Moontangled by Stephanie Burgis on Feb 3 2019
Also by this author: Snowspelled, Thornbound, Scales and Sensibility, Good Neighbors: The Full Collection, Touchstones: A Collection
Genres: Romance, Fantasy
Pages: 71
Format: ebook
Goodreads
Take one ambitious politician and one determined magician with wildly different aims for their next meeting.
Add a secret betrothal, a family scandal, and a heaping of dangerous fey magic in an enchanted wood...and watch the sparks fly!
For just one moonlit, memorable night, Thornfell College of Magic has flung open its doors, inviting guests from around the nation to an outdoor ball intended to introduce the first-ever class of women magicians to society...but one magician and one invited guest have far more pressing goals of their own for the night.
Quietly brilliant Juliana Banks is determined to win back the affections of her secret fiancée, rising politician Caroline Fennell, who has become inexplicably distant. If Juliana needs to use magic to get her stubborn fiancée to pay her attention...well, then, as the top student in her class, she is more than ready to take on that challenge!
Unbeknownst to Juliana, though, Caroline plans to nobly sacrifice their betrothal for Juliana's own sake - and no one has ever accused iron-willed Caroline Fennell of being easy to deter from any goal.
Their path to mutual happiness may seem tangled beyond repair...but when they enter the fey-ruled woods that border Thornfell College, these two determined women will find all of their plans upended in a night of unexpected and magical possibilities.
Moontangled is Stephanie Burgis’ latest Harwood Spellbook novella. She offered to send me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I love the series so I didn’t need to think hard about that one.
Moontangled follows Juliana and Caroline, a couple we’ve seen in the previous books, but who now get the center stage. After the events in Thornbound, things changed for the girls; positively for Juliana, who finally got to learn magic, and negatively for Caroline, whose reputation was shattered. Their new situations cause a rift between them. When they see each other again after a long time apart, it’s time to speak out their thoughts.
First off, Juliana and Caroline are incredibly cute together. I mean, look at the cover. Ravven (the cover designer) did a wonderful job. But even in the previous books I loved them together. I’m clearly not the only one who wants them to be together, because other people have been asking for more about the girls, and even the fey get involved when Caroline wants to break off the engagement.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but if you know Stephanie’s style you know there will be a happy ending. This doesn’t mean she won’t throw her characters under a bus. Passionate emotions fill these pages and Stephanie is a damn fine writer. She knows how to convey their thoughts and feelings without using too many words. She picks the right ones. Still, the only downside is that there isn’t more. With another Harwood Spellbook novella finished, I eagerly await the conjuring of the next.
I give Moontangled five stars. It’s another delightful installment of the Harwood Spellbook series. Definitely recommended for lovers of the regency era, romance, and fantasy. You’re in for a real treat!
Read my reviews of the previous Hardwood Spellbook Novellas: Snowspelled, Spellswept, and Thornbound.
