Fairy Godmother

Review of Lady Agatha Speaks Her Mind by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

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Synopsis:
If anyone else had been her fairy godmother, Lady Agatha’s birthday party would have gone swimmingly.

It really wasn’t Agatha’s fault that she insulted all those guests. After preparing for years to receive a select list of suitors for her charming, fairy-blessed hand, the last thing she wanted to do was alienate the lot of them … but her godmother’s final gift was, well, difficult to control. Now her father doesn’t care that she didn’t mean to call the visiting foreign prince a pathetic little fungus—the damage has been done.

Prince Limplemoyne would’ve been more offended if he was actually attending the party to court Agatha, but that’s not what brought him to these backwoods, fairy-infested mountains. He just wants to find a godmother powerful enough to free him from the royal life he never asked for. But when a mischievous fairy answers his plea in an unexpected way, he finds himself suddenly stuck with the beautiful, sharp-tongued Lady Agatha. Fairies can’t help them get out of this unwanted alliance—they’ll have to stop bickering long enough to figure it out on their own.

Lady Agatha Speaks Her Mind is a no-spice, standalone reimagining of King Thrushbeard, perfect for readers who like both whimsy and comedy in their mutually-annoyed-strangers-to-lovers romance.

Review:
“I can’t abide lying, and you’d gotten so smooth at it—poor thing! I could tell you wanted to speak your mind, so I’m helping you.” (Page 36)

This book was amazing from start to finish. Agatha has a very elevated status given her godmother, but because of it, she’s lived in the sort of box that one reserves for dolls and fine china. Lem has also lived a very closeted life, but how he gained it is quite the opposite sort of luck than Agatha’s. This book is an amazing coming of age story that pushes limits to show that even with gifts, personal abilities and strengths are always stronger than one thinks. Though some characters are very hard to find any redeeming qualities of, it is interesting to see the depth and characterization of some that, along with Agatha, the reader may have overlooked or underestimated. The ending was left rather open, and I very much wish to see more of this world and the future that awaits Agatha and Lem. I found this book quite engaging and found setting it down very difficult.

If you like fairy tale retellings, especially obscure fairy tales, magic, quests, and two characters who realize that they may compliment each other despite their differences, this book is perfect for you.


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Wish List by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
You don’t have to be mad to work at the Office of Faery Godmothers. But you do have to be magic.

Saffron Sawyer is a faery on a mission. She may no longer have the same rose-tinted spectacles about her job as she once did, but she’s still determined to be the best faery godmother that there is. And when she’s given the role as leader of a taskforce designed to hunt down the elusive trolls, she knows it’s her time to step up and be counted.

Juggling her new responsibilities while dealing with difficult clients isn’t easy, however. Danger lurks around every corner – and Jasper, the handsome and powerful Devil’s Advocate, is continually looming over her shoulder in the office.

Can Saffron prove her worth to the world of magic? Or will she make one mistake too many and find herself in mortal danger?

Review:
“Because the only person I’ve seen with a drive and will to succeed that surpasses my own is you,” he said simply. “What you lack in experience, you gain in determination.” (Page 16)

This book showed that Saffron really is willing to go above and beyond to do anything and everything for her clients, which perhaps a cat shaped tattoo should have alerted us to earlier. While Saffron is stuck trying to figure out exactly what Jasper and she want, she’s also stuck trying to take care of a very cantankerous client who refuses to open up, and lead people on a task force that rather refuse to listen to her. Every time Saffron does something serious, she finds herself thinking it’s the end for her faery godmother career. It is so refreshing to see a character who cares that much about everyone–even those that definitely aren’t as welcoming and kind to her(here’s looking at you, Pumpkin).

I couldn’t wait and immediately downloaded (and am currently reading) the next book. I highly recommend this book if you read the first, but by now you know I’m an avid Helen Harper fan, and recommend her for your Modern/Urban Fantasy reads.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