ARC Review: The Hopeless Romantic's Guide to Enchantment by Various Authors

 

Rivalries ignite into heated romance, lost lovers seek second chances, and friendships turn to something more in these 12 stunning Romantasy stories.

Including brand-new stories from beloved and bestselling authors including Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Kelley Armstrong, Alexis Hall, L. R. Lam, and more.

Tumble head-over-heels for these 12 gorgeous Romantasy stories from bestselling and beloved authors.

A pair of harried servants try to romance their respective bosses into a universe-saving marriage. Two bitter political rivals discover they have interests in common, and decide not to let a little thing like murder get in the way. After years apart, childhood nemeses come together to resolve their differences, and face down a common foe.

From Regency England to a mysterious Romanian forest, and from a city made of flowers to a sinister faerie train, love conquers all in these 12 beautiful tales.

FEATURING BRAND-NEW STORIES
Hannah Nicole-Maehrer
Kelley Armstrong
Rebecca Thorne
Alexis Hall
L. R. Lam
A.Y. Chao
Juliet Marillier
Chloe Neill
Olivia Atwater
Jen Williams
Greer Stothers
Vida Cruz-Borja

Title: The Hopeless Romantic's Guide to Enchantment

Author: Various

Publisher: Titan Books

Expected Publication Date: September 15, 2026

Review:

It's so hard to review a compilation of short stories without diving into each one separately. So I'm going to do that here because it's easier to give my thoughts that way. I will preface this with saying that I know these are shorts but I still expect good build up and character development as I know it can be done in short stories.

'Tis Pity He's an Elf by Jen Williams

This story was cute. I kind of saw the ending from the beginning but it was fun to watch it get there. I know it's a short story but I do wish there was more growth between the two main characters. More chemistry so we could see what happened at the end made sense. I did like the author's writing. This is my first time reading anything by this author and I'd be happy to pick up more titles.

4 Stars

Silver Dahlia, Golden King by Chloe Neill

This one was just ok for me; rather disappointing and, in all honesty, boring. There was nothing special about it, to be honest. I was expecting more but it was just a straight story with no money in the game. The writing was nice enough and I would probably pick up something from this author in the future. But the short story really didn't give me any kind of enchantment vibes and the two main characters were way too quick to just dedicate themselves to one another without an ounce of them knowing each other.

2 stars

Fool In Love Ghoul in Hate by Greer Stothers

This one was just...weird. Interesting enough with the ghoul background. Kind of stunted without much lead up for the actual plot, though it's resolved in the end. I do wish there had been more character development for the supporting cast. Overall not horrible but just too weird for my taste.

3 stars 

The Brocade Prince by A.Y. Chao

I really enjoyed this. I can see it's steeped in Asian folklore. I wish I knew more of it so I could truly understand it. I did get the jist. of it, though. I liked the idea of the two characters being masked and not knowing who the other was even if I kind of saw it coming. It was still fun to see it unfold. The author did a nice job with plot and character development given the shortness of the story.

Double Trouble by Kelly Armstrong

Now this one I really enjoyed. This one has the beginnings of a slew of books where the monster hunter and doppleganger team up to fight for justice. I love this idea so much. I hope the author thinks about keeping with this theme for future books. This is my first time reading this author. I've seen many books by her but have not picked on up. Now I will!

4.5 stars

Unearned Luck by Alexis Hall

This was different. There's a curse involved, but it doesn't get solved. I guess it's a lesson on accepting people/persons the way they are. Loving them no matter their differences. The narrator is a what looks to be a shifter, but not really? Yeah, I'm not 100% sure what went on but it was cute. 

Speaker and Calligrapher by Vida Cruz-Borja

Now this one I really liked. I loved the romance and chemistry between the two characters. The banter and push and pull. The magic was fun, as well. The plot was nice with it's before and after, though I'm not quite sure where they fall with each other timeline wise. Overall I liked the writing and would definitely look into this author's other works.

The Moonlit Pathway by Juliet Marillier

Interesing that this author chose to write a story in a world she created for a series. I was worried I might not understand it. And, to be honest, there might be some stuff I missed since I don't know her books at all, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless. The author notes at the beginning it's an adult story, so I was expecting some spice, but there is none. Overall it was fun but I do wish I had the background of her previous series to truly understand what I was reading. On another note, it is steeped in some Romanian folklore, which sounds quite interesting to me.

Warbirds by Rebecca Thorne

I enjoyed this one a lot. I loved the idea of riders on giant birds. Of the two women fighting for some justice for these animals. I was not wholly expecting the twist, though I knew one was coming and had a feeling there was more the the female relationship than the write originally let on. Overall, I liked the writing and would look into more stories from this author. I did try to read one of her books a while back but could not get into it. Perhaps I will have to give it another try.

Every Rose Has Its Thief by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This installment was actually the reason I requested this book for review. I asore Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain series so much. It's such a great story and I wanted to see what she had in store here. I loved this one just as much and could totally see this as a stand alone novel (or even a series if done right). It was fun and she did a great job developing the characters, showing their animosity, then their attraction and chemistry. And the plot was cute. I'll certainly read anything she chooses to write!

The Last Train from Faerie by Olivia Atwater

Oh but how I love a faerie story! This one was quite good. Lots of great elements with different types of fae and bargains. I enjoyed the writing a lot. It was smooth and the author kept great pace. Another story I could see as a full length book. My first by this author and, dare I say, I will be searching for more to read.

