3.5 stars

The Courting of Bristol Keats is a new adult fantasy by Mary E. Pearson. I was very excited to read this as I loved Pearson's YA Remnant Chronicles and Dance of Thieves Duology. Overall, this story has promise. I am curious to see where things go next and do see myself picking up the next books. That being said, this book is not without flaws.

The worldbuilding in this fell short. Places are named and parts of the history are described only briefly to where I still don't have a clear picture of the world in which the majority of this story takes place. Information didn't need to be given in an info dump, which there definitely weren't, but it felt like readers were given too little information which made me less invested in the world in general. Maybe if I knew more about fae mythology or Irish mythology, I would have understood this better as this was where the author drew a lot of inspiration. I usually really enjoy books based on this mythology, and I really wanted greater clarity and information about the world.

I have mixed feelings about the romance in this book. While it is a major focus of the story, most of the characters interactions happens off page with references or brief descriptions of the time spent together. Given the length of the book, more time on page would have been difficult without adding significant length or removing other important pieces related to the plot. Readers end up seeing a lot of antagonistic on page interactions, especially early on. In the end, readers are left needing to believe that those off page interactions were enough to overcome the initial negative interactions (and the reasons behind them) and to build a relationship without being able to see those steps themselves. Ultimately, I decided that I was okay believing this, and I could see why it likely wouldn't work for other readers.

Here's what I did like. The story held some mysteries that were revealed over the course of the book and some that remain a question until future books. I remained interested in how the overarching conflict would evolve. There are several interesting side characters. Though I wouldn't say any of them evolved over the course of the story, I enjoyed reading briefly from their perspectives at times and their interactions with the main characters and others added to the richness of the story. After a bit of a slower start, I found it easy to keep turning pages.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy books based on fae mythology, are okay with off page romance, and are looking for the start to what will likely be an engaging series knowing that many questions will be left unanswered at the end of this first installment.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was fine. I didn’t love the writing style, at times I got a little lost as to who’s POV we were reading. The plot was interesting and I liked the characters, and I will definitely read more by this author.

It felt so good to have a Mary E. Pearson book back in my hands.
Alluring and magical this story didn’t disappoint and had me enthralled until the early morning hours. The world building is artfully woven throughout the story and lends the perfect pace to the beginning of this duology. I loved being pulled into Bristol’s world through the descriptive writing and the emotional depth it carried.
Bristol’s fortitude and her willingness to push on even when it hurts speaks to the fire within her and I admire that. The banter was top-notch and certain twists had me yelling ‘WHAAT’ into my pillow. There were hauntingly romantic moments that had me holding my breath and closing my eyes from the emotion of it.
I didn’t want this to end.
I absolutely recommend this!

This is my first book from this author, and honestly I accidentally hit the NetGalley button to request an ARC without realizing that's what that button meant. Oops. But what serendipity because I LOVED this book!

I really enjoyed her writing style and was immediately pulled in. Her style is charming and cozy, in a way, as the story is introduced. But then there's tension and anger, hurt and betrayal, love and loss, and the story sucks you right in. It's a bit of a longer book, but I thought the pacing was perfect.

It does end on a cliffy (it's a duology, after all), and I'm already chomping at the bit to read book 2!

❗️Occasional cursing
🌶🌶 3 brief (1-2 page) open door scenes, LGBT kissing


Thanks so much to the author and NetGalley for the ARC!

A new romantasy duology with The Courting of Bristol Keats being the first novel. Bristol and her sisters have lost their parents and are struggling to make ends meet. They receive a few letters from an "aunt" of their father's, stating they have artwork to bequeath them. Bristol is skeptical but takes the meeting. She finds out that things are definitely not what they seemed in her small town and the "aunt" is none other than the Fae court her father betrayed. As Bristol gets pulled into a bargain with Tyghan, the king, she also discovers her father may be alive. she travels to Elphaim to find out what happened.
This is a typical enemies to lovers trope. Although I enjoyed it, it's a good thing there will be another book because this ended in a "ahem" situation.

*Special thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron books for this e-arc.*

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed The Courting of Bristol Keats a lot. The characters are fun, the world is well thought out, and I am excited to see where this story goes! Hopefully the second book doesn't take long!

This was a fun portal romantasy - it was giving The Cruel Prince vibes with spice and a much quicker slow burn (maybe slow burn turned insta love?). There were fae hijinks, found family, enemies to lovers, and hidden magic, to name a few. I am definitely a sucker for fae hijinks.

In short: Bristol agrees to enter Elphame to help find a portal for fae king Tyghan in exchange for help with finding her father, who she previously believed to be dead, but now suspects may be alive in the fae realm. Bristol and Tyghan grow close while working together, but Bristol soon discovers that pretty much everyone she loves is keeping secrets from her.

