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Chloe Cullen

@infinitybooks

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NZ 🇳🇿
Author of: At the Mercy of Midnight. Re-publishing Nov 2026!

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🗡 Current Read 🗡

At the Mercy of Midnight by @infinitybooks

I'm about halfway through and absolutely loving it so far. Such a fantastic story with some of my favorite tropes:

Rivals to Lovers
Slow Burn
He Falls First
Forced Proximity
Unstable Magic

It's literally past 2 A.M. here and I struggling to sleep because I am so invested. But, alas, my children will be up soon so I must call it a night.

QOTD: What was the last book you read that kept you up at night?

#atthemercyofmidnight #chloecullen #rivalstolovers #hefallsfirst #forcedproximity

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romanticising my monday morning because apparently drinking a coffee in front of my bookshelf makes me feel like a woman who has her life together ☕📚

what is everyone reading this week? I have a few books on the go!

The Ritual by @shantel_tessierauthor (I have some bad influence friends who are TAGGED) 🤭
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱ 77% completed

At The Mercy of Midnight by @infinitybooks (Arc)
▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 25% completed

Also starting Saving 6 by @authorchloewalsh this week for my buddy series read with @bibixbooksxtea 🥰 but that’ll be done on audio I reckon!

Whats on your TBR this week?

coffee mug by @klayhouse.studio 🥹 I can’t wait to go back so I can buy more mugs! I absolutely adore this one and I use it to death!

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #readingupdate #tbr

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AND WE’RE BACK, BABES! 🖤📚

After a long two weeks, we’re finally getting back into the swing of things! Many of you know Linds was impacted by the hurricane and spent several days without power while caring for a sick baby and wrangling a rogue toddler. 🫪

Thankfully, the power is back on, and we’re ready to get back to our regularly scheduled programming!

📚 LINDS Last: Brighter Than the Stars @elizabethoroark  Now: Beneath the Midnight Moon @catherinecowlesauthor  Next: Down Bad @authorbrittaneenicole

📚 MADS Last: In Concert @writercolleenoakley  Now: Alchemised @senlinyuwrites  Next: At the Mercy of Midnight @infinitybooks

💭 What are you reading right now? 🫶🏻

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dark academia books? in autumn? groundbreaking.

check out these brilliant and woefully underrated dark academia titles, perfect to read by candlelight with a cup of tea at your side 🕯️🍂📕

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I'm about 35% of the way through, and Silas's secret hopes are already wrapping their way around my heart. I can't decide if Silas is Indiana Jones or Rick O'Connell (or Ardeth Bay, my personal obsession 🤣.) But it doesn't matter. Because I, and Amelia, win either way!

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𝓐𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓞𝓯 𝓜𝓲𝓭𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓫𝔂 𝓒𝓱𝓵𝓸𝓮 𝓒𝓾𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓷 🗡️🏛️✨

THE MUMMY meets academic rivals, ancient magic and a six-foot-four platinum blonde man with a CHEST TATTOO. Need I say more?

Well, actually, yes. Because At the Mercy of Midnight by Chloe Cullen deserves SO much more attention. 🖤

Having first read the indie version, seeing this story picked up by a publisher has been such a lovely thing to witness. And after finishing it this weekend, I need more people to discover it!

Amelia and Silas are academic rivals who have spent nine years clashing, only to find themselves forced to work together on a dangerous archaeological expedition involving ancient mysteries, unstable dark magic and creatures lurking in the darkness.

The world-building is incredible, and the magic system is unlike anything I’ve read before. The whole adventure gave me ALL the Mummy movie vibes.

Amelia is intelligent, capable and utterly steadfast, with a determination that refuses to let anyone underestimate her. You can also feel that she’s carrying something painful beneath the surface.

And SILAS. 🫠 Platinum blonde, 6’5, cocky, ridiculously intelligent, quick-witted, infuriatingly good at reading people and an absolute menace when it comes to banter.
The chemistry between these two had me hooked, and let’s just say that discovering what’s really going on inside that man’s head was one of my favourite parts of the book.

The adventure, the mystery, the twists, the betrayals... and THAT CLIFFHANGER?! DIABOLICAL. My heart is broken, I have approximately seventeen questions, and I need book two immediately. 😭

If you love The Mummy, academic rivals, ancient mysteries, a unique magic system and a slow burn that makes you want to scream into a pillow, PLEASE put this on your TBR!

🖤 Full review available via the link in my bio!

