This was a really fun read. I loved the world-building of the fairy realm and all of the characters were really well written and fleshed out. The plot was fun, but had its serious elements around the fairy world and the impending war/political situation. Timmie best character for sure! Love that little guy.

It's more of a 3,25*. It's a nice, easy read but a little too simple for me.

Quick disclaimer: I have never read a fae romantasy before. That's my first, so if some things are usual for the genre, then sorry, I didn't know.

Okay, so let's start with the plot, which is a one-night stand turned into an accidental marriage that could destroy the fae world. Wow, that's a lot, but I love the idea. And it worked quite well. I was really interested in the politics of the fae world and how Alard and Raz's marriage is a real threat to peace in the kingdoms.

What didn't work for me was actually the romance, sorry, but if I have to buy the "insta love" situation, then I need something more than physical attraction. Because, of course, our main characters fall in love with each other while they're working on dissolving their marriage. And it would be great if we could have some more scenes when they connect. Instead, there's Alard (the fae prince) who hides a lot of important things from his spouse while proceeding to still sleep with him instead of having a real conversation.

The characters themselves are fun and well written, there are quite a lot of them and only Alard and Raz have character development, but I still enjoyed the rest. Especially Mayda - Alard's future bride. And, her pets, of course. I only wish that we could get more of Alard's parents, especially the end was missing some closure from them. It's hard to believe that they didn't have any objections...

And the ending is another one of my problems. It felt really rushed? In particular, the political plot could be discussed more instead of just being accepted. I had the same feeling in some other scenes, the few times that Raz and Alard are in real trouble, everything is fixed really quickly. It takes a chapter or two.

If you are looking for an easy queer romantasy where the problems are solved quickly, then I can recommend A Happy Beginning.

This was a very fun gay insta-love romance between a fairy prince, Alard Fairchild, and a human businessman, Razi Miller. After meeting in New Orleans several times by chance and one unforgettable night together, Raz wakes up to find himself magically bonded to Alard by an ancient marriage tattoo. Neither of them knows how it happened or why, but one thing’s for the consequences are far-reaching—and deadly. I will say I did find the first third or so a little slow. I really like Alard and Raz, along with Alard's friends but it did take me awhile to get really sucked in. The more I was exposed to the fairy realm and the mystical creatures, the more engaged I was in the novel. Also, totally fine by me, but there is a lot of spice in this story.

I was very glad to have read this during February. I typically don't think to pick up a romance during the month because I'm not really wired that way, but this was a very nice change. I want to talk about Meyda who was my favorite character, along with Timmie, her pet drake. I'm assuming she is Ace-coded, while not outright stated, and I truly loved the representation that I saw in her. I love that Richards did not pit any of the three against each other, other than bringing up occasional feelings of jealousy in Raz, who never acted on them and also came to love Meyda like a sister. I think it was wonderful that she was just down for everything that was going on from the beginning and she made me enjoy this story even more.

Thank you NetGalley, B.A. Richards, and City Owl Press for free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Queer dragon romantasy? Sign me up. I was so excited when NetGalley approved me for this ARC copy and I was not at all disappointed. I found the romance to be timed perfectly and there was no confusion on my end on why they belong together. The fantasy world really came to life in my mind as well with all of the vivid descriptions of scenes and scenery.

Shirt and sweet and well paced!
Allard and Raz are the cutest and I love them! I love how genuinely nice they are but will stick up for the ones they care about in an instant. I love the acceptance between Allard, Raz and Meyda. How there was no making anyone less for what they feel and who they are.
A Happy Beginning has an amazingly diverse cast of characters, good world building, enough action to keep it flowing and a romance with just enough spice for those who need it!

Unfortunately decided to DNF.
Our main characters meet very quickly into the story and the chemistry is instant. Theres no background provided or any world building developed prior to the meet; it feels rushed. I also found some of the dialogue quite cringe and unbelievable, and the magic system seems underdeveloped.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to, which is a disappointment, and the premise is really fun. I don't think the book is a bad one, or that other readers won't enjoy it though, I think it was a personal taste issue, and maybe the fated mates trope isn't for me.

A cute read!

⭐️3/5 stars ⭐️

This was a cute read! I have always been obsessed with New Orleans, despite never having been there, and this was one of my favorite things about this book. I loved the attention to detail, the descriptions, everything about the setting! It was wonderfully done.

The plot was engaging and I definitely was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I felt that the worldbuilding could have used some more work, but the action was enough to keep me engaged and interested!

