3.5 stars

This book had a lot of potential, but it really fell flat for me. The premise was intriguing, but the circus backdrop didn't get enough screen time, and frankly, the MCs had no chemistry.
I mean, it makes sense why Raith had no personality. He was literally a blank slate, but Harrow's insta-lust being based on her magic telling her so did nothing for me.

The plot felt rushed, and the graphic smut had no romance attached to it. I probably can't adequately describe the difference between romantic smut and unromantic smut, but that's what this was. And hey, that's what a lot of people want, but to quote Julia Roberts, "I want the white horse."

The cover is beautiful (plus the whole painted edges) but I probably won't read anything else from this author.

Thank You Brittany at Entangled for the e-ARC!

3.75 rounded up to 4 ⭐️

All of the books Red Tower has released have been great so far. Sanctuary of the Shadow was good, but it wasn’t my favorite. I was very excited to read it, but I just wish it could have been a little… more.

Pros: The map is beautiful! I have become a map nerd, and this one did a great job breaking up all the different territories. Harrow and Raith’s bond truly runs soul deep, so the immediate love here makes sense and didn’t put me off at all. The concept behind the characters and the world was new and different to me. It was intriguing with the different magic systems and drew me in right from the start! Both the main characters and side characters are wonderful- Mal is my fave!

Cons: Like I said above- I just wish this book was a little more. More world building, more development, more depth to the characters (I know that sounds contradictory, the characters were wonderful, but they came across a bit too immature). The book is also written in third person, which I don’t mind, but having chapter headings or some kind of marking so it flows a little better would have been nice. I often found myself going back to reread so I knew which character I was looking at.

Overall the book was good- I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. It was original and had a lot of potential to be amazing. I will most likely read the sequel to see to see where the author takes it, and if things are built upon more

Talk about morally grey characters and villain gets the girl! We have a tortured MMC and a FMC who’ll stop at nothing to save him. I could feel their desperation to find a way to stay together pouring through every page. Once the story picked up, I could not put it down until the end. My heart hurt so much for Raith and all he endured at the hands of selfish, heartless rulers. I loved Harrow’s unconditional love for him and how, once she knew all the facts, she didn’t hesitate to support him. It did feel like insta-love, but it worked for the story and these characters. And this one has a fast-burn, spicy romance 🥵. However, the actual villain and secondary characters, like Darya, needed more fleshing out. Especially Darya. Her change in motivation seemed to come from nowhere. As for the true villain, we barely even see her. I did enjoy the strong female friendship between Harrow and Malaikah.

Sanctuary of the Shadow focuses more on romance than plot and world-building. I couldn’t visualize the circus in my mind or much of the world. It felt very surface-level, though there was potential for so much more fantasy. I hope we get a more in-depth exploration of the setting in the next book. This one is a standalone but sets up for a sequel focusing on different characters. And boy, I am so excited for Malaikah’s story!

I received Sanctuary of the Shadows in return for an honest review from the publisher as part of a advance read-along.

Harrow is living among a supernatural circus which is traveling from town to town. After losing her entire family she's keep her ears hidden pretending to just be a human but who she really is she's keep secret. When a handsome stranger shows up at the Circus everything changes. Raith is more than he appears and Harrow knows that she can't leave him at the hands of the circus.

I love Harrow she's such a great character and after everything that has happened to her it just makes her stronger willing to risk it all for those she loves. Raith is interesting I wasn't sure at first but the more time Harrow spends with him the more I loved him for her. They have this connection that the more time they are together the more steamy it gets. I just felt I was really able to Harrow.

I'm hooked I really enjoyed Harrow and Raith's story it's a beautiful sweet love story with just the right amount of spicy blended in. I found the world that they live in fascinating and while we get just a taste of the circus it's really unique. We are introduced to a few characters like her best friend Mal who I can't wait to see show up in the next book. I'm glad that each book is going to be set in the world with the characters overlapping but with new couples.

This is my first book by the author and I'm obsessed with her storytelling style she's created a captivating story that tugs at the heartstrings. With engaging characters, a magical world, a steamy romance and darkness looming around it was perfect. I devoured this book over a couple days even though I tried to stay with the read-along I had to finish it and see how it would all play out. I'm so glad that I had the chance to read this one it was lovely.

