All’s Fae in Love and War by Lee Nichols

On By TracyIn Audiobook, Contemporary, First Person Narrative, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

All’s Fae in Love and War: Fae Isle Trilogy, Book 1 by Lee Nichols

Tracy’s Rating: 2/2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Fae Isle Trilogy #1

Release Date: May 28, 2026

Pandora Voss is a fairykin on the verge of turning thirty, returning from Boston to her childhood island community with the pressure of manifesting her inherited gift before a looming deadline changes her life. Leo Carter, an antiquarian bookseller with a rare-book-focused gift, comes back to the island on a search that pulls him into Pandora’s orbit despite their unresolved high-school history. Around them is a tight-knit network of family, friends, and townspeople whose everyday routines are intertwined with small enchantments, along with a rotating cast of mischievous fairytale creatures—pixies, gnomes, brownies, and other beings—that complicate life when magic slips its leash.

The story is set on an enchanted island off the coast of Maine where fairykin live with an accepted undercurrent of magic, each person expected to come into a distinct gift by age thirty. Those who do not awaken their power begin to lose their connection to enchantment as memories rewrite themselves into mundane explanations, and extended exposure to magic can have harmful physical effects for the ungifted. When a spell misfires and releases chaotic enchantments and storybook creatures across the island, Pandora and Leo are pushed into an uneasy partnership that sends them through the town’s libraries, boathouses, and community landmarks to contain the fallout, track down the source, and restore balance before the situation escalates.

For me, this landed as a middling listen: the premise and whimsical magic-by-deadline hook kept pulling me along, and I liked how the island’s gifts and creature chaos created a steady sense of motion, but the emotional vibes didn’t always feel as earned as the setup promised. I appreciated the audiobook’s energy—especially the alternating perspectives and the narrators’ commitment to keeping scenes lively—though the production choices and character-voice consistency occasionally took me out of the moment. Overall, it felt like a book with a strong concept and a cozy-romantasy surface that didn’t fully come together in execution, I am sure there are readers who would enjoy this book, but sadly, I am not one of them.

Maybe 2.5 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an ARC / Audiobook that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Deadly Invitation by Christy Carlyle

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Deadly Invitation (Electra Poole Mysteries, #2)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5
Series: Electra Poole Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 2/17/26
Period: Victorian Oxford
Number of Pages: 259

I’ve long been a fan of this author’s historical romances, so I was delighted to find she has also leaped into historical mysteries. I have just completed the first book in the series and could hardly wait to jump into this second one.

While Electra is becoming more comfortable with her gifts, she is still a bit dismayed by all of the attention she is still getting after helping to solve the murder of Lady Becknell. Therefore, she is happy to receive an invitation from her good friend Lady Alice to visit her in Oxford. Electra sensed a bit of worry when she opened the letter, but she’d figure out what, if anything, was wrong when she arrived. Electra and Lady Alice had become fast friends when they attended finishing school together and had remained friends since. Electra looked forward to seeing Lady Alice and her aunt, Lady Dalrymple, who had adopted Electra as an honorary niece.

Electra sensed high tensions among the guests when she arrived, but she had no idea what was amiss. Everyone seemed cordial enough, but there were currents beneath the surface. Then, she discovers that Lady Alice has scheduled a séance – but thankfully, she doesn’t expect Electra to conduct it. No, even stranger. She wants Electra to sit beside her fiancé at the séance, so she will need to hold his hand and perhaps ‘read’ his real intentions for Lady Alice.

When Lady Alice’s fiancé, Lord Lockhart, is found dead before the séance, the constabulary is called. Electra, however, wishes her friend, Gideon Pierce from Scotland Yard, were there. Luckily, Gideon hears of the murder and rushes to Electra’s side, though he cannot officially help unless he is asked to do so by the locals. Happily, that happens, though the local was perfectly proficient at his task. I’m glad the author didn’t make him seem like a bumbling fool.

Solving the murder isn’t easy when everyone has an alibi, and everyone has a motive. It seems Lord Lockhart wasn’t all he should be, and his enemies were many, though everyone said they liked/loved him. With that many enemies – who murdered him? Was it one? Was it all? Goodness, what a tangled web – and then there was a second murder.

I absolutely loved the storyline. The mystery was compelling, well-paced, and excellently delivered. Throughout, I was sure who the murderer was not, but wasn’t quite sure who it was. You’ll enjoy picking through the threads of evidence and trying to fit them into the correct spots in the puzzle, but it isn’t as easy as it seems it should be.

If you enjoy a well-paced historical mystery filled with relatable characters, you’ll enjoy this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Now, on to the third book in the series. Happy Reading!