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A Sanctuary for Lost Souls: Fated Mates, Slow Burn, Romantasy
Asher has spent centuries running from the one person his soul is bound to.
Every time he finds his soulmate's reincarnation, she dies. And every death breaks him a little more. So after her latest tragedy, he makes a vow he has never dared make
This life, he will not go near her.
He will not risk her.
He will not lose her again.
But destiny has other plans.
Maeve has no idea she’s lived more than a hundred lives—and died in all of them. She thinks she’s just an overworked apprentice doing odd jobs for Rowan, a retired bat-god with too many secrets and not enough patience. But strange things are happening in the Jinokai raiders disappearing into thin air, Veil Weaver magic burning holes through ancient wards, and rumors that Xibalba is stirring again.
And then Asher walks into Rowan’s home.
He knows exactly who she is the moment he sees her.
She feels an impossible pull toward him she can’t explain.
And all Asher wants to do is walk right back out the door.
But when Xibalba’s defenses collapse and the Veil Weavers strike, Maeve and Asher are dragged into a race through haunted fortresses, collapsing timelines, and illusions that twist their memories together. Maeve’s powers begin to surface—frightening, familiar, and entirely beyond her control—and the Weaver Queen wants them for herself.
Now the past that Maeve doesn’t remember, and the future that Asher fears, are colliding and the only way to save her may be the one thing he swore he would never
Choose her.
Again.
For fans of slow-burn romantasy, reincarnated soulmates, and breathtaking magical adventure, Lost Souls is the second novel in the Phoenix of Faelindraal Series. Where love defies lifetimes, time bends to memory, and destiny refuses to stay buried.
Every time he finds his soulmate's reincarnation, she dies. And every death breaks him a little more. So after her latest tragedy, he makes a vow he has never dared make
This life, he will not go near her.
He will not risk her.
He will not lose her again.
But destiny has other plans.
Maeve has no idea she’s lived more than a hundred lives—and died in all of them. She thinks she’s just an overworked apprentice doing odd jobs for Rowan, a retired bat-god with too many secrets and not enough patience. But strange things are happening in the Jinokai raiders disappearing into thin air, Veil Weaver magic burning holes through ancient wards, and rumors that Xibalba is stirring again.
And then Asher walks into Rowan’s home.
He knows exactly who she is the moment he sees her.
She feels an impossible pull toward him she can’t explain.
And all Asher wants to do is walk right back out the door.
But when Xibalba’s defenses collapse and the Veil Weavers strike, Maeve and Asher are dragged into a race through haunted fortresses, collapsing timelines, and illusions that twist their memories together. Maeve’s powers begin to surface—frightening, familiar, and entirely beyond her control—and the Weaver Queen wants them for herself.
Now the past that Maeve doesn’t remember, and the future that Asher fears, are colliding and the only way to save her may be the one thing he swore he would never
Choose her.
Again.
For fans of slow-burn romantasy, reincarnated soulmates, and breathtaking magical adventure, Lost Souls is the second novel in the Phoenix of Faelindraal Series. Where love defies lifetimes, time bends to memory, and destiny refuses to stay buried.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2026
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 30, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed A Sanctuary for Lost Souls (the second book in the Phoenix of Faelindraal series). We follow Asher, a man who can shift between human and phoenix form. Asher is in love with a woman who tragically dies each time he finds her. In this instalment, we meet Maeve, her newest reincarnation. We follow Asher’s journey as he tries to protect Maeve, and Maeve’s journey of discovery, as they embark on a quest to prevent looming devastation.
I loved the blend of mythical creatures, magic, adventure, and the dynamic between two star-crossed lovers fighting impossible odds. The inclusion of a humanoid bat character was good fun, and the variety of enemies and obstacles they encounter kept the story exciting throughout.
The book is fast-paced, with never a dull moment. I didn’t want to put it down, and the pacing worked well for me. My only critique is that, although the author has crafted a gripping and imaginative book, I sometimes wished for more world-building, deeper exploration of the magic system, and more background detail on the characters. There are so many great ideas here that could be developed into a slightly longer, more expansive narrative.
That said, readers who love action-driven, high-energy fantasy will enjoy this book. It’s a great addition to the series, and I will look out for book 3.
Thank you to the Lolu Sinclair, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the blend of mythical creatures, magic, adventure, and the dynamic between two star-crossed lovers fighting impossible odds. The inclusion of a humanoid bat character was good fun, and the variety of enemies and obstacles they encounter kept the story exciting throughout.
