Bookfever: romantasy

Monday, September 21, 2026

Review: A Thief Among Fae by Maddy Calder

She’s the key to the cursed tomb that can save his people. He’s the prince who promises her the ultimate treasure—but only if she binds her soul to his own.

Cynthia's magic is only good for one thing: raiding deadly tombs.

Desperate to buy a better future for her ailing sister, Cynthia enters a soul-binding bargain with a frustratingly handsome fae prince. Her task? Help him break into a king’s cursed tomb for the heist of a lifetime.

But allying with Desmond puts Cynthia in the crosshairs of his blood-soaked past. He’s scorned by his own kingdom, hunted by assassins, and infuriatingly sarcastic. Cynthia despises him—except he sees potential in her magic that she’s never dared to see in herself.

What Cynthia doesn’t know is that Desmond is a necromancer, a power forbidden by the gods, and he’ll do anything to free his people. Crossing him will cost her life, but the irresistible pull between them might cost her heart.

A Thief Among Fae is the start of a slow-burn fantasy romance series, packed with sword fights, perilous adventures, and a dash of necromancy. Perfect for fans of Skyrim and daring heroines like Lara Croft.

A Thief Among Fae is Maddy Calder's debut novel and honestly? You'd never guess this was a debut novel because the writing feels like the work of someone who's been writing books for years. It was a really good story with fantastic characters and very well-written. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

The story follows Cynthia a.k.a. Cyn who's been tomb raiding with the help of her magic in hopes of securing her parents and younger sister a better future. When she makes a binding deal with the mysteryious fae prince Desmond, who's also known as the Prince of Death, she joins him and a crew of thieves on a mission to break into a cursed king’s tomb. But as they face deadly dangers and uncover secrets about Desmond’s forbidden necromancy, their growing attraction makes the bargain far more complicated than either expected.

I do have to admit it took me a good 25%-30% to really get into the story. TThe beginning was a little slow, probably because there was quite a bit of world-building needed to properly set the scene. But this was totally worth it once I got to know more acquainted with this fantasy world and the characters in it. I ended up really falling in love with the story. What I loved the most was the adventure of the tomb raiding (I cannot express how fun this was to read about!) and how there was almost non-stop action. This made for a really exciting read!

Also, if you mention necromancy in a fantasy book, I'm so there and I was not left disappointed with it in A Thief Among Fae. On top of that, I really enjoyed the romance. The slow-burn between Cynthia and Desmond had plenty of chemistry and tension, without ever taking over the main plot. The secondary characters were also all a great bunch to read about and each brought something unique to the story that I ended up loving.

A Thief Among Fae by Maddy Calder had everything I look for in a fantasy romance: dangerous adventures, magic, fae, a cursed tomb and a slow-burn romance with plenty of tension. It was a solid debut that left me excited to see where the series goes next.

About the author:

Maddy Calder writes fantasy romances filled with ruthless fae, impossible bargains, dangerous magic, and love worth risking everything for. A lifelong lover of enchanted worlds, Maddy creates stories for readers who believe the best adventures begin with a little danger and end with a happily ever after. When not writing, Maddy can be found playing cozy video games, sewing, or reading with a cup of peppermint tea.

Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Goodreads

Monday, July 20, 2026

Review: A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost

Title: A Curse of Beasts and Magic
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Beautiful and Beastly #1
Publication: May 26, 2026 by Bramble
Genre: Romantasy, Paranormal Romance
Find it on: Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Waterstones
Rating: 5/5★

New York Times bestselling author of The Night Huntress series Jeaniene Frost returns with a brand-new series! It’s Beauty and the Beast meets The Witcher, except Beauty IS the Beast, and he’s the Warden keeping mythical beings in check in our world and beyond.

Raine Stone is living a nightmare. Ever since she survived the attack that killed her family, she's been hiding a terrible secret--and a Beast inside her.

It feeds on violence and chaos, but she restrains its urges by playing vigilante on the city streets. Until one night, Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal an elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack and discovers a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very fragile. After all, he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. Raine’s Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if she allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will their dangerous attraction turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

A Curse of Magic and Beasts is Jeaniene Frost's newest fantasy book. And since I'm a longtime fan of her work I was obviously very excited to read it. My only regret is that I wasn't able to start the book sooner. I was hooked right from the start and ended up loving the story and characters so damn much!

We meet Raine, who's an ER nurse and carries a dark secret with her. For the last eleven years a terrible and violent beast has hidden inside of her. It craves violence and pain and when the beast comes out Rain can't stop it from turning it's victims into nothing but ash. This is why Raine goes after bad people to satisfy the creature so she won't hurt any innocents. Her way of life is lonely and doesn't allow for any close relationships but Raine will do anything to make sure she won't hurt anyone that doesn't deserve it.

One day she ends up rescuing a confused older man from unknown creatures thanks to her beast. The man claims to know what she is but Raine chalks it up to dementia. Until the man's grandson shows up to have a little chat with her. Turns out he is no one less than Remmington "Remy" Byrne, billionaire mugul extraordinaire. But he isn't just that. He's a Warden. And Raine is trespassing on his lands. So he strikes a deal with her. Try to heal his grandfather's mind that has been magically altered and erased and he'll help her with her beast. The catch? They'll need to spend a lot of time together and be in a fake relationship.

The story was a great ride. It has action, mystery, spicy romance and a fantastic cast of charactrs. I loved getting to know Raine. She was a bit closed off to other people due to everything that she went through in her life, but even so she had a huge heart and would do everything to help another person. Remy, on the other hand was dark, hard to pin down and full of secrets. He and Raine has sparks flying right away and these turned into a full on blaze the more time they spend together and the more danger they walked into.

One of my favorite things about this book was how it had a bunch of various types of paranormal creatures. We're talking dragons, selkies, fae, sirens and so many more. I enjoyed this aspect so much and it made me curious as to which other creatures there are. I also loved how it was a portal fantasy with access to other worlds different from the earth that Raine knows. The possibilities seem endless! There were a few twists and turns in the story that i hadn't seem coming, which is something I always love. The ending also took me by surpirse. I think that I literally went "what?!" when it ended so I absolutely can't wait to see where things go next.

A Curse of Beasts and Magic was an amazing pageturner that I couldn't put down. Jeaniene Frost's trademark strong and witty heroine didn't let me down one bit. That combined with a strong plot, a steamy romance and a bunch of intriguing characters made this a favorite of mine instantly.

About the author:

Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy romance. Her works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, the Night Rebel series, the Broken Destiny series, and the Beautiful And Beastly series. Jeaniene’s novels have also appeared on the Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, ABA Indiebound, and international bestseller lists. Foreign rights for Jeaniene’s novels have sold to twenty-two different countries.

Jeaniene lives in Maryland with her husband, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Jeaniene also enjoys reading, writing, poetry, watching movies, exploring old cemeteries, and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | TikTok | Bookbub