Historical Paranormal/Fantasy – Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

The Bewitching Miss Blair by Darcy McGuire

Series: The Society of Scandalous Witches, #1

Release Date: March 1, 2026

When Clio Blair’s Uncle Lachlan MacDougal, a superintendent with Scotland Yard asks for her help in solving a murder/missing person case, she is happy to help. Clio has secrets, the main one being she is a fire witch and has the ability to talk to ghosts, so she understands why Uncle Lachlan asked for her help, but what she doesn’t understand is why he also asked Lieutenant General Thomas Grey to assist in the case! She finds the man completely insufferable, but to her dismay, she is attracted to him and for some reason can’t stop thinking about him. She tries hard to keep her secrets from him, but the longer they work together to solve Viscount Beachley’s murder and his wife’s disappearance, the harder it is. Especially when she begins having visions about him and finds herself falling for the last man she should ever want!

Lieutenant General Thomas Grey knows that Lachlan asked for his help because of his connections to the peerage. As the second son of an Earl, he has access to people and places that a commoner like Clio wouldn’t have. He is fascinated by her, but Thomas has his own secrets and knows that he isn’t fit for any woman, least of Clio. He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but as he unravels her secrets and truth about Viscount’s murder starts to come to light, his desire to keep her safe becomes overwhelming, even though it is clear that Clio can protect herself. Can he let himself fall for her, trust her with his truth and have the happily ever that has always evaded him or is he too broken?

I have mixed feelings about this book, on one hand, I loved the magic and the mystery, and I thought the book was well-written. But I wasn’t a fan of some of the story elements – like Clio’s familiar, a raven named Sir Robin Goodfellow – I have no idea why the raven was so nasty and foulmouthed – it made no sense to me, plus it was just hard to believe that it was just accepted that she walked around with a raven on her shoulder in Victorian England. I also felt like the animosity between Clio and Thomas was dragged out for way too long, it made it hard for me to believe they fell in love so quickly when they were so hostile for a good portion of the book. Neither of these things ruined the book for me, but I had a hard time accepting the final outcome of the mystery – I can’t say more without a spoiler, but it just didn’t work for me. Overall, I liked the story and would read the next installment, but I don’t think I would read this book again. If you are looking for a slightly spicy, enemies to lovers story with a paranormal twist and a bit of mystery, then I would suggest giving this book a try.

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

Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Queens of Villainy #2

Release Date: January 27, 2026

The half-fae Queen Lorelei of Balravia has joined forces with Queen Ailana of Nornne and Queen Saskia of Kitvaria to stand against Otto II the emperor of the Serafin Empire. With their magical powers they should easily be able to defeat Otto, but he has a secret weapon – General Gerard de Moireul. Lorelei has matched wits with the General for years and now the time has come to make her move. She kidnaps the General and takes him to Efaelen, the fae realm, thinking her mother, Queen Morgana will be able to assist her in keeping Gerard from leading his troops into battle against her and her fellow Queens of Villainy. But things do not go as planned and soon Lorelei has a new fight on her hands – keeping her emotions in check and her heart in her possession!

After his parents were executed for treason, Gerard de Moireul spent his life being perfect and proving his worth. He has risen through the ranks in the military to become the General of the Empire’s troops and is known throughout the land as the Empire’s Golden Beacon. He has never put a foot out of line and is the total opposite of the wild and irrepressible Queen Lorelei, but despite the fact that they have nothing in common and they are on opposite sides of a coming war, Gerard is captivated by Lorelei and only his careful reserve has kept that a secret. So, when she kidnaps him and they become contestants in the Fae’s Tournament of Leaves, they are forced to work together and walls begin to fall – but will Gerard be willing to give up his hard-won honor for something as fickle as love?

This was well written, cute story with very likable characters and a lot of whimsy. I loved Lorelei and Gerard, they are easy to root for, and their interactions are entertaining without being silly. The story is filled with friendship, magic, glitter, reconciliation, a daring rescue, warm love scenes, witty banter and a happy ending that sets up the next installment. This was new to me author and I liked the writing style, but there were times when I felt like the story veered a bit off track and needed to be reeled in. Overall, it was a fun story, and I was pleasantly surprised by this author. This is the second book in a trilogy, and I hadn’t read the first book, but I was still able to enjoy this story and will definitely be checking out the first book in the series and waiting impatiently for the next installment.

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

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