Romantasy

Review: Enchantra (Wicked Games #2) by Kaylie Smith

~ megs14malloy

Enchantra (Wicked Games, #2)Enchantra by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Enchantra is the 2nd-book in Kaylie Smith’s Wicked Games Romantasy series. I loved the 1st-book, Phantasma, when I read it in 2024, and it single-handedly propelled me into my admittedly short-lived Romantasy Girl era.

And when I say era, what I mean is as is typical for me, I quickly purchased numerous Romantasy books and then never read any of them.

I’m not proud, but here we are. In fact, I even got an audio ARC of this book, which I was over the moon excited for, and I am just reading it now, over a year later.

Full disclosure: I didn’t listen to the audio ARC, I read my hard copy, which I received from Book of the Month. Anywho, with the boring admin out of the way, let’s get into the book, shall we?

In Enchantra, we’re following Ophelia’s little sister, Genevieve. At the end of the 1st-book, we learn that Vivi is getting ready to do some European travels. Even though Ophie has established an entire itinerary for Vivi to follow, Vivi has other plans.

Desiring answers about her mother’s past and her own true nature, Vivi heads to Italy to seek out her Mom’s old friend, and occasional pen pal, Barrington Silver, at his family estate, Enchantra.

Once there, she’s greeted gruffly by one of Barrigton’s many children, Rowin, who insists that she leave immediately. After traveling all that way though, Vivi is determined not to leave without answers.

One thing leads to another and she ends up getting sucked into the Silver’s lives and the insidious game of hide and seek they’re forced to play every year, solely for the entertainment of the Devils in Hell.

She’s forced to team up with Rowin, in a fake courtship, so that they may compete together as a couple. It’s her only possible chance of survival.

It’s enemies-to-lovers, it’s high stakes and it’s got a strong gaming element that I always enjoy. I actually enjoyed the games here even more than in Phantasma because of the family element. The family is fighting against each other to win, which made it feel more personal.

I loved the Silver family. There’s a lot of them and their relationships are complicated to say the least, but you can still feel the love among the siblings. Even when they’re trying to stab each other through the heart.

I loved the setting of Enchantra as well. The property was giving heavy Beauty and the Beast, but darker and more twisted, vibes. They even spent a lot of time in the library, though I wouldn’t want to sit on that couch ever again.

The game was played in rounds, with one family member selected to be the hunter and the rest of the players had to hide. It provided quite a bit of downtime for Rowin and Vivi to get to know one another, particularly since they needed to hide as a couple.

I loved the progression of their relationship and the push and pull as the attraction grew. Vivi is my girl, I adored her. She was strong-willed, defiant and a little mouthy, but she also had a strength and determination that I think ended up surprising Rowin in a good way.

Rowin was such a strong leading man as well. He was swoony and so hot. I could definitely understand why Vivi would become so enraptured by him.

The steam was fantastic too. Not too much, not too little, it was just right.

I also appreciated how evenly Smith distributed the action/family drama plot with the romance element. Neither one overshadowed the other, and I feel like there’s a real art to that. It’s executed so well, whether you’re here for the romance or here for the games.

I’m kicking myself for putting off reading this for so long. I loved it. It was an absolute blast of a read. Someone please tell me we are getting more books in this series. I am guessing yes based on the ending of this one, but I have heard no actual news in that regard either way.

Overall, this was freaking fantastic. I loved it with my whole heart, even more than the 1st-book actually. Vivi is such a sensational protagonist and Rowin is just my kind of kink. Am I about to enter my Romantasy era 2.0, where maybe I actually read the books this time?

Thank you to Second Sky Books for providing me with a copy to read and review. Though I didn’t listen to the audio, I am confident this book is just as fabulous regardless of the format you read it in!

View all my reviews

Review: Spark of the Everflame (Kindred’s Curse #1) by Penn Cole

~ megs14malloy

Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1)Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Spark of the Everflame is the 1st-book in the Kindred’s Curse series by Penn Cole, and I feel like I’m the last person in our world to read it. I’ve been missing out.

