My absolute, number one reason to read this book is the creatures. In this world, almost all of the creatures are humanoids to at least some degree. There is the human/mortal world and beyond the veil the leads to various fae kingdoms. Our main girl Bristol gets the shock of her life when she discovers the Fae, and other monsters that creep in the night, are real, her parents are big ol’ liars, and her whole life has been a facade. About here is when we meet the very mysterious Tyghan. (Insert mischievous eyebrow raises because we know where this is headed.) Tyghan and Bristol are oil and water, neither giving any leeway to the other which makes some fantastic banter.

I had a really good time in this story. It’s no secret, I’m here for the creatures. I want to know so much more about absolutely everything. The ending, not satisfying in the least – Pearson did it on PURPOSE! WTF left my mouth several times in those last handful of pages. I have so many questions. The audiobook was easy to listen to. I easily got lost within the story and recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mary E. Pearson, and Macmillan audio for this audiobook ARC.

Holy crap this book was just captivating and thoroughly enchanting, and I loved every minute of it! It definitely didn’t disappoint and I lost myself in this one.

2.5 Stars ✨

Adult Fantasy

“Unforgivable is a tricky word, only you can decide what that means- not kings or councils. Forgiveness is a thing of the heart and every heart is wounded and mended in its own way.”

Audio Version 🎧 Via Netgalley
Narration 5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced audio copy of The Courting of Bristol Keats, in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited to snag an audio arc of Courting Bristol Keats as it was one of my most anticipated reads. Pearson has been an auto read author for me over the years. I have enjoyed her writing, her strong characters and storytelling. In the past, she has written YA books - well surprise… she has crossed over (maybe just for this series?) to hit an older more adult audience. This book is most definitely not a YA.

I really enjoyed the story, it was engaging and about a mortal girl crossing over to the Fae lands to make a deal to save her family and find her father she thought was dead. It reminded me a little bit of The Cruel Prince . The characters were likable and I enjoyed the romance and how it developed. It was your typical enemies to lovers - forbidden romance trope.

What I didn’t like was all the spicy bits and language. I feel like this book would have been just as good and better without it. It definitely would been a solid 4 star read for me if not for certain things. I see more and more authors going this route and it’s frustrating to me. There were also some holes in the plot and a few things I felt could have been explained a little better but that part didn’t bother me too much. And the ending…. I can honestly say, in all the books I have ever read none have ended the way this one ended 😳 like whyyyy??? It’s definitely got me scratching my head in wonder. Overall, I enjoyed the story just wish I could recommend it 🫤

Content ⚠️
-language
-sexual content
-small lgbt rep

I absolutely loved this book! Mary e Pearson is my favorite author. And I have been waiting to read this book for so long! And I was not disappointed! The world building is so good! And the romance was the perfect amount. I was not a huge fan of the spice but everything else was beyond perfect. And the narrator for this book did a great job!

4.5 STARS
Thank you so much to Flatiron and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of the book and the audiobook!!

I loved loved loved this!! Mary E. Pearson is a MASTER at world building as well as creating memorable characters. The Fae creatures in this story are all unique and have their own quirks, magics, and fun one liners. The romance is a beautifully crafted enemies to lovers. I love how the characters must work through betrayal and revenge, while also navigating a political landscape which added a lot to the story.

I enjoyed the magical school aspect, with the hidden magics needing to be uncovered. I felt that even though it was an important aspect of the plot, it was not constantly drilled into you and was not repetitive.

There are a lot of Fae stories coming out lately, with each author trying to make their story unique and stand out while being alongside all the other stories. Few have pulled it off in my opinion, but Pearson has!! She has taken the Fae world and made it her own. I cared deeply about all of the characters, despite not trusting many of them which is always a fun ride: wanting to care about all the characters, but also not fully trusting all of them...waiting to see whose true colors are going to shine through.

The ending was VERY abrupt (hence the half star) but I am SO excited for book #2 and excited to see where the story takes our beloved Bri!!!

3.75 ⭐️
Some spice towards the end but don’t go into for the spice.

Tropes:
• Adult Fantasy
• Reluctant Allies
• Enemies to Lovers
• Morelly grey MMC
• Slowburn
• Forbidden Romance

I LOVE mary pearson and her books. The remnant chronicles is still my favorite series to this day. Herr writing in this book was just like her other books.

