r/haremfantasynovels

Thanks to everyone who has read Emperor's Rise so far. I'm happy to say that Emperor's Rise book 1 is now available on Siren.Audio!

Narrated by Robin Shay, book 2 is being worked on too.

If you're interested in a code, comment below and I'll send some out on a first come, first serve basis!

Siren.Audio: https://siren.audio/audiobooks/emperor-s-rise

Blurb:

The Empire is broken. The Crown is fractured. The Emperor must rise again.

Prince Alexander was perfectly content commanding his fleet, hunting pirates, and avoiding the politics of the court. But when a ruthless assassination plot butchers the royal line, he's thrust onto a throne he was never supposed to have. His treasury is empty, his army is lacking, and the rival kingdom of Nayules is plotting a conquest that threatens to burn the continent.

Alexander’s only hope lies in the ancient Imperial Crown. For centuries its powerful gems have been divided among the kingdoms, but now Alexander must reclaim them. With the Valonian Sapphire granting him mastery over the oceans, and the Saenian Ruby fuelling a terrifying bloodlust, he must learn to control the spirits of his ancestors before they corrupt him.

To rebuild his ruined kingdom and forge an empire, Alexander must secure powerful alliances through blood, steel, and marriage. He’ll build a dynasty alongside his loyal naval captain, a ruthless elven warrior, and a gentle princess fighting for her people’s survival.

They thought they were wiping out a ruined bloodline. Instead, they woke an Emperor.

Olivia Sinclair has kidnapped members of Phoenix Heart and is building an army. Chris must trust dangerous allies, push his powers to their limits, and unravel the ancient tradition keeping his seven-foot frost giantess from the magic she needs before everything they’ve built is destroyed.

For readers who enjoy dark urban fantasy, coven building, found family, powerful witches, high-stakes action, and explicit romance. All five books are available in Kindle Unlimited.

Book Five:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HL9QYFFM

New to the series? Start with Book One:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSV6T4D9

(Book cover is directly from Amazon and the subsequent images are that of Molly from two different scenes in the book that I created.)

Hey everyone, Rune back again.

I have honestly been sitting on this with a "needing to finish" note for this review since I finished the first book almost a week and a half ago. My intention was to have it out before book 2 dropped, but life and my ever-present squirrel brain led to me prioritizing other projects. That said, Mirror Mage is just that much of a fun read that I felt a completed post was still deserved. It is shorter than some of my previous reviews, but no less enjoyable to write and talk about.

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PREMISE:

Mirror Mage is tale of Kyle Bradley, early twenties bookstore clerk and college dropout, who finds himself as one of the most potentially power Magi currently alive, but only if he can survive long enough to see that potential bloom while also defending and protecting his childhood best friend, Molly Brown.

Molly is a spitfire, no fucks given, Irish red head to her core. She is bubbly and funny, while being a charming flirt and downright dirty sometimes crush. And boy does she have a crush on Klye. Now only if he could get past the promise, he made to her brother to keep her safe and stop seeing her as his 'lil sister', she could potentially find some peace and happiness for once.

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REVIEW (Lite Spoilers):

Mirror Mage is an awesome change of pace for what I personally have been getting a lot in the Harem Lit universe. When was the last time you read a series where the idea of a harem or even the word harem didn't even show up till the back fifth of the book. Hell, even the two main characters don't fully have penetrative sexual intercourse by the end of the book. That is rare. While that may be seen as a spoiler by some, they still "get it on" just in other ways. This book feels like the epitome of a 'Slow Burn', and honestly, this is probably one of my favorite parts of the book. You know it will be a harem, but if there wasn't second book guaranteed, this could have been a very cute and intimate solo romance love story. Molly and Kyle have just such great chemistry on the page. Kyle does have some tropey moments where he tries to convince himself that "this isn't happening", but even those moments feel natural and earned due to the surrounding story and lore. They are just a cute couple by the end.

