book-review – Lyndsey Hall

To Win a Dark Heart Series Announcement!

I am so excited to announce that I have another novel coming in a multi-author series next year, and this one is bringing together two well-known fairy tales, myths and legends for a villain romance in every single book! The series releases begin in January, and my book, Falling for the Enchantress will release on 13 March 2026:

An ancient witch with a grudge.

A sheriff with something to prove.

An enchantment they’ll come to regret, but never escape.

High Priestess Morgaine has been hiding in plain sight for centuries, using her magic to hide herself and her coven from Prince John’s witch hunters. But when a young witchling is slain by the new sheriff’s men, Morgaine will stop at nothing to get vengeance. She’ll kill every witch hunter in the royal forests, including the cruel and handsome sheriff, and then she’ll find Prince John and cut out his heart for good measure.

Until a protection spell backfires and she finds herself magically bound to her enemy. If he dies, so does she.

Stefano’s only job as the High Sheriff of the Royal Forests is to rid the country of the scourge of witchcraft. Betrothed to Prince John’s daughter, he’s desperate to prove his worth and live up to his name as the Grand Witch Hunter. The only thing standing in his way is the captivating and enigmatic witch he’s now bound to by some twist of fate.

As sparks fly and the sworn enemies grow to grudgingly respect each other, could there be more than pure hatred causing the tension between them?

Falling for the Enchantress is a fairy tale that combines elements of Robin Hood and King Arthur. Set between the events in each of these stories, it is the ninth book in the To Win a Dark Heart series, which retells fairy tales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.

Want more no-spice fairy tale mash-ups where the villains finally get their chance at a happily ever after? Check out the rest of the To Win a Dark Heart multi-author collection!

Falling for the Trickster by Lucy Tempest (Rumpelstiltskin + Goose Girl)
Falling for the Doomed Bride by C.K. Beggan (Bluebeard + Sleeping Beauty)
Falling for the Winged Witch by Sarah Beran (Wild Swans + Jack & the Beanstalk)
Falling for the Crystal Fae by Anabelle Raven (The Snow Queen + Aladdin)
Falling for the Pirate by Nicki Chapelway (Peter Pan + The Little Mermaid)
Falling for the Mad King by Sydney Winward (Alice in Wonderland + The 12 Dancing Princesses)
Falling for the Sorcerer by Jes Drew (Rapunzel + Swan Lake)
Falling for the Wolf by Megan Charlie (Little Red Riding Hood + Cinderella)
Falling for the Enchantress by Lyndsey Hall (Robin Hood + King Arthur)
Falling for the Pied Piper by Ashley Evercott (Beauty & the Beast + The Pied Piper)
Falling for the Dark Mage by Lucy Winton (East of the Sun, West of the Moon + The Frog Prince)
Falling for the Huntsman by Leialoha Humpherys (Snow White + Hansel & Gretel)

To Win a Dark Heart

Lyndsey

Review: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Hi book friends! I’ve got another incredible fantasy pick for you today, I know I’m a little late getting to this one, but goodness am I glad I finally picked it up! And now my copy of book two has arrived, I’ll promptly be diving back into the world of the Shepherd King. If you’re yet to have the pleasure of meeting Elspeth, Ravyn and The Nightmare, this review is for you.

TL;DR It’s a darkly lush gothic fantasy with one of the coolest magic systems I’ve come across in years, and fairy tale vibes, but like, the Brothers Grimm versions…

Blurb

ELSPETH NEEDS A MONSTER. THE MONSTER MIGHT BE HER.

An ancient, mercurial spirit is trapped inside Elspeth Spindle’s head – she calls him the Nightmare. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, she is thrust into a world of shadow and deception. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to cure the town of Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. As the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a gothic fantasy romance about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom.

