I really enjoyed this book, especially the multiple perspectives! The plot was really interesting, and it surprised me at a couple points. The characters were all well fleshed out and added a lot to the story. The fantasy and world-building was easy to follow, and the magic was fun to read about!

Loved the book not a big fan of cliff hangers but I am really enjoying this series and this take on the old fairytales that we all know and love. I can’t wait to read the next book. I definitely recommend this book.

In this book we continue our Cinderella story with our main characters initially being Elle & Alex...however we have new characters to explore...
This book is full of intrigue, plots and plans.
A truly engrossing read, so much so, that I had reached the end of the book before I even realised it!!

To say this was a new twist on Cinderella's tale would be putting things mildly. This was everything I could have hoped for with being a fan of the series. Things were not predictable at every turn. There were a few but much of it came at you with a new spin to it. This had me loving it that much more. And then the second thing that made me love it was it was one that I could share with my teen daughter and her friends. The friends. The foes. The love. The likes. The backstabbing. The selfish.

There are many things going on here. No. It is not so many that you can not follow along and enjoy it all. It is just that there will not be a dull moment while each page turns and each chapter wizzes by.

Elle and Alec, of course love them, but it was Jacoby that stole my attention. I was wrapped up in finding out what he was going to do or not do. Would he really destroy to make things better for himself? Was he really selfish and destructive? Will the youngest step-sister, Agatha, be that salve needed to sooth a potential future beast?

The blurb said it all this was Cinderella's story with all new twist. The ride on this journey was well worth it.

A fun and entertaining sequel in this Cinderella retelling section of this book series. I really enjoyed the characters and looking forward to the next installment which is the final in the Cinderella tale

This story has me hooked!
Can’t wait for the next instalment.
There is a huge cliff hanger at the end.

There were a lot of things I didn't enjoy about this one, but a few that I did enjoy. As you will read at the beginning, the author included a note about how she changed a few things in this installment. First, she had artists create pictures of the characters, places, and objects mentioned in the book. The artists did a beautiful job, but I feel that most of the pictures weren't necessary and a few weren't true to the characters. Plus, many of the characters were already established from previous books and by adding illustrations readers lose their ability to imagine the characters on their own. I did enjoy the illustrations of Jacoby’s garden and other objects and places. It was mainly the ones of characters that were already established from other books that I didn’t like.

I also didn't think that Agatha and Jacoby's story was properly executed. I barely know them as characters and I didn't get enough time to know them in this book. Their chapters just felt weird to me - the conversation unnatural and awkward. This book was very short and could have easily been lengthened to give more establishment to the characters/personalities of Jacoby and Agatha. I also wouldn’t have minded a whole book just for those two to get to know them. It wasn’t that I didn’t like them, I just didn’t have enough time to know them.

I will say that I enjoyed Elle and Alec's chapters just as much as usual. Elle and Alec are so cute together and I can't wait to finish their story in the next book. That cliffhanger wasn’t too bad, but it was enough to make me eager for part three of this Cinderella story. Hope this review was helpful!

Elle and Alec are ready for their happily ever after, but someone doesn’t think they should have one. Every day people are outside Elle’s place with signs against the union. Elle’s stepmother and Alec’s parents were banished, yet they have united in their quest to break this couple up. Jacoby is trying to stay alive and would love to win Elle to his side. He doesn’t love Elle, but it isn’t good for a dark fae to form deep romantic attachments. After Jacoby notices Agatha, though, his cold, dark heart begins to warm and he must face feelings he has never had before. If Jacoby no longer wants Elle, what does that mean for Marchesa and Legend’s plan?

Bandits and Ball Gowns is the fifth book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series. This story is told from four points of view, yet Bauer did a great job alternating the story and helping the reader keep the story straight. This tale is classic Bauer with action, romance, and it is a short, quick read. I love the chance to curl up with a fun book and finish it in one sitting. Sometimes a quick escape is just what the librarian ordered. Warning, please read the other stories first to fully understand all the backstabbing and drama. I can’t wait for the next installment in early in 2021.