The magic also is unique and quirky and very different than genre standard that has been seen a lot, relying on characters who are not sorcerers (wizards-natural magic users) and instead they have to form pacts with idols to get access to words of power. It is a unique and honestly well thought out systems that sees deities from various mythos becoming ancient beings of immense power that grants a portion of that power to their worshipers to speak a word of power (assumed to be in the language of the deity). That causes an effect that is associated with the known powers and lore of that deity. So, a deity known for healing will give you words that heal someone, just as an example. You have deities from all era and cultures, from South America to ancient Greece, to many others. These deities grant ever more and more words and abilities based on the level of pure worship and adoration their followers give.

And while the setting in concept is nothing that we haven't seen before, magic academy with professors and a headmaster, the idea that it sits on the same land space with a town and fully functioning military base of the same name. So from dorms and classrooms to ten minutes by bus to a gated, walled, with machine gun towers military base really helps set itself apart from others in the genre that have run the academy route. While we don't get a ton of information on how that base will be used by the Magi and what it's purpose it, the fact that exists and will certainly come up in future books leaves a huge moment of anticipation for me. There is also an ironic twist of mundane to the academy in that it really isn't all that magical. No floating candles, no speaking hats, and that is something Kyle just has a hard time accepting.

So, after all that, there are secrets that abound on the surface of everything and seem to constantly run deeper. Kyle keeps taking blow after blow of life change and mind-altering amounts of information from everything he thought he knew. It will be up to keep people in his life to help guide him and keep him from putting both him and Molly in mortal danger.
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CLOSING:

The characters feel fun and deep with each having a purpose and goal beyond just getting with the main character. Even the two MC (Kyle and Molly) have goals and desires beyond hooking up that go in different directions for different reasons. From unique magic to fun twists on setting and well-built characters, Mirror Mage is a great place to start if you are looking to start a new academy series. If you want something slightly different, uniquely imagine, and with good slow burn romance, start here. No Notes.

I was taken aback by this one. I went into it with the full knowledge that I was taking a chance on a new-to-me author, and fully expected to be disappointed. Instead, I fell in love with a broken group of people and a broken home in need of those people.

Meet Sam Pendle, an accountant in a modern city full of glass and concrete, and nephew of an aunt named Maeve, an aunt he met exactly once. Now meet Sam Pendle, trudging up a village lane, in the country side, having been fired from his job and inherited his deceased Aunt Maeve's boarding house.

Sam Pendle spends a month renovating his new boarding house to save it from a hostile takeover by a spindly heron, and along the way finds love with a succubus, an abyssal who likes to be tied down, a grumpy honeybadger, and a moth. Pretty sure a plant falls in love with someone but who knows how plants think? He learns the home is sentient, and realizes he needs it in his life as much as the home needs him as the keeper of its hearth.

I legitimately loved all of these characters, unique and dependable in their own way, recognizable in their words and actions, and finding their own needs fulfilled as the book progressed. Even the home itself is a wonderful and delightful character, with its own personality and flaws; it was a completely unexpected standout in the book.

They all speak from their own perspectives as well. Nell is always frustrated, and feeling unrewarded for her efforts, but you can see that deep down she truly, genuinely loves watching the boarding house get better, with an emotional payoff near the end. Sam approaches everything like an accountant, obsessed with his tiny little numbers and calculating the costs of potatoes and relationships. The abyssal is always on guard, and the succubus is...well, Lottie is Lottie, and I'm not quite sure how to explain her without spoiling things too much.

In short, this book is warm, and cozy, and full of heart in the very best way, set amidst the cold backdrop of the weather and a wealthy and corrupt heron trying to make the characters fail.

That's not to say the book does not have its faults. Sure, there are some typos and similar, but it's nothing too egregious. No, instead I had two main issues, and a lot of nitpicky ones. Some aren't even faults, more just opportunities for improvement.

Issue one: Sam continues to act like he doesn't have money coming in, but both the succubus and the abyssal say "Hey, I've got silver". When Sam is balancing the books and updating his ledger, there's no mention of that. For a book so dedicated to working towards a very specific debt payoff amount, it seemed to be a rather obvious miss for a character so talented in tracking numbers--including, at one point, mentioning that he'd once done a tax write-off using a goat.

