young-adult

About the Book:

Title: Bitten

Author: Jordan Stephanie Gray

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: September 30, 2025

Pages: 384

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal

Synopsis:

Crescent City meets Fourth Wing in this fast-paced and romantic debut, in which a teenage girl must survive ruthless werewolves, a glittering court, and deadly politics to exact revenge on the monsters who destroyed her.

After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.

Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.

With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.

Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.

The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.

For Fans of:
Forbidden Romance
Enemies to Lovers
Werewolves
Paranormal Romance

Content Warning: murder, language, spice

Review:

*I received an ARC for review. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Toppling Stacks Tours for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own*

I thought this was a solid debut for author Jordan Stephanie Gray. This was the werewolf story that I didn’t know that I needed! It pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go. It totally gave me Teen Wolf and The Vampire Diaries vibes. I don’t think I’ve read a good werewolf book since I read the Shiver series honestly. I absolutely loved the world building, dark academia school setting, the courtly intrigue, the characters, the friendships and the romance. I have to mention that after reading this, I would say it’s definitely for more mature readers at least 17+.

On the night of her seventeenth birthday, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves after a vicious werewolf attack. She loses her best friend and soul mate, her father, and her home.

Bitten and taken prisoner without explanation, she endures painful transformations into the very creature that destroyed her life. Her captors make it quite clear that she must swear fealty to the Queen’s court, or she will die.

With no alternative, Vanessa joins Castle Severi, but she will not forget what they have taken from her.

She schemes vengeance all while finding herself enchanted by Prince Sinclair Severi and his disgraced cousin, Calix. Immersed in this magical society, Vanessa learns that not all is as it appears, and she just may be a pawn in the Court’s war.

This story had a lot of twists and turns along the way. It started off really strong, but I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and took away some of my good feelings. I am hopeful that there will be a sequel and that we can have more in this world.

Definitely recommend!

About the Author:

Jordan Stephanie Gray is the debut author of the young adult werewolf romantasy, Bitten, and the adult mermaid romantasy, The Wicked Sea.

When she isn’t dreaming up the fantastical and romantic, she is likely cuddling her two pugs and two chihuahuas in sunny Florida.

You can follow her journey through up-to-date newsletters on Substack and on Instagram.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Tour Schedule:

September 29th
Eye-Rolling Demigod’s Book Blog – Review
Betwixt the Sheets – Promotional Post

September 30th
the nutty bookworm reads alot – Review
Kim’s Book Reviews and Writing Aha’s – Top 5 Reasons to Read Bitten, Tik Tok

October 1st
Avni Reads – Review
The Clever Reader – Promotional Post

October 2nd
Boys’ Mom Reads! – Review
The violet west – Review, Journal Spread

October 3rd
Nerd Girl Loves Books – Review
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post

October 4th
Ilovebooksandstuffblog – Review

October 5th
Ashleigh’s Bookshelf – Review

Purchase Links:

https://a.co/d/h3jqu0r

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bitten-jordan-stephanie-gray/1146511118?ean=9780316584548

https://bookshop.org/p/books/bitten-deluxe-limited-edition-jordan-stephanie-gray/7abf4e6a77cf733b?ean=9780316584548&next=t

About the Book:

Title: Heir, Apparently

Author: Kara McDowell

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: July 9, 2024

Pages: 336

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

An American teen learns she may have accidentally married the King of England, only to end up stranded on a tropical island with him in this highly-anticipated sequel to The Prince & The Apocalypse.

Freshman year is stressful enough without accidentally being married to the King of England. Of course, Wren Wheeler can’t tell her Northwestern classmates about that; after surviving a narrowly-averted apocalypse over the summer, everyone’s had enough excitement for one lifetime. Wren knows she needs to move on from Theo, but she can’t forget the look in his eyes when he left her on that island in Greece—and also, he took her dog.

When an ill-fated attempt to rescue Comet the Apocalypse Dog turns into a chemistry-fueled reunion with Theo that’s caught by the paparazzi, Wren finds herself under the royal spotlight. Suddenly, she’s a problem for “the firm” to solve, and in order to be protected from the rabid press, she’ll have to fly back to London with Theo. Along for the ride are Naomi and Brooke, as well as Theo’s siblings, including Henry, the brother he’s spent his life being compared to. But because the universe can’t let these two maybe-newlyweds have one conversation in peace, their plane goes down over the Atlantic, crashing on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere.

Stranded with no sign of rescue, the group will have to band together against poisonous animals, catastrophic injuries, a brotherly rivalry, and an ill-timed volcano if they’re going to make it out alive. And, scariest of all, Wren and Theo will have to face their feelings for one another and decide what they want their futures to look like—and if that future will be heartbreak, or happily ever after.

Review:

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley for a review. Thank you to Wednesday Books for the opportunity. All thoughts are my own*

After reading The Prince & The Apocalypse, I needed to get my hands on this one. I had to know what happened to Wren and Theo after that ending! Kara McDowell definitely came through for me.

After the events of the first book, Wren goes on a rescue mission to get her dog Comet back. Of course, Wren and Theo get caught by the paparazzi. She suddenly becomes a problem for the firm to solve and must fly to London with Theo. As Theo and Wren can’t seem to catch a break, their plane crashes into the Atlantic and they’re stranded on an island. This time friends and family are involved, and it adds a whole lot more to the story in my opinion.

I loved the angst and the will they or won’t they be together! I highly recommend to those that enjoyed The Prince & The Apocalypse.

About the Author:

Kara McDowell is the author of the the upcoming The Prince & The Apocalypse (Wednesday Books), One Way or Another, This Might Get Awkward, and Just for Clicks. She lives with her husband and a trio of rowdy boys in Mesa, Arizona, where she divides her time between writing, baking, and wishing for rain.