WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
✯✯ Yeah, I didn’t finish it yet. Not because I haven’t been enjoying it – there’s just been too much stuff going on for the past week (and the past month, honestly). I’m hoping to finish this tomorrow. ✯✯
★★ Yeah, as I’ve mentioned before, A Widow’s Charm wasn’t quite what I was expecting and it didn’t do it for me. The cover art and writing were really good, though. ★★
☆☆ Yeah, I might read this coming up. Still somewhat undecided, though, so that might change. Honestly, I got a few books on my immediate TBR again that I think I really want to read, so this might get shafted; at least for awhile. ☆☆
☆☆ I’m definitely going to read this. Hopefully sometime next week, around the time it comes out. I think I still want to read Aurora: Volume 2 first and maybe Carl’s Doomsday Scenario. ☆☆
What books has everyone been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What are you thinking of reading next?
Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope that you have a great day/night!
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
★★ Yeah, as I’ve mentioned before, A Widow’s Charm wasn’t quite what I was expecting and it didn’t do it for me. The cover art and writing were really good, though. ★★
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
The 3 Ws of WWW Wednesday:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
What I’m Currently Reading
✯✯ I have to stop doing this post on Wednesdays where I’m not reading anything. I’m gonna read Dungeon Crawler Carl next I swear! …Though I’ve also been tempted by other books. (Ugh. This is what happens when I don’t read a book right away when it starts to call for me.) ✯✯
★★ Yeah, as I mentioned last week and in my review, A Widow’s Charm wasn’t quite what I was expecting and it didn’t do it for me. The cover art and writing were really good, though. ★★
“Why, do you find there to be something of the Reaper about me?” he said, trying to make it sound like a jest but failing utterly.
She immediately abandoned the bread, coming to his side.
“The very opposite,” she said, taking his hand in hers, despite the fact that they were both sticky with bits of dough. “Your Charm doesn’t bring death, Elmwood. It brings back life. And I believe that reflects you perfectly.”
In this witty fantasy romance, a widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home – only to find herself falling for him instead.
Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he drops dead quite unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde from her malevolent brother-in-law die along with him. What’s a widow to do?
Fortunately, potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Erol Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead and save his own life. Now he’s injured, destitute, and miserable, stuck hiding out at the neighboring estate.
For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is, all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again.
My Review
It was never the people who died peacefully in their beds at the end of a long life who needed resurrecting. No, it was always some wretch pulled untimely from their mortal coil. Whether their death was from the violence of another person’s act or the violence of a body succumbing to illness or accident, it was all violence. It left its indelible mark.
A Widow’s Charm was… okay. It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, and didn’t really hit for me, unfortunately. The writing wasn’t bad, and I liked the general premise and a few of the characters. But it just didn’t live up to what I was hoping for.
Our dual protagonists were Lady Hildegarde Croft and Lord Erol Elmwood. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t really get invested in either of these characters. I preferred Hilde, though. I liked her initial motivations, and I thought she was a strong person. Elmwood just kind of annoyed me, however, I did kind of feel for him s little more near the end of the novel.
I much preferred Winthrop, Elmwood’s bestie. His friendship with Elmwood was great. I also liked Hilde’s sister Han, as well as Lady Isobel Warrit. Both seemed more interesting, though Lady Isobel seemed rather childish for her age, and was more often than not treated like an obstacle for the romance than a character. Han was awesome though, and she and Isobel were cute. Apparently, the next book in the series is going to focus on them, which is cool, but I’m currently unsure if I’ll go for it.
I was also more interested in Thorgoode, Hilde’s recently deceased husband, as well as intrigued by their relationship. The Croft servants were also more engaging characters to me, as well. The villain is the Harrier, who was also almost comically evil. I didn’t really like him as an antagonist.
“Stop manhandling me! I met Lady Croft by chance, and she’s been quite neighborly, that’s all. There’s been no cozying.” It was surprisingly difficult lying to Winthrop, but it couldn’t be helped.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t having it. “You’re a terrible liar, Elm-wood, and you should know better than to attempt to deceive your closest friend.”
“What about my lawyer?”
“Even worse!”
The plot was decently interesting, but stalls for much of the book. Fair warning to those who enjoy a mix of story and characters – there isn’t much of that here. A Widow’s Charm either focuses on characters or the sexual tension between Hilde and Elmwood.
Speaking of that, the romance between the two POV characters annoyed me. I’m not always big on dual point-of-view books where both of the characters are two sides of the same romantic relationship, and this was certainly one of those times. The almost constant misunderstandings and thinking things are sexual innuendos was also tiring to read. I audibly sighed quite a few times throughout. It also irritated me how immediately horny Hilde and Elmwood were for each other, particularly Elmwood. I hate insta-love and insta-lust. Plus, I don’t think these two had that much chemistry. I just wasn’t into Hilde and Elmwood as a couple, and since that was like 90% of the book, it was kind of hard for me to take.
(Han and Isobel appeared to have a more appealing dynamic, but we got only glimpses here so it was hard to tell. I’m sure it will be central to the next novel, as it’s their book. But I’m not sure if I’m gonna read that, so…)
The thing I liked the most about the book was the art. I liked it so much I added a star. The cover art is so, so pretty, and the interior chapter headings are also gorgeous. The magic system and the world were also cool. And as I mentioned above, the writing also wasn’t bad. In fact, it was pretty good; the prose was fine. Honestly, some of the lines were truly beautiful.
Death slipped in at the end of a perfectly ordinary day, creeping over the threshold of evening as if it might go unnoticed-as if the consequences of it would not shape all that was to come.
The climax of A Widow’s Charm was also pretty awesome, and the ending was sweet, even if it felt very rushed. Part of it really seemed like the author remembered that there were conflicts that needed resolving, and just spedran it.
This is definitely a more cozy read. It’s perfect for a gloomy day on the couch, if you’re into the sort of stuff it brings to the table. If you like books that focus more on characters, romance, sexual tension, and romantasy, you’ll probably like this one. There’s also going to more to this universe, as I’ve previously mentioned, as this seems to be the start of a series, even if it doesn’t appear to have a name yet.
Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I hope that everybody has an amazing day/night!
Happy Wednesday again! Cutting it very close with this one!
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
✯✯ I’m really not sure how I feel about this one yet. It started off much hornier than I expected, which put me off a little, and I wasn’t immediately into either of the protagonists, for various reasons. For now, I’m still giving it a chance, as I’m still interested in seeing where this goes at the moment. ✯✯
★★ I really enjoyed the Dressrosa arc, even if it was a little slower. Far more than the Fishman Island arc in any case. I’m teetering around four stars for the last few volumes I read, though I might end up going up a little with the rating. But yeah, great arc. Looking forward to the Whole Cake Island arc later this year. ★★
☆☆ I’m still super eager to read this, and I really hope I enjoy it. I’m nervous about hyping it up too much, especially since A Widow’s Charm is not hitting so far for me (hopefully I can really get into it soon, though). But yeah, looking to start Dungeon Crawler Carl later this week. ☆☆
What books has everyone been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What are you thinking of reading next?
Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading, and I hope that you have a great day/night!
Happy Wednesday everyone! It’s been a few weeks since the last time I partook in a Can’t-Wait Wednesday. It’s just all the books I’ve been interested in all came out on the same days this month! There’s still one last book coming out that I’m looking forward too, though, so I’ll be happily focusing on that today.
But yeah, Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.
This week’s book is:
A Widow’s Charm by Caitlyn Paxson! 🍄🍋
I’m really looking forward to this one! So many things about the book description are hitting for me, and I can’t wait to crack this book open next week!
In this witty fantasy romance, a widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home – only to find herself falling for him instead.
Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he drops dead quite unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde from her malevolent brother-in-law die along with him. What’s a widow to do?
Fortunately, potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Erol Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead and save his own life. Now he’s injured, destitute, and miserable, stuck hiding out at the neighboring estate.
For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is, all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again.
Are you looking forward to A Widow’s Charm? What books are coming out in the near future that you’re looking forward to?
As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!
Hey everyone and Happy March! Another month, another bunch of new books that are coming out! Yep, it’s time for The Most Intriguing New Books of March 2026.
Here’s the sitch if you’re unfamiliar: this is a monthly post about new releases. Specifically, it’s about new releases that I find interesting, which means they’re most likely all going to be fantasy or science fiction, since those are my favorite genres. There’s occasionally an outlier, though.
These are just books that look interesting to me, by the way. There’s no guarantee which ones I’ll read, or if I’ll even read half of them. We’ll see. Anyway, let’s get going! This month – much like last month – six books have once again caught my eye!
RELEASING: March 3rd
Centuries ago, necromancy almost destroyed the world. That’s how history remembers it.
Mathaiik has studied all his life to join the sacred order of the Idallik Knights, charged with defending their world from the forces of necromancy and the grim witches who practice it. Only vestiges of that cursed magic remain–nothing like the fabled days of the Grim Lords, the undead wizards who once nearly destroyed the entire world.
Until monsters once more begin to wake. But something about them is even stranger: whole forests coming alive and devouring anyone so foolish as to trespass, formerly peaceful animals mutating into savage carnivores… as if the land itself has turned upon humanity, in a riot of chaotic magic the Knights quickly prove powerless to stop.
It’s a good thing, then, that the Grim Lords were never truly destroyed. One of their number sleeps below the Knights’ very fortress. And when an army of twisted tree monsters attacks the young initiates in his charge, Math decides to do the unthinkable: he wakes her up.
This is only the beginning of his problems. Because said necromancer, Kaiataris, knows something history has forgotten. The threat of this wild magic is part of a cycle that has repeated countless times: life after death, chaos after order. And if she and Math can’t find a new way to balance the scales, this won’t just be the end of the world as they know it, but the end of all life, everywhere.
RELEASING: March 3rd
A conflicted villain and his unstoppable bride form the realm’s most chaotic alliance in this riotously funny dark romantasy perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villain, but darker and spicier.
“What’s mine stays mine.”
Step One: Kidnap someone cute. Step Two: Force her into marriage. Step Three: Try not to catch feelings.
When Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose kidnaps Lady Arabella for a forced marriage, he expects an obedient, trembling bride. What he gets is a knife to the throat and a furious woman with demands of her own. He may need her heroic bloodline to achieve ultimate dominion, but she’s not about to make this easy for him.
Arabella has already survived her father’s tower prison and a lifetime of being treated like property. Getting abducted by the realm’s most notorious villain is just another Tuesday. If she must be married to the infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) Dark Lord, she’ll do it on her terms: freedom within his fortress, hands strictly to himself, and complete honesty about his plans.
But when those plans go awry, Kazimir faces his most terrifying challenge yet: he must date his own wife. Between magical training sessions, playing golf with the eyeballs of his enemies, and aphrodisiac dinners gone spectacularly wrong, his attempts at villainous seduction are failing at every turn.
As Kazimir and Arabella navigate magical explosions and jealous exes, they discover a far more terrifying prospect than war or magical catastrophe: They might actually be falling for each other.
RELEASING: March 3rd
Perfect for fans of Powerless, Lightlark, and Red Queen, this heart-pounding romantasy forces a girl to make an impossible decision: watch the boy she loves get exiled for lack of magic, or pass her formidable powers off as his own.
In a world where dragons soar through the skies and magical abilities are an elite privilege, the ruling family of Ailm’s Keep is on a knife-edge: Can their son Ionain prove that he can channel magic, or will his entire family be cast out in disgrace?
Éadha, a servant girl who loves Ionain, is shocked to discover shortly before the test that she can wield magic herself. It’s extremely rare for a girl to have this talent, especially outside the few great Families. At Ionain’s moment of truth, when it’s clear he is about to fail, Éadha makes a desperate gamble to save him from humiliation by pretending her magic is his, forfeiting her own claim to power.
Her decision sends them both to an academy of magic, where she must shield her secret from every grim teacher and scheming student – especially the handsome but enigmatic Gry. As Éadha enters this whirlwind of patriarchy, class, heartache, and jealousy, she also learns about magic’s terrible cost – the human price that Channellers willingly pay to maintain their power.
How far would you go to empower the one you love?
RELEASING: March 10th
The Shadowhunter Chronicles meets Chinese diaspora folklore in this sequel to the #1 Sunday Times bestseller Darker by Four! The Shadowhunter Chroniclesmeets the Chinese underworld, drawing inspiration from diaspora folklore, in this epic, sweeping contemporary fantasy duology from Jade Fire Gold author June CL Tan.
Rui has her life back together – or so it seems. Hailed as a hero, she’s finally on her way to becoming an important member of the Exorcist Guild. But she knows the Hybrid Revenants are still out there, and they’re planning something big. Something evil.
Zizi is trapped in the underworld. As his mortal body deteriorates, he realizes he can access the Fourth King’s memories, which may be the key to keeping the mortal realm safe. To save the girl he loves, he must defy fate – and escape Hell.
Yiran watches from the shadows, magicless once more. When he discovers a dark family secret that changes everything he thought he knew, his hunger for power tempts him toward a possible betrayal. And he must decide what he truly stands for – before it’s too late.
As the consequences of the past wreak havoc on the present, three lives bound by the threads of fate must weave a new destiny for themselves – and the realms.
RELEASING: March 10th
For fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid comes a thrilling new fantasy by the author of Spit Back the Bones.
Once a fool. Twice a thief.
In a village plagued by mysterious deaths, Adelaide Thorn wonders if she is truly touched by the Devil. The villagers believe her to be the monster responsible for all the tragedies. Even her father, the vicar, presumes she’s guilty, tying her to a chair as punishment, afraid that if he cuts her loose, more girls will wind up dead. Her chronic illness causes her to have strange visions and blackouts, and even Addie herself begins to wonder if she is the one with blood on her hands.
Addie feels drawn to the Rowan Wood on the outskirts of her village, and when she wades out into the river to get closer, she cuts her foot on a strange bell nestled in the riverbed. Ransom Black, a lordling with secrets of his own, helps her stanch the bleeding and speaks to her without any indication of fear.
Back at home, Addie rings the bell and realizes it gives her the power to see the ghosts of those the village has lost, including the ghost of Bram Avery, who begs for her help. Bram tells her that the bell–a Reaper’s Bell–can open the door to the Rowan Wood, a hellish purgatory where the souls of the dead reside.
Accompanied by Bram and Ransom, Addie ventures into the Rowan Wood with hopes of rescuing her late mother. There, Addie quickly realizes that their beloved might not be who they once were. Addie’s journey to find her mother’s soul is complicated by her attraction to Ransom and her unexpected feelings for Bram, who might be more dead than alive but sees Addie in a way no one has before.
As the three make their way deeper into the Wood, each motivated by their own desperate desires, trust turns to betrayal and flawless facades begin to flicker. It may be that the ones Addie has so longed to reunite are those who have been lying to her her entire life.
RELEASING: March 31st
In this witty fantasy romance, a widow blackmails her rakish necromancer neighbor to bring her husband back to life and save her home – only to find herself falling for him instead.
Lady Hildegarde Croft is accustomed to changes in position. After all, she rose from maidservant to lady of the manor when she married Lord Thorgoode Croft. But when he drops dead quite unexpectedly, the plans that would have protected her and the people of Croftholde from her malevolent brother-in-law die along with him. What’s a widow to do?
Fortunately, potential salvation arrives in the form of Lord Erol Elmwood, who is fleeing the consequences of using his forbidden Charm to raise the dead and save his own life. Now he’s injured, destitute, and miserable, stuck hiding out at the neighboring estate.
For Hilde, blackmailing Lord Elmwood to resurrect Thorgoode seems like the perfect solution. For Elmwood, beautiful Lady Croft seems like the ideal distraction from his troubles. The problem is, all she wants from him is the horrifying power he knows he can never use again.
So yeah, these are all of the books releasing in March 2026 that I’m at least a little interested in. What books are coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Do we share some of the same ones?
As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