Title: One Dark Window

Author: Rachel Gillig

Link: https://www.amazon.com/One-Dark-Window-Rachel-Gillig-ebook/dp/B09QCCH9N7/

Format: Audiobook

Review: 5 stars

I knew I was going to love One Dark Window before I even opened the cover, the blurb absolutely sold it to me – a girl with a monster inside her mind? Highwaymen? Dark magic? And romance? Yes please! I ordered the paperback of book two as soon as I finished and now I’m desperate to pick it up (just as soon as I finish writing this review!).

One Dark Window is like Renegade Nell meets Wuthering Heights with added tarot cards and a thick fog separating them from the rest of the world, similar to the Fold in Shadow and Bone. There’s even an evil entity living in the misty woods that kills anyone who ventures too near without a talisman (rabbit’s foot, etc.). It was very atmospheric and the writing was descriptive but still fast-paced, which I loved.

The magic system was ingenious and yet so simple, using different cards from a special pack, called Providence Cards, created by the legendary Shepherd King. Each card has a different design and allows the user to access a different type of magic – but nothing comes for free, even magic.

Elspeth was the type of female main character I absolutely adore, still feminine but oh so capable, cunning and clever. Even when the Nightmare inside her mind wasn’t taking over her body and giving her enhanced abilities, she was still a brilliant protagonist with as much agency as an unwed young woman in a gothic novel can possibly have.

She’s been hiding her affliction from the physicians and Destriers (the King’s best cavalrymen, tasked with eradicating magic-wielders and anyone who succumbs to the infection that causes magical abilities) since she was nine years old. Magic, other than from the Providence Cards, has been outlawed by the Rowan King, so Elspeth is in a lot of danger if anyone finds out about the Nightmare…

Enter Ravyn Yew, mysterious and handsome nephew to the king, and Elspeth’s worst enemy. Because he’s the Captain of the Destriers, and he’s taken a special interest in our girl, for reasons known only to himself. And as the tension between them builds and their secrets start to come to light, Elspeth realises he may not be the biggest threat she faces. Because the Nightmare is growing stronger, and it’s only a matter of time until it overpowers her completely.

The romance in One Dark Window was *chef’s kiss*, Ravyn is a true gentleman, and a bit of a rogue when he wants to be. I’m looking forward to seeing the romance between them grow in book two, after all the longing stares and accidental touches, and that one scene (iykyk), it’s the least we deserve!

The world building in this book was absolutely incredible, Gillig has thought of everything and I was gripped by the explanation behind the Providence Cards, the Shepherd King and the mist. If you’re also a big fan of a detailed backstory, then you’ll definitely enjoy this about One Dark Window, there’s so much to the world, its history and magic system, and I really enjoyed learning about it all.

I’m dying to read Two Twisted Crowns and find out what happens next for Elspeth! I gave One Dark Window 5 stars, I listened to the audio book and burned through it in a few days, but my copy of book two is a paperback because I recently cancelled my Audible membership due to having too many audiobooks and not enough time. Obviously I regretted that immediately, but we move.

If you love gothic fantasy, historical novels and dark fairy tale-esque books, then this series is definitely for you!

I’m currently working on a gothic romantic fantasy called The Rose and the Serpent, so it was great for research. I can only hope that my next book will be anywhere near as atmospheric, captivating and swoony as this one! One can dream…

Lyndsey

Release day: The Winter Prince by Constance Lopez

The twelfth and final Once Upon a Prince book is here! To close out this fantastic fairy tale retelling series, it’s The Winter Prince: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling by Constance Lopez!

This shapeshifting, tricksy fae twist on the classic fairy tale is a swoon-worthy romantic adventure!

The Winter Prince on Amazon

Blurb:

A beastly prince. A cursed land. One last hope.

Breaking his bargain with another fae has earned Revi, Prince of the Winter Court, a terrible curse: he lives as a beast and must watch his people suffer under a withering blight. The only cure? A heart freely given.

When a human patrol steals one of Revi’s magical roses, a sliver of opportunity strikes. He agrees to spare their lives in return for a woman who must live in his castle for a year and a day. But could such a beauty learn to love a beast like him?