IF SHE WRITES IT, IMMA READ IT.

This followed our fmc bristol who made a deal with king tk help him and he would try to search for her father. Her father that she thought was dead and only recently discovered maybe wasn’t dead.

I loved this book and i thought the plot was so well done. i truly love mary’s writing and how solid everything is. The pacing and worldbuilding were so good.

My one con about this book is that I HATED the spice. It felt so disjointed from the book. It disrupted the flow for me every single time. I would honestly preferred if it they didn’t exist and this book were YA.

In The Courting of Bristol Keats, we meet the titular Bristol, as she works to repair her and her sisters' lives in the small town of Bowskeep after their mother disappeared and their father suddenly died after being hit by a car. Bristol has been receiving letters from someone claiming to be her aunt, although neither of her parents had siblings, and curiosity and poverty get the better of her once the most recent letter promises a rare painting in return for her presence. As you might imagine, the meeting with Bristol's aunt is not as simple as it seemed and she finds herself making a bargain with the Fae to try and help save their world and maybe even find her father.

I had a good time throughout this book, although the beats of the story will feel pretty familiar to anyone who has been in the fantasy/romance genre for even a little while. I did find myself rather overwhelmed by the sheer number of characters throughout the book. I listened to this as an audiobook and wished I'd had a cast of characters to be able to keep everyone straight.

We have a host of recruits, who are all folks from the mortal realm who have been recruited into Danu, the area of Elfame where Bristol finds herself. These include Avery, Julia, Hollis, Sashka, and Rose. We have Tyghun, the current king of Danu and eventual love interest of Bristol, and his band of knights including his sister Melisand, her girlfriend and merperson Costa, Cully, Glynniss, Quin and others I know I haven't forgotten. We have the Tyghun's advisors including Eris and Madame Chastain. Tyghun's brother, Cale, has been taken by Cormik, our big bad of the story and leader of an undead army. Additionally, we have the council of Danu including Sorba, a lord who keeps wanting to kill of Bristol, Lady Berrington, Lord Alistair, and Sloan. Not to mention some others that pop up here and there like Fritz, a mysterious ferret shape shifter, King Roderick of one of the other Fae lands, Georgina, his daughter who also happens to be the mayor of Bowskeep, and Lord Fentley, who is Julia's brief love interest.

The sprawling cast of characters made it tough to understand where the story was going and felt like there were several loose ends that got abandoned throughout - like what's going on with the Council these days? Where are the other kings that weren't Roderick?

The audiobook narrator does a fantastic job though with a giant cast of characters being able to give a unique voice to each one and I really appreciated her stewardship throughout the book.

I'll likely check out the next one in this series - unlike some of the other folks, I was actually pleased with how it ended and thought it was a nice change of pace from some of the other books out there that leave you with massive cliffhangers.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the book.

Mary E. Pearson crafted such a beautiful and magical world while staying original! I loved how it took elements from popular fantasy books such as the Cruel Prince and Spiderwick chronicles but ultimately was still her story. The romance in this book was tasteful and not overbearing making it feel more like it’s JUST a fantasy book with romance aspects. I absolutely love her previous works and this book did not disappoint me one bit. The characters were complex and well thought out. Bristol was the perfect fantasy FMC and wasn’t your traditional badas* FMC or your girl in distressed waiting for someone to save her. I am so so so excited to buy the physical book when it comes out and to read her next book!!

A fun book that just might be a Cruel Prince AU where the main character’s name is Bristol Keats and she’s trying to find her father.

The narrator of the Macmillan audiobook (Brittany Pressley) does a fantastic job and acts her heart out. She is half of the reason why I liked the book so much, so thank you Pressley. :)

Bristol herself is “fully and stupidly on her own” (a direct quote from her), but although she is not the smartest human that has ever gone to faeland (which says a lot) the aloofness works for her main character energy and for the plot. Oh boy does she misunderstand. I love that.

I’m looking forward to seeing any changes (cough, the ending) when it’s released to the public! And thank you netgalley for the arc <3

An interesting contemporary fantasy novel!