This novel follows Diem Bellator, whose mother, a well-known healer, has gone missing. Diem, already primed to step into her mother’s footsteps, ends up taking over some of her healer responsibilities, which includes entrance to the royal palace to aide some of the descended.

The descendeds are the upper echelon citizens of this world. They’re actual descendants of the Gods and Diem, and the rest of her mortal peers, are basically treated like disposable garbage by these upper classes.

Her entrance into the palace opens up Diem’s eyes to a whole new world and perspective that she’s never considered before. She’s also constantly watched by the dying King’s handsome nephew, Luther.

Diem feels torn, with a mortal alliance recruiting her to their ranks, and with her new found friendships without the descended class, she just wants to do the right thing. She wants to protect her family, and life in general.

Why did I wait so long to read this!? My best friend read it years ago and raved about. I kept meaning to pick it up, but just didn’t. Admittedly, it’s a little outside my comfort zone, but I am so happy I finally picked it up.

I was completely invested, and the ending!?

I didn’t see where this was going at all. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not a well-versed Romantasy Reader, or what, but I was not expecting the path that it seems Diem’s character is about to take.

I knew nothing about this going in, but I think I may have enjoyed it all the more because of that. I think Cole did a fantastic job of laying out the structure and politics of this whole world. There was a lot to learn, but it didn’t feel info-dumpy. It all felt very natural.

I’m so excited to continue on with this series and find out what’s going to happen for all of these great characters. I appreciated the slow burn of the Romance and the fact that right now there just seems to be a lot of pining, and will they/won’t they energy.


It surprised me how invested I got in this story. I’m super excited to continue on with the series, and am hoping to do so as soon as possible.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m so sorry it took me so long to get to this one. Nevertheless, it was worth the wait; so good!

View all my reviews

Review: War (The Four Horseman #2) by Laura Thalassa

~ megs14malloy

War (The Four Horsemen, #2)War by Laura Thalassa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

War is the 2nd-installment to Laura Thalassa’s Romantasy series, The Four Horsemen. I read the 1st-book, Pestilence, in late-2024 and I didn’t hate it.

This is not a genre I have a lot of experience in, so perhaps it requires a bit more explanation as to why I would randomly be picking up this older series now.

Last year after I read Kaylie Smith’s Phantasma, I had a moment where I was considering becoming a Romantasy-Girlie, so of course, I bought a bunch of books I knew nothing about to fit that new personality.

During that frenzy of fiscal irresponsibility, I bought this entire series for no reason. After reading Pestilence though, I knew I wanted to continue. Good news!

It was interesting, and though often repetitive, it did keep me engaged. I liked that the story was set in an apocalyptic world and how Pestilence wasn’t really a human being. LOL — that seems so strange to say.

War is set after the events in Pestilence, and has no real connection to that story other than the fact that War is Pestilence’s ‘brother’, and Pestilence is briefly referred to a couple of times.

I ended up enjoying this one quite a bit more than that 1st-book. I don’t know why exactly I enjoyed this so much, I don’t know what that says about me, but I did and I’m not gonna lie about it.

Maybe it’s because it sort of reads like a piece of Khal Drogo fanfic, and I would never, ever turn that down.

We each like what we like. The end. I’m accepting no further questions on that at this time.

I also enjoyed the setting of this one a lot. It was set in the Middle East and Northern Africa, whereas Pestilence was set in North America. I thought it made sense for the author to jump locations, since this is a world-wide event, so it would make sense to give stories from around the world.

I’m not commenting on Thalassa’s representations of those places, just the idea of making it a globe-spanning series. I’m interested to see where the next 2-books are set.

There is a lot more action in this one, with hard-fought battle scenes, hand-to-hand combat moments and intense interactions. I loved both of the MCs, Miriam and War, and enjoyed watching their relationship develop.

