Series: The Faery Rehistory, #2
Traits & Tropes: forced proximity; enemies to lovers; arranged marriage
Genre/Setting: Historical Fantasy/Steampunk; Victorian; Ireland
Publication Date: 10.13.20
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Rating: 4/5
After the fierce battle between the modern and ancient peoples of Ireland, smuggler Duncan O’Malley is forced by his cousin, Queen Isolde, to take over the fairy throne as King Finvara. He’s completely out of his depth attempting to foster peace and when he’s further instructed to marry the daughter of Ireland’s enemy, the King of Iceland’s Shadow Elves, Finvara is done being agreeable and draws the line, hosting the princess as a political hostage instead.
Princess Koli is deeply offended at this rejection and determined to seek revenge. It doesn’t take her long to learn of a plot that will quickly see her goal realized. Ancient and powerful Druid Far Dorocha is fed up with his long life of servitude to the queens of Finvara and to usurp Finvara’s rule, unite with the elves and lead them, along with the fairy population, into war against Ireland. Koli is the perfect ally.
This is the perfect revenge she wanted, but when Koli comes to know him, she realizes Finvara is nothing like she thought him to be. She develops an uneasy friendship with him which she suspects could become much more, but she must choose between the manipulative father she has always loyally served and the man who has helped her come into her own as an individual.
This book had a bit of everything: reimagined history, a very steampunk, fantasy feel, and lots of references to both Celtic and Icelandic folklore. Duncan was in so far over his head with his unexpected leadership role and the high level of responsibility that came with it and no training whatsoever. It’s no wonder he struggled. Koli was full of anger and determined to hate him, while Duncan mostly just resented being forced into anything else, along with all the other changes in his life. I loved the parts in which Duncan and Koli worked together as a team, I just wish we’d had more of those moments. As it was, even as they grew closer and their relationship developed into something real and strong, Koli and Duncan didn’t really have much time together at all. I also felt bad for Duncan given how much happened at his expense; Koli helping and saving him was cute and endearing, but I wanted him to have more opportunity to prove himself as well. The final battle scenes were gripping and kept my attention, but at the same time, Koli’s actions at this point felt just a bit repetitive for me and it seemed like a lot of story/myth/legend was getting stuffed into not a lot of book when it could’ve been better served with a bit more fleshing out perhaps. Beyond that, I really loved the relationship growth and repair, as well as respect, we saw in the end between Duncan and his father, the Earl of Mayo. For some reason that relationship was very endearing to me. Overall, even though I wanted a bit more relationship development to be shown between Koli and Duncan (especially on Koli’s part), I enjoyed this story immensely. I’m enthralled with this concept and excited to see where the series goes next.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4269828784
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3236158869
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