Bristol Keats is recently orphaned and is just trying to help her sisters make ends meet. She gets pulled into the world of the Fae finding out her father may not only be alive, but was raised in the land of the Fae. She makes a deal with the Fae king, Tyghan to help him save his kingdom in exchange for help finding her father, not knowing that the two are enemies.

I love the world building, not overly descriptive(the book was already long!) but just enough that I could use my imagination to fill in the gaps. The Fae world being an alternate dimension/timeline was a fairly uncommon twist. The ending was rather abrupt, but was a cliffhanger that makes me want to read the next installment.

My only complaint is how the characters react to the frequent lies/deceptions. Nearly every character in the book lies to or purposefully omits important facts to Bristol. Even Tyghan, the love interest, seems to think throughout the course of the book that she will be fine with his plan to kill her father, once she finds out their history. However, he doesn't bother to tell her his side until she finds out and confronts him. The story definitely could have moved forward faster if there were some earlier confessions.

I enjoyed the plot and world. This book had so much potential. I was really disappointed by the over the top sexual content and language. I was not expecting this based on the author’s previous work. I felt like the connection was purely lust and no romance. For me, it took away from the rest of the book. I quit two thirds in at the sex scene. Again, I loved the idea of the world, but I would not read this author again if she continues to write with so much sex and language.

3.5⭐️-4⭐️

This story follows Bristol Keats on an adventure into the fae world to look for her father after making a deal with a fae.

The idea of an alternate reality being the fae realm is fun! I appreciated that the characters weren’t flat and I do enjoy the romance and adventure. However I do feel like it was a little confusing. There wasn’t a lot of back ground. It just all happens quickly. Bristol doesn’t ever really seem to grasp that she isn’t in her world anymore and makes a lot of selfish and careless choices. The relationships made with other characters were rushed. While I do love Bristol and Tyghan I feel like the relationship went from reluctant allies to love too quickly and without actual growth. They were willing to jump at a moments notice to guard against one another.


The narrator for the audiobook did a great job! She used different voices for each character that were all different from eachother so they didn’t get mixed up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audio ARC.

This book was like if Zodiac Academy, How Does it Feel, and The Cruel Prince had a baby…I didn’t vibe with any of those books, but I’m sure someone out there will.

It was too long for what it was, and I never felt attached to the story or any of the characters. The ending was also very underwhelming…like nothing happened except a third act breakup with a quick reverse.

The positive to this was it was narrated by the same person as The Unmaking of June Farrow, but even then…the voices of the male characters just seemed meh.

This book was so fun. It kind of lost me at the end but I loved the world we were in and the main male character.

Thank you @netgalley for this early audiobook of the highly anticipated release of The Courting of Bristol Keats! After reading the brief description of the book and getting an early audiobook release, I was so excited to jump right into this new fantasy romance. For fans of slow burn romances, training and trials, enemies to lovers, and a diverse magical world, this will be a huge hit. I’m really starting to love audiobooks, and the narrator does a fantastic job bringing all the characters to life. I felt like the story progresses really quickly in the beginning so you’re engulfed immediately. The overall flow of the audiobook keeps up with that same pace, and keeps you interested and locked in on the story. Overall, I really liked this, and I’ll preorder the book to reread it. Some things get a little confusing without having the book to refer back to, but this is a solid 4 star read! And we love a little spice too 🌶️🌶️

Probably a bit more than 4 stars?

This is giving adult Cruel Prince and I really enjoyed it! We've got the mix of human and fae and monsters, fish out of water style FMC, magic and weaponry training, mysteries and secrets, and twists and betrayals. It's a bit slow-paced, but ramps up a bit at the end. We also get spicy scenes!

While I really did love the development of the relationship between Bristol and Tyghan, and I loved them both as MCs, we're also cursed with something hanging over the entire relationship. And that is one of my least favorite tropes of lying by omission. Because it ALWAYS blows up. This is literally in the synopsis, so I did realize what I was in for, but ahhhh the ANGST!

I think the world-building and side character development could have used some more page time. And the book just ENDS. Almost mid-scene. There's no wrap up or setting up for the next book. Thankfully I knew there would be a next book! And I need it right now!