The romance was awesome! The chemistry between Alard and Razi was undeniable, and I loved their entire story. I will say, I did not see that ending coming, though! I was honestly surprised by how everything wrapped up, and I can’t say that I was disappointed, but I won’t go so far as to say I loved it.

As a whole, I was not the biggest fan of the writing style. This is just a personal opinion, but I sometimes struggle with third person POVs that tend towards the chaotic, which this book did at times. There were times when I felt that the author was repeating themselves, either in different POVs or just direct repetition. Again, just as a matter of personal opinion, the writing style had a big impact on my overall opinion of the book.

Overall, I’ll definitely keep this in the back of my mind as a potential reread when I’m in the mood for MM fae romances.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I'd say this novel was an ambitious attempt at writing a Romantasy epic, but ultimately fell short in both the Fantasy and Romance aspects. I found the world-building lacking, especially the magic system, which you'll have to take at face value since the characters will openly admit, "Don’t ask me how—that level of cosmic magic is beyond my understanding" (actual quote) and move on.

The romance felt inauthentic, in part because the love interest appears at only 4% of the book and it's insta-lust; they're banging by 10%. No suspense, no pining, no tension. At its core, the romance felt very much like those cheap Kindle Unlimited novellas with shirtless men on the cover—which I love, don't get me wrong, if you know me you know trashy p*rn is most of my literary diet at this point. But my expectations were completely off due to the gorgeous cover art; I also got *The Priory of the Orange Tree-but make it Urban* vibes from the synopsis and that wasn't it.

I have a few other complaints, including the secondary characters feeling flat and the plot points going from predictable to anticlimactic. However, I feel like I'm being hyper-critical because my expectations were off. I think this book could have been a great YA Fantasy (without the adult themes, of course) *or* a splendid p*rno with elves (with 150 pages less); I'd have been pretty happy with either of those two drafts.

I'll definitely check out the author's next releases though because they have a lot of potential. They set a break-neck pacing and followed through, which was refreshing. I also enjoyed all the representation the characters offered!

I'd definitely recommend this book if you like fast-paced Fantasy and are accustomed to both YA characters-traits and those smutty MM Romances from the 2010s.

This book had the potential to become a whole series with more world building, exploration of the different realms and the magic and supernatural creatures in each, and more conflict between the two kingdoms of the fairy realm. Instead we got a cozy rom-com with a side of fantasy, ending with a rather simple solution to a problem that was generations in the making. Fans of epic fantasy may be disappointed in a missed opportunity, but I think I would have been happy either way. I enjoyed the book as it was, including the m/m forced proximity with just a little spice and representations of platonic love and asexuality with Prince Alard’s betrothed, Meyda. As the name implies, a happy beginning rather than an HEA, with hope that all main characters will get what they want from this beginning. Sweet and lighthearted.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC that allowed me to make this review.

With in the first few chapters, everything felt quite confusing. The writing was overinflated with explanation, and what little parts I did read relied heavily on plot. Could not stand the smut being so close to the beginning, which also left no room for a slow burn romance. The point of veiw switches equally left me confused, and were not used efficiently.
Throughout the whole thing, I became quite bored of the premise. It feels like the world and characters are disconnected from the plot and not properly connected.
If you're looking for an easy, smutty read, this book might be fore you. It has elements of fantasy and romance that some people might find appealing.

In a Happy Beginning we follow Alard & Raz - Alard is a fairy prince betrothed to Meyda a fairy Princess & Raz is a tourist visiting New Orleans. When Alard & Raz have a steamy night together they wake up the next day with matching marriage tattoos. If Alard is not to marry Meyda the fairy realm will be at war so Alard & Raz must find a way to break the marriage bond.

This story was really lovely & I had a great time reading it. The m/m romance was done so well & I loved seeing Raz & Alard’s relationship flourish. Their relationship is passionate (& spicy) but their love for each other develops gradually & I was so looking forward to them getting their “happily ever after”. There is also polyamory & aroace rep, along with an arranged marriage and a marriage of love - I loved seeing all of the rep shown so thoughtfully in this book. The relationships between Raz, Alard & Meyda are really supportive & I just love reading books where the characters are supportive of each other.

This story is modern day urban fantasy but becomes high fantasy at about 30% of the way through & then switches back to urban fantasy towards the end.

My only minor gripes (& they are VERY minor) with this book are that some things seemed to happen a little too conveniently & as a result of Raz & Alard’s relationship being so passionate in the beginning there isn’t as much tension as you get with a slow-burn romance.

I absolutely loved reading this book & I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a queer romantasy read.

Thank you to NetGalley , the author & the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book which I chose to read & review.

This book starts out great. I was so excited. The characters have realistic voices and interesting diction. The worldbuilding is scenic, descriptions of different spaces evocative and sensory. The features of the human realm in New Orleans and the fairy realm felt quirky, detailed, and purposeful.s Raz and Alard felt three dimensional and the emotional/ physical pull they feel toward each other is well conveyed. The combination of different fairy and magic lore felt like a clever and new take on staples of the genre. The plot set up is so smart, the conflict clear and high stakes: Intimacy and a fated mates bond triggered by proximity to a marriage ceremony; a changeling prince forced to abandon his human law practice to heal not only his kingdom but the fairy world through arranged marriage; vampires and fairy godmothers and the power of true love’s kiss. All so appealing to me.

But.

The book itself did not live up to its promising beginning. I think this author can do great things but clearly better editing and more practice are needed.

-POV: There are several moments where the pov choice seems wrong. For example, we don’t get nearly enough of Raz’s pov when his agency is taken away/being restored, and we miss out on a lot by not being in his head while these things happen. Also, Raz’s interiority when he is thinking about his race and feeling “othered” made it clear to me that a white author was writing a black character’s pov.

-Characterization/Backstory: We needed way more detailed history of the fairy generations whose choices led up to the present predicament. We needed more about Alard’s life as a human turned fairy growing up in a realm where that made him different. We needed more about Meyda and Alard’s parents so we could understand their actions more, particularly Meyda’s Machiavellian mother. As it is, what we know about the world and the people is not enough to carry all of the plot that is thrown at us.

-Plot: Detail and page count are spent in the wrong places. Richards is clearly not interested in fighting, wars, or political machinations. We get so much information about how the mc’s will care for a kitten in fairy land, but virtually none about a literal war with death and bloodshed. Like, what is the command structure of these armies that the kids can just come in and contradict the orders their royal parents gave when the battles are in full swing?

-Pacing: In general the middle of the book is too slow and the ending of the book is clunky and too fast. The abrupt lack of detail and pat explanation as conflicts are hastily wrapped up is a jarring contrast to the detailed scenic worldbuilding we got in the beginning. There are these beautiful turns of phrase that just make the rush and sloppiness at the end more frustrating,

I will definitely check out more from this author because I really see such potential, but I can’t recommend this book. I’d give it 2.5 stars.

This book had such an interesting premise (accidental marriage in NOLA of a Fairy Prince and a human) and the cover is gorgeous! Alard and Raz are decently developed for main characters, but I always felt like I was wanting just a little bit more from them. The development of their story from in lust to in love felt like it was missing crucial details for me to truly believe it. Most of the commentary and explanation around their development of feelings was very centered around physical attributes and not much else.
I wish there had been some more extensive world building. There were so many things going on (and so many fantasy and paranormal creatures included) that I think the book could have benefited from being a bit longer to make the plot and creatures more seamless and natural. The writing style was also very tell, tell, tell and I found that off-putting at times because it took me out of the fantasy world.
I think this book will find its audience, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have on paper. You may like this book if you like MM romance and accidental marriages.

Prince Alard Fairchild of the Kingdom of Earth and Sky has long known he was born human. That has never deterred him from putting in the work necessary to become the next king of the fairy realm. Not when his parents and the monarchs of the neighboring Kingdom of Fire and Ice have had Alard betrothed to Princess Meyda since they were children. If their union will bring peace to the long-warring kingdoms and unite all of the fairy realm, Alard is entirely on board. But until that day comes, he is determined to be his own man…and that means practicing law in New Orleans to help poor, unfortunate souls get the legal remedies they are entitled to. Maybe he finds someone to warm his bed once in a while, but knowing the whole fairy realm is depending on him returning to be their king, Alard has always taken care to never get too attached. That is, until he meets Razi Miller.

Despite his parents disowning him for being gay and people hating him for being brown, Razi “Raz” Miller refuses to be anything less than excellent at business. That means working the conference circuit to network and learn. Part of the fun of conferences is the hooking up that inevitably happens and Raz is always down for a good time. When he finds himself in the arms of a smoking hot, do-gooder lawyer named Alard, though, something feels different. After a night of unbridled passion, Raz wakes up to the stunning realization that he and Alard got wedding tattoos the previous night. Then another bomb drops: the tattoo is permanent, because Alard is actually a fairy prince and nothing short of Raz’s death can break the bond they made. The more time Raz spends with Alard, though, the deeper in love he falls. Too bad for Raz he’s technically the “other woman” and it’s not long before the powers that be make it known that Raz and Alard must find a way to undo their accidental marriage or they’ll take matters into their own hands…with an all out fairy war.