The ending felt pretty abrupt, but I will definitely be picking up the next book to find out what happens, and enjoyed myself listening to this audiobook.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3 stars

I loved The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson so I was so excited to dive into another world. And I loved how she was branching out and diving into a brand new world! With fae and magic and characters who weren’t associated with any of her characters from her other series. I adore when authors branch out and try something new.

The premise sounded so promising and there’s no doubt about it - the world-building and the writing are wonderfully done. It was the story itself that fell a bit short for me. I found myself confused by what was happening. The random different POVs we would get were jarring and added more to my befuddlement. I think there was a lot of potential for adding even more mystery and suspense if Mary had taken away some of those other POVs. Sometimes less is more. And sometimes more is not better.

I did enjoy the banter of both Tyghan and Bristol. I loved his wry, hard personality and her spit-fire wittiness. However I did find the way their connection developed a little unconvincing. I found myself going “wait what, when did this happen? When did these feelings emerge?” It felt too fast in some ways and at a point in the book where I still felt like I didn’t even know them that well, border-lining on insta love for me. Which I’m definitely not a fan of, but I know some really do jive with that.

But romance and confusing plot aside, all things considered, I think it’s a very promising start to a series and knowing how much I adored Mary’s writing in the Remnant Chronicles, I have high hopes about how the remainder of this new series will carry out.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this arc!! All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

As always, Pearson builds worlds that have so much potential. I LOVE portal fantasy so I was quite excited for this, along with fantasty romance and enemies to lovers. Bristol Keats is navigating a difficult life, raising her two younger sisters after the sudden loss of both parents. (Honestly this just feels like a classic Pearson set up). When she receives mysterious letters from a supposed aunt, she’s skeptical but intrigued. The letters lead her to a hidden world of fantasy where she discovers that her father may still be alive. To uncover the truth, Bristol agrees to help the King Tyghan save his kingdom in exchange for his aid in finding her father.

Despite some pacing issues and an abrupt ending (as it is a duology), the novel's rich setting and Pearson’s descriptive style make it an entertaining read---however since she typically writes for a younger audience, this felt a little like that. I do think Pearson struggles a little with a sense of urgency, as I've read most of her other works. Overall I had a super fun time!

This isn't quite what I expected, but it is a fascinating twist on a contemporary Emily Wilde-eque fae story. I didn't love the characters that I think I was supposed to be rooting for, so that made full immersion tricky, but I had a good enough time and enjoyed the overall arc and journey.

This book was an entertaining read about a modern girl colliding with the far world in unexpected ways. I was really interested in the story and wish it kept going - so obviously I'm excited for the next book in the series and will read it. However, I did find the ending chapters rather abrupt - I need more! This is a fun one for any fae-loving romantasy reader.

𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕠𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕗 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕝 𝕂𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕤, 𝔹𝕪: 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝔼. ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
* romantasy
* enemies to lovers
* magic realism
* he falls first and harder
* whimsy
* high stakes
* fae, gods, monsters
* mystery
* multiple morally gray characters
* court intrigue

Synopsis:
Bristol is doing her best to hold her sisters together after the deaths of both their parents. Things are turned upside down when mysterious letters start arriving at their door with offers that are too good to be true, and Bristol is swept away to a Fae world where nothing is as it seems.

I was over the moon to revive Pearson’s adult romantasy debut after enjoying her previous YA works. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 had me feel reminiscent of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 and 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦’𝘴 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 with it’s whimsical setting and traditional take on fantasy.

𝘛𝘊𝘖𝘉𝘒 followed Pearson’s previous writing style with a perfect balance of descriptive writing and dialogue. The world building within became a bit bogged down in the middle but was overall easy to follow.

I enjoyed watching mystery being unraveled and the main relationship develop. I will admit that the multiple POVs threw me off. I felt the story would have been a bit smoother if we had only the fmc and mmc’s POVs instead of the two plus random side characters once in a while.

I was unaware that this was to be a duology and should have researched it a bit before hand because I was surprised by what felt like an abrupt conclusion.

I was left with unanswered questions and look forward to finding out how the story continues in the future sequel.

Overall if you have read Pearson’s previous works you will love 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Pub date: 11/12/24

Thank you NetGalley, Mary E. Pearson and Flatiron book for an E-arc copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Bristol Keats is trying her best to make a tough situation work. After losing her mother a year ago and the sudden passing of her father - she has to work hard and try to keep her family afloat the best that she can. When letters start showing up letting Bristol know that her aunt from her father's side wants to meet her she's skeptical, but decides to hear her out. After that initial meeting Bristol is caught up in the Fae world where nothing is as it seems. She soon discovers that her father wasn't who he said he was and he might be alive after all. Will Bristol be willing to help the fae and in turn try to find her father, who everyone assumes is dead?

I was really excited to read Mary E Pearson's adult romantasy novel especially after really enjoying Dance of Thieves. While Dance of Thieves was well thought out and the story itself was told beautifully I felt like The Courting of Bristol Keats was not as cohesive. I never really felt that connection between Bristol and Tyghan even though their banter was enjoyable. I felt like there were too many things thrown at us and too many points of view to make it cohesive.

