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RISINGSHADOW BOOKSHELF

Chelsea K

Librarian

Legendary· Level 83

I enjoy reading Fairy Tale Retellings, Jane Austen Retellings, Alien Romances, Paranormal / Supernatural Romance as well as a few other genres occasionally. 

THE READER’S VOICE

Book Reviews

Chelsea K’s own thoughts on books they have read. These are reader-written book reviews, separate from Risingshadow’s editorial reviews.

559 book reviews
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Guarded by My Gargoyle

BOOK REVIEW

Guarded by My Gargoyle

Honey Phillips

10/10Written Oct 12, 2026
I loved getting to come back to Fairhaven Falls and see Flora work her magic with her latest matchmaking victims Garrick & Maris. These two were fun to read about and see how they worked through their previous emotional issues and Maris' son Toby was a great addition to the story. I look forward to reading about Aiden in the next book.

Steam Rating: Explicit and Plentiful

I received an early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rock Hard Alien

BOOK REVIEW

Rock Hard Alien

Skye MacKinnon

10/10Written Sep 24, 2026

It's been awhile since I read a book from the Starlight Alien Mail Order Brides series and I really enjoyed this first book from it's newest trilogy to be added. This story is about Cairn & Georgie and I thought the two of them made a great couple. This is a fairly quick read and I look forward to reading the next two books.

Steam Rating: Open Door

I received an early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Draevan

BOOK REVIEW

Draevan

Sue Mercury

10/10Written Sep 21, 2026

I LOVE the Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides Series and was excited to see that three new books are being released. This story is about Draevan & Cora as well as Draevan's adorable 8 month old niece that he is the guardian for. I really enjoyed reading this book and how all the characters and their relationships with one another developed. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this series as they are released.

Steam Rating: Explicit Open Door

I received an early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Never Invite a Vampire to Dinner

BOOK REVIEW

Never Invite a Vampire to Dinner

Honey Phillips

8/10Written Sep 19, 2026

This was an interesting story between a Vampire who doesn't eat named Julian & Penny who is caterer in their small town. The two of them had an interesting story and I enjoyed the way the town offered Julian their support and acceptance. The epilogue at the end was really sweet. I am looking forward to the next book which sounds really fun.

Steam Rating: Explicit and Plentiful

I received an early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Petal & The Briar

BOOK REVIEW

The Petal & The Briar

Ember Sage

7/10Written Sep 5, 2026

This was my first book by Ember Sage and while it can be read as a standalone since each book focuses on different couples I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the town and other characters and how they all tied together. This story is about Reed & Lea and I enjoyed seeing how the two of them overcome their issues together and their shared love of plants. The epilogue at the end was nice and sets things up a bit for the next story.

Steam Rating: Explicit Open Door

I received an early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Naga Wanderer's Wounded Mate

BOOK REVIEW

The Naga Wanderer's Wounded Mate

Robin O'Connor

10/10Written Sep 4, 2026

I love the Serpents of Serant series and was so glad to get a new story as well as see that another is in progress. I really enjoyed getting to know Ekkire & Jasmine in this story and their sleara companions Hunter & Dove were SO adorable! I loved how Ekkire was so great with Dove when they first rescued her despite his not fully understanding Jasmine's bond with her until he bonds with Hunter. I look forward to reading more about Joxra in the next story.

Steam Rating: Explicit Open Door

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

The Wild Swans

BOOK REVIEW

The Wild Swans

K.M. Shea

9/10Written Aug 30, 2026Edited Aug 30, 2026

This was my second book by K.M. Shea and I really enjoyed her Retelling of Wild Swans and all the characters in this story. It can be read as a standalone although I do plan to read more books in the series to find out what happens with some of the other characters who have their own books in the series. I really liked the fact that at the end this book has two different epilogues allowing the reader to decide which of the two different love interests Elise ends up with and I read and enjoyed both.

Dragon Me Crazy

BOOK REVIEW

Dragon Me Crazy

Pippa Rae Brook

10/10Written Aug 28, 2026

This is such a fun book and I loved getting to know Cole & Summer and seeing how everything comes together for them despite their rocky beginning. This book is set in a small town during a heatwave that causes a few problems for both Cole & Summer. I look forward to seeing what comes next in this new series.

Steam Rating: Open Door

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Never Dance with a Demon

BOOK REVIEW

Never Dance with a Demon

Honey Phillips

9/10Written Aug 26, 2026

This is another fun addition to the Wrong Move, Right Monster series of standalone romances. I enjoyed getting to know Malachi & Isadora in this story and how they initially clashed with one another but slowly grew closer and helped one another overcome issues from their pasts. I also loved Mal's imp Nix even though he was in so little of the story but he was so fun whenever he did show up. I look forward to reading more of this series as well as many more books by Honey Phillips.

Steam Rating: Explicit Open Door

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Stuffed by the Alien

BOOK REVIEW

Stuffed by the Alien

Julie K. Cohen

10/10Written Aug 23, 2026

I really enjoyed this newest addition to the Holiday Heartmates series of holiday romances. Each book in this series can be read as a standalone story and features a different couple. I loved getting to know both Torvikk & Tammi in this story as well as Torvikk's son Duvikk. This story has a decent balance of seriousness, sweetness, and some fun humor. Torvikk & Tammi made a decent couple and helped one another grow and overcome issues from their pasts. I look forward to reading more from this series in the future.

Steam Rating: Explicit and Plentiful 

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Bred by the Beast

BOOK REVIEW

Bred by the Beast

Annee Jones

10/10Written Aug 21, 2026Edited Aug 21, 2026

I really enjoyed this steamy Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This story had several great side characters and I loved getting to see how everything came together for Bastian & Sable. This story has several really fun scenes with a good sense of humor to balance out the more serious moments. I have enjoyed several books by this author in the past and look forward to reading many more in the future.

Steam Rating: Explicit Open Door

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Dragon Me Crazy

BOOK REVIEW

Dragon Me Crazy

Maggie Mayhem

10/10Written Aug 14, 2026Edited Aug 23, 2026

I loved this book and getting to read about Emmett & Elana as well as Emmett's adorable dragonlet Melly. This story can be read as a standalone or as part of the series for a richer character history for the side characters. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book as well as how they interacted with one another and Melly was so cute! It was also amusing that at one point in the book Elana was reading Claimed by the Hunter since it is by the same author but under a different pen name. I look forward to reading more by this author under both her names in the future.

Steam Rating: Explicit and Plentiful 

I received a free early copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.