I don’t know about you, but I love it when I stumble across books that I’m instantly sold on. Whether or not it’s due to a gorgeous cover, a captivating synopsis, or some other reason, more often than not, the book gets added to my TBR and purchased.

This past week has been the week from hell at work, so I didn’t have a chance to finish what was supposed to be today’s post, but I always love bringing new recs to you all, so here we go!

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Tricked By Thorns (Thornwood Fae, #.05) – Nicolette Andrews

All wealthy men are in want of a wife. And a mad woman is in need of an escape. 

Catherine swore she wouldn’t go back to the asylum. Her parents locked her away for seeing ghosts and fae, but years of treatment couldn’t cure her. Spirits still haunt her and the fae continue to taunt her. Her treatment might have failed, but if Elk Grove taught her one thing, it was how to impersonate a sane person. Finally free of the institution, she will do anything to remain so, even if she has to trick a man into marrying her.  

With the family’s debt hanging over her head, Catherine’s mother is insistent she marry. Lord Thornton is the perfect candidate: a rich bachelor as charming as he is generous. But Catherine has learned the hard way that appearances can be deceiving and a charismatic mask can hide nefarious intentions. However, with creditors knocking down their doors and time running out, Catherine doesn’t have time to be particular. Either she marries or she will be sent back to the asylum.   

When a ghost makes an ominous prediction regarding Lord Thornton, it brings into question not only Catherine’s sanity but her plans to wed. Elk Grove told her ghosts weren’t real, but can she ignore the warning when it’s her life at stake? Now she must make a choice: defy her parents’ order and be locked away for good or risk her life and marry Lord Thornton instead.

This romantic gothic fantasy tale, a prequel to the Thornwood Fae, is sure to delight fans of Carnival Row and Jane Eyre.

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Daughter of Darkness – Juliana Haygert

She is destined to kill a demon.
He is sent to protect her.
One of them is about to fail …

He spent centuries in the dark …

After 300 years spent in the underworld as a punishment, warrior Devon is called on by the gods for a chance to fix his mistake—and to win his redemption. But there’s a catch: the gods won’t tell him details about his mission. He’s supposed to suffer while trying to figure out what he did wrong in the past, and fix it in the present.

All Kenna ever wanted was to be the owner of her own life and destiny. But for now all she can do is run away from the evil wanting to claim her powers.

… until she came …

When Devon becomes unintentionally entangled in his new neighbor’s life, he can’t help but feel he’s closer to his purpose. Every moment he spends with Kenna makes him confused, and every time he touches her, glimpses of the past, of his failed mission, come back to haunt him.

… and showed him the light.

Darkness is closing in, and with Kenna’s help, Devon needs to put the pieces of the puzzle together before he fails his mission again and evil consumes the world.

Only this time, he’s sure he won’t be the only one damned.

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The Stars Wait Not (Star Realm Saga #1) – Anne Wheeler

Ryllis Camden has a secret—she can talk to nature, and it speaks to her in return. But her gift is forbidden by the Vilarian Star Realm who controls her planet, and the penalty is death. When she’s falsely accused of treason and exiled to the Vilarian home world, hiding her power becomes even more critical. But how can she hide anything when she’s forced to toil in the home of the emperor’s youngest son?
Kresten Westermark might be a prince, but long ago he shunned a life of luxury to work as a telepath in the Vilarian Imperial Fleet. His job demands he treat his new prisoner as a slave and test his deteriorating telepathic powers on her, but the only thing on his mind is the growing attraction he feels toward the earnest young woman tending his gardens.
As the mountain winter fades, a reluctant respect between the two becomes trust, and trust soon blossoms into affection. But when the Fleet arrives to arrest Kresten for treason, Ryllis must make an impossible decision.
Save Kresten’s life—or hers.

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I already own Tricked By Thorns and The Stars Wait Not, and I’ve preordered Daughter of Darkness. The cover is what initially drew me to all 3 of these books, and then I read the synopsis for each, and I was sunk. I cannot wait to read these books; I really hope they’re good!

I hope you liked this post, and let me know if you’ve read, heard of, or if you’re now going to add any of these books to your TBR!