• Home
    • Contact Me
  • Reading Challenges
    • Pondathon II
    • Completed Challenges
      • CannonballRead 13 Bingo
      • SpringIntoLove Bingo
      • SnowInLove Bingo
      • JingleBooks Bingo
      • FallIntoRomBingo 2020
      • 2020 Ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo
      • 2018 Romance Roundabout Challenge
      • Read Harder 2018
      • January – March 2018 Quarterly Challenge
      • Title Hunt Quarterly Challenge: January – March 2018
      • Cover Hunt Quarterly Challenge: October – December 2017
      • October – December 2017 Quarterly Challenge
      • Ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Series
    • Reviews by Year
      • 2017 Reviews
      • 2018 Reviews
    • Reviews by Rating
  • Rating System

Llama Reads Books

This llama reads - mostly romance, fantasy and science fiction

Reviews

Review: Moontangled – Stephanie Burgis

February 3, 2020 Leave a Comment

Review: Moontangled – Stephanie BurgisMoontangled
by Stephanie Burgis
Series: The Harwood Spellbook #2.5
Also in this series: Snowspelled, Thornbound
Publisher: Five Fathoms Press
Publication Date: February 14, 2020
Genres: Romance
Pages: 71
Source: Publisher

I received an advance review copy of this book from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

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.

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Kobo

Goodreads

4 stars icon f-f fantasy icon Historical icon romance icon


I’m one of the many readers who’s been campaigning for an HEA for Miss Banks and Miss Fennell (aka Juliana and Caroline) since we first met them, and I am oh so happy this book is finally here! This novella is set not too long after the events of Thornbound, and since it references several events that happened in that book, I wouldn’t recommend reading it without having read that book.

“She’d been so young when her family had taught her not to expect any affection to last. But she’d come here to fight for what she wanted—and she did still know that Caroline wanted her, didn’t she?”

Since the events of Thornbound, Juliana’s buried herself in her classwork, partly because she’s delightfully nerdy, partly because she’s overjoyed to finally be learning magic, but mostly because she’s worried over the state of her secret engagement to Caroline. Ever since Caroline’s aunt retired (in rumored disgrace), her letters to Juliana have been… not very loverly. By tradition, politicians (all women) are expected to marry magicians (all male, with one exception), no matter what their personal proclivities are. Cassandra – that one exception – opened up the new Thornfell College of Magic, and it’s only by graduating from there that Juliana can hopefully provide the clout that will let Caroline advance to the highest levels of politics. A ball at Thornfell is the perfect opportunity for them to hash this all out face-to-face… or is it?

“I’ve spent all my life fighting to please the people who were meant to love me, and I can’t do it anymore. I have friends and colleagues now, and they’ve taught me to value myself higher than that.”

This is definitely a story centered around misconceptions where one good conversation would (and does!) clear everything up. The fun is watching the angst and determination of the two women as they try to do what’s best for the other, with the added complication of a Puck-ish Fae helper. Bookish Juliana is perhaps my favorite of the two women, by a slim margin. Scorned and misunderstood by her family for her interest in magic, she’s finally found a place she belongs at Thornfell – and all that’s missing is the love of her life. For Caroline, the realization that her path to political stardom is lost – through no fault of her own – doesn’t bother her as much as it should, or at least nowhere near as much as it bothers her family. Watching Caroline figuring out what she really wants was lovely. It was also wonderful to see the group of women students from Thornbound as friends working together – in one case, to properly attire Juliana before the ball.

Overall, like the previous books, I absolutely adored this one and will be eagerly awaiting whatever comes next for the residents of Thornfell. Highly recommended!

Related Posts

  • The Harwood Spellbook Series
  • By Stephanie Burgis
  • Same Genre
Thornbound
Review: Thornbound – Stephanie Burgis
Snowspelled cover
Review: Snowspelled – Stephenie Burgis
Snowspelled cover
Review: Snowspelled – Stephenie Burgis
Thornbound
Review: Thornbound – Stephanie Burgis
The Butterfly Bride
Review: The Butterfly Bride – Vanessa Riley
On Mission
Review: On Mission – Aileen Erin
Playing House
Review: Playing House – Ruby Lang
Making Up
Review: Making Up – Lucy Parker

You might also enjoy

Her Perfect AffairReview: Her Perfect Affair – Priscilla Oliveras
Pregnant by the PlayboyReview: Pregnant by the Playboy – Jackie Lau
Be My ValentineReview: Be My Valentine – Sean D. Young
Previous:
Excerpt: Candy Hearts – Erin McLellan
Next:
Review: Age of Deception – T.A. White

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me



READING LLAMA

Hi, my name is Lauren, and I’m the Reading Llama! I love reading books. My favorites usually include a female protagonist with at least a little bit of romance.

Twitter    Goodreads    RSS    email

Follow

Currently Reading

May Reviews

The Stardust Thief  by Chelsea AbdullahSomething Wilder by Christina LaurenJust Like Mother by Anne HeltzelForged in Flames by Ali WilliamsA Show for Two by Tashie BhuiyanUnder Fortunate Stars by Ren HutchingsIf You Want Me Close by Skye KilaenBlame It on the Brontes by Annie SerenoThe Prince's Poisoned Vow by Hailey Turner

Recently Read

Goodreads Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Lauren has read 7 books toward her goal of 250 books.
hide
7 of 250 (2%)
view books

Reading Challenges

CBR13 Bingo

CBR13 bingo
July 1 - October 31

hide
12 of 25 (48%)

Badges

25 Book Reviews Reviews Published Professional Reader Frequently Auto-Approved Romanceopoly 2019 Participant

Latest Tweets

Tweets by llamareadsbooks

Archives

Currently Reading

Wanting a Witch Wanting a Witch by Lauren Connolly
Legends & Lattes Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Archives

  • Ghosts, a secret library and magic collide in a dystopian Edinburgh. Highly recommended!
  • This month’s sticker from the #RomStickerClub is super cute and SHINY!
  • Finished up my ARC of Jackie Lau’s His Grumpy Childhood Friend (out this Tuesday) and I loved this quote! “Practice”
  • Starting off with a quote from one of my favorite books, Charlie Adhara’s The Wolf at Bay, second in Big

Categories

  • Book Tour
  • Challenge
  • Cover Reveal
  • Excerpt
  • lol
  • Most Anticipated
  • PondathonII
  • Reviews
  • Sunday Update
  • TBR
  • Uncategorized
  • Wrap-Up

Copyright © 2022 · Dreams Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in