Author friend Lyndsey Hall is part of a multi-author collection of fairy tale retellings where the villain gets their own happy-ever-after. I decided to sign up to read the ARCs for the entire series.
About the Book
Falling for the Enchantress by Lyndsey Hall
An ancient witch with a grudge.
A sheriff with something to prove.
An enchantment they’ll come to regret, but never escape.
High Priestess Morgaine has been hiding in plain sight for centuries, using her magic to hide herself and her coven from Prince John’s witch hunters. But when a young witchling is slain by the new sheriff’s men, Morgaine will stop at nothing to get vengeance. She’ll kill every witch hunter in the royal forests, including the cruel and handsome sheriff, and then she’ll find Prince John and cut out his heart for good measure.
Until a protection spell backfires and she finds herself magically bound to her enemy. If he dies, so does she.
Stefano’s only job as the High Sheriff of the Royal Forests is to rid the country of the scourge of witchcraft. Betrothed to Prince John’s daughter, he’s desperate to prove his worth and live up to his name as the Grand Witch Hunter. The only thing standing in his way is the captivating and enigmatic witch he’s now bound to by some twist of fate.
As sparks fly and the sworn enemies grow to grudgingly respect each other, could there be more than pure hatred causing the tension between them?
Falling for the Enchantress is a fairy tale that combines elements of Robin Hood and King Arthur. Set between the events in each of these stories, it is the ninth book in the To Win a Dark Heart series, which retells fairy tales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.
Check it out on Goodreads.
About the Author
Lyndsey Hall lives on the edge of Sherwood Forest, one of the most magical places in England’s history, and the inspiration for her debut novel, The Fair Queen. She grew up surrounded by books, and loved to write from a young age.
She loves to travel and try her hand at new things, but is most at home when curled up in a chair with a cup of tea and a good book, usually accompanied by at least one dog.
Get a FREE book when you join Lyndsey’s email list: https://substack.com/@lyndseyhallwrites
Find her on social media: @lyndseyhall on Instagram and @lyndseyhall_ on TikTok
My Review
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the mashup of Arthurian mythos with that of Robin Hood; the characters felt familiar with bold new twists to them. The worldbuilding made me feel like I was there.
I liked these quotes from Morgaine:
“Widows, spinsters and beggarwomen made perfect scapegoats for the crown. It boiled my blood how disposable we were, and had always been, to powerful and greedy men.”
“I saw something in this new guard, something I knew lay deep within myself. A calculated coldness. He would do anything in his power to achieve his aim, and so would I.”
The unfortunate death that bound the two together along with how the cat acted made me want to cry. And though Stefano was mostly acting out of fear, and possibly grief, he had his moments where one could see a decent man underneath (mostly with the horse) despite his villainous slant. Everyone should be grateful that Morgaine hadn’t gone on a cursing spree…
I would like to see more stories set in this world. Perhaps even a prequel of Morgaine in Arthurian times?
Highly recommended.
*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.
Do you enjoy fairy tale retellings and no-spice fairy tale mash-ups? Have you read anything by this author?
*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*