This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I thought it was a unique story. The story made me think a lot about what forgiveness really means and the power of love. Harrow and Raith were written with a lot of depth and had amazing growth. I loved the connection between Harrow and Raith and Harrow's relationship with Malaikah. I really enjoyed this book. It kept my interest and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I liked that it was steamy, but didn't just focus on the physical relationship between Harlow and Raith. I am looking forward to Malaikah's story and learning more about this world.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Read if you like:
▫️dual POV
▫️magic
▫️female friendships
▫️anti-hero with a mysterious past

Thank you to Entangled Publishing, Red Tower, and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book sounded right up my alley. A magical circus? Check. An intriguing magic system? Check. And most importantly, the hero is a damaged, winged shadow daddy who gives hardcore “touch her and 💀” vibes? Check, check, check.

This is a romantasy book. If you don’t want your romance front and center and the main focus of the book…then this is not for you.

I love romantasy, so I devoured this book, mostly due to Raith. He is tall, dark, dangerous, and tragic. I loved him, and the chapters from his perspective were my favorite! We also got three very intriguing side characters in Mal, Ouro, and Salizar, and I hope to get books from their perspective in the future.

However, I would have liked more explanation of what Elementals are (the different kinds and what magic or physical traits they have, etc), more about the magical circus, it’s performers, and Salizar, and a more fleshed out history of the war between the queens.

With a little more world building, a deeper explanation of the magic system and Elementals, and more of the crucial action taking place on page instead of off, this could have easily been a 5⭐️ read.

I enjoyed this one! The book started rather slow for me but after a few chapters things picked up. I liked Harrow and Raith. Their instant connection felt very real and I couldn’t wait to see how things would develop. This book was a bit spicer than I expected, which wasn’t a bad thing, just unexpected. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read.

Harrow has spent the last 50 years telling fortunes with the traveling circus, keeping the fact that she is the world’s last Seer a secret. When she sees Raith, she is drawn to him and knows that they need to leave the circus to keep him safe. Raith has no memories of his past but he feels the connection to Harrow and wants to keep her safe. There were a few twists and turns that I could guess pretty early on but that didn’t impact my enjoyment.

I thought that the chemistry between Harrow and Raith was well done. They both felt a connection to each other and I thought that it felt very real. They both go through a lot in this book and I liked that we get quite a bit of excitement before the story wraps up. I thought it was interesting to learn more about each character’s past as we worked our way through this story.

I would recommend this book to others. It wasn’t a perfect story but I found it to be a lot of fun in the end. I liked a few of the secondary characters quite a bit and hope we see more of them in future installments in this series.

I received a review copy of this book from Red Tower Books.

I had very high hopes going into this book and in the end it fell flat. I loved the premise of it being set within a circus and felt like I didn’t get enough of it actually being about the circus. It was also very hard to differentiate between the POVs to the point where I would have to reread some chapters just to understand what I read. The writing was extremely choppy and detached most of the book; however, the quality was significantly better during the spicier scenes. The characters weren’t very likable and I didn’t connect to their love story. Overall this book was just very underdeveloped and underwhelming. It truly has so much potential if a little more care was put into fleshing out the details!

DNF, this book had such a good premise and I was so excited to read it! But, in the end I just couldn't get into it, it was super hard to follow as the POV'S weren't written at the top of the chapter and I just didn't enjoy the writing style as I felt so many details were left out. I started this book with high hopes as the publisher is the same that published Fourth Wing and I have had nothing but, good experiences with their currently published books! I knew this book wasn't for me within the 1st chapter but, stayed till 25% which was my mistake. Thank you to red tower and Brittany Kelly for gifting me an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an early review but, unfortunately, this book just missed the mark with me!

I've never read anything by Aurora Ascher before. I went into this book blind and found myself pleasantly surprised and looking forward to reading more from her and seeing how this series progresses.

