Title: Stolen Shadow Bride

Author: S.M. Gaither

Pub. Date: May 28, 2021

Pages: TBD

Pub: TBD

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads

A desperate sister. A cold Fae prince. A dangerous trick, and a spark of passion that might set a fragile peace ablaze…
Sephia has always known that her younger sister was destined to wed the prince of the Sun Court.

Long ago, the human kingdom of Middlemage struck a bargain with the neighboring Fae that resulted in peace between them. As part of that bargain, one of the two ruling Fae courts lay claim to a human bride from each new generation. As long as anyone can remember, this is how it has been: The Fae come to take their bride on her eighteenth birthday, the humans allow one to be stolen away, and the peace continues.

Until now.

Until the Sun Prince comes for her sister, and Sephia does the unthinkable: She disguises herself with magic and goes to the altar in her sister’s place.

And she doesn’t intend for her marriage to end happily ever after.

But Sephia soon finds that all is not as it seems within the cruel and sparkling Court of the Sun. The king is sick. Strange shadows paint the halls of his palace, leaving death in their wake. The prince is desperate to find answers, whatever the cost. And Sephia is the wrong bride, but she may be the right woman to help the prince save his world—

That is, if they can somehow find a way to work together… while ignoring the forbidden passion igniting between them.

This will be a mini spoiler free review. Thank you to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you’ve been here for a bit, you’d know that I’ve become such a S.M. Gaither fan. Her books are so good. When I dove into the Serpents and Kings Trilogy, I didn’t know what to expect and it quickly became a favorite. I’ve been working my way through her backlist, because I need it all. So, when the opportunity arose to review her upcoming May release – I jumped. It’s the fourth book in this collaborative series with a bunch of other authors. Short Fae romances that leave you wanting more.

And that’s my only complaint about this book. That it’s short, I want more.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved that it was quick, sweet Fae Fantasy read that just let me transport away for a little while. But true to S.M. Gaither fashion, I feel head over heels for this book and the characters and would gladly read a full-length novel (or novels) about Sephia and Tarron. It was just really good, and cute and sweet. I loved that it just came to life in my mind – I had no trouble imagining things, visualizing the world.

Sephia and Tarron are fun – a little insta-love-y, but honestly, it didn’t bother me. I knew going in, things were going to progress very quickly due the length of this book. But S.M. Gaither handles their expedited love story really well, and you fall for them completely. The sass, the worry, the cooking breakfast in the kitchen scene…

I loved it.

I do really wish this book was longer, but as someone who is often wiped after work, with very little energy to read, I really appreciate the shorter length. I get my fill of Fae, magic, romance and cute moments, without needing to spend hours reading it. This book was just wholly enjoyable, easily bingeable and just so much fun.

And now having read this one, I’m about to go but/pre-order the whole series on Kindle so I can inhale them. I love that this series is going to be 8 books, and 8 different authors contributed. I really can’t wait to read the other books now. I’m definitely recommending these books, and you should definitely check them out.