Black dragon by Ehtisham Sajid

What fantasy books am I looking forward to reading soon?

“In a mysterious town that lies hidden in our collective subconscious, there’s a quaint little store where all kinds of dreams are sold . . .

Day and night, visitors both human and animal from all over the world shuffle in sleepily in their pyjamas, lining up to purchase their latest adventure. Each floor in the department store sells a special kind of dream, including nostalgic dreams about your childhood, trips you’ve taken, and delicious food you’ve eaten, as well as nightmares and more mysterious dreams.

In Dallergut Dream Department Store we meet Penny an enthusiastic new-hire; Dallergut, the flamboyant owner of the department store; Agnap Coco, producer of special dreams; Vigo Myers, an employee in the mystery department as well as the cast of curious, funny and strange clientele that regularly visit the store. When one of the most coveted and expensive dreams gets stolen during Penny’s first week, we follow along with her as she tries to uncover the workings of this wonderfully whimsical world.”

“Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people, and as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a sentient spider plant, have spent most of the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s precious spellbooks, protecting the magic for the city’s elite. But a revolution is brewing and when the library goes up in flames, she and Caz steal whatever books they can and flee to the faraway island where she grew up. She’s hoping to lay low and figure out a way to survive before the revolution comes looking for her. To her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town in disarray.

The empire with its magic spellbooks has slowly been draining power from the island, something that Kiela is indirectly responsible for, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right. Opening up a spell shop comes with its own risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the quirky townspeople, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must break down the walls she has kept so high.”

“What’s a broke tea witch to do when she’s about to lose her beloved café?

No idea, but chugging magic mojitos and drunk-summoning the Devil was definitely the wrong call.

Now, I’m stuck with the house guest from Hell—literally—and we couldn’t be more opposite: a homebody who brews healing teas and reads romance novels to her cats versus a sexy-as-sin playboy with a pitchfork tattoo on his butt and a fondness for public day-drinking. In the nude. Ergo, the pitchfork discovery.

Infuriating!

I’ve tried to send the Dark Prince packing, but the spell won’t let him leave—not until he unlocks my so-called “heart’s desire.”

Well. My only desire is to clear my debt and save the café, which would be a lot easier if I wasn’t so distracted by his stupidly charming British accent.

Or the smile that keeps incinerating perfectly innocent panties.

Or the spellbinding, toe-curling, never-should’ve-happened kiss at the Wayward Bay Halloween Ball that has me believing in a different kind of magic:

Love.

So maybe the real question is… What’s a broke tea witch to do when she’s about to lose her café and her heart?”

“I’m not particularly special. I’m certainly not perfect. I’m just another delivery driver with a smattering of elvish magic who’s trying to make an honest living on the mean streets of Edinburgh.

Go me.

However, my world changes when I cross paths with Hugo Pemberville, the celebrated high elf who’s well known for his accomplished work as a treasure hunter. He might be famous but he’s also an arrogant idiot who deliberately destroys my life.

I’m not the sort of person who’ll let anyone ruin me without a fight. But when I take my revenge on Hugo, I end up thrust into a treasure hunting adventure that I could never have dreamed of.

I’m determined to succeed against all the odds. Unfortunately, treasure hunting is more difficult and dangerous than I’d expected. I’ll need all my wits about me if I’m going to survive.”

“Lady Judith Avely’s magical gift for divining the truth makes her prodigiously good at lying. To absolve a guilty secret, she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen’s estate, but the last thing she expects is to run into the duke himself, who is lamentably now even more attractive than in his volatile youth.

The duke has his own concerns: he has returned home to a haunted house, with skulls floating about and a footman apparently bashed by a book. Such vulgar circumstances are best avoided, but the duke needs Judith’s unique talents to help uncover the culprit – even if it might put her in the sights of a killer.

With the help of a tiny vampiric acquaintance and a continuous supply of drinking chocolate, Judith should be able to solve the uncanny mystery…if only the duke will stop making improper remarks about her mobcaps.”

“When Miri¬ was a teen, her parents were murdered by magic assassins. These days, her aggressively normal existence as a law librarian at a boring firm has excellent medical insurance and won’t get her daughter killed.

But when her bestie, her ride-or-die, gets tangled up with some vampires and goes missing, Miriam unleashes the rare and powerful shadow magic she’s kept hidden. 

It’s heady, liberating—and totally dangerous. 

Now in a race against time to save her friend, this single mom is descending into the spiderweb of the secret supernatural community where not knowing the rules is a fast-track to a painful end. 

Her guide? A grumpy French wolf shifter with a particular set of skills, a baffling drive to protect Miri at all costs, and the infuriating habit of constantly disagreeing with her. He may mock her To-Do lists, but he’s learned firsthand that her shadow magic literally packs a hell of a punch. 

The tricky thing about shadows, though, is the past casts a long one, and if Miri isn’t careful, those magic assassins will come back for the one who got away – and she’ll lose everything.”

“Forgot to feed your goldfish before your untimely demise? Need to jot down a will? Say a goodbye? See the Grand Canyon? Then come visit us at The Body Shop, where unfinished business is our business.

Mary Frances Talbot—Frankie—is a necromancer, probably. Hard to say since she never met her parents. She can see the dead, talk to the dead, and a few other things that aren’t strictly legal. It’s fine. No worries. As long as she doesn’t get caught.

The whole not getting caught thing was going well until Samuel Harrow blew back into town wearing a Savannah Police Department uniform. He might be a witch, but he hates magic. He’s not a fan of Frankie either. Which explains why he’s her ex.

When Frankie’s less than legal side gigs result in dead vampires, she knows she’s in trouble. Big trouble. And that’s before Harrow offers to help. With him waving a Get Out of Jail Free card in her face, Frankie doesn’t have much choice but to accept.

But that doesn’t mean she has to forgive. She’ll certainly never forget him breaking her heart or turning her over to the police or… Yeah. They were doomed from the start. Something tells her this investigation will be too.”