The story is attention getting from the very beginning. It's very easy to like Harrow. She's one of a kind, and endearing. It was fascinating to see how committed she was to her principles and instincts and one can not dey the chemistry she has with the mystery man hinted in the synopsis. They were fiery and undeniable. They get spicy quickly and it's enjoyable, but I was surprised at how fast things went from zero to a hundred.

The world is complicated with many past events shaping the present. The magic system isn't confusing, but it was more understanding what past events between Queens had shaped the present and the predicament Harrow, her friends, and Salizar's circus found themselves dealing with.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, but it still felt like a little something was missing. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series because it features Harrow's ride or die bestie and I'd love to know more about her.

Enjoyable fantasy romance! If you’re looking for something with more romance and lighter fantasy/world building, then this is perfect! I was hooked from the beginning and read through this very quickly. Harrow is a seer who works at a circus but must keep her true identity a secret. She meets Raith, who has lost his memories, and has an instant connection with him. Together, they discover each others’ past and must learn to accept and forgive, both themselves, and each other. Harrow and Raith have a beautiful relationship. The only part of this that fell a little flat was the plot with the queens. I felt like it wrapped up really quickly but could have been explored further. The secondary characters, mainly Mal and Ouro, need to have their own book! This is a stand alone but I’m hoping the author writes more from this world with the other characters. Thank you Entangled Publishing for the arc!

Thank you, Entangled/Red Tower Books, for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
*Disclaimer-This book may have not been for me, but that does not mean it will be a book you will not enjoy. I believe many people who love more of a smutty romance will enjoy Sanctuary of the Shadow.

I was really excited for Sanctuary of the Shadow to release since I have enjoyed the books Red Tower Books has been publishing. But ultimately, I was not a fan of this one,

Sanctuary of the Shadow starts off feeling strong and promising. You have the allure of who Harrow is and their magic and once we meet Raith, it becomes intriguing on the possibility of who is he and what is his past.

The pacing starts off well, but by the halfway mark the pace really starts to lull and drag. It was at the 50% mark that I found myself sitting there staring at my kindle screen and wondering what this book is really about? There was no real threat or catalyst to boost the plotline/story arc and it felt like it was taking two characters and bringing them together using an insta-love and forbidden love trope to make this story. With the forbidden love trope there really was not much of an explanation due to the poor execution of character development and world building. All in all, there was stuff going on with the smut aspect, but when you pull back and think about the book in whole, you realize that not a lot was going on.

To the last quarter of Sanctuary, the pacing even got slower and it kind of felt like Aurora Ascher no longer cared about the story since the writing felt poorly done.

Sanctuary definitely had the bones of a good story, and it could have been a great story if there was more time spent fleshing out the characters and the world. There will still be those who will enjoy this, and I may try to read book two when it releases to see if anything changes.

First, Thabk you Entangled for letting me read this arc!!!


In this novel we meet Harrow the FMC , who is born in the middle of a war between the two Elemental Queens. She is now the only surviving Elemental Seer and is now living in a circus. Her best friend Malaika has become like a sister to her and is the only one she has told her identity to.

Then enters Raith the MMC, he appears in the middle of the dessert with no recollection of who he is. He is sold to the circus and then he meets Harrow.

This book follows Harrows and Raiths love story.
I enjoyed the book, but it was more a romance based book than fantasy.

Forbidden Love
Instant Love
Memory Loss
Elemental Magic

Thank you Entangled publishing for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was nothing I expected it to be. I was expecting a magical world much like Stephanie Garber's Caraval series, with more magic and mystery. But it was different than I had thought. It was a great story, I just wish there was more character development and more plot to the story. There was a lot of world building in the beginning, so I had a hard time getting into the store initially, but eventually I was hooked, and started to enjoy the story more. I will say I didn't feel attached to either of the main characters (again, maybe with more character development...), they didn't really resonate with me. Overall, it was a really good fantasy read! But I would've loved more plot over the many sex scenes. Thank you again for the chance to read this book!

5 ⭐️/5
3 🌶️/5

10s 10s 10s across the board!!

