Category: New To Me Author

Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis

On By TracyIn Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Enchanting the Fae Queen (Queens of Villainy, #2)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. *

The Duke’s Meddlesome Matchmaker by Emily E K Murdoch

On By TracyIn Contemporary in Period Dress, Georgian Era (1714-1837), New To Me Author, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Duke's Meddlesome Matchmaker (The Unconventional Oliver Sisters, #1)The Duke’s Meddlesome Matchmaker by Emily E.K. Murdoch

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Unconventional Oliver Sisters #1

Release Date: January 27, 2026

After the death of her father, the Oliver sisters, Aphrodite “Ditty”, Thalia and Calliope, moved to London with their heartbroken mother. Ditty soon realized that they were left penniless and that their mother was too caught up in her grief to form any sort of plan, so Ditty did what she does best – plan! She started a business designing and planning the perfect marriage proposal, despite not being a fan of love matches or romantic love in general. Business is good and she has an exceptional success rate, but when she refuses a commission, the spurned client makes a lot of noise and she accepts a job outside of London to let things calm down.

She travels to the small village of Brexley, which apparently is “The Home of Romance” to meet her new client Mr. Charles Paisley. But it isn’t Charles who picks her up from the Coaching house – it is his older brother Henry, the town doctor and newly minted Duke of Glanyrafon. After a bit of miscommunication and more than a little rudeness on Henry’s part, Ditty is relieved to realize that he is not her client. She tries to ignore her attraction to him and gets to work planning the perfect proposal for Charles and his (hopefully) soon to be fiancée. As she settles into town, Henry tries to make amends for his terrible behavior when they first met and slowly the two form a friendship. Henry inherited the title only to learn that it was penniless, but he had already opened a retirement home for the elderly residents of Brexley. He has been quietly struggling to keep the home afloat until Ditty offers to help him. Henry has been burned by love, and it has made him a bit jaded, but with Ditty he realizes that he gave his heart to the wrong woman. He would love to woo Ditty, but he has nothing to offer her other than his heart.

After reading the blurb, I was very excited to jump right into this book as it sounded amazing. I started reading and almost immediately realized that the title of the book is deceiving – Ditty is not a matchmaker, she plans proposals – which seems a bit unbelievable, especially for the Regency era. The further I got into the story, the more disillusioned I became – the story is fine, but the idea of three sisters with mythological names making their own way seemed very familiar and as I read it became clear that this book is a contemporary in period dress – there is nothing even remotely historical about this book other than the characters wear period clothing, ride in carriages and have no electricity, they do not observe the properties of the era, or even basic etiquette. Overall, I guess I am just too picky, if you don’t get hung up on historical etiquette, primogeniture, or correct formal address, you will probably enjoy this story. For me, it was a miss, I didn’t hate it and I liked the author’s writing style, but I wouldn’t read it again and I don’t think I will be reading any future installments of this series.

*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. *