Pages: 118
Series: Stolen Brides of the Fae, Book 1
Genres: Fantasy; Romance; Fae; New Adult; Young Adult; Fairy Tales
Publication date: May 7, 2021
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When a mortal girl steals a necklace from a Goblin, there will be a price to pay…
Esther knows the rules. Don’t talk to the goblins. Don’t look at the goblins. Above all else, don’t buy or trade with the goblins.
Then, one day before market, she sees a young rat faced boy selling a necklace that looks eerily like her mother’s, what’s a young girl to do? Of course she tries to buy it, but he won’t sell it to her. So she steals it because it’s her mother’s necklace.
Lux knows the rules. He’s a jeweler and he can sell his wares to those who want to faithfully buy them. Something doesn’t feel right about selling this particular piece to the beautiful young woman who immediately steals his heart. So he doesn’t.
But when he realizes the mortal girl stole from him, he’s forced to enact magic that can’t be unwritten. Stealing from a goblin always has a price.
Stolen Brides of the Fae is a series of stand-alone short novels written by various romantic fantasy authors who share a passion for fantastical love stories.
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“There is no other way. I have to put a goblin curse on you, but the best I can do is give you time.”
“Time for what?”
His next uttered word sent a chill through her very bones. “To run, Esther of Woolwich. I can only give you time to run.”
Chapter Two
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I enjoyed this story for its slow (for a short story, at least) romance. It’s not love at first sight or best friends to lovers. It’s two people finding themselves in a situation and realizing they can make it work for them if they want to.
Esther grew up knowing that the fae were dangerous and that she should avoid the goblin market. But that doesn’t mean she can stop herself from being drawn to its magnetic pull. Yet even still, Esther wasn’t wholly prepared for what her encounter with the goblins would bring.
This was a cute romance, and I adored this introduction to the series. While these stories can certainly be read in any order as they’re standalone stories, I enjoyed reading the first story in the collection and letting it take me from there.
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*Spoilers ahead*
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“Are you mad?”
“Quite possibly.”
His overly large ears twitched, then laid back against his skull. “Are you dangerous?”
Esther flashed him a bright smile. “Certainly.”
Chapter Three
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There’s no one in this world that was prepared to handle Esther at her most true self. That is, until she meets Lux. And even then he’s not sure what he’s getting himself into when they first meet. Esther is certainly a handful, especially for someone who’s never truly experienced humans before.
But Lux’s calm (for a fae at least) nature is the perfect balm to Esther’s wild spirit. Of course she’s still able to get into trouble. And of course she’s still going to wander – both through the world and through her thoughts. But now she’s got Lux. He’ll always be there for her when she’s back from her wanderings. And even sometimes to save her from them.
Esther and her sister Freya might have grown up being warned away from the world of the fae, but all of Freya’s might and teachings could never contain Esther’s wild spirit. Yet it’s powerful that Freya was able to overcome her fears of the fae to challenge the Goblin King to “save” her sister from the mess she’s found herself in.
We might not get to see Freya’s story here, but Hamm provides it in Of Goblins and Gold. Yet still, then hint of Freya that we see – her rushing to the fae realms to save her baby sister – just goes to show how powerful sisterly love can be.
Plus we get to see a sweet romance build between Lux and Esther.
I see my own inner child in Esther. The child that’s going to run headfirst into adventure even knowing there’s danger ahead. But I also see a little bit of my inner adult in Lux. The person who’s going to at least try to think things through before running off towards the unknown.
Because I could see at least a little bit of myself in both of these characters, I enjoyed getting to see them come together. To learn how to work as a team and trust each other. It truly was a pleasure to read this book and become introduced to this world.
Heck, this story made me believe that I should read more of Hamm’s work. And that’s exactly what I want a short story to do.
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Other reviews for this series:
- Stolen Mage Bride by Sylvia Mercedes (Book 2)
- Stolen Midsummer Bride by Tara Grayce (Book 3)
- Stolen Shadow Bride by S.M. Gaither (Book 4)
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