It’s difficult when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.

It’s difficult when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.

Our pick of Sweet and/or Clean Romance for today,
April, 2nd, 2020.

Delightful historical romance with a superb fantasy twist.  Half a Soul (Regency Faerie Tales Book 1) is a perfect way to escape into Regency England… a world filled with faeries and curses. Enjoy this fantastic, beautiful and immersive romance in this debut novel from Olivia Atwater.

Grab your copy today for just 99c or FREE on KU!
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Half a Soul

It’s difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you’re a young lady with only half a soul.

Ever since a faerie cursed her, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear, embarrassment, or even happiness—a condition which makes her sadly prone to accidental scandal. Dora’s only goal for the London Season this year is to stay quiet and avoid upsetting her cousin’s chances at a husband… but when the Lord Sorcier of England learns of her condition, she finds herself drawn ever more deeply into the tumultuous concerns of magicians and faeries.

Lord Elias Wilder is handsome, strange, and utterly uncouth—but gossip says that he regularly performs three impossible things before breakfast, and he is willing to help Dora restore her missing half. If Dora’s reputation can survive both her ongoing curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world… but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

Pride and Prejudice meets Howl’s Moving Castle in this enthralling historical fantasy romance, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mama. Pick up Half a Soul, and be stolen away into debut author Olivia Atwater’s charming, magical version of Regency England!

What the Reviews Say

Pleasantly engaging and difficult to put down once you begin, Half a Soul is light and enjoyable romance that surprisingly touches on the evils of polite society of the time and on the lives of the neurodivergent.  

The characters are all well-developed and realistic, especially Lady Carraway, who acts as a human version of a fairy godmother to Dora. The world they live in is based on Regency London, except with the presence of magic and fairies. I was impressed with the high degree of historical accuracy, and the seamless way that the magic was integrated into the world. 

Atwater does a beautiful job of creating a pair of sibling worlds, where the parallels are visible, but the differences extreme. Sometimes brutal. And often strange, but in a fantastic way.

I appreciated that the romance between the main characters was grounded in their desire to be equals, and tossed some of the typical romance tropes onto their heads. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book, and don’t regret it. This was one of the most satisfying romances that I’ve read in a long time.

‘Half a Soul’ is billed as ‘Pride and Prejudice’ meets ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’.. and to a degree, I can see that. But to assume that’s all it is would be doing it a tremendous disservice. Do yourself a favor, add ‘Half a Soul’ to your list of must read books. Olivia Atwater is a sleeping giant of fantasy fiction.
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