The book is fast-paced, with never a dull moment. I didn’t want to put it down, and the pacing worked well for me. My only critique is that, although the author has crafted a gripping and imaginative book, I sometimes wished for more world-building, deeper exploration of the magic system, and more background detail on the characters. There are so many great ideas here that could be developed into a slightly longer, more expansive narrative.
That said, readers who love action-driven, high-energy fantasy will enjoy this book. It’s a great addition to the series, and I will look out for book 3.
Thank you to the Lolu Sinclair, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2025
In A Sanctuary for Lost Souls we follow Asher, a phoenix, who is desperately trying to avoid Maeve, his soulmate who's been reincarnated over 100 times with no memory of her past lives, to avoid a tragic end. However, Maeve is strong willed and yearns for life fully lived, danger be damned. Along with a few trusted friends they get swept up in a quest to stop the mysterious forces at play.
I was initially drawn to this book for the stunning cover art which gets a 10/10!
Appreciated the diversity of fae like creatures and adored our side characters, their comedic relief and wisdom were much needed, favourite being little Xoc.
I craved more exploration of Maeve's past lives they sounded like such wild times, maybe Asher could have had more in depth flashbacks or perhaps a few short novellas giving us glimpses?
It is clear the author has an incredibly expansive imagination and the premise has so much potential.
Due to the fast and choppy pacing (so much happening at all times!) I didn't feel we were allowed enough time to catch our breath as readers and fully process the gravity of what we've just learned and ruminate on what was to come before the next revelation plot point or action commenced. There was a lot of telling and info dumping which contributed towards this.
Regarding the romance aspect, I struggled to connect fully, that being said there were some lovely moments of yearning and I enjoyed the discussions around being able to make your own informed life decisions even if than means risking something.
Also, for a three thousand year old phoenix I expected Asher to have maturer mindset and vocabulary.
Thank you NetGalley and Sinclair for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review ✨
I was initially drawn to this book for the stunning cover art which gets a 10/10!
Appreciated the diversity of fae like creatures and adored our side characters, their comedic relief and wisdom were much needed, favourite being little Xoc.
I craved more exploration of Maeve's past lives they sounded like such wild times, maybe Asher could have had more in depth flashbacks or perhaps a few short novellas giving us glimpses?
It is clear the author has an incredibly expansive imagination and the premise has so much potential.
Due to the fast and choppy pacing (so much happening at all times!) I didn't feel we were allowed enough time to catch our breath as readers and fully process the gravity of what we've just learned and ruminate on what was to come before the next revelation plot point or action commenced. There was a lot of telling and info dumping which contributed towards this.
Regarding the romance aspect, I struggled to connect fully, that being said there were some lovely moments of yearning and I enjoyed the discussions around being able to make your own informed life decisions even if than means risking something.
Also, for a three thousand year old phoenix I expected Asher to have maturer mindset and vocabulary.
Thank you NetGalley and Sinclair for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review ✨
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December 15, 2025Thank you Lost Lust for the chance to read and review this book!
I was able to enjoy elements of this novel and I appreciated it being a quick read and I do not appreciate being negative towards someone's project. However, there were some elements I found to be negative. Although the author's passion and imagination transpire throughout the entirity of the novel, the writing felt choppy. It improved in the second half for me, but in the first half of the book especially, the sentences felt disconnected in the descriptive passages, although the conversational segments read more fluidly, though I still wish it dove deeper into the conversational aspects as well as it just giving 'more' overall. I appreciated that the story began immediately in medias res, although it felt like so much was happening all the time, but also nothing significant at the same time. The narration seemed to focus too much on secondary elements, that when a big clue moment was happening it was reduced to a singular sentence and I feel it was not highlighted in the way it should have been. I appreciated the way secondary characters were constructed as well as the concept of the novel itself, but unfortunately it felt a bit unoriginal in its execution, like something else that has already been done multiple times within the genre. The ending felt a bit underwhelming in execution and the writing overall felt slightly juvenile.
I do still think it will be a novel of interest for fans of the fantasy genre as well as its sequel.
