Month: January 2026

The Reader by Hope E. Davis

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, First Person Narrative, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The ReaderThe Reader by Hope E. Davis

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Reader #1

Release Date: January 15, 2026

Born in a world where there is a one-child rule, Runa is a forbidden twin, she’s been forced to live a double life, hiding her true identity to survive in a society that would rather erase her existence. The story begins in a dramatic fashion when she must take her brother’s place on the front lines of an impending conflict. As she’s thrust from a life of secrecy into the chaos of war, slowly her world begins to unravel. Runa is introduced as intelligent, strong, and uniquely gifted, but throughout the book, she doesn’t quite live up to that persona. Repeatedly, she allows others to make decisions for her, even after she begins to display serious magical abilities, making it hard to take her seriously.

While this book is a fresh perspective in the romantasy genre and I did enjoy the magic system and morally gray characters, I am not a fan of first person single POV, love triangles or cliffhangers, so this book was a miss for me. However, if you don’t mind FPN, love triangles, morally gray characters and a spectacular cliffhanger ending – this book might be something you might want to check out.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Wildewood by Jessica Thorne

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Thiller / Suspense, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

WildewoodWildewood by Jessica Thorne

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: January 6, 2026

Dr. Alexandra “Alex” O’Neill, aka “the Sceptic’s Sceptic”, the “debunker” on the paranormal investigation show “Ghost Patrol” doesn’t believe in ghosts and after a traumatic run in with a disgruntled show participant, she welcomes the chance to return to Ireland to settle her brother’s estate. She is heartbroken at the loss of her twin brother Theo and regrets not keeping in better touch after she left Ireland. Theo had inherited Wildewood Hall, the family estate and the barony title upon the death of their grandfather and he loved it – Alex on the other hand hated the place – it was filled with nothing but bad memories and loss for her. But as the last of the de Wilde family, the estate is now hers. She returns intent on selling the property and leaving just as soon as possible. Too bad the house has other plans!

Alex is swamped by memories and almost immediately begins to hear voices and noises in the house – her logical debunker’s mind writes off the noises as normal old house noises – but what she can’t write off is her reaction to Nick Walker – the caretaker of Wildewood and her brother’s best friend. She doesn’t understand her immediate attraction to him, and tries to distance herself, but when the house tries to kill her, Nick becomes her lifeline. And the debunker will have to accept that not everything can be explained away. So, to save herself and Nick, they will have to work together to save Wildewood from the dark forces set on overtaking them!

This story is not what I was expecting, but I was totally invested from the very start! The story is on the darker side, with a lot of evil entities infesting the home and lots of secrets and haunting memories of death and fear. But it is a well-written, nicely paced story featuring very likable characters and a complex plot with both dark and light energy. Layered in the ghost story are all the secrets of the house, the family and Nick, with twists and revelations that will have you stunned! I really enjoyed this story, it did start a little slow and there were things that I honestly didn’t understand, but overall, it was a very good, albeit, creepy read with a very satisfying ending. If you enjoy a gothic-like dark read with a bit of steam and lots of surprises – this book is a must read!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *