Review: Moontangled - Stephanie Burgis

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.

The Harwood Spellbook Series:
Spellswept (Prequel Novella)
Snowspelled
Thornbound
Moontangled (Novella)

Visit Stephanie Burgis' website for more information

Review:
We've met both Juliana and Caroline before so I'd highly recommend reading the previous books in the series before this novella so that you're familiar with their history. Caroline is an aspiring politician with a bright future ahead of her but only if she follows the tradition of marrying a gentleman magician. The slight hitch in that is that she is madly in love with Juliana and the two are secretly engaged. Juliana was one of the first students to join the first magic school for women, the Thornfell College of Magic. Juliana is sure that if she can just pass her exams and officially be recognised as a magician then her marriage to Caroline can go ahead without ruining Caroline's political chances.

A recent scandal has caused Caroline to start pulling away from Juliana though, so just when they're getting close to achieving their dreams it looks like their relationship may be about to fall apart. Juliana is determined to get their relationship back on track but Caroline is trying to protect Juliana's reputation by keeping her distance. One magical night along with one tricky fae and they will either lose each other forever or find their way back to one another.

I'm so happy that Stephanie Burgis decided to give Juliana and Caroline their own story. I've been rooting for the young couple ever since they were first introduced so it was sad to see their respective careers getting in the way of their relationship. Luckily they're both fighters and once they both figure out what is really important nothing is going to change their minds. Juliana and Caroline are a pretty adorable couple but it was also nice to see how supportive Juliana's classmates as well as her teachers are of their relationship.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Blog Tour: Moontangled - Stephanie Burgis

I recently fell in love with Stephanie Burgis' Harwood Spellbook series so I'm thrilled to have a guest post from Stephanie herself to share with you today to help celebrate the release of the latest instalment to the series, Moontangled.

Before I hand things over to Stephanie I want to tell you all about Moontangled though:

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.

The Harwood Spellbook Series:
(Click the links to read my reviews)
Spellswept (Prequel Novella)
Snowspelled
Thornbound
Moontangled (Novella)

Buy-links for Moontangled:
Amazon: http://mybook.to/moontangled
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/moontangled
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moontangled-stephanie-burgis/1135968048?ean=2940163435005
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/moontangled-a-harwood-spellbook-novella/id1493756508
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/998654

Now please help me give a very warm welcome to Stephanie!

Writing for Comfort and Joy – a guest post by Stephanie Burgis

Eleven years ago, just after I’d sold my first three books and had my first baby, I signed up for an online marketing course. Sadly, with a brand-new baby in my arms (almost non-stop!) and an average of four hours of sleep on a good night, I ended up dropping out of that course after just a few sessions…but the very first worksheet I filled out for it included a question that changed my whole career.

The question was: What is your mission statement as a writer?

Honestly, that would have been a challenging question to answer even if I hadn’t been sleep-deprived and hormonal at the time! But I finally figured out the true answer…and ever since, I’ve come back to it again and again. It’s formed the true north on my internal compass every time I’ve ever needed to figure out which projects I should work on next.

I want to write books that provide escape, comfort, fun and empowerment for my readers.

It’s a simple truth, but for me, it’s been a powerful one – and it’s never been more relevant than with my Harwood Spellbook series, which I first sank into as my own escape when I was feeling overwhelmed with despair about real-world politics.

Snowspelled, Spellswept, Thornbound, and now Moontangled, too, are all stories set in my world of 19th-century Angland, which is ruled by a powerful Boudiccate of women. They’ve traditionally left magic to the gentlemen…but of course, even when gender binaries are flipped, they’re still not good for everybody. So a succession of fabulous, strong-minded heroines have stepped forward in my Harwood Spellbook stories to question all of those established certainties in a series of romantic fantasy adventures full of elves, trolls, dangerous fey, comedy, and - of course! - sweeping and joyful romance, every time.

The characters of Juliana Banks and Caroline Fennell first appeared in Snowspelled and Thornbound as a couple whose secret betrothal inspired the creation of Cassandra Harwood’s groundbreaking Thornfell College of Magic for Young Women. They were originally intended to be side characters, but I absolutely fell in love with them both as their arc progressed behind the scenes of Cassandra’s story - and over and over again, I heard from readers who wanted to read Juliana and Caroline’s story.

I knew from the beginning that they both needed and deserved a happy ending. I also knew, though, that two such strong-minded and brilliant women, with different but equal skills in their own areas (magic and politics, respectively) were certain to strike sparks at some point in their relationship – so my only remaining question was: where would be the most fun setting for those unresolved differences to finally explode?

Why, in the midst of a magical outdoor ball, of course! It’s full of fabulous dresses, literal fireworks, and an enchanted woods where powerful fey lurk off the established paths.

I had so much fun tossing Caroline and Juliana off their own safely established path and into a wildly romantic adventure that tests their relationship and all of their astonishing skills as well. I really hope my readers will have fun reading about it, too!

Over and over again in my life, I’ve been saved in my own darkest times by the books that have given me comfort, joy, escape when I needed it, and a sense of hope.

My greatest hope for my own books is that they can give those same gifts to my readers.

About Stephanie:

Stephanie Burgis was born in Michigan but now lives in Wales, surrounded by castles and coffeeshops. She writes wildly romantic adult historical fantasies, including the Harwood Spellbook Series and also Masks and Shadows. She also writes fun, funny fantasy adventures for MG readers, including the Dragon with a Chocolate Heart trilogy and the Kat, Incorrigible trilogy. You can find out more (and read excerpts from all of her books) at: www.stephanieburgis.com


I'd like to say a huge thanks to Stephanie for stopping by my blog today with such a fabulous guest post! I definitely think it shows when authors write the kind of books they love to read and your stories are just magical.

Review: Thornbound - Stephanie Burgis

Cassandra Harwood scandalized her nation when she became the first woman magician in Angland. Now, she's ready to teach a whole new generation of bright young women at her radical new school, the Thornfell College of Magic…

Until a sinister fey altar is discovered in the school library, the ruling Boudiccate sends a delegation to shut down Thornfell, and Cassandra’s own husband is torn away from her.

As malevolent vines slither in from the forest and ruthless politicians scheme against her, Cassandra must fight the greatest battle of her life to save her love, her school, and the future of the young women of Angland.

The Harwood Spellbook Series:
Spellswept (Prequel Novella)
Snowspelled
Thornbound
Moontangled (Novella)

Visit Stephanie Burgis' website for more information

Review:
Thornbound is the second book in the Harwood Spellbook series by Stephanie Burgis and we get to see Cassandra fulfilling her dreams as she opens the door to her new school for female magicians, the Thornfell College of Magic. Cassandra has had a lot of support from her family and her husband to open the school but it quickly becomes clear that a lot of people in positions of power are not happy with her attempting to change the status quo. It's so engrained in society that women are politicians while men are magicians and people are worried that rocking the boat with this new college will have all kinds of implications for the future.

Cassandra has never been one to back down from a challenge but when the Boudiccate send a team of inspectors who are essentially looking for excuses to shut down the college she knows she's really up against it. Then a sinister fae altar is found in the school library proving that someone has been dabbling in forbidden magic, and Cassandra's husband goes missing she starts to wonder if her own dreams are costing the ones she loves a price that she's not willing to pay.

I'm really enjoying this series and I hope that we're going to see more of Cassandra as well as the staff and students at Thornfell College in the future, I'm sure there are all kinds of adventures they could get up to! I think what I like most about this series is how it turns rules of society as we know them on their head, it's the men who have to watch their reputations as being alone with a woman could ruin their reputations and it its the women who have most of the power. But while it's fun to see that switch up I also like the way Cassandra and her students are challenging societal norms to follow their dreams. We've seen Cassandra and her brother both make choices that are looked down on from some quarters but they never gave up and now they're giving a whole new generation the ability to follow in their footsteps.

This series is brilliantly written with inspiring characters and a fun magical setting. Adding in the tricky Fae only adds to the excitement as you really never know what one of them will try next, especially if they're making dodgy bargains with people.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Spellswept - Stephanie Burgis

In the world of the Harwood Spellbook, 19th-century Angland is ruled by a powerful group of women known as the Boudiccate - but in order to become a member of that elite group, any ambitious young politician must satisfy tradition by taking a gentleman mage for her husband.

Amy Standish is a born politician...but Jonathan Harwood is her greatest temptation. On the night of the Harwoods' Spring Solstice Ball, in an underwater ballroom full of sparkling fey lights and danger, Amy will have to fight the greatest political battle of her life to win a family and a future that she could never have imagined.

It will take an entirely unexpected kind of magic to keep everything from crashing down around her.

