Top Ten Pink & Red Book Covers

Item: Rings of Fate
Rating: 3
Author: Jana

Posted February 9, 2026 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! In honor of Valentine’s Day this Saturday, this week’s topic is a love or Valentine’s Day freebie! I’ve decided to feature book covers that are pink and red, aka Valentine’s Day colors! These books are all either books I want to read or have read!

Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar
My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh
The Bodyguard Affair by Amy Lea
Love and Other Side Effects by Deidra Duncan
Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel
Big Nick Energy by Kristen Bailey
Let’s Make a Scene by Laura Wood
Four Weekends and a Funeral and Ellie Palmer
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel
The Forever Pact by Jaimie Casey

Give yourself and those you love a hug this Valentine’s Day!

Book Covers Featuring Pretty Typography

Posted February 2, 2026 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 14 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is Book Covers Featuring Cool/Pretty/Unique/etc. Typography. Typography is the art of arranging letters so they look visually appealing and more interesting than, for example, the body text of this blog post you’re reading now. I did a similar post to this a few years ago, so if you need inspiration on what I’m talking about click here to have a look. As a graphic designer, I adore pretty typography and design so this was a really fun topic for me.

Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
It’s simple, but stunning. I love the interlinking o’s and the swash on the leg of the R. So pretty!

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
I love how the words look like they’re part of a breeze sweeping down the prairie.

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
The font itself is really pretty, but the layout and treatment of it elevates it to an entirely different level. It’s so cozy and classy.

Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett
It’s hard to have that many words look so nice together in such a flourishing font, so this is amazing. Plus, that font is so whimsically adorable.

A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings
I wish I loved the book as much I love words made out of toothpaste! This is so cute!

The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard
This is just. So. Pretty. The glimmering silver effect is very cool, but the font itself is out of this world.

Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West
Something about this typography triggers my warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia and lemonade stands and summer days as a kid. Sometimes you don’t need to understand why you love something, it’s all about how you feel. The font itself is plain, but the colors and the chunky drop shadow bring me back to design trends from when I was a teen. It’s comfortable.

Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
More anything else, this is a case of impeccable font selection. Doesn’t it just scream cowboys and wide open spaces? And it goes so perfectly with the pulp-esque cover style.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
The combination of script and block fonts here gives off such a great vintage Christmas feeling. There’s an art to combining fonts, and this is so well done.

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
So sweet and dainty. Reminds me of old fashioned Valentine’s Day ads.

Which cover is your favorite?
Do you love typography as much as I do?

Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz | Book Review

Posted January 29, 2026 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz
Series: Curses and Crowns #1
Published by Red Tower Books on January 6, 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance
Pages: 410
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

She’s a barmaid who doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He’s a prince cursed to live one.

Aren Bellamore has no interest in being anyone’s princess. She’s too busy running the Raven’s Beak tavern, fending off unwanted marriage proposals, and dreaming of escape. But when a brush with death and a dangerously handsome stranger upend her life, Aren finds herself bound to a bargain that could change everything.

Prince Dietan has carried the cursed Rings of Fate ancient weapons of devastating power since childhood. The magic is killing him, and the enemies are closing in. To make the journey to reverse his curse, he needs a bride to hide his secrets. Aren wants freedom. Pretending to be his fiancée should give them both what they want.

But as their perilous journey pits them against political schemes, monstrous Kilandrar, and a growing attraction neither can deny, the line between make-believe and destiny begins to blur. And the fate of two kingdoms may depend on whether a cynical barmaid and a cursed prince are willing to risk their hearts.

You can tell early on that Rings of Fate is meant to be light, cozy, and funny. It’s not the kind of story that wants you to take it super seriously, and I appreciate that in a book! Often we see really complicated fantasies that require note taking and laser-beam focus. I’ve even found myself throwing my hands up in the air and not even trying to remember everything and hoping I’ll understand what’s going on when I need to. Aside from the intense amount of names (people, places, etc.) I found Rings of Fate very easy to follow. You do need to be a bit patient, though, as the beginning was kind of slow. I enjoy books that don’t make my brain hurt and don’t require a ton of concentration and memorization because, let’s be honest. There’s a LOT going on in the world right now, much of it stressful and scary and upsetting, so having a book that’s easy to escape into for a little while is a gift. It’s light on the magic and worldbuilding, so you can jump in and be just fine not really knowing where or when this book is taking place.

Rings of Fate gives you a very slow burn romance that reads like a fairytale, with fast-paced action (at times) and some funny moments. Early on, a drunkard is forced to buy the entire bar a round of drinks because he didn’t follow the rule of not proposing marriage to the barmaid, Aren. She clearly takes no crap. She’s a surly and grumpy Cinderella kind of character, who works herself to the bone so her perfect twin sisters have everything they need. She wields a frying pan as a weapon (literally), and talks back to those who cross her. She’s independent and rough around the edges. I grew to appreciate her as a character, even if I didn’t have warm fuzzies towards her because she loves to talk about how she’s not like other girls, and identified with the jaded feelings she has towards certain aspects of her life. Then you’ve got Prince Dietan, who is softer and more emotional. He’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders (again, literally), and he brings a certain depth and vulnerability with his backstory. I liked the two of them together, although I wanted more chemistry. The banter between them was fun at first, but the relationship didn’t get the attention I wish it had been given as far as development goes. All of a sudden, bam. Love. I wasn’t entirely convinced. The journey was interesting, but became monotonous. This would have been the perfect time to develop their relationship like I’d hoped, but not a lot happened during this time. I enjoyed the characters they met along the way and it would have been fun to learn more about some of them. I really loved Dietan’s friends. They made the story for me!