This is a magical fantasy romance with a unique supernatural world that I don’t even want to spoil because learning about the magic as the story progresses is part of the fun. I love the FMC & the MMC, love their love towards one another, and of course the chemistry and spice between them is off the charts spicy hot. ♥️🔥🙌

We get:
🔥Multi POV
🔥Will kill for her & Hates everyone but her MMC
🔥One bed in an inn 🤗 🛌
🔥WINGS!
🔥Powerful baddie FMC

Aurora Ascher writes these MMCs that I fall in love with in each book of hers and Raith is the newest MMC to add to that list. He has no clue who or what he is at the start of this story, and I loved the slow unveiling of the depths of magic in the world while we get to learn exactly who and what Raith is. (hint: he’s my newest book boyfriend and if anyone comes for him, they answer to me 😈😂) Raith is lethal, mysterious, and powerful, but he’s also a complete sad boi cinnamon roll for our FMC.

Harrow is the FMC and she is living as a “human” but secretly has magic. We also gradually learn about the depth of her power. Orphaned as a child, she grew up in the supernatural circus run by Salizar, where she works as a fortune teller keeping her power secret. Her true identity could lead to her death should it ever be revealed.

This is a story that is heart warming sweet and full of magic and mystery. Plus it’s very steamy, and I love that. One must ask ourselves as we head into this read: who can anyone truly trust in this world?

Thank you so much to Aurora Ascher and Entangled Publishing for my ARC. My thoughts/opinions are my own and my review is voluntary.

I quite enjoyed this book. I have preordered it from my local bookstore. The relationships between Harrow and Raith was so good. Mal was such a great character and I would love to see her get her own book. A little explanation in the beginning about the current world, the elemental aspects would have helped me connect with it more in the beginning.

I was provided an ARC of this title for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up?

Sanctuary of the Shadow follows Harrow, a fortune teller in a traveling circus who is much more than she appears; and Raith, an all new captive “attraction”, whose cage she mistakenly happens upon and feels compelled to liberate. The two connect instantaneously, and the choices brought upon by that connection lead them on a series of adventures.

While I felt like this new adult romance x fantasy had a lot going for it, and certainly had a lot going on within the story, it was overall one that I would say I could kind of take or leave. I spent the first 30 percent thinking “This is going to be a banger!”— and somehow my enthusiasm very disappointingly instead waned from then on.

I’ll put this in the “maybe for you, maybe not for me” pile.

Thank you to the author, Entangled & NetGalley for the e-ARC.

liked the idea of this book, and overall it had a good story and good message to it. I also enjoyed that this was a standalone (kinda... there is going to be another book focused on Mal), it was refreshing to read a book that didn't have a major cliffhanger and turn into a series.
I wish there had been more world building and that we knew more about the backstories of the queens.
At times I found it kinda hard to follow due to the multiple POVs with no clear indication of whose POV you were reading from. I also found it slightly annoying the amount of times things were echoed in alternate POVs, or just repeated over again pages later to make a point, which I could understand, but felt it was unnecessary.
The relationship between Mal and Harrow was my favorite part of this book. I loved their friendship and how much each cared for the other.

Loved the concept but it fell way flat for me. Harrow and Raith’s relationship just kinda felt like it was shoved in your face and the world building and lore had so much potential but it got lost somewhere between all the sex scenes. It was hard to get through.

First, thank you to Red Tower for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a highly anticipated release for me, as the first edition is stunning and I’ve enjoyed all of Red Tower’s books to date. However, this one missed the mark for me and it felt like a first draft that could use more edits.

The writing and pace felt off. I think there is a great underlying story here, one that I would be very interested in reading, however the main focus seemed to be on writing the spicy scenes rather than concrete world building and story telling.

I didn’t enjoy the insta love aspect (especially with Raith’s amnesia) or quick wrap up at the end of the story either. The pregnancy trope seemed to be an easy distraction to wrap up the story without diving further into any of the underlying world building with the Queens.

I also think the author should have spent more time exploring the trauma both characters experienced, by the massacre of Harrows family and Raith’s enslavement. These themes seemed completely glossed over in favor of steamy, misplaced romance.

Unfortunately, I won’t be adding this one to my RT shelf and I hope the second book receives a bit more editing as I think it has potential to be an interesting story.