I was able to enjoy elements of this novel and I appreciated it being a quick read and I do not appreciate being negative towards someone's project. However, there were some elements I found to be negative. Although the author's passion and imagination transpire throughout the entirity of the novel, the writing felt choppy. It improved in the second half for me, but in the first half of the book especially, the sentences felt disconnected in the descriptive passages, although the conversational segments read more fluidly, though I still wish it dove deeper into the conversational aspects as well as it just giving 'more' overall. I appreciated that the story began immediately in medias res, although it felt like so much was happening all the time, but also nothing significant at the same time. The narration seemed to focus too much on secondary elements, that when a big clue moment was happening it was reduced to a singular sentence and I feel it was not highlighted in the way it should have been. I appreciated the way secondary characters were constructed as well as the concept of the novel itself, but unfortunately it felt a bit unoriginal in its execution, like something else that has already been done multiple times within the genre. The ending felt a bit underwhelming in execution and the writing overall felt slightly juvenile.
I do still think it will be a novel of interest for fans of the fantasy genre as well as its sequel.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
An impossible love, a broken promise, fantasy and lots of action.
All of this can be found in A Sanctuary for Lost Souls, the second part of the Phoenix of Faelindraal series. I'm not going to lie, the first thing that caught my attention was the mention of Xibalba. That and clearly the romance.
I must admit that at first I didn't realize that this was a sequel until I was almost finished. The truth is there wasn't that much of a problem, but it would have given more depth or weight to certain events if I had done it.
It is engaging and was an enjoyable read to a certain extent.
One of the things that fascinated me most was the theme of identity, the way our protagonist, Maeve, discovers that there is more to her than she ever imagined. There were no longer simple query about the need to explore the world and the value that her mentor had for her, but there was history, history that would not be easy to clarify. That would torment her and teach her things.
I was pleased that she acted. That she participated and resolved setbacks. Also the almost palpable longing between the protagonists in the initial half of the book is captivating... However, after that the tension is lost a bit.
The rhythm is… odd. Things and things and things kept happening. One inconvenience after another, again and again; that took away the impact, the surprise from the plot.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
An impossible love, a broken promise, fantasy and lots of action.
All of this can be found in A Sanctuary for Lost Souls, the second part of the Phoenix of Faelindraal series. I'm not going to lie, the first thing that caught my attention was the mention of Xibalba. That and clearly the romance.
I must admit that at first I didn't realize that this was a sequel until I was almost finished. The truth is there wasn't that much of a problem, but it would have given more depth or weight to certain events if I had done it.
It is engaging and was an enjoyable read to a certain extent.
One of the things that fascinated me most was the theme of identity, the way our protagonist, Maeve, discovers that there is more to her than she ever imagined. There were no longer simple query about the need to explore the world and the value that her mentor had for her, but there was history, history that would not be easy to clarify. That would torment her and teach her things.
I was pleased that she acted. That she participated and resolved setbacks. Also the almost palpable longing between the protagonists in the initial half of the book is captivating... However, after that the tension is lost a bit.
The rhythm is… odd. Things and things and things kept happening. One inconvenience after another, again and again; that took away the impact, the surprise from the plot.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An immediate thought from me when i first saw this series was... WOW, the cover art for these books are absolutely stunning!!!
I will say, honestly I loved the book but it was not my favourite, there is definitely some space for development in terms of the pacing of the book and I would love to see some more exploration of the characters in their own respects, especially Maeve's past! . It was a fun and fast paced fantasy, I absolutely loved the consideration of the typical fantasy... creatures? (I think that's the right word) like fae, pheonix etc etc.
Thank you to Lolu Sinclair and NetGalley for the ARC copy!
I will say, honestly I loved the book but it was not my favourite, there is definitely some space for development in terms of the pacing of the book and I would love to see some more exploration of the characters in their own respects, especially Maeve's past! . It was a fun and fast paced fantasy, I absolutely loved the consideration of the typical fantasy... creatures? (I think that's the right word) like fae, pheonix etc etc.
Thank you to Lolu Sinclair and NetGalley for the ARC copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was feral after book one, so I went into this sequel SO excited—and while I loved being back in this world, it didn’t fully hit for me. 💔
The reincarnated soulmate angst + past lives concept? Still SO good 😭🔥 But Asher’s “pushing her away to protect her” act crossed into frustrating, and I wanted way more from Maeve (girl has POWER—let her use it!).
That said… I’m absolutely reading book 3. The plot still has me hooked, the world is fascinating, and I NEED answers. 👀🐦🔥
The reincarnated soulmate angst + past lives concept? Still SO good 😭🔥 But Asher’s “pushing her away to protect her” act crossed into frustrating, and I wanted way more from Maeve (girl has POWER—let her use it!).
That said… I’m absolutely reading book 3. The plot still has me hooked, the world is fascinating, and I NEED answers. 👀🐦🔥
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews