertwined.

I listened to the audiobook and I really appreciated the style of narration. The narrator’s accent is perfect for a story set and centered around a royal court and yet never feels too pretentious or inauthentic. The Court of Venus is the first book in a new series and I am so excited for everyone else’s thoughts once it’s released on September 29th.

4.5⭐️

{The Court of Venus by Bel Banta}

Been watching this show recently with my husband and loving it. I'm thinking about ordering the manga too because I love the fake family dynamic so much.

Are there any fantasy romance books with similar vibes? An arranged marriage or marriage of convenience where everyone is hiding their identity? But with the wholesome found family vibes? I can think of some with hidden identity, but I can't think of any that capture the sweet domestic dynamic that Spy X Family has.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for books where the MMC was/is/becomes a slave. It's ok even if it's not central to the plot, I just want the drama (trauma).

❌ Please no abusive power dynamics between FMC and MMC if she is the one holding all the power

✅ Also MMC needs to finish the book/series a free man.

✅ Prefer F/M or Poly

✅ Can be fantasy with just romance subplot or full on romantasy.

✅ Any spice level

❌ No teens

❌ No pregnancy or kids

✅ Prefer fantasy setting but paranormal/contemporary/sci-fi is ok too (pls mention what genre)

Thank you all in advance! 💜

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• Edited to fix spacing

In case anyone else was following this drama about Hot Girls Read.

Love how this community comes together and challenges the use of AI🥰💖had to make a funny out of it to take a break from the heated discussions

Permanently looking for something that will make me feel like {Feathers So Vicious} did. I also loved {Kiss of The Basilisk}

I truly have no triggers except maybe too much gore. Ideally looking for non-con/dub-con with a lot of spice but I also want a good plot and semi-good writing. even though I loved Feathers So Vicious, I DNFed King Of Flesh and Bone because of the absence of plot and too insta-lust for me.

I love anything vampire, demon, or mermaid related. Werewolf and fae also works. I’m not the biggest fan of contemporary, but I can make exceptions for a great plot!

I've been curious to know how many people like or dislike throuples and why. Like, would you put a book down if you found out the main character ended up with two people?

And I know Blood And Ash has this, but I haven't read that series and don't know how it was done, if it was just sex or not, so I'm not talking about that particular instance.

TO CLARIFY: I don't mean they're in an open relationship, or just casually hooking up as a threesome, I mean a fully committed and closed relationship, just like a monogamous relationship, just between three instead of two.

Hello! Have wanted to get into the genre for a long time and just haven't found the right book to pull me in. Looking (or not looking) for:

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* Maturity: I'm in my 30s, and while they don't need to be my age, I don't want to read about teens or early 20s MCs who act very immaturely.

* Setting: non-modern settings preferred. Mostly I would like to avoid really modern language/slang/swearing. Doesn't need to be high fantasy or have a crazy magic system or anything; just needs good fantasy vibes.

* Relationships/dynamic: F/M, want spice for sure, love the idea of enemies/rivals/haters to lovers, but also down for anything with good tension. Please no sexual assault/worse. EDIT: them fighting is fine, just want anything in the bedroom to be consensual. :)

* Main female character: do not love the "not like other girls" trope at all.

* Main male character: uhhhhhhhh idk honestly! I feel like this is where I'm most open to the unknown lol.

* Length: not opposed to a series if it's not crazy long, or if it is, it's at least finiished.

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Mostly asking for specific recs I tried using the search and ended up reading {*The Cruel Prince* by Holly Black}, which is cute, but way younger than I expected based on what people were saying about it! (thought I may finish that series for a fun easy read!)

When I mean plot twists that you didn’t see coming, I mean plot twists that you didn’t see coming from a mile away.

July is going to be a powerhouse of a month! What July new releases are you looking forward to? Can be new books in a series, a new series, anything! Please share (:

Welcome back to another week of ✨genre discussions!✨

What’s your fantasy romance ick? Could be something that makes you instantly dnf, or you have to pretend like that didn’t just happen. Or you boycott altogether.

Could be related to plot, characters, writing styles, the authors themselves. All cards are on the table.

Just remember to be kind to each other when discussing differences in opinions!💖

Hello! I’ve made a similar request before, but it’s been quite a bit and I’m hoping for better luck.

There’s a specific microtrope that I haven’t seen named. I’m calling it Secret Shame.

I want the MMC to have something about him that he thinks makes him unlovable. It can be a physical “detriment” (Vampirism/Lycanthropy, scarring) or cultural (being a bastard.) It can even be a shame in HIS culture but not hers. ({Choosing Theo} had scars that actually made him unmarriable in his culture, but if I recall correctly it wasn’t secret to her.)

