#advanced reader copy

[leanmachine5]

𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘦 by Michael Nayak is a biological thriller that takes place in the isolation of an Antarctic research base. Feeling like a combination of a zombie and survival thriller, this book somehow remains grounded in reality even as things begin to escalate to an alarming degree.

Written by the author while he was in Antarctica, the location feels real and present during the entire novel. It made me want to visit myself (just, perhaps not during this specific novel, just to be safe!)

With frighteningly realistic politics relevant throughout this novel, at some points it felt like these events could be actually happening at the bottom of the world - with no one aware of the danger brewing.

Ending with a bang, this book is both perfect as a standalone or with a sequel. The author's note at the end indicates a sequel is planned, and I will absolutely be reading it once I have the chance.

Releasing February 11, 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘦 is perfect for fans of zombie and survival thrillers, Antarctic/Arctic horror, and Darcy Coates and SA Barnes.

Huge thank you to Angry Robot Books for providing me a copy for review and giving me a spot on this tour. Head over to my Instagram to see the full tour lineup - and my original post!

(Rest assured, this book was not harmed taking these photos!)

[hrngraystrs]

THIS BOOK IS CHANGING ME IN WAYS I CANNOT EXPLAIN.

[writeblrfantasy]

do you like messy, sexy queer books?💕

do you like queer books that aren't all fluff and rainbows? that explore those messy, dark topics, yet still keeps humor and joy and love + a happy ending?💕

do you like all of the above in fantasy?💕

let me introduce to you THE NIGHT AUCTION...for which Advanced Reader Copies are now open!

From now until June 15th, you can email me at lilamarybooks@gmail.com, and i will give you the file to read THE NIGHT AUCTION for free, in exchange for leaving a review.

(trigger warnings for past abusive relationships and references to sexual coercion, as well as an inherent power imbalance in a society of extreme bigotry and oppression.)

(preferably on goodreads) this will massively help the book gain traction by release day, when people see that it already has shiny new reviews! blurb below.

For a gemeyes, love is a prison. What happens when it could mean freedom? Aric is a gemeyes, a powerful and heavily regulated mage in the second class of Vadare society. His whole life, his only goal has been survival—not dreams, and certainly not love. When an old debt comes knocking, Aric is forced to turn to The Night Auction, a club where gemeyes go to be auctioned off for dates. There, he is bought by Kyrell Tierwood, a first class lord who’s kinder and handsomer than any Aric has ever met. Kyrell’s main draw is his wealth, which Aric needs to pay his debt and protect the family secret. Aric’s plan is simple: seduce the money he needs out of Kyrell and then leave him. It’s not love, it’s business. However, Aric didn’t count on his seduction turning into something real. As Aric and Kyrell navigate coexistence, Aric is torn between two worlds: the love he’s fostering with Kyrell, and the secret he will do anything to keep.

(boosts much appreciated!)

[aj-barlowe]

ADVANCED READER COPIES AVAILABLE!

Do you like like free books?

Do you like to read & review books online?

Are you a fan of sad, gay stories with a hopeful outlook despite the horrors?

If you said yes, then you might be interested in signing up to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of my debut novel, A Series of Rooms!

- FULL SYNOPSIS WITH CONTENT WARNINGS

- ARC REQUEST FORM

Request form will be open through Sunday 10/6. Feel free to DM with any questions.

[lenialenient]

AMBROSIA ARCS, BABY

It's now just a bit over a month until AMBROSIA is unleashed upon the world, and - that's right - this time I'm doing an ARC campaign about my upcoming book.

What is an ARC?

An Advanced Reader Copy (or Advanced Review Copy) is an early-access copy of a book that is distributed to a limited pool of readers for free - with the hope that those readers will then go and post an honest review on Goodreads/Amazon/somebody's blog about it. Especially for indie publications like this one, early reviews can help out a ton with getting some traction and not being swept away by the endless online depths.

About AMBROSIA

AMBROSIA is a lesbian psychological-horror girlgroup novel - that's right.

It follows a semi-reliable narrator through seven years of management-dictated shower times, dystopian celebrity training programs, and performance-enhancing drugs as she loses herself in her big diva persona of Ambrosia. Eventually, of course, a life in service of being looked at translates into the urge to a) shave your head and b) claw out eyes. Ill-advised affairs with beloved and behated group-mates included.

You can apply for an AMBROSIA ARC via THIS FORM! You'll probably get it, unless you tell me that you hate reading or hate me specifically in it.

You can also learn more about AMBROSIA here or read the first three chapters here, if you are so inclined!

[remusfinglupin]

Book haul from my town’s independent bookstore ☀️📖

[thegildedfantasy]

This Fatal Kiss in a nutshell. A witch and his two unhinged demons.

[earlronove]

Are you interested in an ARC of ERRANT WINGS, my new adult coming-of-age novel about a young man who gets angel wings but 100% never wanted them? Then I got you covered!

Fill out the form below before FEB 4th! ARCs will go out then! https://forms.gle/wqf4DAKRAgoHxZsc9

Find more information on its linktree here and have a full description below in case the image/alt text isn't cooperating!

Asher has his entire life planned around the coming of his devil wings. Got a place to go with his boyfriend, other devil wings to look out for him, the works. Except, that's not what he gets. Angel wings sprout from his back, shattering every plan he'd ever made because now the city expects him to be patient, demure, and absolutely devoted to absolving the city’s people of their sins with no room for anything else. Not happening. Not ever. All he needs is a way out before the city cages him in.

[desertmousy]

Howdy ✦ A lot of you know me from my Dune fanfic but I'm here to tell you about the original space opera I've been working on since March 2024. Well, I finished it late last year [!!!!] and it's coming out this spring and I'm offering advanced reader copies to people interested in reading and reviewing an achillean science fiction romance [summary and trope list under the cut] ↴

⟡ you can get on the list for an early copy here ⟡

Two centuries ago, House Henly of Aurethia and House Volkov of Griea penned an engagement, promising a ​u​nion between rival houses and their respective homeworlds.

Elio Henly has been preparing for marriage his entire life. As the Henly heir, and future steward of Aurethia, he will inherit great power, including control of a lucrative trade route and ownership of the most precious substance in the greater universe — Avara. The mysterious blue crystal native to Aurethia is the sole treatment for parsec sickness, an epidemic ravaging space travelers within the Greater Universe. But when he meets Cael Volkov, the charming heir of the outfitted military planet, Griea, everything he thought he knew about his homeworld, his family, and his heart is turned upside down.

Cael Volkov has been raised to conquer. Champion in the Griean Tupinaire, commander of the Royal Reserve, and son to the mighty Legatus, Cael knows his mission is simple: gain the Aurethian heir’s trust, learn everything he can about the forest moon, and prepare to take it by force. But the longer he spends with Elio Henly — the quiet, brilliant Aurethian prince — the more he questions everything he was taught and begins to push back against the duty seeded in him by a lust for vengeance.

➵ if you like Captive Prince but want it in space

➵ if you like the swordfighting in Dune but want more romantic tension

➵ if you like Endor and Hoth but want more Padme and Anakin

➵ if you like romantasy but want more science fiction

➵ if you like arranged marriage but want it to be queer

I would not have written this 155k fever dream of a book without the Dune fandom [especially my feydpaul brethren; this book is a feydpaul ripoff]. You'll will always have my sword [and my heart] ✹

p.s. artwork by akito [@/akkito_ on ig]

[bookishpixiereads]

“Rough Pages” by Lev C. Rosen

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5 Stars

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group/Forge Books for the eARC of this book. It dropped last week! All opinions are my own.

“Rough Pages” is the third book in the Evander Mills noir-ish, queer, historical fiction detective series set in 1950s San Francisco. Outside of the murderous plots, the series provides a well-researched look into how queer people lived during that time period. I adore this series. I already had pre-ordered this book before I even read the ARC and I never do that.  

Evander “Andy” Mills is a gay private detective for queer people who can’t go to the police because the police are not friendly to the LGBTQ community. He was a cop for the San Francisco Police Department before he was fired after they found out he was gay. 

A friend of Andy comes to him with a case. The two owners of a queer-friendly bookstore have gone missing. Along with selling queer books from a store front, they have a mail-order service where they mail queer books to subscribers. And the fear, along with the safety of the owners, is that the list of subscribers could fall into the wrong hands and at the worst, those people’s lives could be in danger and at best, they could become the object of blackmail. Also, at this point in history, mailing queer books is a federal crime.

And this list potentially puts people that Andy’s holds dear at great risk. And he wants to do everything he can to keep them and their newly adopted baby safe.

Were the bookstore owners arrested by the Feds? Was this a Mafia hit done out of fear of the possible outing of one of their own? Was there a crime at all and are they just on vacation?

Andy also has to deal with a reporter who is getting a little too close for comfort and his former boss, who is making implicit and explicit threats to Andy’s safety. And is his own romantic life falling apart?

“Rough Pages” comes during the current political climate of banning books. And it has beautiful things to say about representation in books, why books are dangerous (in a good way), and books as a whole.

What’s more important truth or secrets? Especially if the truth puts peoples’ lives in danger. 

[eggcatsreads]

𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩, 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴.

Gory. Terrifying. Haunting.

𝑩𝒂𝒕 𝑬𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 by Kylie Lee Baker is a horror novel that will yank you in from the first page and won’t let up until you’re gasping for air by the end.

Taking place in New York during the height of the Covid-19 lockdowns with a focus on the rising anti-Asian racism - our main character Cora soon realizes that the supernatural might not be the biggest danger she faces.

A juggernaut into the horror genre, I truly believe this book is best gone into almost entirely blind to allow the story to drag you on the journey.

Releasing April 29 in the US, pictured is my Illumicrate Evernight edition!

I was originally given a copy of this novel as a digital ARC - thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing!

[Also posted to my Instagram]

[elliepassmore]

Rebel Witch review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, witchy reads, enemies to lovers, dual POV

Heartless Hunter review

Big thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was one of my most anticipated sequels of 2025 and it did not disappoint! For those like me who were worried about where (and with whom) Rune ended Heartless Hunter with, have no fear: she is perfectly aware it's a problem and has no plans to really stick around. That was honestly my biggest issue with book 1, so I'm glad Ciccarelli had a solution for it.

Gideon and Rune are once more on opposite sides, but now they have the added complication of their feelings for each other. Falling for Rune made a fool of Gideon, even if he turned her in in the end, and falling for Gideon nearly got Rune killed and did get someone killed. The two are a big bundle of conflicting emotions in this one, though Rune seems more willing to let things slide than Gideon does (to be fair, Gideon also thinks Rune wants to be with Cressida). Only one of them knows the full story.

I liked that Ciccarelli started the book with Rune and Gideon about to meet again after weeks/months apart rather than starting it with them separated and part of the plot being them finding each other again. Enemies to lovers works best when they're in proximity, and in proximity they are. That's not to say they get along though. The 'enemies' are back in full force, with Gideon being particularly prickly and ready to double-cross Rune the second he gets the chance. Despite that, the two are still familiar enough with each other that they work quite well together and are mostly able to scheme a way out of trouble.

With the Blood Guard still in charge and Cressida gathering an army, politics naturally comes into the conversation. The Blood Guard is clearly bad, indiscriminately torturing and killing witches simply for being witches. On the other hand, Cressida presided over a reign of terror with her sisters, allowing and even participating in the torturing and killing of non-magical people. So...both sides are bad, but at this point there's no alternate solution. I was definitely interested in reading Rune and Gideon talk their perspectives out since they both make valid points but also don't see a non-extremist solution. Other people join in on this conversation as well and I liked seeing what other characters had to say about things. In the end, I think they come up with a good solution that works for everyone.

Rune is stuck between a rock and a hard place when the book opens. She greatly dislikes Cressida, but she can't go home and she still wants to see witches free. She does get out of the situation, but is in deep trouble with Cressida as a result of it, leaving her with two enemies at her back. Rune definitely goes on a personal journey in this book, trying to stay true to what she wants while also remaining free and dealing with the trauma that is Cressida Roseblood (and Alex's death). She has some low points, but her loyalty to the people she loves as well as to witches as a whole is able to bring her around.

Gideon is back to being fully against witches (although admittedly I don't know if that ever stopped). He's on thin ice with the Blood Guard, so he's determined to prove that Rune isn't a weakness where he's concerned. She is obviously, so Gideon has to juggle keeping her safe while also steering clear of the Blood Guard and trying to figure out where his loyalties lie and what he really believes. I have to say, Gideon really comes through in this one. He fought in the Revolution because it was the right thing to do and he continued to be in the Blood Guard because he thought it was right. This can very easily lead to a rigid character who sticks to his guns even when proven wrong, but Ciccarelli wrote Gideon to be moral, not necessarily loyal. As evidence mounts that neither side is entirely correct, Gideon is able to shift his perspective and comes to understand that there's good and bad on both sides. I really liked seeing this shift in him and seeing him put his brain power and experience behind a new solution that benefits everyone.

