GAJA J. KOS

For this round, bisexuality is there, but moved slightly into the background (ex. only one of the POV characters is bi, or their sexual orientation becomes noticeable later in the series). However, all three books deserve a spot on the list.

So here we go…

To Raise a Clenched Fist to the Sky by T. Thorn Coyle

 Blurb: 

1969: Magic. Tear gas. Revolution.

Eighteen year old Jasmine Jones, hereditary sorcerer, steps off a Greyhound bus in Oakland and walks straight into an uprising.

Battling the shadowy danger stalking her family and friends, Jasmine must shake up the Association of Magical Arts and Sorcery and find her place among the Black Panthers, who keep secrets of their own.

Personal commentary: This one blew me away! Blew. Me. Away. Seriously, if you haven’t read To Raise a Clenched Fist to the Sky yet, do it. Now. Thorn Coyle creates a unique world that draws you in from the first page…and one you’ll definitely want to see more of!

Blood is Forever by A. Vers

Blurb:

Everyone has nightmares. Mine? I loved him once.

Vampire princess, Ana Tridale, is not like other royal darklings. A member of the capital’s elite warrior unit, she is a peacekeeper between the humans and all the monsters that live inside it: both good and evil.

An unexpected tip leads Ana and her team into the capital. The streets run red around them as humans and supernaturals vanish at every turn. When Ana’s past comes back to haunt her, and she is betrayed by one of her own, everything she knows spins into a whirlwind of chaos.

Can Ana protect her people? Or will the capital’s last hope fall prey to what awaits in the dark?

Personal commentary: Thank you for the new book boyfriend(s)! It was hard not to fall in love with the characters or the world building. A new take on vampires, a whole lot more intriguing supernatural beings sprinkled throughout, not to mention the sizzling dynamics between Ana and her group of warriors, this novel was a complete page-turner that left me craving for more.

Trigger warning: Blood is forever deals with living through the consequences of abusive relationships, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

Heart of Time by Skye MacKinnon

Blurb:

What would you do if you could control time?

In a world where magic is outlawed, Eona has been hiding her true nature all her life, only using it to make her circus performances even more spectacular. She’s always known that her ability to manipulate time could make her a target, but she couldn’t have prepared for being kidnapped, manipulated and imprisoned.

After weeks in prison, the Royal sorcerer Lassadar offers her a way out by training her. But can she trust the King’s right hand man?

In order to figure out what he wants from her, she needs to explore her own magic, the bond she feels with a mythical creature, and the feelings she has for a beautiful elven woman.

Personal commentary: Slower in pace than what’s usually my jam, especially when the first chapter left me with goosebumps running down my skin before this toned down a little, but well worth the wait. Whimsical and magical, Heart of Time is a reverse harem fantasy romance designed to ensnare the reader and stay in their thoughts long after the end.