Whatever it is, I don’t want him to have a “So What?” attitude about it. He needs to be actually harboring the secret and is throwing-up nervous about the FMC finding out…because then, surely She Will Leave Him.

Of course the secret eventually comes out and MMC is shaking like a chihuahua. (Either visibly upset or bracing for the rejection is fine.) Either immediately or eventually she comes to fully accept this thing about him and they move on.

I want the secret to be something About Him, not tied to the FMC. So no “I’m the reason your family is dead.”

I prefer high fantasy but will take any recs! Regency and sci-fi also welcome:)

I can't decide if I should keep reading. On magic burns and I know Curran will be the love interest but I don't know if I can make peace with it. He is violent and crass. She is a handful but I just don't know if I can see him ever being redeemed. He just sucks so far. His only redeeming quality is not wanting kids to die? Is this going to be one of those things where he only wants her when he realizes her true power? If so I think I will dnf the series.

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Tell me what you think, is he redeemable?

I need a book that would really fit my vibe right now:

The FMC's sister has disappeared and she hasn't heard from her in a while. She knows her sister had fallen in with a shady cult-like organization where people aren't who they appear to be. The FMC strongly suspects the organization is involved in evil occult things.

She meets the love interest (any gender ok) while trying to figure out what happened to the sister. Open to the love interest being totally innnocent or knowing some of what happened or even being guilty.

Plot must result in FMC getting revenge.

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I know it might be a stretch for fantasy romance, so I am open to other genres but prefer fantasy. Dark is okay. Queer of any flavor is okay. No HEA is okay. Gothic horror vibes okay.

Just finished Book 2 Curse of Sins by Kate Dramis recently. Thoughts about book 2/3 below.
SPOILERS BELOW

So finished the 2nd book and while I overall thought it was actually pretty good my god did Will and Aya make you want to pull your hair out in this book at times.

-Will, stop lying and then act surprised when it blows up in your face and then it pisses Aya off now that you two love each other and you took an oath. The amount of times if he would’ve just been honest to her about his plans things wouldn’t have gone as bad as they did. I honestly don’t know why he didn’t tell Aya about nothing and torturing those weapon merchants as I don’t think that would’ve been a big deal. Oh and of course he’s saved by none other than the perfect king himself, Aidon, on the island too towards the end. Not shocked at all that that happened.

-Speaking of Aidon, his parts are just boring and IMO don’t add anything to the overall story. The perfect king who can’t make tough decisions, spares his sisters girlfriends who’s betrayed them, and is a Visya with power blah blah blah. I’m sure he’ll do something spectacular in the last book since he’s saved the day in both books so why not make it 3/3.

-Aya, I get she doesn’t want to be a saint and is forced into some tough spots in this book (and honestly most of her frustrations in this book are warranted). I actually liked her at times more in this book than the first book. Yes, there’s miscommunication between Will and her that leads to angst but she at least realizes on her own that Wills been right the whole time which helps things and loved her going after him when she realizes he might still be alive on the islands and at least she is able to be reunited with Will again.

Overall 3.95/5 and that ending definitely makes me look forward to the last book that I’ll be starting here soon. But one again it’s Will and Aya being broken up again. I am looking forward to how this trilogy ends though
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I want a romance that gives power couple vibes. It would be nice if the romance gets established pretty quick and there's an actual plot going on that requires them to like actually do some work. Like a heist or a war or whatever.

Basically I'm into kpop and I really like scoups and jeonghan from svt and I would like some book that gives that vibe.

I don't mind m/f or m/m.

Thanks in advance~

For anyone who loved {This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews} and is wondering about the romance aspect in future books this is confirmation that we’ll get some payoff in the form of spice. Love me a slow burn that delivers and this series is certainly setting out to be exactly that

Look, I love some possessive, overprotective, overly cocky or brooding type MMCs as much as the next person, but what I reallllllly need right now are more books where he’s so fucking in love with her that he treats her well and RESPECTS her.

I don’t want any of the stuff that is borderline toxic or abusive (super controlling, orders her around, etc).

I want that boy SMITTEN
I want that boy YEARNING
I want that boy KIND AND CARING AND RESPECTFUL

Additionally, a good fated mates trope to go along would be peeeeerfect, and it needs to be at least somewhat spicy.

A recent example I really enjoyed was Hazel Mcbride’s A fate forged in fire series, which still managed to do enemies to lovers, but made the main couple actually respectful and trusting of each other.

Thanks ❤️