u/cavaloverr

I commented yesterday on a reel from Avon books publisher instagram on how I really hoped Netgalley would come through with the arc for Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken 🙏 and this morning I was approved lol

I do have the Instagram I commented from (bookstagram) and my Goodreads linked on my Netgalley profile

This could have been completely random that I got approved today but I also thought it was interesting I got approved on a Sunday. Who knows! But if you see a book you reallllly want, doesn't hurt to shoot your shot also on the publishers socials!

I just found this book and was thinking of going into it, however I saw it just got a publisher deal and now being trad. released Summer 2027.. and book 2 won't come out until 2028

Is this book even worth picking up now, and does it have a cliffhanger? Think I might just have to forget about it until next year but someone please lmk! 🙏

I ..... may be highly irritable from my luteal phase but these books are also irritating the crap out of me

I can't with cringy dialogue in Adult romantasies.

The book i just tried to read but DNF'ed it was supposed to be medieval? settings with kings and palaces, sword fighting etc. It's not even an urban fantasy. but then a couple line from dialogue is

"Perhaps fate had not been so generous. She really needed to stop trusting that bitch."

then "Sorry to keep you waiting." She said with as much swagger as she could rally."

swagger ??? 😭😭😅 and i also cant take cringy pet names for the FMC like "little bird" or "poison" every 4 sentences .. its CRINGE

I'm new to Netgalley and this reddit thread. I got approved this week by Penguin Random House for a romantasy book. (most books I request are romantasy genre)

Is there any strategy to getting approved? I was shocked as I only post reviews on Goodreads so I really wasn't even thinking I was going to get approved but so happy I did of course. (It made my whole day)

Now my question is because I saw some people saying they never get approved from Berkely publisher etc etc.

Sooo are some publishers *easier to be approved by?

And secondly, does anyone find that they get approved more when they request a book when it's just been added to Netgalley versus say it's been on Netgalley already for a month?

I'm always looking for my next love triangle romantasy read as I love this trope dearly. Below are some of my favorites, and some are moreso bait & switch*

What are your favorites???

{servant of earth by sarah hawley} *bait & switch
{conform by ariel sullivan}
{songbird of the sorrows by braidee otto} *bait & switch
{we who will die by stacia stark}
{a dance of lies by brittney arena} *leaned more bait & switch than love triangle

I've realized that some authors "Show" too much to the point that you are confused... for example, Sarah A. Parker to me with To Bleed A Crystal Bloom.. I had to DNF book 2 among other reasons.

And most of the time, I feel like debut authors have a hard time of doing too much "Telling"

I do think more 'Showing' comes off stronger. I don't think Sarah A. Parker is a bad writer per say however - I think she does it too much. You become confused, unaware who is who and wtf is happening.

I think a good book needs a mix of both. Maybe a little more show than tell. But I'm fine with more 'Telling' in the beginning of a book until were a bit more acclimated into the story.

What do you guys think on this? I'd love to know any slow burn books that have a spice payoff that you felt had a good balance.

For me - Dragons. Dragon riders.

Like I just can't get invested into those books.

I can do vampires, fae, wolves, witches, mermaids, kingdoms, fairytale retellings but I draw the line at Dragons😂

Something in my mind is like the thought of mating with a Dragon is corny and I just can't get invested😂

This is me ranting about how the type of books I'm looking for seem far and between and nothing is hitting and it's feeling like I need to take a long break from romantasy and read other genres.

The things I'm tired of:

- Books claiming they are slow burns and it ends up being insta-love/lust forward. I will look for a lust forward romance when I want it. But I don't want to read those books every single time... NO.

- Characters being SO young!!!!!!!!!! I just tried reading "The Lies of Lena" why for half of the book are they 16/17 and explicit sex scenes?????? DNF'ed but also! I'm even sick of them being 20/21 years old and the book being explicit like come on just write older characters. I'm tired of having to picture older characters than what the book is saying they are, NO

- Back to the age, why is it SO hard to find an ADULT slow burn. (specifically with a morally grey MMC... most times than not, these books in Adult category are lust forward, not slow burns)

- Lastly, a well written book seems to be so far and between these days. I've been reading fantasy romance/romantasy heavily since September 25', so now at this point I know what I'm looking for from the genre but I feel like I've read all the good ones and just hitting a wall and it's frustrating.

- *I should clarify that the spice is not a problem. I would go read young adult books if that was the case. The type of book I like is a slow burn that has a spice payoff after. Either you get books that are slow burn with like no spice, OR too lust forward.

Sooo I think a break is needed, rant over 😅

My favorite type of books have a villain MMC that is ACTUALLY a villain at first!! He can be a misunderstood villain but I don't want him being a nice guy as soon as he meets the FMC...

Secondly I want it to be a slow burn... I don't even want them to do anything until the 2nd book but i'll take a kiss in the first book at most😂 I just want yearning .. tension .... plzzzz

Bonus~ if MMC is a king or prince because I love political/court intrigue.

Also I do eventually want a spice payoff so I'm looking for Adult recs.

This is just WHAT I needed (slow burn, great writing, adult romantasy)... thank you Braidee Otto THaNK YOU. Also, the book itself is beautiful, love the design and sprayed edges. And the chapter headings! I just loved everything about this book.

Okay please let's discuss if you've read this book on theories!!!!!!!! Spoilers ahead.