Pub date: 13th Nov

thank you @canelo_co and @infinitybooks for sending me an early copy of this book 🫶🏼

#AtTheMercyOfMidnight #ChloeCullen #FantasyRomance #booksta #bookreview AcademicRivals • SlowBurnRomance • Bookstagram UK •Book Recommendations • book review • bookstagram • fantasy book • dark academia book • romatasy

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My Ten Before The End…

Our Dark Incantations by Wanda Hellmund

At the Mercy of Midnight by Chloe Cullen

Soul Sworn by Kate Dylan

Gravespell by James Trevino and Elizabeth Sagan (ARC)

Cursed City by Kate Golden

Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

The Blood Plagues by Anavrin Jay

Innamorata by Ava Reid

Florescentia by I.V. Ophelia

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

Which one should I read first? 👀👀👀

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This book stole my heart! I couldn’t put it down! The writing is an intoxicating mix of vivid descriptions, layered emotions with delicious moments of sweet yearning, pulse-spiking action, complex family dynamics, chef kiss banter, and a cliffhanger ending that has me needing book two pronto! At the Mercy of Midnight by Chloe Cullen follows two academic rivals who on a field expedition accidentally touch a relic and are then magically bonded, forcefully connecting at every midnight. Amelia and Silas give me Rick and Evie from “The Mummy” vibes and I can’t get enough of them! I am a sucker for the intellectual, sarcastic banter, which is the pairs main method of communication. I adored how the banter was juxtaposed with such sweet and tender yearning! The magic system was unique, multifaceted, yet easy to digest. I particularly loved the Monoliths, Arcane crystals, Waystones (magical traveling system) , and the Wayglass (mirror communication device). I cannot recommend enough and am eagerly await book two!

Themes/Tropes:
-Dark Academia
-Rivals-to-lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Chef Kiss Banter
-He Falls First
-Yearning
-Ancient ruins, temples, glyphs
-Fate vs Will

Synopsis:
Two rival scholars.
Amelia and Silas have spent years trying to outsmart one another to unlock the secrets of their world’s unstable magic. Until a fateful discovery ties them together.

Bound by fate.

When an archaeological dig goes awry and they awaken an ancient magical force, Amelia and Silas find themselves transported to each other at midnight. Every night.

A race against time.

Desperate to break the bond, their research uncovers dark and dangerous truths about the magic that sustains them. Now, a secret order is hunting them, their intentions unclear. The already volatile mystical forces are collapsing at an alarming rate, unstitching the fabric of the universe around them, and only Amelia and Silas can stop it – or risk losing more than their freedom.

If they fail, midnight may never come again.

COMING NOVEMBER 3rd!

Thank you to @infinitybooks and @canelo_co for this advance readers copy!

#romantasybooks #romantasyrecs #dramione #themummy romantasyreads

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That’s right! XO is celebrating the release of At the Mercy of Midnight with a dark academia themed party!

Come along and pickup your copy of the book, get it signed by Chloe Cullen, browse goodies from The Capricorn Spirit, get some permanent jewellery from Coveted, enjoy a complimentary themed mocktail, take photos with friends — the list is endless!!

RSVPs are required, please email hello@xobookco.nz to let us know you’re coming 🌃

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🍁🍂 What makes you happy?

Receiving all these amazing books in the mail makes me happy! Especially before a cosy autumn evening.

- At the Mercy of Midnight (ARC) by @infinitybooks @canelo_co

- The Soulmate Bakery by @safaswritings @penguinukbooks @ninacdouglas

- The Pools by @elockhartbooks @hotkeybooks

- An Edge Sharp Enough by @jesseqsutanto @daphne.press

Thank you so much to all the publishers and Authors for these incredible books.

Ad/gifted
#books #bookhaul #autumnvibes #bookstagram

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I am notoriously terrible at remembering which books on my tbr I want to prioritise, so I’m hoping this list will help! Until I forget I made the list of course 😆 BUT here is my ‘ten before the end’: the ten fantasy and romantasy books I am wanting to read before the end of 2026 🤞🏻

I am practically foaming at the mouth for Under the Iron Sky’s release tomorrow (FINALLYYYYY @at.emerald 😍) so I can at least guarantee I’ll remember that one 😆🙌🏻

And @whatellereadnext will definitely keep me on track for our buddy read of WTMH 🥳

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DMATMOOBIL walked so TIUTFFYE could run @brigitteknightley xx

#Dramione #Dracotok #BookstagramUK #DramioneBooks #BookTok

Dramione, Dracotok, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Dramione fanfiction, Dramione books, DMATMOOBIL, Draco Malfoy fanfiction, Hermione Granger fanfiction, Manacled, The Auction, Isolation, Remain Nameless, All You Want, Dramione edits, Dramione TikTok, Harry Potter fanfiction, AO3, bookstagram, booktok, romance books, fantasy romance, romantasy, fanfiction, bookish reels, book community, lockdown reading, 2020 Dracotok, 2026 Dramione

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