We meet some new characters as well as some old ones. Harrow is back and we get to learn a little more about her background. I enjoyed her character and do wish we got to know her a little better since she's still pretty closed off. Laila is also back and I liked seeing her camaraderie with Gideon. She definitely doesn't understand his actions always, but she's loyal to him and trusts that he at least somewhat knows what he's doing. Seraphine is back as well and we get to learn more about the older witch as well as her relationship with Rune's grandmother. Seraphine definitely has some surprises up her sleeve and she proves to be a good ally.

Bart and Antonio are two new characters. Rune and Bart used to run in the same circles before things blew up in Heartless Hunter, and it seems Rune wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Bart ends up being much more serious and down-to-earth than Rune thought, his socialite persona just as fake as Rune's was. Antonio is Bart's lover as well as an ex-acolyte for the Cult of the Ancients. He's not a witch, but is just as much at risk as Rune is if anyone finds out. I really liked the dynamic between the four of them and wish we got more page time to see a deeper friendship develop (maybe a novella?).

Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and think it's the perfect sequel to Heartless Hunter. I wish it were longer, but that's only because I want to stay in this world for a longer period of time.

[authormicahflowers]

I’m excited to announce ARC applications are open for Where the Stars Are! If you are interested in receiving a copy, fill out the form listed on my Linktree!

Applications will be open until 3/21, so act fast!

[turnthepagepub]

Turn the Page Publishing is looking for ARC readers and reviewers!

We're building our ARC readers list, and we only have two requirements:

Must love romance, and

Must post reviews to all the major retail and review sites (Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, etc.)

So if you love reading romance and sharing your thoughts with fellow readers, email us at info@TurnThePagePub.com with "I'm a Reviewer!" in the subject line. Include a little bit about yourself, plus your preferred romance subgenres (contemporary, historical, paranormal, etc.), and any triggers you'd prefer to avoid.

We can't wait to hear from you! ₊˚⊹♡

[libertyreads]

Book Review #18 of 2025--

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. Rating: 4.25 stars.

Read from March 16th to 18th.

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Del Rey for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A Drop of Corruption is the second book in a series following a Sherlock-and-Holmes style Investigator and her assistant as they travel through a Fantastical land and solve murders. In this second book, brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match at the edge of the Empire's reach. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air--abducted from his quarters while the doors and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard. A Drop of Corruption comes out on April 1st and is available for preorder now.

I don't know how I'm leaving this book with it getting a higher rating than the first one. The first book was so good, but something about this mystery and this setting and these side characters just scratched an itch in my brain. This Mystery starts out as a locked-room (not murder, disappearance) mystery which is the jam of so many Mystery fans, including me. Adding in all of these other intricate plots that Dolabra has to somehow untangle and I'm hooked. Though, I will say that the big 'AH HA!' at the end was something I thought of very early on in this novel. It was still fun to see how everything played out. This setting was more interesting to me since it took place around this sea side with a canal where terrible things can lie in wait. I think the first one's setting felt pretty plain and boring, but I think that was in service to the plot. I think if the author had spent too much time in the first book creating such an interesting setting it would have detracted from the Mystery it was trying to maintain. In this one, we actually take the time to settle in to this setting (I know, bad joke). I could feel the humidity and smell the salt in the air. And the way it lent to the vibes of the book was great. I still love the Sherlock and Holmes characters of this world (especially the new information we got on our Sherlock!), but I enjoyed our side characters in book two so much more than the ones in book one. I feel like we really got to know them AND one of them might be seen again in a future novel. One can only hope.

I hope my first point against this novel doesn't come across the wrong way, but I think Dolabra lost some of her mysticisms in this one which made it a little less surprising when all of the Mysteries of this novel came together at the end. I had already picked up on one of them early on so maybe that also had something to do with it. I think some of the choices that Kol made were pretty poor. I think it kind of made me like him a little bit less than in book one. I can understand why he's behaving the way he is, it's stated pretty clearly towards the end of the book this heavy and empty feeling he gets after closing a case. But I feel like the choices he makes sometimes got in the way of his job. And maybe that was an intentional choice because people make stupid decisions sometimes. I just didn't enjoy that aspect of it.

Overall, this was so good. It was such a great continuation of this story. I'm already so ready to see where Dolabra and Kol end up next and what kind of insane murder is going to happen there. I think this is a good starting point for Mystery fans to jump into Fantasy. Or just good for Fantasy fans who want to break away from the norm.

[junipercalle]

Want an ARC of ISMENE AND THE VOICE?

Answer this question (if you want), give me a follow, and drop your name in the comments. I'll select two lucky readers at the end of the poll to get the eBook. I'd appreciate a review on Amazon, anywhere Draft2Digital, or on RR.