Varius, general of the Aurelian army, stumbles up to a cabin in the forest, bloodied and broken from his betrayal. The cabin door opens to the owner of the land, Theira, Sorceress Transcendant of the Korossian Empire, his enemy. With unspoken feelings in their eyes, Theira opens the cabin to Varius, and the romantic fantasy ensues. The Sorceress Transcendent is my first novella, and I’m so glad it was. The short story, the prose, the characters, everything about it was heartwarming in the brief few hours I read it. The romance between Theira and Varius is at the forefront of the story and I loved the way they both knew what was going one in each other’s mind as they both teased the other. The romance is simple, yet still induced the giddy feeling you get when you read something adorable. There was none of the childish naïveté found in other romance novels where both parties feign ignorance of the other's feelings. The magic and fantasy aspect was perfect for me. Just the right amount to make me feel as if I was in another world, even if for a short amount of time, without overly describing everything as fantasy books tend to do. As this is my first novella, I rate it 4 stars out of 5. It’s a story I’d recommend to anyone who has the time to sit on a Sunday morning and read for a few hours. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early! Check out this novella when it drops June 6th!!

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this!

3.75 stars!
Varius, a heroic general of the Aurelian Empire, and his greatest enemy Sorceress Transcendent Theira have fought each other across battlefields for years. When Varius is forced to flee from his own army, after being betrayed by his own king, he finds himself facing Theira yet again but across her doorstep instead. Varius and Theira know how to fight each other, now they'll have to learn how to fight along side each other to hopefully bring an end to this war. All while fighting their attraction for each other along the way
an easy read and cute enemies to lovers novella. my only nitpick is it seems like something is missing. like things/their pasts encounters are alluded to and I would have at least like to have gone more in depth with that or actually read some of Varius and Theira's battles.

but still a good novella! i'd read more from this universe!

I love well done enemies to lovers romance. Bonus points if it’s scifi or fantasy. The Sorceress Transcendent is fantasy. It’s a quick read, with a nice blend of action and domestic comfort.

Varius and Theira have fought on opposite sides of an ever lasting war for years. Varius was a general and Theira a sorceress, second only in power to the autocratic Sorcerer Ascendant. They have studied each other on the battlefield, almost flirting through tactics. Now, pushed too far by the empire he served, Varius has deserted and is looking for shelter with Theira. He is almost certain that she has saved his life before and that they have something between them, but she might kill him.

Theira is living alone in a house in the woods. She maneuvered the Sorcerer Ascendant into allowing her to retire. When Varius shows up, bleeding on her doorstep, they have an opportunity to get to know each other without soldiers and a tactics between them. Both war-weary, they make choices to trust each other.

Casey Blair has been on my radar for more than a year, but even though I own three of the books in her Tea Princess Chronicles, I haven’t actually read her books. A novella in a new fantasy world seemed like a great entry point, and I was correct. She packs a lot into a hundred pages. While I would have happily spent 400 pages with Varius and Theira making soup and liberating cities, I didn’t feel like anything was missing. I don’t know if this is a stand alone or the start of something new, but I really liked it.

CW: injuries, discussions of past battles, poisoning in past, magical and non-magical battles, military attacking own civilians, on page murder.

I received this as an advance reader copy from the author through NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Can you deliver an epic fantasy enemies-to-lovers romance in 66 pages? Absolutely not. What Casey Blair has is instead a tender story about two retired all-star soldiers clawing out space for themselves in the shadow of a war they no longer want any part of.

Varius, a decorated general, has been fighting a war against the sorceresses of Korossia for years. When he finds himself in dire need of aid and can’t trust his own people, he turns to Theria, the only Krossian sorceress to have ever successfully retired and Varius’s favorite enemy.

The two have obvious and instant chemistry, and make a really excellent pair. Varius is used to commanding a legion and finds himself alone for the very first time; Theria has never had an ally who didn’t have a knife at her throat. They’re wary with each other but both have such obvious need for the other that it doesn’t take them long to shed their inhibitions and start to hatch a plan to end the war that has hurt them both so much. They cajole and tease each other in ways that are both really fun to read and demonstrate the depth of understanding they have for one another.

They’re both incredibly easy to root for as characters and as a couple!

I really enjoyed this romance. It’s short, sweet, and to the point. While it lacks the tension of an actual enemies-to-lovers arc or the complexity of an epic fantasy, it still delivers a surprising punch in a tiny package.

What an absolutely delightful romantic fantasy! It definitely fits within the cozy fantasy realm - stakes high enough to be gripping but not so high that you're feeling anxiety, romance but no spice, a nod to the cozy aspects of the home - a well-tended garden, books in every room, handcrafted goods, welcoming to visitors. This book won my heart when a broken mug was more meaningful than just a broken piece of kitchenware. It was a well-loved mug, no longer the same as before, representing a larger meaning. I just really love my mugs, okay?

I would highly recommend this short and sweet novella to anyone needing a palette cleanser after heavier or darker stories, someone who needs a little shot of serotonin after a long day, or someone just dipping their toes into the romance fantasy genre.

We are thrown directly into the first scene with no backstory, which caused me a bit of confusion at first (is this a sequel? did I miss a chapter?), but just settle in and go along for the ride. The world-building is minimal but will be enough for what you need to be invested in the characters and the plot.

A short novella that I quickly fell in love with. This is a cozy fantasy enemies to lovers - two things which on the surface shouldn't work, but in execution worked more perfectly than 90% of books I've ever read. This is a warm hug of a book that also has the main characters able to kill in an epic fashion.

The main characters were well written, rich in detail and fully developed, and placed in a world that was well developed and whole unique. The story is well paced and despite being a novella I didn't feel like there was much missing (although I will always want any book by Casey Blair to be longer) or that it moved to quickly.

My only complaint is that I want more - I never want a Casey Blair book to be over and this is no exception. A beautifully written story always ends too soon. I will be waiting with bated breath for more from this talented author.

This was probably the coziest enemies to lovers I’ve ever read. Their relationship feels real, even though we only see snippets of their past, and their future feels plausible.

What a good book to read. Mysterious, magical and intriguing. Happily ever after. It’s a good escape with all the stuff going on. Thank you

This is a short novella that has a lot of fun points and I think I would’ve enjoyed a longer version of this. Felt a bit rushed as it was such a short story. Still fun nonetheless!