REVIEW The Fake Divination Offsense (Magic and Romance #2) by Sara Raasch

The Fake Divination Offense (Magic and Romance #2) by Sara Raasch

Rating: 5 Stars

Release Date: May 19, 2026

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited) 

Publusher: Bramble

All of Sara Raasch's newest books have been major hits with me, so it was no surprise that I absolutely fell in love with the second book in the Magic and Romance series. Orok's character was awesome and a major part of Sebastian and Thio's story in The Entanglement of Rival Wizards, so it was nice to see him get his own book in The Fake Divination Offense.

Orok, while being a half giant defensive tank, is a big softy and Alexo triggered all of his protective insticts. This picks up fairly quickly after the events of the first book. Being trauma bonded with Sebastian, it was a lot to see how they were dealing with the aftermath of the Camp Merethyl lawsuit. It was also quite a journey to have Orok re-evaluate what he saw as strength, after being told what it was supposed to mean to him for so many years (by the camp, by his old team, by his family and his religion). While Alexo is not someone who would be the poster card for physical strength, he's demonstrated a lot of emotional strength for dealing with all of the turmoil in his life and I think that he and Orok fit very well together.

While this book has fantasy elements, its set in a modern world so its not super heavy on worldbuilding. I would primarily categorize it as a sports romance with fantasy elements. As someone who doesn't pay attention to that many sports in general, I really appreciate how accessible and easy to understand the author made the sport of rawball (which is very dungeons and dragons meets rugby). I would totally read a short story detailing a full professional game, instead of just the snippets we got in the book.

Overall, this was an amazing book and I finished it within about a day of the release. I highly recomend it to romance readers who enjoy fantasy elements or sports romance type books. It is an adult series, with the violence, and some of the more explicit intimate scenes. While the series seems to be structured as a duology as far as I can tell, I hope there is more in the series to come (especially with the line towards the end of the book about the status of two of Orok's teammates).

Content Warnings: Psychological and Emotional Trauma, Cult Themes and Kidnapping, Religious Elements, Explicit Intimate Scenes

REVIEW The Cursed Rose (The Bone Spindle #3) by Leslie Vedder

The Cursed Rose (The Bone Spindle #3) by Leslie Vedder
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: February 6, 2024
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Physical Book + Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)

Check out my review of book one, The Bone Spindle (featured on the Under the Covers Book Blog)

Check out my review of book two, The Severed Thread (featured on the Under the Covers Book Blog)

I read The Cursed Rose by Leslie Vedder, the third book in The Bone Spindle series a couple years after reading the first two books and it was fun to dive back into the world. With a cross of multiple fairytales meeting Indiana Jones-style adventure, there was a LOT going on in the book. Following the events of the second book, The Severed Thread, the rag tag crew has been split up and they work towards the final battle with the Spindle Witch.

While the series is marketed as a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, there are so many more fairytale influences woven into the story. I really like how things came together with the confrontation against the Spindle Witch and how it continued to build on the worldbuilding of the previous books. Aurora and the Rose Witches were central to the story, and Shane and Fi’s journey into her tomb was heart-pounding as a reader. One of the central relationships in the book, Shane and Fi start the story in separate places, but work their way back together at the end of the book. 

The character growth over the course of the series was impactful. Sadly, Briar doesn’t get as much of a journey given that he’s stuck in his beastly form. Red, Fi, and Shane serve as the point of view characters, and make some major strides. However, I was most surprised to see how much time the author spent on going into the Spindle Witch’s background. It was twisty and a major surprise; the history between Aurora, the Lord of the Butterflies, and the Spindle Witch was also a major force pushing the storyline forward.    

Overall, this was an excellent book and close to the series. I like how the storylines were wrapped up while also leaving room for more adventures in the future. Audiobook narrator Lindsey Dorcus did an excellent job bringing the many points of view to life with her performance in the audiobook. I highly recommend this to young adult fans of fantasy and fairy tales, and authors like Marissa Meyer or Holly Black.