Early 1900s New York glitters with Gilded Age excess, where fortunes are made and lost overnight, and social climbing is a blood sport. Former ballerina Petronille De Villier makes an unconventional choice in this world of rigid expectations: she marries Arkady Kamenev, a struggling sculptor whose artistic talent far exceeds his social standing or financial security. For Petronille, the marriage offers escape from her family’s unsavory legacy—a chance to distance herself from scandal and reinvent her identity. For Arkady, the De Villier name promises the patronage and social connections his art desperately needs to survive. It should be a simple, mutually beneficial arrangement 🎭

But nothing about this marriage stays simple. Beneath their marriage of convenience lurks a darker recognition that neither of them anticipated. In each other, Petronille and Arkady see reflections of their own dangerous appetites—hungers they’ve spent years suppressing or hiding from polite society. There’s something predatory in how they circle each other, something that goes far beyond the terms of their practical arrangement. The attraction isn’t just physical; it’s psychological, primal, unsettling 🖤

As buried secrets begin surfacing—as they always do in marriages built on mutual deception—bodies start disappearing from the glittering social circles they navigate. Coincidence? Perhaps. But Petronille and Arkady discover their union runs far deeper than social advantage. Their shared obsessions, their matching darkness, their complementary appetites draw them into an intoxicating dance of predator and prey. The terrifying part? It’s never quite clear who is the hunter and who is the hunted. They take turns, switching roles with an ease that would alarm them if they weren’t so fascinated by each other 💀

Behind the glamour of Gilded Age excess, behind the glittering ballrooms and respectable facades, something monstrous blooms. Petronille and Arkady’s marriage becomes less about escaping their pasts and more about embracing their true natures—together. But in a world where reputation is everything and scandal can destroy lives, how long can they maintain the illusion of normalcy? And more importantly, do they even want to? ⚡

Why this grips from page one: I.V. Ophelia delivers darkly seductive gothic romance that subverts Gilded Age glamour with genuine menace. This isn’t a sweet historical romance with minor obstacles; it’s a psychologically complex exploration of two damaged people who recognize something monstrous in each other and find it intoxicating rather than repellent. The period setting adds lavish detail while the Gothic elements provide genuine unease. Perfect for readers who love their historical romance dark and morally ambiguous, marriages of convenience that become dangerously real, and protagonists whose happy ending might be everyone else’s nightmare. New release 🌹

Getting expelled from your family because you received a crafting class instead of a combat class seems harsh. But that’s exactly what happens when your father is a warrior who values strength above all else and sees anything that isn’t direct combat as weakness. So here’s the protagonist, booted from the only home they’ve ever known, with nothing but a “useless” crafting class and a burning determination to prove their father catastrophically wrong about their worth 🔨

Setting out for the Wilds—the untamed, monster-filled lands beyond civilization’s borders—isn’t exactly a safe choice. But our newly minted outcast has made a promise to themselves: they’ll become a successful settler, build a thriving homestead, and demonstrate that crafting isn’t weakness but the foundation of survival itself. It might sound impossible, but here’s the secret advantage: as a Master of Crafts, they have access to all professions and all the tools needed to build everything from scratch. While combat classes might be better at killing monsters, crafting classes can literally build civilization 🏡

The Wilds are dangerous, filled with creatures that would happily make a meal of any settler foolish enough to venture into their territory. But danger and opportunity often walk hand in hand. While establishing a homestead and fighting for survival sounds difficult, having every crafting profession at your fingertips changes the equation dramatically. Need a house? Build it. Need weapons? Forge them. Need food? Farm it, hunt it, or cook it. The only limit is creativity and work ethic—both of which our protagonist has in abundance 🌲

There’s an unexpected bonus to homesteading in the Wilds: our crafter has a certain way of drawing the sapient denizens of the forest to them. Intelligent creatures who normally avoid humans find themselves curious about this peculiar settler who builds instead of destroys, who creates rather than conquers. Slowly, carefully, a community begins forming around the homestead—not just a place to live, but something larger and more meaningful than anyone expected 🦌

What drew me in: S.D. McKittrick delivers cozy LitRPG that focuses on building and creating rather than endless combat grinding. The homesteading aspect provides satisfying progression as readers watch infrastructure and community develop from nothing. Perfect for LitRPG fans tired of constant battle sequences, readers who love crafting systems and base-building mechanics, and anyone who’s ever wanted a fantasy story where “useless” support classes prove their worth. New release that offers wholesome fantasy with genuine stakes 🌟

Years ago, during a college production of Romeo and Juliet, Rory and Oliver shared one perfect stage kiss before life pulled them in different directions. It was the kind of moment that stays with you—electric, unforgettable, impossibly romantic—and then it was over. They went their separate ways, carrying the memory of what might have been if timing had cooperated. Now Rory finds herself drowning her Valentine’s Day sorrows at brunch, surrounded by happy couples and feeling thoroughly sorry for herself 💔

Then she spots him. Oliver. Her former Romeo. Except he’s not dressed as a tragic Shakespearean hero this time—he’s wearing nothing but gold shorts and wings, playing Cupid for the lovelorn masses in some kind of Valentine’s Day promotion. It’s absurd, ridiculous, and somehow perfect. The chemistry that sparked on stage all those years ago immediately reignites, as if no time has passed at all. Some connections don’t fade; they just wait for their moment 💘

The timing should be perfect now. They’re both single, both older and presumably wiser, both clearly still attracted to each other. The stars have finally aligned after years of near-misses and bad timing. But here’s the thing about real life: it’s messier than stage directions. Even with fate seemingly pushing them together, even with undeniable chemistry crackling between them, Rory and Oliver discover that second chances aren’t automatically successful just because the first chance showed promise 🎭

They’ll need more than Shakespeare’s guidance to turn this reunion into a true romance. They’ll need honesty about why their connection ended the first time, courage to be vulnerable in ways they couldn’t manage in college, and willingness to fight for what they want instead of letting circumstances dictate outcomes. The question is: are these former leads ready to take on the roles of their lives, or will they let this second chance slip away like the first? ⚡

Here’s what you’re getting:

Trilina Pucci delivers a sweet, funny contemporary romance about second-chance love and improbable reunions. The theater background adds charm without overshadowing the central relationship, while the Valentine’s Day Cupid setup provides just enough absurdity to keep things light. Perfect for readers who love second-chance romances with genuine obstacles, meet-cute premises that work, and protagonists whose chemistry survived years of separation intact. New release that proves some stage kisses are just rehearsals for the real thing 💕