OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Stephanie Burgis is a dual citizen of the US and the UK and lives in South Wales (land of dragons) with her husband, the author Patrick Samphire, and their children. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is Stephanie's first (delicious) novel for Bloombsury.

FORMAT/INFO: Wooing the Witch Queen will be published by Bramble Romance on February 18th, 2024. It is 304 pages long and told in third person from Saskia and Felix's POV. It will be available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS:  When Archduke Felix needs a place to hide from his murderous relatives, he figures there's no place safer than the court of the wicked sorceress Queen Saskia. She's no friend to the empire, has a magical wall around her country to keep out anyone trying to invade, and needs someone to organize her magical library. She also, unfortunately, has murderous feelings about the Archduke, owing to the actions of his regent who's been using Felix as a puppet ruler. So when Queen Saskia mistakes Felix for a dark wizard, he doesn't correct her. But the more time Felix and the Queen spend with each other, the more they begin to fall for each other, until Felix realizes that if his identity is revealed, he's risking not only his life, but his heart as well.

Wooing the Witch Queen is a cozy fantasy romance mixed with a healthy dollop of "fight the patriarchy" energy. Queen Saskia brings a take-no-prisoners attitude to the table, willing and able to incinerate condescending wizards and pretenders to the throne. Of course, much of the "wickedness" ascribed to her comes from her insistence on treating non-humans as equal to humans and her refusal to let any man dictate terms to her (though I suppose her fondness for a crown of bones doesn't help).

On the other side of the pairing is Felix, a cinnamon role of a man fleeing an abusive life. He loves books and fountain pens and the extraordinarily powerful woman that is Queen Saskia. While he's a bit of a tempering influence on Saskia's more murderous inclinations, he also fully supports Saskia in her bold, brash ways.

There's a lot to adore about how this couple comes together. There's the obvious flirtations in the library, bonding over a love of books while hands briefly touch. There's the growing respect for each other as they each see the love and protection the other offers to those around them. And perhaps my favorite part of all, Felix's embracing of a Saskia in all her passionate glory.

And for those wondering about how spicy this one gets, I'd classify it as akin to PG-13. Things are more implied than explicit, everything essentially happening juuuust off page.

The one downside to this novel is that it relies fairly heavily on Queen Saskia overlooking some glaringly obvious clues as to Felix's real identity. There are a couple of moments where the leaps of logic she makes are somewhat baffling. It's the kind of contortions that are somewhat common in romance novels to keep the tension going, but some of the explanations offered were a real stretch.

CONCLUSION: Wooing the Witch Queen is the cozy power fantasy romance I didn't know I needed. It's that classic tale of finding a person who accepts you for who you are. More importantly, it's about a powerful woman finding a man who isn't threatened by her power but instead is wildly attracted to it. I had a delightful time with this tale, and I will definitely be back for the next installment of the Queens of Villainy romance series.

Official Book Blurb: The eternal light keeping demons at bay has been extinguished and Eidyn’s last bastion is under brutal siege. Aranok and his allies draw the final battle lines as the war for the kingdom nears its end. With death threatening from every shadow and truth itself at stake, Eidyn’s defenders must put aside their grudges and come together. But is it possible to save everyone when some prefer the lie?

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Rebecca Robinson is a writer of fantasy romance novels. Her debut novel will be published in November 2024 by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She is represented by Samantha Fabien at Root Literary.

FORMAT/INFO: The Serpent and the Wolf will be published on November 19th, 2024 by Saga Press. It is 352 pages and told in third person from Vaasa and Reid's POV. It will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook format.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Vaasa is used to political schemes - just not ones that involve her dying. But after Vaasa inherits a dark magic that killed her mother, her brother takes the opportunity to marry her off to a foreign ruler. Vaasa will be dead in a few months, and her brother can use that as a pretext to invade. Things take a twist, however, when her husband recognizes her magic and offers her a deal: Vaasa will use her political cunning to help secure his seat in an upcoming election, and he will give her the knowledge she needs to control her magic. With her husband's charisma and her own skills, the two pose a powerful front...but Vaasa's brother has plans of his own, and he doesn't care if Vaasa lives or dies in his quest for power.

The Serpent and the Wolf is a slow burn political fantasy romance that takes a while to get going, but builds to an absolutely gripping conclusion. While the publishers are leaning on the romantasy angle to sell this one, The Serpent and the wolf takes its time to get hot and steamy (flirtatious wedding night in the opening scene aside). Everyone's mileage with romances varies with how much they like certain tropes, and I'll admit, the dynamic between Reid and Vaasa wasn't my favorite at first. It starts from a place of "woman thinks she's dangerous, man thinks she's adorable and feisty but not really dangerous," which isn't my cup of tea. As the story progresses, however, we see this relationship evolve into a real partnership. Vaasa has the political acumen to take Reid's charisma and leadership to the next level, and Reid's smart enough to respect her advice. I am totally here for a power couple, and that's what The Serpent and the Wolf built to.

I do wish, however, that the actual politics and world-building had been just a little more fleshed out. There's a whole whirlwind of countries that are part of a collaborative empire that elect a ruler every ten years, as well as countries outside of that empire. Trying to keep track of which countries got along and which had bitter history, as well as the slew of names of rulers and advisors, was a bit of a daunting task, even for someone who loves political fantasy. That made it hard to track what was going on in some scenes, as I wasn't sure who was representing what nation and what the full significance was supposed to be.

The Serpent and the Wolf also takes a while to get to the central thrust of its story, and I do think the first half of the book is a bit weak. There's a rivalry in Reid's inner circle that's never really fully explained; Vaasa also spends the first half the book running around trying to understand her magic in a way that felt meandering.

Eventually, however, Vaasa and Reid begin to click, and the back half of the book is much stronger for it. I devoured the last third of the book as the action kicked off, and enjoyed where the story ended. While I was skeptical at the beginning of the book, I am definitely on board to find out where things go in the sequel!

CONCLUSION: The Serpent and the Wolf may not start with its best foot forward, but it finds its way in the end. I do think this is an instance of a bit of mismarketing, as the publisher is leaning heavily on the romantasy angle. While there's certainly spice, this is a definite slow burn that takes its time building the romance. This is not at all a bad thing, it's simply a matter of coming into the book with the right expectations. So if you're looking for a slow-burn romance about the evolution of a political power couple, The Serpent and the Wolf is where you should look.