Stephanie's Journal

Branded by Shadow (Olympian Alphas) by Eva Brandt

Genre:
Book Series, Hades and Persephone, Retellings, Alphas/Omegas, Romantasy, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance, Forced Proximity, Greek Mythology, Spicy Romance

Publication Date:
November 26, 2025

Page Numbers:
339

Read/Finished Date:
December 11th, 2025

Rating:
4/5

Premise:

He took me like it was his right. And the worst part is my body agrees.

I thought I was free. Free to choose who I gave my heat to. Free to disappear into science and stay untouched. But I didn’t know what I was, what slept in my blood, until he stole me.

Damon Blackwood. House Hades Alpha. He walks through shadows, commands silence with a glance, and claims Omegas the old with isolation, dominance, and zero room for refusal.

He says I carry divine blood. That I belong to him. He takes me to his underground estate, to a luxurious, suffocating, inescapable prison. There, my body unravels. Heat tears through me in waves, and vines bloom beneath my skin. Submission coils in my spine, and no formula, no logic, no plan can stop it.

I’m not the only one who wants control. House Zeus is circling, armed with lies and lightning. They want my bloodline, my research, my power, and they’ll destroy Damon to get it.

But Damon isn’t giving me up. And the longer I stay in the dark with him, the more I stop wanting him to.

If L.V. Lane’s feral dynamics and Scarlett St. Clair’s vengeful gods keep you turning pages, this is your next obsession. In this dark Omegaverse Greek myth retelling, claiming is tradition, biology always wins, and divine bloodlines rewrite destinies.

Review:

A Hades and Persephone retelling told from the omegaverse.

Sign me up!

Scientist and omega Dr. Cora Ellis has found a breakthrough that would help other omegas suppress their heat. She gives a presentation on her findings and draws the attention of two Alphas—Alexander Stormwright and Damon Blackwood. Each one belonging to one of the main Olympian houses of Zeus and Hades. But when Cora goes into heat, Damon kidnaps her and carries her back to his home, where she goes into heat.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is definitely different from other omegaverse novels that I have read in the past and I liked this one. The characters were interesting. The storyline was fascinating and to the point; it kept me reading from the beginning to the end of the novel.

Now, I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

We Who Will Die (Empire of Blood #1) by Stacia Stark

Genre:
Romantasy, Book of the Month, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Vampires, Adult, Paranormal, Fiction, Book Series, Slow Burn, Book Series, Mythology, Enemies to Lovers, Spicy Romance, Historical Fiction

Publication Date:
December 30, 2025

Page Numbers:
423

Read/Finished Date:
December 6th, 2025 - December 9th, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

From the bestselling author of the Kingdom of Lies series comes a slow-burn romantasy set in a Roman-inspired world ruled by merciless vampires. Filled with breathtaking combat, vengeful gods, and magical creatures, We Who Will Die is the epic first installment in an enthralling new series perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent, Jasmine Mas, and Rebecca Yarros.

Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…

Review:

Do you know how thrilled I was when I saw this was one of the Books of the Month and you could get your hands on it early? Oh, that was me, and I signed up for Book of the Month just for this book (okay, there might be others later on, but this one was well worth getting started with the BOTM club).

Our female lead, Arvelle, was champion of the Sands six years ago. Unfortunately, her wins were nothing compared to the loss she experienced. Since then, she vowed she would never set foot in the arena again. That is, until a vampire shows up on her doorstep with a deal that could save her younger brother from a deadly illness. The only thing is that she would need to re-enter the arena, win the tournament, and kill the emperor. The bad thing is she caught the attention of not only the Primus but also the emperor's eldest son, Rorrik.

The character development in the story was truly interesting. Each character felt well written and had their own unique personalities and flaws. Arvelle's character grows in response to the challenges that she had no choice but to face. Each challenge becomes more dangerous than the other and we see Arvelle adjust to this.

I also loved the love triangle, but then I have always enjoyed love triangles. We have two morally grey male characters and I love both of them. I don't know which male to root for. Well, never mind. I actually do. I like the darker male character more than the other, but then again, I am a sucker for the darker, brooding male with an agenda.

I absolutely loved the world-building. The mythology, the magical system, the gladiator fights, and Ancient Rome. Then again, anything historical fiction with romantasy elements has always been my jam.

Now I eagerly wait for book 2.

One of my Kind: a demon slayer romance by Val St. Crowe

Genre:
Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Demons, Contemporary, Reimagings, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance

Publication Date:
October 23, 2025

Page Numbers:
337

Read/Finished Date:
December 4th, 2025

Rating:
DNF'ed @ 25%

Premise:

Into every generation, three women are called to slay, to sing the demons to their doom.

According to the demon who’s blackmailing Monroe Kang, she’s always been killing her own kind.

Monroe has never really thought of it that way. She’s never thought of herself as half-demon, though she’s always known a demon contributed to her DNA by forcing himself on her mother, and she’s always hidden that fact. She’s always thought demons were monstrous and soulless, barely better than animals. She certainly never thought they were capable of blackmail.

As a member of The Trine, Monroe is an international pop sensation, but it’s just part of the job. She and the other members perform to fund their demon slaying. It’s a tradition that stretches back a thousand years.

Now, suddenly, everything seems confusing.

One thing she can always count on is the other members of The Trine. They’re all best friends. They sing together, slay together, and most especially snack together. Snacks are very important. So, together, they are going to get to the bottom of this demon scheme.

Monroe has to get close to the demon to find out his secrets. She has to pretend to be sympathetic to his side. It shouldn’t be easy. He’s cocky and insulting. Of course, he does have dark hair that falls in waves around his cheekbones and a deep, husky voice.

Not that she finds him attractive.

She does not.

And no matter what he says, she’ll never believe that she’s truly one of his kind.

Review:

I wanted to like this book, I really did, because who wouldn't love the idea of a grown-up version of K-pop Demon Hunters? The story carried the same feel as the animated show: a group of girls who sing, love food, and slay demons to keep their world from being invaded. Unfortunately, one of the girls carries a secret--her parent was a demon. Same sort of script. The only difference is that the characters, the world-building, and the storyline fell flat.

I'm really sad about this because I had such high expectations for this novel. Extreme expectations since I loved the film, and I thought this novel would be pure fun for me to read. Unfortunately, that was not the case.