>!-Goodbye to Raven!<>!✌️!<

>!Buuuut who's the MMC? Is it Xan? Is Xan a vampire? The canines... what is he lol!<

>!Is it Keres??? Now yes Keres did some messed up stuff but why this there still so much more I want to know about him? Am I messed up in the head lol!<

>!I feel like Keres could be the misunderstood villain which I love... and when Keres was introduced Aella went on about how beautiful he was........ Idk??????!<

>!I have so many conflicting thoughts!!<

I've loved the below series. Ideally I'm looking for a trilogy, but open to others. I would love if at least the first two books are out already... but I'll take only 1.

I do not want the FMC and MMC to kiss until towards the end of book 2. Then spicier scene in book 3... whereeee are these reccs???

- Plated Prisoner series
- Rose in Chains
- Wolf King trilogy
- Shards of Margic series (servant of earth/princess of blood)

Ideally a completed series but I will take reccs that aren't! I have been reading too many books lately that are not hitting the mark for me. Below is what I'm looking for, any recc's for me?

- FMC & MMC are adults 23+
- no insta lust, prefer slow to medium burn
- MMC is a dark haired, misunderstood villain🙏
- could be a love triangle👀 but no why choose
- the setting does not have to be dark.. it could be a kingdom vibe, fae, vampires etc as long as the MMC is the misunderstood villain in some type of capacity pls

I have read these books that fit this bill and loved it but I need more!!! So please help!
- Plated Prisoner series
- Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
- We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark (well pretty sure this fits the bill but waiting on book 2😉

I had high hopes going into this book... seemed very promising. But I'm 53% into it and I'm bored. Renn is boring. I wanted Prince Adrinn sorry....... like what. I can't get behind Prince Renn. I just thought it was weird the author went so far to put in Prince Adrinn finding Nym attractive and Nym also stating Adrinn was handsome etc. I was like ok, he has to be the end game MMC.. then for the author to start painting Adrinn as a bad guy.. anyways.

Other than that, the whole prose of this just being Nym healing Renn day in and day out got boring quick, and I understand the book is a slow burn (I love slowburns!) But that doesn't mean the book has to be boring lmao. And maybe because Prince Renn just isn't my type of fictional fantasy man~ I like the misunderstood villians.. not the golden blonde haired retrievers that are younger than the FMC

But if that's your thing you'll prob like this book lol

{The Shattered King by Charlie Holmberg}

I finished both books within 1 day lol

They were bingeable, just couldn't put it down books. Book 1 is 270 pages, and Book 2 is 244 pages, easy to fly through. It got me out of a tiny slump. Was it the best thing I've ever read...? No.. I wouldn't go into this expecting a masterpiece and I'm just comparing that to other romantasy reads in the sense that these books didn't have intense world building, elite magic systems, etc etc...but if you're in a slump, want something bingable with tension, a bit of yearning and good spice payoff and a completed duology! Then this is it.

And for everyone saying they cried (I'm not an easy crier) I did shed a tear at the end of book 2.

I recommend!!

Please help a girl out after too many books not hitting the way I need them to😭

Below are some books I liked with this trope, does anyone have any new reccs??? (and yes i've read ACOTAR.. pls dont recommend SJM)

- the wolf king by lauren palphreyman - loved
- servant of earth by sarah hawley - loved
- conform by ariel sullivan - loved
- we who will die by stacia stark - liked simply for rorrick, the writing could have been better*

*i also did not like road of bones by demi winters so pls dont recommend this one but open to all other reccs!

I read Conform in less than 24 hours.. I gave it 4 stars. As for Beneath.. it started off strong but I'm 60% in, and having a hard time wanting to continue.

Sasha (FMC) has become annoying. I think I just can't stand when a main character, the FMC OR MMC- is struggling to get through trauma to the point that it becomes annoying. I feel like the author has made it continue in this book to draw out the "slow burn" between her and the MMC but all i'm getting is annoyed at this point. I'm not finding her to be a bad ass or "Beast"

Idk lowkey i feel like the author coulda saved this book for another day and just gave us Conform #2 😭

Did anyone else not care for Beneath that much?

{conform} by {ariel sullivan}
{beneath} by {ariel sullivan}

I'm 70% in so no spoilers regarding ending yet please .... but I have such mixed feelings on this book so far.

But I feel like there's nothing very remarkable about the FMC? She's just kind of bleh if you will...

Then as for the story/plot, it's been like just barely engaging enough for me to keep reading and then at some parts I get bored...

Truthfully the only reason I'm still reading is for Rorrick.......... lol why do I want her to be with Rorrick when she's with Tiernon and that's his brother but like? He's the most interesting character.

UPDATE: I've finished and giving it 3.75 stars. I will read the 2nd book simply for Rorrick lol

I don't know what it was about this book, well maybe I do (the writing was terrible) that it could not hold my attention. I got to page 40 then I DNF'ed.

It felt to me as if I got thrown right into character dialogue and was like what's going on here. But also, just, simply terrible writing. A line that stuck out to me on page 5 was ".. I had to keep my unpredictable Fae emotions in check" ........

And I still tried to keep going, but yeah, had to wrap it up. Anyone else feel this way with this book

I'm craving a book with FMC & MMC that are at minimum age 25+ and there is tension, yearning, with a spice payoff...

But I want a world where there's princes or kings, and there's balls they attend and just that whole vibe.

Is there any recs like this? thanks :)