Regency Faeries by Olivia Atwater
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.
Book 2 - Ten Thousand Stitches
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.
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.
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.
Review
Who knew that there was a hole in my life and it needed to be filled with regency-era faeries?! It is such an off-the-wall idea that it completely and utterly works as a narrative. I fully immersed myself in the world as I read all three books back to back and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Now, I don't read a lot of romance and the regency era isn't an time period I read alot about but I loved these books and it didn't hurt that the first book ‘Half A Soul’ has shades of Bridgerton to it with all the scheming of the ton and our main character Dora being determined to find her cousin a husband.
Whilst all three books feature the story of a different character it is a world in which we see glimpses of characters and everything links back round to each other. I must say my favourite character was Dora out of all of them due to her feistiness, fierce loyalty and may I say it imposter syndrome. She was closely followed by Abigail whose character arc is featured in the third book. I really enjoyed her queer love story and transgender squeeze! Out of the second book it was Lord Blackthorn, who couldn't love such an earnest and kind guy.
I found these books to be whimsical, fun, funny and sincere! It has all the elements of the regency era mixed in with the supernatural of the faerie world. It's a unique mix, although King George III did believe in faeries so may not be as farfetched as you would think. The world as a reader was fully formed in my imagination from the outset and only got more creative as the books went on. But it was the characters and their stories which made these books for me. They were joyful to read and helped me through a period of sickness the last week!
Let me know if you pick these up!
