Series: Regency Faerie Tales, #1
Traits & Tropes: titled hero; grumpy hero; unconventional heroine
Publication Date: 04.05.22
Genre/Setting: Historical/Paranormal; Regency; London, England
Heat Level: 0
Rating: 3.5/5
Since she was cursed by a faerie as a young girl, Theodora Ettings has been different. She doesn’t feel things as others do. Things such as embarrassment or fear, leaving her woefully inept at propriety and always a breath away from inadvertently causing a scandal. When her cousin insists Dora accompany her for the London season, she hopes to be a quiet wallflower. Instead, she meets the uncouth and ill-mannered Lord Sorcier and finds herself drawn into his strange world of faerie affairs and charity work.
Dora may yet be able to establish a place for herself in the world if her reputation can survive her innate strangeness and her rapidly forming attachment to a man who is not well-liked among the ton. The more time she spends with Elias Wilder, coming to know the true man behind the waspish façade, the more she realizes she can fall in love even without her entire soul.
This book took a surprisingly darker turn near the end that I wasn’t expecting, and I think, for me, the entire tone of the story is something I would’ve preferred as an adult romance with gothic or dark tendencies rather than YA. The ending did feel a bit rushed to me, especially the bits that occurred in faerie and I was left wanting more of Elias and Dora together. The romance definitely took a backseat here to the mysterious and magical elements, and yet, somehow, the plot was still compelling enough to keep me engaged and wanting to read more. The tension was very well established here, and I was very curious about this version of the Regency world. It definitely left me wanting more romance, but that gothic, menacing vibe was certainly there. I found Elias to be quite compelling as a hero and I enjoyed the way he and Dora influence each other for the better. I really wanted to see Dora’s awful aunt get more of a set down, preferably from Elias, and I think I would’ve enjoyed this a bit more as an adult romance, but otherwise I liked this setting and the characters and I think it’s a great and slightly spooky fall read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4135187925
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4921865093
Comments
Post a Comment