Issue two: how does the warmth of a house feed back into an apparent power grid? And how does the heron then charge everyone for use of the power grid? I'm likely misunderstanding something here, but I'm also used to more obvious magic systems. I'd have liked a little more explanation on this one, and maybe a bit more reworking here. For something so significant to the story, it wasn't explained as properly as I'd hoped. It didn't impact my satisfaction of the story as much as it sounds like it did.

Some of my other nitpicky details are due to my understanding how homes are built, having done that in a previous career of mine. The home renovations in this one, like in another haremlit book I've read, are done in an improper order. For everyone reading this: you fix leaks and roofs first, not doors or windows.

One thing I did enjoy was a unique usage of sex magic; as Sam rails Lottie around the house, and eventually the abyssal, the home uses the magic produced by the sex to repair itself. That's not to say that more mundane fixes aren't valid, but I thought that was unique and creative.

Speaking of the sex, it was creative and varied and inventive, fast and filthy, and then becoming tender and sweet and beautiful. I did not love how there was little romantic build up before the sex with a new character, but it's common enough in haremlit that I'm willing to overlook it. Still, I would ask that authors begin introducing more of that. Additionally, it was also mildly explained as to how and why that was, which made it less noticeable. No, it was only after I finished that I truly thought about it.

The writing style throughout was excellent, and--especially at the beginning--reminded me of the humor of the Percy Jackson writing style, with the chapter titles to match. I don't know why it did so, I can't put my finger on it, but it's certainly a writing style I enjoy and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the author's works if the writing style and humor come through in those. Fair warning to those who do explore the backlog: not all of it is haremlit.

I also found the character motivations and growth clear and well-written, insomuch as they were present, and the conflicts, external and internal, were done well.

I never considered that this book, months on my TBR list, would have such a tender and sweet impact on me, but it did. It was cozy, and warm, and full of life, and we need more books like this in the genre. I'm looking forward to the next one, especially seeing how each character deepens their relationship with everyone else.

(Description in comments)

https://www.audible.com/pd/Dragon-Conqueror-Book-3-Audiobook/B0HLTXD5RQ

OOPS I MAXED MY LUCK STAT 2 | by John Vann | Fantasy adventure iseakai kingdom-builder harem.

Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln formed the Secret Service the same day he was assassinated (but their duty to protect presidents actually wasn't signed into law until much later).

Blurb:

Steve Holt keeps winning. The world keeps raising the stakes.

With impossible Luck, deadly Talents, and a growing list of dungeon rewards, Steve is becoming the most dangerous man in Aldenmere. His power opens doors, but it cannot solve every problem for him.

His beautiful, capable partners fight beside him as their home and future come under threat. Every victory makes their group stronger—and gives their enemies more reason to fear them.

The next roll could save a kingdom. Steve plans to make it count.

October Update!

Hey, everyone! Fall is here and I've got plenty going on.

First off, if you haven't seen it yet, Thirdborn 5 dropped and finished up Rhett and company's story. It had a brief run with an orange banner, which is always nice to see, and I think it's currently sitting at 4.9 stars. So, people are liking it. :) I've got some ideas about another series that will take place in the universe, but that won't be coming until mid-late 2027. Lots of other things to do before then. Link below.

On the audio front, October is going to be a dual release month! First up on 10/13/26 is Life of a Freelancer 3. Pre-order is live. And then on 10/19/26 will be Titan's Legacy 2! Link for Freelancer is below, and I'll throw up the pre-order for Titan's when I have it.

That's it for me this month. Short sweet and to the point. I've got to get back to work on The Adventures of Grave 5, which will round out the year, as well as get the next omnibus of Courts and Cabals ready. Busy busy busy!

As always, thanks for reading!

GSD

Life of a Freelancer 3 Audiobook by G.S. D'Moore

Thirdborn 5 - Kindle edition by D'Moore, G.S.. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.