War was much more appealing to me than Pestilence, so that definitely boosted my enjoyment level as well. Pestilence felt a little clueless and bumbling, whereas War gives very confident, powerful, Alpha Male vibes.

There were times I questioned Miriam’s choices, but she was certainly in a tough spot. What would you do to survive the apocalypse, you know?

I also really enjoyed the conclusion. I think the author wrapped it up in a satisfying way. I walk away from this, happy that I made the time for it.

I will be continuing with the series, though I’m not sure how long it will take me to get to the next book. I am very interested to learn more about it though. Wondering what Famine’s personality will be like…

View all my reviews

Review: The Witch Collector (Witch Walker #1) by Charissa Weaks

~ megs14malloy

The Witch Collector (Witch Walker, #1)The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

8-years ago, Raina Bloodgood, lost her sister when the Witch Collector came to their village and took her to deliver to the Frost King, with whom she has lived ever since.

Raina has been left plotting revenge against the individuals who tore apart her family. Now with the Harvest Moon approaching, Raina is ready to exact that revenge.

Unfortunately, events do not go as planned and Raina ends up more alone than ever after a new threat burns her village to the ground.

Now she’s left to team up with the one person she was dead-set on ending, Alexus Thibault, the Witch Collector. As it turns out, Alexus may be her best chance of, well, surviving, but also, of being reunited with her sister.

Thrust into new battles she never expected, Raina also finds her heart veering in directions she never expected, like straight towards Alexus. Has her villain become her hero?

Okay. I see you, Charissa Weaks. You have my attention and I’m willing to continue with the Witch Walker series to see what else you have in store for us.

For me personally, this wasn’t the most solid start to a series. I felt like the pacing was a little off, causing my attention to wax and wane. Also, I have lingering questions. However, I’m still intrigued enough to continue.

I feel like it’s possibly one of those cases where the further you get, the more deeply invested you become. I did enjoy the initial world-building, as well as the characters, and I’m interested in learning more about those aspects.

If I want to do it though, I need to move stat, otherwise, I can easily see myself forgetting a lot of these details. Each day that passes, more info is slipping out of my brain. I need to get this 2nd-book ASAP.

I think though, if the 2nd-book is rated the same for me, I may quit while I’m ahead. There are so many great series out there, I don’t want to waste too much time with one that would end up being just mediocre for me.

With this being said, I am going to go in with a positive mindset though, because I do feel like the more time I spend with these characters, the more I am going to grow to care about them. Onward and upward!!

View all my reviews

Review: Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1) by Laura Thalassa

~ megs14malloy

Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1)Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Recently, I read Kaylie Smith’s popular dark-Romantasy novel, Phantasma, which I consider my first ‘real’ Romantasy experience.

I had so, so much fun reading it that I thought I had entered my Romantasy era, so I rushed out, and as you do, ended up purchasing like 16-books within that genre, including this ENTIRE series.

Pestilence was the first book I decided to pick up after that little **cough, cough** haul, and now I feel like I’m over my Romantasy era. I’m sort of kidding, but also, am I?

This book was interesting and for the most part, it kept me engaged, but it also began to feel quite repetitive over the course of the story.

This was published in 2018 and I’m sure for long-time Romantasy Lovers, this is old hat, and maybe the substance and style have evolved over the years. There wasn’t anything wrong with this really, it just failed to ever truly capture my full heart, although I will admit to being quite entertained.

I liked that the romance takes places in an apocalyptic setting, as that was certainly something I hadn’t read before, and I also liked how Pestilence wasn’t quite of our world.

Sara, as the MC, was likable as well. I liked her pluck and attitude. It was enjoyable being in her head, because she had a dry delivery and way of looking at the world, often snarky, which I personally enjoy.

