Eclipse of the Crown by A.K. Caggiano

Eclipse of the Crown (Villains & Virtues, #3)Eclipse of the Crown by A.K. Caggiano

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Villains & Virtues #3

Release Date: July 28, 2026

Blood Mage and evildoer, Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne is on a quest to release his father from his crystal prison, but his journey has been plagued with pitfall after pitfall, mostly thanks to his captive Lady Ammalie “Amma” Avington, a sweet and kind woman who carries a talisman he needs to free his father in her body and who is a bad (rather good) influence on him and someone he is definitely falling hard for. His latest detour is caused when he is summoned to YVLCoN (Yearly Villainous Ledgeration & Convergence of Nafariosity) which is basically a evil doer convention. He refuses to leave Amma alone, so brings her and is forced to pay a price to GOoD (Grand Order of Dread) to save her. He agrees to their demands and plans to leave the next day. But as usual, nothing will go as planned…

Amma is in love with Damien and while she originally wanted nothing more than to return home to Faebarrow, now she knows her home is where Damien is. She wants to help him free his father and hopefully be able to forge a life with him. But as usual, nothing goes right, but this time, Amma is not the one who needs saving, it is Damien who is abducted and Amma will do anything to save him. She will need help and her magic to finally end this quest, preferably with both of them surviving.

This book picks up where the second book ends and takes off immediately. The chemistry between Damien and Amma is even stronger in this book and they both begin to acknowledge their feelings, but there is much they need to accomplish before they can finally give in to those feelings. Their quest will reunite them with Xander, the Righteous Sentries, the Priestess Pippa as well as Damien’s former lover Delphine Delacroix. Their journey will be filled with prophecies, magic, abductions, mini goblins, dragons, secrets, revelations, laugh out loud moments, lots of sexual tension, an oracle, choices, death, reunions, imps, and finally an ending that is incredibly satisfying. This was by far my favorite book in the series, and I can’t wait to read the spinoff series! This is the third book in this series, and I would strongly recommend reading the books in order for the best reader experience.

*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. *

 

The Viscount’s Christmas Storm by Jane Charles

The Viscount's Christmas Storm (The Spirited Storms #7)The Viscount’s Christmas Storm by Jane Charles

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series:  Spirited Storms #7 (Previously Published in Kindling the Flame Anthology)

Release Date:  July 21, 2026

Lady Deborah Storm fell in love with her brother Peter’s best friend, Percy Grey, Viscount Shrewsbury when she was only fourteen years old, but she knew he only thought of her as Peter’s little sister. But things changed shortly after her debut, and they shared a kiss that convinced her they were meant to be and Percy spoke of courting and more. Yet instead of asking her brother for permission to court her, he left the estate without a word and made no attempt to speak to her. She was heartbroken and vowed to forget him. Now a year and a half later, she is spending Christmas with her sister and Percy is also a guest and seems to rekindle their friendship. Can Deborah risk her heart again?

Percy fell head over heels in love with Deborah and wanted to marry her, but after Peter caught him kissing her, he was beaten and warned to stay away from her. He tried to speak to her older brother, Benjamin, the Earl of Kenley but was refused an interview and told he was no longer welcome at the Kenley estates. He bided his time and tried again when the season started, but was warned away by not only her mother, but her great-uncle, the Duke of Danby, defeated he stayed away from her. But he didn’t give up, he vowed to himself to pursue her regardless of what her family thought. His plan was to wait until the season began but was invited to her sister’s estate for Christmas and learned that Deborah was to be attending. This time he won’t go quietly, but his work will be cut out for him because before he can woo his love, he has to gain her forgiveness.

I love the Storm family, and Deborah’s story was every bit as enjoyable as her siblings happily ever afters. This was a novella, but it had the depth of a novel, and the author did a great job of pacing the story as well as supplying their backstory, so the story didn’t feel rushed or weak. I did think the truth of what happened did seem to take a lot longer to come out than it should have, but overall, it was a sweet second-chance romance with wonderful characters finding their HEA. This is the seventh book in the series and was originally published in the “Kindling the Flame” anthology and could easily be read as a standalone title.

*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. *