Hello Readers, welcome back to my blog. I hope we are all doing great.

This New Year is going to be a very busy year for me professionally and personally. Professionally because I started a new job in September 2022 and got promoted to team leader before I completed my probation. I am a residential property solicitor and I have set goals to reach at the office that would mean I work extended hours with no time to read for leisure. Personally it will be a challenging and exciting year because I am launching a new business this year; I will start by selling on etsy before I launch my own website. I will be selling pillow cases made from Ankara material and eventually I will move to other things in Ankara material. If you don’t know already, Ankara is a type of cotton cloth featuring brightly coloured patterns produced by means of a wax-resist dye technique, associated especially with West African fashion (I got this from Google dictionary). So I want to keep myself honest and set an achievable goal, with that taught in mind I have come to a round number of 12 – 1 for each month of the year. It will be interesting to see if I have over or under estimated myself at the end of the 2023. On that note, let us get into it and check out some on the books that I look forward to reading this year – please note that they are in no particular order and they are not all new releases.

The Ones We Burn by Rebecca Mix

Monster. Butcher. Bloodwinn.

Ranka is tired of death. All she wants now is to be left alone, living out her days in Witchik’s wild north with the coven that raised her, attempting to forget the horrors of her past. But when she is named Bloodwinn, the next treaty bride to the human kingdom of Isodal, her coven sends her south with a single directive: kill him. Easy enough, for a blood-witch whose magic compels her to kill.

Except the prince is gentle, kind, and terrified of her. He doesn’t want to marry Ranka; he doesn’t want to be king at all. And it’s his sister—the wickedly smart, infuriatingly beautiful Princess Aramis—who seems to be the real threat.

But when witches start turning up dead, murdered by a mysterious, magical plague, Aramis makes Ranka an offer: help her develop a cure, and in return, she’ll help Ranka learn to contain her deadly magic. As the coup draws nearer and the plague spreads, Ranka is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her power, her past, and who she’s meant to fight for. Soon, she will have to decide between the coven that raised her and the princess who sees beyond the monster they shaped her to be.

But as the bodies pile up, a monster may be exactly what they need.

The blood traitor by Lynette Noni

She’d failed them. All of them. And now she was paying the price.

Kiva thought she knew what she wanted—revenge. But feelings change, people change… everything has changed.

After what happened at the palace, Kiva is desperate to know if her friends and family are safe, and whether those she wronged can ever forgive her. But with the kingdoms closer to the brink of war than they’ve ever been, and Kiva far away from the conflict, more is at stake than her own broken heart.

A fresh start will mean a perilous quest, forcing mortal enemies and uneasy allies together in a race against the clock to save not just Evalon, but all of Wenderall. With her loyalties now set, Kiva can no longer just survive—she must fight for what she believes in. For who she believes in. But with danger coming from every side, and the lives of everyone she loves at risk, does she have what it takes to stand, or will she fall?

Serpent and Dove series by Shelby Mahurin

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation’s coveted spice – a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.

But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation’s magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city’s location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.

Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes – and in her own heart – but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?

The Third book in the Deathless series by Namina Forna

It does not have a name yet or a cover, so I’ve put the other books in the series so far above. There is no synopsis for the new book yet or any suggested dates for when it will be published. All we know is that it is a continuation of Deka’s story and will follow from where the second book ended which is Deka’s discovery that she is a god.

If you are interested in reading any of the above books, you can purchase them using the links below:

Waterstones (UK) – https://tidd.ly/3prSyR7

Book depository (Free worldwide shipping) – https://tidd.ly/3FvdFrh

Audible (audio books) –  https://tidd.ly/3EtH3gz

You can also support me by buying me a cup of coffee – https://ko-fi.com/book_latte_kech

Matthew 13:20-21 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots . . . they fall away as soon as they have problems.