Book Club Read February: Reign & Ruin by J.D. Evans

I can’t believe we’re already looking ahead to February 2026 — and this one is a big, sweeping, stay-up-too-late kind of read. If you love epic fantasy with slow-burn romance, powerful magic systems, and deeply intelligent characters, this month’s pick is going to have you completely hooked.

For February 2026, the Happily Ever After Book Club will be reading
Reign & Ruin by J.D. Evans, the first book in the Mages of the Wheel series. ✨⚙️

A World Balanced on the Edge of Magic and Ruin

“All magic is beautiful,” she said, “and terrible.”

From the very first page, Reign & Ruin draws you into a world where magic is not just power—but responsibility, sacrifice, and balance.

She is the heir to a Sultanate that once ruled the world: brilliant, controlled, and determined to govern through intellect rather than brute force in a world that doubts her at every turn.
He is an unwanted prince—shaped by violence, feared for his destructive magic, and driven by an unbreakable need to protect his people.

She is order.
He is chaos.

Her light answers his shadow. Her calm meets his restlessness. And together, they represent two halves of a Wheel that is slowly breaking.

Magic is dying. Old faiths are being replaced by science and machines. Forbidden mages—those who wield death—were cast out centuries ago in a brutal war… and now they may be the only hope left.

As political tension rises and a new war looms, these two must decide whether balance can be restored—without destroying themselves in the process.

As always, there’s no rush—read at your own pace and share your thoughts, favourite quotes, and theories in the group whenever you’re ready.