Christina Bauer is my new favorite indie author. I've recently finished Slippers And Thieves where Elle and Alec enact the template of Cinderella. They return here to face more hurdles with two other characters gaining some prominence Elle's step sister Agatha who is more than she seems and Jacoby, Elle's persistent suitor from the previous book. Unlike Slippers And Thieves this one is not a good choice for starting the series.
This has all my favorite ingredients: action, romance, and fantasy. Light humoristic tone, characters I can root for and lots of twists and turns. I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment in the series, and for me that's very high praise since I rarely follow through.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

#BanditsandBallGowns #NetGalley

This is turning into one of my all-time favorite series. 😁

Bandits and Ballgown is the fifth book in the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum series, and the second book following Elle. Elle is living by the fairytale template of Cinderella. at the end of the previous book, it seems like Elle and her Prince finally got her happy ever after. His evil parents and her evil stepfamily were banished into the Fairyland and all seemed well. But it's never that easy, especially for Elle.

Alec has his hands full with taking over the family company. Elle has her own set of problems, there is an annoying mob of people shouting stuff in front of her place, a strange genie is visiting and causing problems and their family are up to no good. Bri, Knox, and Colonel are on their own mission. And when Alec disappears, it's up to her, to do her thing. :)

Jacoby doesn't want love, he wants a powerful wife, who can help keep him alive and Elle looks lčike a valid candidate until he sets his eyes on Agatha. She was supposed to be just the ugly stepsister, but she is something quite different hiding under the disease of the stepsister template. She intrigues him from the start because there is a whole lot more to her than meets the eye. At first, she is a mystery he wants to solve, but soon it turns into something more.

The story is more character-driven than the previous one. It more about characters coming into their own, dealing with internal dilemmas, and finding their own path. I loved it!

The only thing I didn't like was the pictures in between.
received from Xpresso Book Tours

Another great read from Ms. Bauer, I've been enjoying the Fairy Tales of the Macgicorum. This was a great entree in the series, the characters were still the way I remembered and I really enjoyed the story. I look forward to more in the series.

This is a fairytale retelling with the inclusion of fae and other fantasy elements! I love the idea of combining different fandoms and the ideas behind Christina’s storyline are solid. The writing itself felt a little elementary to me, I think 12-15 is probably the perfect target group for this series. Some ideas and plot holes were just a bit rushed or too good to be true, though that didn’t stop the characters from being intriguing and relatable. Further, I love that she provided us with images throughout the book so we can see the characters and magical scenes!

Another enjoyable read in the Magicorum series! I love the twist Ms. Bauer puts on the fairy tales and intertwines them with today's world. Elle and Alec are finally together, in love, but cannot have that happily ever after yet, for there is much to be done in regards to Alec's family business, Alec's parents, Elle's stepmother and step sisters, and that is just the beginning. Trouble is brewing and they are in the middle of it. Told from four different points of view, we get to see more of Jacoby and Agatha in this novel. Each character has their own troubles to fight and feelings to figure out. Nothing is as it seems. Alliances and betrayals run amok and trust is not easily given. Join them on their adventures as they seek to discover the plans of an enemy who wants to make themselves more powerful through the destruction of others.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a book! What. A. Book.

Christina starts off by pointing out a couple of new features to this read. Alongside our previous perspective of Alec and Elle’s lives, this time we have two new character narratives. Alongside some beautiful character art that I can only imagine is even more gorgeous in the physical edition!

Untruths, tricks and deceit; Elle may be straying from her Cinderella life template but she’s no damsel in distress and takes things into her own hands.

Following on from SaT, Elle and Alec are loved up and happy but trouble is never too far away. From strangely possessed humans outside her door, to business secrets and banished lands, someone wants to get their hands on Elle and will destroy anything (and anyone) that gets in the way.

“For weeks, these supernatural stalkers have been drawn to me like subway rats to a dropped Egg McMuffin.”

It would be an injustice to spoil any of the plot as with all of my heart I would recommend this series to anyone and everyone! I devoured this book in mere hours and the newly introduced cliffhanger has left me greedy for more.

So I really was pulled in by the cover then by the synopsis. This is a very intricate take on a retelling and it was very enjoyable. After reading this one I want to check out the others that Christina has penned.

I absolutely love fairy tale retellings and variations and this one had some fun twists on the Cinderella story that I enjoyed.

Book Review for Bandits and Ball Gowns by Christina Bauer
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!