A smaller gripe would be, Pestilence is sort of a long name to use to refer to someone all the time. I was constantly wishing she would just give him a nickname. My vote was for Pest, but the name thing didn’t ultimately get addressed until way too far into the story.

With this being said, I did enjoy how this concluded. I was confused the whole time how the author was gonna wrap it up, but she did succeed in that regard, and I’m intrigued enough to definitely continue on with the series.

Even though it’s slightly ridiculous, I’m still somehow enamored by it. Thalassa obviously knows what she’s doing, as she succeeded in making a fan out of me.

Bring on War, I’m ready for him!!!

View all my reviews

Review: Phantasma (Wicked Games #1) by Kaylie Smith

~ megs14malloy

Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

What the!? Am I a Romantasy Girlie now?!?!

I am shocked, awed and quite pleased at how compelling I found Phantasma to be. I just read it to see what all the hype was about, and you know what, I get it.

This is my first real foray into the Romantasy genre, which seems to have taken the world by storm. I’m not a huge Romance Reader overall, but I do dip my toe into the pool every now and again. I feel like the other elements of this, though, are what made it a true winner for me.

By that I am referring to the creative competition and wicked gothic atmosphere. Atmosphere is my number one want out of any story and I feel like Smith nailed that here.

If you aren’t aware, this story is set in a sort of alternative New Orleans where paranormal creatures and occurrences aren’t outside of the realm of possibility.

We follow our MC, Ophelia Grimm, after the unexpected death of her mother, a necromancer whose magic she’s now inherited. Ophelia is left with her younger sister, Genevieve, as her only family. They reside in the Grimm family home, which they discover they are close to losing due to their mother’s unresolved debts.

Genevieve believes she has the solution to their problems as she enters a traveling competition known as Phantasma. The grand prize is a wish granted; she could wish for enough money to settle their debts.

The kicker is that most contestants don’t make it out alive. By the time Ophelia discovers Genevieve’s plans, it’s too late. Her sister has already entered the game. Now Ophelia must get in as well and find her sister before it’s too late.

Phantasma is a cursed manor where the contestants must reside while they compete. Think Paranormal Big Brother. Ophelia is allowed in, but will she be able to make it out?

Phantasma is made up of nine levels, each containing its own unique challenge in which the contestants compete. If Ophelia is to have a hope of finding her sister she must successfully complete each level, but dangers lay in wait around every turn of the haunted hallways.

When a charming stranger, Blackwell, assures Ophelia he can help and guide her through the levels, she knows she shouldn’t trust him, but what other choice does she have?

As a being tied within Phantasma, Blackwell should know its ins-and-outs better than anyone. She’s willing to take the risk in order to save Genevieve, and the burning attraction doesn’t hurt matters either. As the two grow closer, Ophelia has to fight to remain focused on her task. Blackwell is quite the distraction.

I found Smith’s writing so easy to read. I would find myself getting swept away into the story every time I picked it up. It was so easy to picture everything she was describing.

I loved how quickly we got to the meat of the story, with Ophelia entering Phantasma fairly quickly. I had so much fun following her journey through the competition and felt the danger increase with each passing level.

The fact that the contestants all lived together and entered each level together made for a lot of dramatic interactions amongst them. It did have a Hunger Games sort of vibe in that, in order to win, you needed others to lose.

I would say the competition, and the setting of the competition, were probably my favorite things about this novel. I did find all of that so fascinating, but I did also enjoy both Ophelia and Blackwell as characters.

There’s obviously some insta-attraction between the two, but I liked how it did take some time to build up trust. It was enjoyable to watch them learn to work together; that didn’t happen instantaneously. There was also some light pining and a bit of back and forth that kept me glued to the pages.

In the end, I would say I fell for them, the idea of them, and what they could provide for one another. The steamy bits were just an added bonus.

I’m so glad that I stepped outside my comfort zone for this one. I’m looking forward to the 2nd-book, and to continue on in my new Romantasy Girl era!

View all my reviews