We’ve finished another April week already. This month is flying by; we’re almost halfway through. This week, I read through three books. Two were advance reader copies of eBooks (eARCs) that I’ve been looking forward to. The third book is one from a small publisher that I really enjoy supporting. Here’s the full recap for the week.

1. Beneath the Cursed Veil – Kel Carpenter & Aurelia Jane

CW: Kidnapping, Torture, Sexual Content, Alcohol, Drugging, Prostitution, Human Trafficking

Once again, I want to give a very big thank you to The Nerd Fam for the ARC of Beneath the Cursed Veil. It’s coming out on April 25th, and is currently available for pre-order. I already talked a little bit about this book in last week’s post.

In this romantasy, the two main characters have been dreaming of one another for years. She thought he was only a fantasy, but he’s been searching the worlds for her the whole time. When they do finally meet, it happens in the worst way possible. His reputation for cruelty precedes him as well. She can’t believe he could possibly be her fated mate. She just wants to do her job and go home, but it’s not going to be that simple.

This book is like literary candy for any voracious readers of the genre. In fact, the female main character (FMC) is a big reader of fantasy romance. This leads to a lot of subtle but really fun fourth-wall nods to the readers when well-known tropes arise. While much of the narrative takes place in the Faerie Realm, there’s also a rich urban fantasy world. That’s where our FMC is from. Even though she has magical powers and isn’t human, this makes her still relatable for the reader.

The characters were another strong point. Each had their own distinct voice, even when traits were shared. One of my personal favorites was Corvo, the sarcastic magical talking cat. Having grown up on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, I was strongly reminded of Salem and very happy for it.

There’s a hefty dose of well-done spice in here too. You’ll want to read this one before bedtime. Plus, that ending is going to leave you aching for the next book. I know I can’t wait to see what comes next. Thankfully, it’s already scheduled for release on June 13th. The title is Beyond the Winter Kingdom. I’ll want to get my hands on it for sure.

2. A Song of Silver and Gold – Melissa Karibian

CW: Heavy Drinking, Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Child Death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Kidnapping, SA

I found this title while browsing the online shop for Midnight Meadow. They’re a small independent publishing company that’s queer and (mostly) neurodivergent owned and operated. I’ve ordered from them before (and covered the book Windfall by Shawna Barnett) and I really like supporting them. Plus, look at how gorgeous my bookmail packages are when I buy from them!

This is a sapphic, dual POV, true enemies-to-lovers slowburn on the high seas. It’s a gender-bent reimagining of The Little Mermaid. The idea of a sea creature masquerading as a human still makes a great allegory for living in the closet. Instead of a mermaid however, it’s a siren who trades her singing voice for legs in order to walk on land. She’s not looking for a lost love this time either, nor to explore. She’s seeking revenge.

I really enjoyed diving into this one. It does start off very dark, with a lot of blood and deaths occurring before even page 50. If you’re the type of reader to make snap judgments when starting a new book, I’ll tell you ahead of time that it doesn’t stay that way. While there’s still plenty of action throughout, the character growth drives the dismal feeling out of subsequent chapters. The dark beginning is what establishes the bone-deep hatred that our two main characters have for each other at the start. When I emphasize that this is a true enemies-to-lovers story, that is what I mean. I read a lot of books wit that type of relationship progression, including the other two this week. Very few manage establish such a thorough animosity at the start. Those that do often fail to show those feelings evolving in a realistic manner. This one was extremely impressive in that regard.

The worldbuilding was another piece I loved. The culture of the sirens was very thought-out and detailed. More notably, every city and port the characters stopped in had a unique feel while also having varied neighborhoods inside it. It brought a tangible realism to the world. That didn’t always extend to life aboard the ship, unfortunately. There were a few moments where the author seemed to be lacking familiarity with large vessels. These were minor details like the number of people needed to adjust sails or how to stop moving, but those who notice may be briefly pulled out of the story.

Beyond those details, I felt the book could have used one more round of editing. There were a few instances of infodumping, and also some word substitutions. There were a few more typos than I’m used to seeing in traditional publication as well. In spite of that, I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next installment, which is already on my shelf.

3. Restored – Staci Jost

CW: Graphic Depictions of Medical Procedures, Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Heavy Drinking, Vomit, Kidnapping, Loss of Parent, Child Death, SA, Child Abuse

This was another eARC; I got this one directly from the author. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and will be officially out on May 2nd.

Our FMC in this one has extraordinary healing powers. She would consider them a gift if they weren’t the reason for her nearly-lifelong captivity. The tyrant king wants to exploit those powers for his own financial gain. When she’s abducted by the prince of a neighboring land who also wants to make use of her power, it puts everyone she loves at home in danger at the king’s mercy. Still, she can’t help but be drawn to the man who takes such risks for those he loves.

Before I even started reading this one, I loved the dedication and the artwork. In addition to the beautiful cover art, there’s a gorgeous map as well as illustrations at the beginnings of chapters. For how idyllic the images are, the story is fast paced and action-packed. There are plentiful well-choreographed fight scenes and high-speed horseback chases. The creatures they face are innovative and frightening.

This is an enemies-to-lovers story, and the animosity at the beginning is seething. However, our FMC is a very thirsty girl. There are a few times the relationship seems to jump ahead very quickly, but it actually makes sense with her character and inner monologue. Again, this is a title with some real spice in it.

There were other characters whose personalities were less consistent, and a couple that were hard to tell apart. Then again, it’s possible that the dialogue tags confused me as there were a number that were unclear. My final word of caution on this one is that the ending will leave you wanting more. The story isn’t over yet. The next book currently has a title, but no word on a release date yet.

Another April Week Coming Up

We’ve got another April week coming up next week too. I haven’t even decided yet which book to pick up next. I have so many great titles to choose from. There are another few ARCs sitting in my inbox and I have an intimidatingly tall physical TBR pile. It’s just going to keep getting taller as my partner and I continue visiting all the independent bookstores in Massachusetts! You can join in along with us in our explorations – we have a whole playlist of bookstore videos for you to check out!

Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel or the main updates page here to follow along on all our bookish adventures. My reading recaps go out on Mondays and our bookstore adventures go out on Thursdays. As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!