The Harwood Spellbook Series:
Spellswept (Prequel Novella)
Snowspelled
Thornbound
Moontangled (Novella)

Visit Stephanie Burgis' website for more information

Review:
Amy is an orphan but she managed to earn a job as personal assistant to Miranda Harwood, a respected member of the Angland parliament. As she's a natural politician it is expected that Amy will follow in her mentor's footsteps and join the Boudiccate but to do that first she must marry a respected magician. Tonight at the Harwood's Spring Solstice Ball she is expected to announce her engagement but really her heart is set on the one man she can never have, Miranda's son Jonathan. It would be a respectable match if only Jonathan hadn't refused to train as a magician, instead preferring to focus his studies on history. Now Amy needs to decide whether to follow her head or her heart, or perhaps she can figure out a way to get everything she's ever wanted.

Although Spellswept is technically a prequel to the Harwood Spellbook series I actually read it after reading the first book, Snowspelled, and I think I enjoyed it all the more because I was already familiar with the characters involved. It was lovely to see the beginning of Amy and Jonathan's relationship first hand and I also really enjoyed getting to meet a teenage version of Cassandra. I love the sibling relationship between Jonathan and Cassandra, he is so protective of his sister and a lot of the life choices he's made become much clearer when Amy discovers a huge secret that Cassandra has been keeping.

Stephanie Burgis has created a really fun world for her historical fantasy series, one where the sensible women are in charge of the government while the more whimsical and emotional men are free to pursue careers as magicians. The gender lines are firmly drawn but the complete opposite to what we're used to and it's really refreshing to see such a different take on society.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Snowspelled - Stephanie Burgis

In nineteenth-century Angland, magic is reserved for gentlemen while ladies attend to the more practical business of politics. But Cassandra Harwood has never followed the rules...

Four months ago, Cassandra Harwood was the first woman magician in Angland, and she was betrothed to the brilliant, intense love of her life.

Now Cassandra is trapped in a snowbound house party deep in the elven dales, surrounded by bickering gentleman magicians, manipulative lady politicians, her own interfering family members, and, worst of all, her infuriatingly stubborn ex-fiancé, who refuses to understand that she’s given him up for his own good.

But the greatest danger of all lies outside the manor in the falling snow, where a powerful and malevolent elf-lord lurks...and Cassandra lost all of her own magic four months ago.

To save herself, Cassandra will have to discover exactly what inner powers she still possesses – and risk everything to win a new kind of happiness.

A witty and sparkling romantic fantasy novella that opens a brand-new series for adults from the author of Kat, Incorrigible, Masks and Shadows and Congress of Secrets.

The Harwood Spellbook Series:
Spellswept (Prequel Novella)
Snowspelled
Thornbound
Moontangled (Novella)

Visit Stephanie Burgis' website for more information

Review:
Snowspelled is a novella set in 19th Century Angland, a kind of alternate history of our own world but with added fae and magic. Also this is very much a matriarchal society so if you've been looking for a feminist historical romance this will hit the spot perfectly!

It was a truth universally acknowledged that women were the more pragmatic sex; that was why we were expected to run the government, while the men attended to the more mystical and imaginative realm of magic.

In this world the women are the politicians, they make the rules and govern society while the men engage in more frivolous pursuits like magic. Cassandra Harwood's mother was a respected politician and Cassandra was expected to follow in her footsteps but she was always more interested in magic. It took hard work but she finally achieved her lifetime dream of becoming the world's first female magician, she had everything she wanted in her career and was engaged to the love of her life, fellow magician Wrexham, but when a spell went horribly wrong her world came crashing down around her. Now unable to use magic Cassandra has lost her purpose in life and she broke off her engagement because she didn't want to bring Wrexham down with her.

Several months later Cassandra finds herself trapped at a house party and completely out of her comfort zone surrounded by lady politicians, who should be her peers but aren't, and male magicians, who used to be her colleagues. To make matters worse Wrexham is stubbornly following her around trying to convince her to change her mind about their relationship and she also seems to have caused a bit of bother with the local elves that could cause a political nightmare.

Snowspelled was an utterly charming story by Stephanie Burgis, the world building was fabulous, full of diverse characters and feminist themes, the characters were fun to spend time with, there was a good amount of action and the romance was incredibly sweet. I was amazed how much the author managed to pack into a relatively small number of pages and I'm already looking forward to continuing the series.

Source: Won in a giveaway from the author

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