š Our March Book Box picks are here
If there were ever two books to submerge your soul into a sea of yearning, only to find a further flood of feelings in their depths, itās these ANGST book picks!
TheĀ mysterious and atmospheric urban fantasy romance is filled to the brim with aching and longing, folklore and legend. The lines between reality and fantasy are dampened when a mortal journalist whoās all but drowning in grief finds purpose (and validation that magic exists) in a puddle. Bargaining with the only being who can help her, she becomes burdened with an unexplainable aching for this exiled, nameless Fey king (slash broody shadow daddy with emotional intelligence to boot!). Following the fateful threads of her (rage-fueled) search for the truth may be the key to saving magicā¦ or will it break them both irrevocably? Special box: The books in our March Fantasy Romance Book Box come with signed bookplates and the playlist includes author-selected songs! šļøšæš¤
The just-released contemporary romance is a perfect score of chemistry and tension thatās bound to whet your sports romance (with a splash of STEM!) appetite. Sheās a standout diver working through a performance block and heās a gold medalist swimmer going through a breakup. Sharing the same pool (and locker room, and friend group, and bedroom preferencesā¦), theyāre now wading into the waters of exploration with each other (hello Dom/sub dynamics!). When feelings surface and their social circle churns into a whirlpool of secrets, their dreams balance on the tallest platform. Will it be sink or swim? Special book: The books in our March Contemporary Romance Book Box are the special first edition and have gorgeous cover effects, alluring interior cover art, and stenciled edges!Ā š¦šš§¬
Ready for all the angst?
Our March Fantasy Romance pick:
Beyond the Aching Door by Victoria Mier
Get your Beyond the Aching Door book box here!
A mortal journalist. A mysterious series of drownings. An exiled Fey king. A forgotten Fatesong. A single, desperate chance to save magic from extinction.
All Raegan Maeve Overhill wants is to survive another October. It's the anniversary of the worst thing that ever happened to her: the unsolved disappearance of her father nearly two decades ago. But when mysterious drownings grip the city of Philadelphia, Raegan sets her mourning rituals aside for a career-making opportunity to lead her newspaper's investigation.
Her hunt for answers takes her to the city's hidden realms where magical beings appear in puddles, the Fair Folk offer bargains, and magic is very, very real. When Raegan uncovers a startling connection to her fatherās disappearance, she knows she canāt just return to her normal life without discovering the truth. To get it, though, sheāll need to make a deal with the dark, deadly and alluring Unseelie Kingāand do her best to ignore their dangerous attraction to one another.
You can expect:
- star-crossed lovers
- endless yearning
- "I want your rage."
Content warnings:
- grief
- off-page murder of unhoused people
- missing/presumed dead father
- depiction of inpatient hospitalization
- suicidal ideation
- descriptions of sexual desire
- If there is a particular content theme that is triggering for you, we suggest doing additional research on the title to ensure your mental health.Ā
Our March Contemporary Romance pick:
Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
Get your Deep End book box here!
A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance.
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationshipsāat least, thatās what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. Itās how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...
You can expect:
- friends with benefits to lovers
- kink negotiation
- "You came" / "You called"
Author note:
Once againāthank you so much for choosing one of my books. This one might be my favorite I've ever written, and I'm so happy it's out in the world. Before you dive in, I want you to know this work contains consensual and negotiated explorations of kinkāin particular, of power exchange. If you choose to read it, I hope you enjoy the experience.
Content warnings:
- exploration of kink and some aspects of BDSM (always consensual and always negotiated); the sexual relationship between the MMC and the FMC includes several power exchange scenarios/situations
- mentions of sports injuries and orthopedic surgeries
- mentions of an abusive relationship (coercive control) between the FMC and her father (off-page; in the past; no physical violence ever occurs)
- death of a parent (off-page; in the past)
- terminal illness (off-page; in the past)
- bullying (off-page; in the past)
- explicit and graphic sexual content
- cursing and vulgar language
- If there is a particular content theme that is triggering for you, we suggest doing additional research on the title to ensure your mental health
