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Regency Faerie Tales by Olivia Atwater – Blog Tour Series Review
I’m absolutely delighted to be on the blog tour for this charming and comforting book series set in the Regency period with the hunt for a suitable match very much the order of the day – but with added faeries. Please do skim read the later synopses to avoid slight spoilers for the earlier books.
About the Books
Book 0.5 – The Lord Sorcier
(Novella – included in the back of Half a Soul)
How the Lord Sorcier came to get that title. Focuses on his relationship with his best friend in the midst of battle with the French.
Book 1 – Half a Soul
It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment – a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season – but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.
If Dora’s reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.
Bridgerton meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.
Book 1.5 – The Latch Key
The Lord Sorcier ponders fatherhood whilst remembering his own childhood with a faerie father.
Book 2 – Ten Thousand Stitches
(Novella – download after newsletter signup)
Faerie godfathers are supposed to help young ladies find love. Unfortunately, no one told Lord Blackthorn that.
Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There’s only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke’s heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.
Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days – and ten thousand stitches – to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn’t wreck things by accident, that is.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a whimsical faerie tale set in a magical version of Regency England, with an enchanting Cinderella twist.
Book 3 – Longshadow
Proper Regency ladies are not supposed to become magicians – but Miss Abigail Wilder is far from proper.
The marriageable young ladies of London are dying mysteriously, and Abigail Wilder intends to discover why. Abigail’s father, the Lord Sorcier of England, believes that a dark lord of faerie is involved – but while Abigail is willing to match her magic against Lord Longshadow, neither her father nor high society believe that she is capable of doing so.
Thankfully, Abigail is not the only one investigating the terrible events in London. Mercy, a street rat and self-taught magician, insists on joining Abigail to unravel the mystery. But while Mercy’s own magic is strange and foreboding, she may well pose an even greater danger to Abigail’s heart.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a queer faerie tale romance full of love and defiant hope. Pick up LONGSHADOW, and return once more to Olivia Atwater’s charming, magical version of Regency England.
About the Author
Olivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn’t what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.
Searching for more Regency faerie tales? Sign up for the Atwater Scandal Sheets at oliviaatwater.com and get ongoing updates, along with the exclusive novella.
What I Thought
Sharing my thoughts in the order I read and the order I also recommend you read them. I have tried to keep these spoiler free although later book reviews may spoil the earlier ones.
In summary I loved how quick these were to read and how well they fitted into the mixed genres. I also really enjoyed the mix of subtle social commentary alongside the romance. I can definitely see me returning to these time and again.
Half a Soul
This was an excellent first book and I loved everything about it. It definitely gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes. The relationships / both romantic and of friendship were engaging and dynamic.
Dora is autistic coded and although there seems to be a quest for a cure to her ‘Half a Soul’ I felt that this was subverted in a positive way.
The mystery of the sleeping sickness amongst the children in the workhouses also added an extra element of suspense and was satisfyingly resolved.
The Lord Sorcier
Definitely read this one after Half a Soul, mainly because it has quite a different feel being a war story and focusing purely on friendship rather than romance. Loved to see more of the history that we got snippets of in Half a Soul.
The Latch Key
Parenting is hard and are we doomed to make the same mistakes our own parents made, or can we learn from them? That’s the theme of this short tale that follows on from Half a Soul.
Ten Thousand Stitches
Initially I was a little unsure about this one but with very appropriate reason as it turns out. I can’t really say why without spoilers but I did ending up loving this too.
This does focus on different characters so could be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed the focus on the serving class too and Downton Abbey vibes were strong here.
Lord Blackthorn made a very engaging faerie godfather and it was fun to learn societal etiquette along with him.
This had a great female friendship in it and the focus on righteous anger concluded in a positive way.
Longshadow
It was great to return to some of the characters from book one, and particularly to see Abigail older. We also have a return to the mystery element of book one as well as a queer romance and magic galore.
Proving oneself to your parents and finding your place in the world also come through as strong themes so I do feel that this one read as the most Young Adult of the three.
Again this can be read as a stand-alone but I think you will get more from it having read Half a Soul first especially as Lord LongShadow first appears as an ominous presence there.
All three female protagonists have agency and inner strength and the romances are swoon worthy but also not about changing the fundamental part of who these women are. Being accepted for your authentic self is a theme that runs through these stories.
If you like the sound of this series here are some more historical fantasy books to check out.
Recommended by Me
Recommended titles in the books
A huge thank you to Tracey at Compulsive Readers and publishers Orbit for the gifted copies for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out the rest of the tour and see what everyone else thought.
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Time After Time by Louise Pentland – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Sometimes you have to go back, to move forwards.
Tabitha is stuck. She still lives in the small town she grew up in . . . the town she’s barely ever left.
So, when her dad drops a bombshell over their weekly Sunday dinner, Tabitha takes a look at her own life. She lives firmly in her comfort zone and doesn’t know how to break out. Sometimes she wishes she should go back and start it all again.
When she meets Bea, a free spirit like no one else she’s ever known with an ‘interesting’ sense of style, Tabitha quickly befriends her, recognising in Bea the change she’s been craving. But soon it becomes clear that more has changed than her new friend. Somehow Tabitha has been transported back to the 1980s.
With the chance to reinvent herself in another time, will Tabitha finally manage to move forward?
About the Author
LOUISE PENTLAND is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Wilde novels trilogy and non-fiction book MumLife. She’s the number one parenting vlogger in the UK, with 9 million combined followers across her social platforms. Louise is the creator and host of the podcast Mothers’ Meeting, where she interviews fellow mums and discusses all things motherhood.
Louise featured on the ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Influencers’ list and was crowned as the number one ‘mumfluencer’ by Mother & Baby. She is also a UN Global Ambassador for Gender Equality and an NSPCC Ambassador for Childhood. Louise has filmed with an array of people, from Kim Kardashian to the Pope at the Vatican. She is also involved in the support and encouragement of childhood literacy with charity Bookstart, alongside Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
Find Louise on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
What I Thought
This book perhaps wasn’t quite was I was expecting going into it but I still enjoyed it and OMG the flashbacks to C&A, coming in from a night out with smoky hair, and shell suits! All of which I do not miss – lol.
Main character Tabitha is 26 and is living a pretty comfortable life. In fact so comfortable that I felt that the character read older than she was. She’s a vintage shop manager with a side hustle as a vintage upcylcler on the gram. She has a boyfriend – David, and there is starting to be talk of babies and marriage.
There’s really two inciting incidents – the first involving a revelation by her dad and the second a time travelling ring.
The time travel aspect was intriguing but it did take a while to get going. There was even a bit where she suddenly went from thinking that what had happened when wearing it was a bit odd, to confessing to her friend she thinks she has magical powers. That actually came a bit out of the blue and had me checking to see if I’d managed to skip a chapter.
The time travel to 1989 is not a permanent thing and instead is something that Tabby can control at will and as such wasn’t used as much as I was anticipating. I also guessed partially why it was happening but the book did manage to add an extra little twist that I didn’t spot until pretty late.
The female relationships were what worked best for me in this book. We had Tabby reconnecting with her mother differently after her dad’s revelation, her best friend Vivi mostly having her back – although there’s tension between them linked to David. And back in the 80s there’s fun and adventurous Bea who I actually liked a lot (and would read more about for sure).
Both inciting incidents do lead Tabby to learn different things and she begins to step outside her comfort zone aided by the female characters around her. I think some reviewers have perhaps felt that Tabby was a little passive but I think that emphasises her character’s arc throughout the book. And who says women have to be entirely independent and oomphy to be valid anyway?
The male characters were also varied – with some of them deserving a slap for their antiquated views – and I’m not talking about the ones from the 80s.
The final 50 pages were pretty emotional as we start to realise how everything across the two time lines fit together.
I almost wish the epilogue hadn’t been included and instead that we would get a follow up following Tabby after the end of the story – and maybe more importantly a prequel focusing on Bea.
Actually randomly I’ve just thought of this comparison – if you like the Mamma Mia movies I think you’d enjoy this.
I received a gifted ARC copy for the purposes of an honest review thanks to Tracy at Compulsive Readers and the publishers. Do check out the rest of the blog tour posts to see what everyone else thought.
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Finding Mr Perfectly Fine by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum’s birthday present to me was the threat that if I’m not engaged by my 30th birthday, she’s sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband
When Zara’s Mum puts together the most archaic of arranged marriage resources (not exactly the romcom-worthy love story she had envisioned for herself), she is soon exhausted by her family’s failed attempts to set her up with every vaguely suitable Abdul, Ahmed and Farook that they can find. Zara decides to take matters into her own hands. How hard can it be to find a husband at twenty-nine?
With just a year to go, time is of the essence, so Zara joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating.
She meets Hamza, a kind British Egyptian who shares her values and would make a good husband. Zara knows that not all marriages are based on love (or lust) at first sight but struggles with the lack of spark. Particularly when she can’t stop thinking of someone else . . .
As her next birthday looms, and family pressure intensifies, Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?
About the Author
Tasneem Abdul-Rashid is a British Bengali writer and podcaster born and raised in London. Having recently completed a Master’s degree in Creative Writing, Tasneem spends her days writing in coffee shops and her nights co-hosting the podcast Not Another Mum Pod. In between she’s busy trying (and often failing) to be super mum, super wife and super chef.
@TasneemARashid
What I Thought
It great to see both a British based rom com and an own voices debut exploring Bengali Muslim culture.
The premise is a great one, a year to find a husband or an arranged marriage it is – and all the pressure that goes with that. External and internal pressures do make you empathise with main character Zara’s internal conflict.
Firstly, I will admit to being a little triggered by this book so that definitely affected my enjoyment slightly. As someone who is involuntarily childless all the talk of dried up eggs definitely cut deep but sadly it reflects the way that slightly older women on the dating scene can be seen by themselves or others – and that needs to start changing.
That is definitely not a reason to settle for anyone though and this is what this book explores. Is it a case of pitching Mr Perfect against Mr Perfectly Fine though – No. But when no one is Mr Perfect and you’ve been hurt before how do you know how much to compromise? Is safety and security enough, does attraction need to come into it at all?
I have to admit to feeling a bit sorry for the male characters at times – shocker and I do slightly wish she had had a little more agency in the eventful conclusion of the story.
However the writing and culture depicted was vibrant and its great to see some familiar locations featured for once. I think it would make a fun movie for sure.
Thanks to Tracey at Compulsive Readers and the publishers for a gifted copy of the book for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out everyone else’s blog posts which I’m sure are more than just fine.
kirstyes 