Category: Non-Traditional Romance

Love at Midnight by Nola Saint James

On By TracyIn Christmas, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Non-Traditional Romance, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

Love at Midnight: A Regency Christmas RomantasyLove at Midnight: A Regency Christmas Romantasy by Nola Saint James

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 16, 2025

When Miss Grace Cooper, daughter of the late Viscount & Viscountess Shelbourne and heiress learns that her estate trustees are planning to marry her off sight unseen to a man of their choosing in just a few months, she knows that she will have to take matters into her own hands if she wants to marry her true love. The real problem is she doesn’t know who her true love is! Her housekeeper has been like a surrogate mother to her and vows to help her find her true love and suggests she meet with Mommia Ravenal, a Roma lady with the gift of sight, perhaps she can point Grace in the direction of her true love. Mommia does give her good news, her true love is near, but Grace will have to find him on her own.

Harold Picton AKA Hal Ravenal is the Earl of Langafel, however, he was not raised to be the earl. His parents eloped as their families didn’t approve of their love, sadly both his parents died shortly after his birth, and he was raised by a childless couple in the village. When he turned 18 his foster parents told him of his family – his father was heir to the Earl of Langafel and his mother was a member of the Roma Ravenal clan. He tracks down his mother’s clan and learns he has a gift with horses. He is happy to be reunited with his mother’s family and is content to build a life with them, but when Mommia, the matriarch of the clan demands he attend her, he knows this life is about to change. He learns that his paternal grandfather has died and he is now the earl. Being the earl means leaving the clan, but Mommia tells him that he won’t be alone, his true love is near and when he finds her, she will be the helpmate he needs to take up his title. Now he just needs to find her…

This was not your typical romance story, but it was an interesting story with very likable characters, not all of whom are human. The main characters don’t meet right away and there are a lot of things going on aside from Grace and Hal trying to find their true loves. Interwoven in the love story is a Norwegian legend about animals speaking to humans on Christmas eve as well as the Ravenal paranormal gifts. I liked this story, but it meandered all over the place, personally, I would have preferred the focus of the story to be the romance and have more of a connection between Grace and Hal, rather than relying on the love at first sight / true love trope. Overall, it was a unique read and if you are looking for something a bit different, you might want to give this book a try.

*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. *

Always Carry a Silver Cross by Andrea Robertson

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Contemporary, New To Me Author, Non-Traditional Romance, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Always Carry a Silver CrossAlways Carry a Silver Cross by Andrea Robertson

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: None Listed

Release Date: October 21, 2025

After the death of her best friend Emma Bancroft, Selene Jones’ live changed forever, not only has she lost her best friend, but she has become guardian to Emma’s sixteen-year-old daughter Allison. Feeling out of her league and hoping that she is making the right decisions, she leaves her life in LA and relocates to Emma’s house in the small town of Avondale to raise Allie. Already feeling out of sorts, nothing could have prepared her for the shock she is about to receive when she arrives at Emma’s house and meets Allie’s boyfriend Josh, who happens to be a werewolf. The shocks keep coming when she meets her neighbors and learns that Avondale is a paranormal haven, ruled by Fenris Hall, a werewolf and a man she knows of (but never met) from her job as a professional fundraiser.

She is still reeling from learning that Avondale is filled with Werewolves, Vampires, Magi and Fey beings, and she isn’t prepared for her first meeting with Fenris to discuss the relationship between Allie and Josh. She is stunned at her immediate attraction to him and even more surprised when it becomes clear that he returns that attraction. She returns home wondering how a relationship between the pack leader of Avondale and a human could work and is confronted with a ghost from the past – Allie’s father, Daniel Brix who disappeared without a trace ten years ago. Things will only get more heated and complicated from here…

This book is not what I was expecting, the blurb calls it “a paranormal rom-com full of spirited seduction, sinister secrets, and the sublimely supernatural” I am going to have to disagree with part of that description, because this was definitely not a “Rom-com” – it was intense and it was filled with seduction, secrets and the supernatural – but it was not a romantic comedy and it had scenes that were downright horrific – not in a scary sense, but in a violating sense and I hope the publisher adds a content warning to the blurb to protect more sensitive readers. Overall, I liked the book, I thought it was well written and flowed well, and even though I wasn’t super happy with the ending, I would definitely read the next book. If you are a fan of insta-lust, soulmates, touch-her-and-die heroes and heroines who can take care of themselves – you will probably like this book. I am happy to recommend it but would caution there are some scenes that might be disturbing to some readers, and I would highly recommend checking for trigger/content warnings before reading this book.

*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. *