Castle of Dusk and Shadows

Fae of Brytwilde, Book 1

By: Rachel L. Schade

Narrated by: Savy Des-Etages

She'll do anything to save her family—even marry a fae and face the dead.

Years ago, Elle Blackford's parents made a desperate deal with the fae kingdom of Ashwood. While her mother and sisters reconciled themselves to a future among dangerous immortals, Elle and her father studied forbidden magic, hoping to find a loophole.

Until Elle's father died, forcing Elle's sister to marry Prince Fitz, heir of Ashwood. But Elle has a plan to change their fate. She knows that ghosts wander Ashwood Forest until the royal family sends them into the afterlife. Ghosts that can be returned to life, and she's determined to save her father from his premature death. All she needs is powerful magic—magic Prince Fitz possesses.

Taking her sister's place, Elle marries Prince Fitz to steal his power. But in a world of bloodthirsty fae and vengeful ghosts, being a mortal comes with constant risks. As Elle navigates a kingdom of monsters and tragic secrets, she realizes she might not survive to save her family.

The key to her salvation might be her arrogant, cold husband—the one she'd planned to rob and abandon. If only she can trust him.

Pride and Prejudice meets Gothic fae fantasy in this loose retelling, full of plenty of romantic tension (not spice). Immerse yourself in Fae of Brytwilde, a series of standalone fantasy romance novels all set in the same fae world and loosely inspired by Jane Austen's novels.

©2023 Rachel L. Schade (P)2023 Podium Audio

This was an adorable & quick romantacy with no spice and a lovely amount of banter.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

I am a spice girl no question but this book honestly didn't need it. I think the tension did well on its own. It's an enemy to lovers but I felt more like "I hate how much I don't hate you". Honestly I got a lot of Princess Diaries 2 vibes (if you know you know).
If you like romantacy but struggle with the length & amount of world building that is usually in them, this would be a great book for you! It's fast paced but not rushed. There is some world building and magic mechanics but not so much that it is overwhelming.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read it again. I will definitely be continuing with the series.

*Also the narration was really well done 👍

Fantastic read!

Loved this book, it was so well written and the characters were relatable and captivating. It was a fun, clean read! Highly recommend it!

Completely Obsessed!!!

Read, & *loved*, this book earlier this year! Audiobooks give me the perfect way to revisit my favorite stories & I couldn’t wait to jump back into this one! It did not disappoint & I will be returning again & again! ♥️♥️♥️

Great Retelling!!

this book is house of salt and sorrows X pride and prejudice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had a great balance between plot and romance and all of the other elements and it was just very well done!

The characters were so easy to understand and fall in love with

Such a beautiful retelling of pride and prejudice with fantasy. I loved it. The characters were not cringe at all like it usually is with some fantasy books.