Although Kienna was warned of conniving fae before her arrival at the Winter Court, the Winter Prince, while beastly, is not the monster she expected. Her dreams plague her—or more specifically, the enigmatic silvery man who walks them does. She’s determined to find him in the waking world and free him from his imprisonment.

Her dream prince begs her not to trust her eyes. But… can she trust her heart?

The Winter Prince, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, is book 12 of Once Upon A Prince, a multi-author series of clean fairy tale retellings. Each standalone story features a swoony prince fighting for his happily ever after.

This one sounds like an absolutely tropetastic romantasy dream and I am here for it! I actually got to chat to the lovely Constance in the run up to release day, keep reading to find out about her writing journey, where she finds inspiration and what you can expect to see next from her…

Hi Constance! Thank you so much for chatting with me, it’s been a dream working with you on Once Upon a Prince! Tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with.

I’m from Texas, born and raised! I am married and we have two charming wildlings whom I homeschool! I love reading, sewing, and hiking when I’m not writing.

Wildlings, I love that – my five year old son is definitely one of those!  When did you start writing and what inspired you? 

I started writing as a teenager when I realized that authors were real people, which meant I could write a story just like I loved reading. Granted, those stories were awful messy things, but I loved making stories and characters.

I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t realise writing books was a job real people could do until much later! Hehe. What’s your favourite genre?

FANTASY. Always! I grew up on Lord of the Rings, and I have always preferred fantasy to every other genre (though I also read classics, historical fiction, and contemporary romcoms). I love of a lot of romance tropes, but one of my favorite tropes in ANY story is fish out of water. It makes for so many fun moments!

I love a fish out of water story! And there are so many ways to do it in fantasy, the possibilities are endless! Tell us about your first novel, Of Stormlarks and Silence.

My first book is a connected standalone, which means it’s part of a series (The Kasmian Chronicles) where every book has a happy ending/no cliffs, and follows different characters from the world. Of Stormlarks and Silence is book one, and it’s about a princess-turned-assassin set on revenge and reclaiming her kingdom–until she meets the kind prince who throws a wrench in her plans.

I’ve heard so many good things about this book, and it’s waiting on my TBR shelf, I can’t wait to dive in! Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

Any and everywhere! Sometimes it’s a conversation with a friend (this is what prompted my take on Beauty and the Beast in The Winter Prince), sometimes it’s other books or movies.

I’m so glad that conversation sparked your idea for The Winter Prince and the decision to organise the OUAP series, give my thanks to your friend! Do you consider yourself a plotter, pantser or plantser?

Plotter! Maybe Plantser. I make the plan, and if it deviates, I adjust it as I go. But I need SOME sort of framework or I just flounder.

I’m exactly the same, I like to have a road map even if I take a few detours on the way to my destination. What are you working on next? 

I just plotted out book 3 in my Kasmian Chronicles! It’s got enemies to lovers, a morally grey hero, and lots of cute animal companions.

That sounds right up my alley! I can’t wait to read the entire series, animal companions are just the best. Before I let you get back to your writing, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to any aspiring authors reading this? 

Be consistent! Even if you only write a sentence a day, the consistency of showing up every day is what will finish your story, not big inspired bursts followed by months of not working on it.

Okay, I feel both called out and inspired, haha! Thank you for speaking with me Constance, I’m so grateful to you and Alora for everything you’ve done to make Once Upon a Prince such a huge success, and I’m looking forward to reading everything you write in the future! Where can we keep in touch with you and find out more about your books?

You can go to my website, follow me on Instagram or Facebook, or join my NL! 

Website:   https://www.constancelopez.com/

Newsletter signup:  https://www.constancelopez.com/newsletter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constancelopezauthor/

Facebook page/group:   https://www.facebook.com/constancelopezauthor

If you haven’t read The Winter Prince, or Constance’s debut series The Kasmian Chronicles, go and grab them now!

Happy reading, friends.

Lyndsey