There are some things that gave me pause. We are clearly not in our world, but all of our swear words are there and slang like “family jewels” when referring to Dietan’s genitals. Aren says “as if” at one point. That threw me off a little. Aren refers to her sisters as “my girls” a million times, and each time it felt strange to me. Their dad is still living and, while she is the sole breadwinner for the house and helped raise them, I found “my girls” to be an odd thing to call them. She also does literally use her pan as a weapon, defeating some evil monstrous… cloud of wind(?) who siphons the life out of people and can raze an entire village with a hard bonk to the head. It felt too easy.

I did like parts of Rings of Fate, and I’d recommend it to those looking for a lighter fantasy adventure. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the world of fantasy romance, this might be a good place to start. It was fun and easy to read, and sometimes that’s just what I need. I’m curious about what’s going to happen next, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next book.

Interview with Melissa de la Cruz, Author of Rings of Fate

Posted January 26, 2026 by Jana in Author Interview / 1 Comment

I’m excited to welcome author Melissa de la Cruz to the blog today to share a little about her newest book, Rings of Fate, which is a cozy adult fantasy romance between a surly barmaid and a cursed prince! Read more about the book and Melissa below the interview.

1. Describe Rings of Fate in 5 words or less.

What if hobbits were hot?

2. What was the inspiration behind Rings of Fate?

I wanted to write a sexy Lord of the Rings book with a romance at the center. As I mentioned in the earlier answer, I pitched it as “What if hobbits were hot?” And also “What if the rings were a person?” And I’d always wanted to write about a long-suffering barmaid and a prince with a secret.

3. Tell us about the main characters in this book. What might readers like to know about them before diving in?

Aren is a hard worker and very tired, and very sarcastic. Dietan is very charming, but very broken. Both of them don’t think they deserve love and then they find each other.

4. Is there a particular scene or element in Rings of Fate that you’re excited for readers to experience?

My favorite is the tent scene! That to me is funny, romantic and sexy all at once and I wanted to make sure I got all those feelings right.

5. Describe your story development and writing process. Do you plot and plan everything out or do things come together as you write? How do you keep track of all the little details about your world and characters?

I write a synopsis then an outline then a very detailed chapter outline. Then I write 100 pages of the draft and then see if the outline still holds. Then just keep rewriting till it goes.

6. Romantasy as a genre is really blossoming and becoming more and more popular every year. What sets Rings of Fate apart from other books in the genre?

I think it’s a little more of a funny and sweet read, more like a sexy fairytale that makes it a little different.

7. You’ve had a long and amazing career as an author, with so much variety in the books you’ve written and the projects you’ve been a part of (and still are). Of everything you’ve done, where do you feel most at home?

I love writing anything fantasy – urban fantasy, fantasy, romantasy. Middle grade fantasy is also fun.

8. Speaking of your career, what would you love to do that you haven’t done yet?

I would love to write an airport thriller and a memoir.

9. What’s been your favorite experience with a fan of your work?

A few fans have tattooed quotes from my books on their skin, that’s really special.

10. Tell us about an early reading experience of yours when you really fell in love with books.

I loved a Child’s Treasury of Fairytales, one of my favorite books as a kid.

11. I just have to address the fact that you were involved in the creation of some of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies! Can you share a little about how that came about and what it was like working with (and writing for) Hallmark?

Rachel Boston, who was on Witches of East End, asked me to write a Hallmark movie for her and so we made Christmas in Angel Falls. The producer of that movie and I got along really well, so we did three more. It was great working with Hallmark!

12. As a fellow art history major, I’d love to know some of your favorite artworks! And if you have a favorite artistic movement and/or artist, I’d love to know those as well!

I love Jeff Koons. I love how cynical he is, how much he makes fun of art, and this cynicism also creates amazing art. I respect that and I love it.

Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz
Published by Entangled: Red Tower Books on January 6, 2026
Genres: New Adult — Fantasy, Romance
Tropes: Forbidden Love/Off Limits, Overcoming Odds
Add to Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

She’s a barmaid who doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He’s a prince cursed to live one.

Aren Bellamore has no interest in being anyone’s princess. She’s too busy running the Raven’s Beak tavern, fending off unwanted marriage proposals, and dreaming of escape. But when a brush with death and a dangerously handsome stranger upend her life, Aren finds herself bound to a bargain that could change everything.

Prince Dietan has carried the cursed Rings of Fate ancient weapons of devastating power since childhood. The magic is killing him, and the enemies are closing in. To make the journey to reverse his curse, he needs a bride to hide his secrets. Aren wants freedom. Pretending to be his fiancée should give them both what they want.

But as their perilous journey pits them against political schemes, monstrous Kilandrar, and a growing attraction neither can deny, the line between make-believe and destiny begins to blur. And the fate of two kingdoms may depend on whether a cynical barmaid and a cursed prince are willing to risk their hearts.

About Melissa de la Cruz

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publisher’s Weekly and #1 IndieBound bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages. Many of her more than fifty books have also topped USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and been published in over twenty countries. A former fashion and beauty editor, Melissa has written for the New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, the San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and Fox News. Melissa de la Cruz grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. At Columbia University, she majored in art history and English. She lives in West Hollywood with her husband and daughter.

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