I'm bummed, because I really wanted to love this book more than I actually did.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson is the first book in a duology. It is a fantasy with a romantic subplot. Bristol and her two sisters live in Bowskeep and they've lost both parents in the past year. Bristol is struggling to keep them afloat and she has received a couple of letters from a long lost aunt implying she can help. But, Bristol does not believe they have a long last aunt and this is just some sort of scam. But, Bristol goes to the meeting and she discovers that everything she thought she knew about her parents and their families is a lie, and that her father may be alive but in Elphame - another realm. Bristol agrees to go to this realm to help King Tyghan save his kingdom but she wants his help to search for her dad. This realm is full of gods, fae and monsters and Bristol will be training with a small group of other recruits to help save the kingdom. I liked the story and the romance, but Bristol herself reads like a YA character in an adult fantasy. She is too immature. The romance is fine, but there is an ick factor component - two men important to Bristol have a conversation about this relationship and it's just gross. It's gross on every level. And, the author has set up a zero sum scenario in this story - I'll be interested to read book two to see how she solves it. I'm hoping the answer is not just pure effing magic. That would be disappointing. I gave this book 4 stars and I want to thank #netgalley and Flat Iron Books for my e-arc and MacMillan Audio for advance audio book. The narration was excellent.

This book had so much potential. The idea of a portal fantasy romance with enemies to lovers sounds exactly like a lot of my favorite books, so I expected to really enjoy this one. Unfortunately, it just fell flat for me. I find myself quite bored throughout most of it, and every time I stopped reading I never felt a sense of urgency to pick it back up, to flip through the pages and find out what happens next.
I have not read Kiss of Deception, so I cannot say if this lives up to that for the readers. I do hope that this book finds its fanbase.

The Courting of Bristol Keats is a thrilling ride. A nice combination of mystery, fantasy, and steamy romance makes this a worthy read. If you're a fan of Pearson from her other work, you'll enjoy her characters and the adventure she plots out for our heroine.

This book started off very good. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning about this world the book takes place in. The middle of the book was a little slow with a lot of world building, but I was completely sucked in by the end.

It felt like the book ended in the middle of a story. I know there is going to be another book coming out and the story is going to continue, but I didn't feel even a little bit satisfied with the ending. I read mostly Fantasy series, so I am familiar with books that end on cliffhangers and have books that continue the story. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a cliffhanger at the end and really nothing was resolved. The book just ended. It felt like my book wasn't supposed to end and was missing the last few chapters.

With all that being said, I am very much looking forward to continuing the series with the next book and will definitely be reading it as soon as I can get a copy because I need to know what is going to happen with these characters.

I did read the ebook while listening to the audiobook. I highly recommend this immersive technique for reading books. The audiobook for The Courting of Bristol Keats was great!

This book was seriously something special. I absolutely love Mary Pearson‘s writing. I think she has such a beautiful whimsical way with words. I definitely feel like this was an homage to older more classical fantasies. I loved the multiple point of views and how the world building was unraveled through mystery versus an info dump. The plot kept me on my toes the entire time I loved the romance and watching these two characters build a relationship together.

This audiobook was a lot of fun and perfect for fans of fae romantasy. Bristol, our FMC, is a mortal girl with a very mysterious family past. She finds herself in the world of Elfhame on a quest to uncover the truth about her parents and her own magic. Her journey involves intense training, court politics, and a romance with the fae king Tyghan. Tyghan basically lies to her throughout the entire story, and I kind of felt like Bristol just easily overlooked that, but its a romantasy so I kind of expect our FMCs to be too forgiving at this point.

The audiobook narration was well done and kept me engaged through the 17 hour audiobook. While parts of the romance felt rushed and the overall pacing a bit slow in the middle, the world and characters were intriguing. I would definitely continue this series to see what happens in the next book. I would recommend this if you like easy and fun romantasy 👍🏻

Overall the book was enjoyable enough, with how long it is I was able to move through quickly so it certainly wasn't boring. I thought the world was really interesting and would have loved even more world building!

There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but overall it wasn't too difficult for me. There were some nice reveals and I liked how the fae and mortal realms were tied together in so many different ways. This was a unique book in my opinion, with lots of groundwork laid for the next book, I'm curious to see where it will go.

I typically LOVE more than one POV but the POVs in general in this book were kind of confusing to me. It seemed like it switched around mid chapter from third person to third person omniscient, and didn't just focus on certain characters. I would have appreciated a chapter header telling me which POV I was getting rather than figuring it out myself every time. I also thought that, as the reader, knowing so many of the secrets and lies for so long before the MC found out diminished how much I enjoyed it, especially the relationship aspect. I spent too much time feeling for the MC, who never really got a moment to shine fully. I'm expecting some big things for Bristol in book 2!

I can safely say I've never read an ending quite like that, and it definitely caught me off guard!

3.5/5. Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron/Macmillan for the ARC!