Rose Bloom, Rose Bud, Rose Blood by L.R. Lam

This one was short and sweet. It's a short sapphic tale. I enjoyed it enough but it didn't peak my interest to where I'd maybe want more of it. The writing was nice but didn't pull me in like some of the others. I'm not sure if I would read more from this author or not.

Authors:

Jen Williams lives in London with her partner and their small ridiculous cat. Having been a fan of grisly fairy tales from a young age, these days Jen writes dark unsettling thrillers with strong female leads, as well as character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of adventure and magic. Her debut novel, The Copper Promise, kicked off the Copper Cat trilogy in 2014, and since then she has twice won the British Fantasy Award for her second trilogy, the Winnowing Flame. Her first thriller, Dog Rose Dirt, was published with HarperCollins in July 2021. Jen has two upcoming releases in 2023: Games for Dead Girls with Harpercollins, and Talonsister with Titan. When she’s not writing books she enjoys messing about with video games and embroidery, and also works as a part-time bookseller and a freelance copywriter.

Chloe Neill is the New York Times bestselling author of the Heirs of Chicagoland, Chicagoland Vampires Novels, Devil's Isle Novels, and Dark Elite novels. Chloe was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest. When she's not writing, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys--her husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout.

Connect with Chloe at www.chloeneill.com.

Greer Stothers is an award-winning author/illustrator based in Toronto. Their experiences as a nonbinary individual inform their writing and art, as does their drive to find the humor in everything.

Alice is a Chinese Canadian fantasy author. She's fascinated by the interplay between self-perceived versus imposed identity and how this intersects with belonging and explores these spaces in her stories.

Kelley Armstrong believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies.

Alexis Hall (whatever pronouns) does not like writing biographies or talking about himself in the third person. She lives in southeast England with their extensive collection of hats and four angry duckchildren.

Vida Cruz-Borja is a Filipina fantasy and science fiction writer, editor, artist, tarot reader, and conrunner. Her short fiction and essays have been published in F&SF, Fantasy, Strange Horizons, PodCastle, Expanded Horizons, and various anthologies.

She won the 2022 IGNYTE Award for Best Creative Nonfiction for “We are the Mountain: A Look at the Inactive Protagonist,” which will be republished in Letters to a Writer of Color in Spring 2023. She is the author of two illustrated fantasy short story collections: Beyond the Line of Trees (2019) and Song of the Mango and Other New Myths (2022).

Her work in her different fields has been nominated, longlisted, and recommended for the Hugo Award, the British Science Fiction Award, and the James Tiptree Jr. (now Otherwise) Award. She was a 2018 Tiptree Fellow. Currently, she’s a freelance book editor with Tessera Editorial and The Darling Axe and is co-director of FiyahCon Fringe BonFiyah under the larger umbrella of FIYAHCON, a BIPOC-centered convention for science fiction and fantasy readers and writers.

Juliet Marillier was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up surrounded by Celtic music and stories. Her own Celtic-Gaelic roots inspired her to write her first series, the Sevenwaters Trilogy. Juliet was educated at the University of Otago, where she majored in music and languages, graduating BA and Bachelor of Music (Hons). Her lifelong interest in history, folklore and mythology has had a major influence on her writing.

Juliet is the author of twenty-one historical fantasy novels for adults and young adults, as well as a book of short fiction. Juliet's novels and short stories have won many awards.

Juliet lives in a 110 year old cottage in a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. When not writing, she tends to her small pack of rescue dogs. She also has four adult children and eight grandchildren. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.)

Rebecca Thorne is a USA Today, Indie, and Sunday Times Bestselling author, specializing in fantasy and sci-fi with romantic subplots.

She is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, lives near Denver, Colorado, and uses her ADHD as a superpower to write multiple books a year. When she’s not writing (or avoiding writing), Rebecca can be found traveling the country as a flight attendant, hiking with her dogs and lovely wife, or basking in the sun like a lizard.

Hannah Nicole Maehrer—or as TikTok Knows her, @hannahnicolemae—is a fantasy romance author and BookToker with a propensity for villains. When she’s not creating bookish comedy skits about Villains and Assistants, she’s writing to Taylor Swift songs. Her biggest passions in life include romance, magic, laughter, and finding ways to include them all in everything she creates. 

Olivia Atwater writes whimsical fantasy with a hint of satire. Originally Canadian, she currently lives in northern France with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and the rest of her D&D group. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn't what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.

Searching for more faerie tales? Sign up for the Atwater Scandal Sheets at oliviaatwater.com and get ongoing updates, along with the exclusive novella The Latch Key.

Originally from sunny California, L.R. Lam now lives in cloudy Scotland. Lam is a Sunday Times Bestselling author whose work includes epic fantasy romance Dragonfall (The Dragon Scales Trilogy), the near-future space thriller, Goldilocks, feminist space opera Seven Devils and Seven Mercies (co-written with Elizabeth May), BBC Radio 2 Book Club section False Hearts, the companion novel Shattered Minds, and the award-winning Micah Grey series: Pantomime, Shadowplay, and Masquerade.

Their short fiction and essays have appeared in anthologies such as Nasty Women, Solaris Rising 3, Cranky Ladies of History, Scotland in Space, and more. Their romance alter ego is Laura Ambrose. Lam lectures part-time at Edinburgh Napier University and is Programme Leader of the Creative Writing MA.