I absolutely enjoyed the book and would recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. The audiobook narrator did a great job, and I'd also recommend that format. All opinions are my own.

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC of The Courting of Bristol Keats in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to give it a 3.5 but since there aren't any half stars we can give, I rounded up to 4 stars because this book and future series does have potential.

After losing both parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small town of Bowskeep. Bristol begins to receive letters from an "aunt" she's never met that promises to help Bristol and her sisters in exchange for a meeting with Bristol and only Bristol. When she finally relents and decides to meet this mysterious aunt, everything Bristol thought she knew about her family came crashing down. Bristol finds out that her father may not actually be dead, but instead be in a fantasy fae realm. Bristol is desperate to save her father and find the truth. While on this journey, she makes a bargain with the fae king, Tyghan who is also looking for her father, but not for the same reason as Bristol.

In regards to the audio, the narrator did a great job with the story and voicing all the characters. While there are many characters in this story, the narrator does well in keeping them all separate and making it easy for the listener to tell the characters apart.

In regards to the plot and the storyline itself - this book had a lot of potential. I appreciate the author giving us a different approach to the fantasy system of the fae world and the monsters that live within it. The premise of finding lost family while searching for the truth was enough to keep me engaged, but there were times I was getting bored because the story itself was so long. 17 hours for an audiobook is pretty long especially for the first book of what seems like will be a series. There is a chunk of the plot that could've been removed and still kept the integrity of the storyline intact.

My other qualm was the ending. There is such thing as cliffhanger endings and then there was this ending. It felt like it just ended in the middle of a chapter. I was confused when it ended because I thought it was an incomplete story or audio file. After reading other reviews, I realized that it was indeed the end of the story and I assume will pick back up in the next book. The ending could have been executed a lot better instead of leaving the reader/listener wondering if it was meant to end that way or if it was a mistake and it was cut off mid chapter.

I hope that the next book in the series is improved because the story has a lot of potential. It just needs to be executed a little better.

The premise of this book sounding interesting, but the telling of it fell flat for me, and it was way too long (and I normally LOVE a long book). The narrator of the audio version did a decent job--the fact that I was listening to this one is the only reason I was able to finish the book. The pace was inconsistent, and proceeded so slowly at times that I found myself tuning out. When an action scene came along I was jerked back to attention, but still wasn't quite sure what was happening. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and the romance between Bristol and Tyghan seemed overly contrived. The world-building was also underwhelming. However, I had an extremely visceral reaction to the description of the tick that was embedded under Bristol's skin, blocking her magic. I almost had to put the book down the first time it was mentioned, but I pushed on, barely repressing a shudder every time it was mentioned.

I really liked this title, but honestly, if I had known it would have been left open-ended and/or part of a series, I'd have never read it. 17+ hours is a long time to commit to a title not knowing it wasn't going to have a conclusion. Other than that, it was a great story and I enjoyed the characters very much.

3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Flatiron Books for this advanced copy. You can pick up The Courting of Bristol Keats on November 12, 2024.

I've been a Mary E. Pearson fan for a decade and have loved every single book she's put out. But this one, sadly, was a miss for me.

It has so many elements that sound up my alley -- fae worlds, hidden magical powers, a sexy enemy king, found family. But I fear the book failed to execute these elements well, and instead spent too much time getting bogged down in world-building and lackluster banter.

To my knowledge, this is the first Pearson book to be set in the modern world with a fantastical side to it. And I think it shows -- I struggled to connect to these characters and their problems, and the intense info-dumping throughout the first third of the book made it difficult to keep track of everything. There are too many characters to follow and too much downtime between major plot points (the whole book, really, could've been at least 100 pages shorter).

The romance was honestly kind of bland to me, and the third act breakup to forgiveness plotline was INSANE. The entire ending was a mess, especially the last scene. It leaves the reader unsatisfied (pun intended) and does nothing to wrap up the story.

The whole book felt more like a sad imitation of every other romantasy book than its own original, unique story. Which is a shame, because Pearson is a master storyteller. I just think her works flourish more when there's more focus on character relationships and growth than over-the=top world-building and spice.

Will other romantasy readers enjoy this story? Probably! But I found too many issues with it to be an enjoyable experience.