A Happy Beginning is a contemporary fairy tale from author B. A. Richards. Set half in New Orleans and half in a fantastical fairy realm, the tone and visual imagery clearly demarcate one world from the other. Yet there are strong similarities between the two worlds, including power struggles and blind discrimination. In addition to the ill-fated love that blooms between Alard and Raz, there’s also a strong thread of friendship represented by Alard’s close relationship with Meyda, which spills over into a friendship between her and Raz as well.

This story touches on some pretty heavy topics. One is abandonment; both Alard and Raz were abandoned by their birth families. We don’t get many details about Alard’s circumstances outside of the fact that his birth family left him and the king and queen of the Kingdom of Earth and Sky adopted him as a baby and turned him into a fairy. Raz’s situation is fleshed out more, with several mentions of how his family left him and one scene that spelled out how his father used his fists to let Raz know being gay was unacceptable. Raz also makes it clear that he feels like he’s othered by humans as a matter of course, so when the fairies do the same thing to him, it’s not a new feeling so much as coming from new people. It was odd to me how it seemed like Raz’s baseline expectation of the world was to be othered in the human world and he is not surprised when he gets othered just the same (more explicitly even) in the fairy world for being human. Yet it was Alard (a white member of royalty) being verbally discriminated against for being human-born by a few specific individuals that felt more consequential to the story. Strangely, the two characters don’t discuss how being othered like this impacts them or their relationship, not even when Raz ends up in the fairy realm for a not insignificant period of time.

The story felt very fast paced to me. With the notable exception of Alard and Raz getting accidentally married, many obstacles are resolved almost as soon as they arise. One prime example of this was

Spoiler title
–then it’s back to solving the puzzle of how to undo their accidental marriage. Another is when
Spoiler title
This may keep things exciting and dramatic for some, but I found so much action with so little consequence or follow through to be a little exasperating. More than anything, it conveyed a sense of “if it’s not actively happening, it doesn’t really matter” to me that lessened the impact of other big events in the story–like the fairy war that erupts or one member of the royal family gets caught in their web of lies.
For me, the most enjoyable part was the way Alard and Raz fall in love despite being in an impossible situation. This situation drives practically every action in the story, so it was always enjoyable for me to watch these two fall deeper in love with each other, while at the same time getting more and more convinced that everything else would keep them apart. Alard knows and accepts he must return to the fairy realm to become king. Raz knows true love won’t save him from fairy-kind’s general dislike (or outright hate of) humans. Just like Raz knows their accidental marriage is extremely inconvenient and how Alard is loath to explain that his having a marriage bond to anyone other than Meyda will bring war to the fairy realm. I loved watching the back and forth between them. The eventual resolution was creative and allowed everyone to love who they loved, while still fulfilling their duties. My one complaint is that when the happy ending is playing out, we go back to the critique of “whenever an obstacle is presented, it’s immediately overcome” except here, the obstacle turned out to be a complete nonissue.

Overall, A Happy Beginning is a sensationalized melodrama. Fans of the woke-up-married trope and fated mates tropes are sure to enjoy Richards’ takes on these. There is magic galore and the several mysterious attempts to separate Alard and Raz keep the story flowing quickly from one event to the next. In between, our two MCs grapple with how they grow more and more in love with each other. If you enjoy stories with impossible scenarios that must be overcome or want a modern take on a literal fairy tale, I think you’ll enjoy this story.

B. A. Richards has written a perfectly paced, hard-to-put-down debut romantasy with two main characters readers will fall in love with, and a storyline that is complex and well written. If you read only one romantasy this year, make it this one.

This is a light urban fantasy/fantasy. It would have been more stars, except that I never really bought the love of the main characters which was the whole point of the plot. If the characters had more in common, it would have been better. As it was, it read, "You look pretty, let's bang, oh we're married? I love you for LIFE!"

That said, the nice bit about reading is that your brain fills in the bits that aren't said, so if the blurb sounds good to you, give this book a shot!

A great, spellbinding adventure awaits within the pages of this book! Something about it briefly made me think of when I read Inkheart many years ago.

This story will have you moving between the human realm and a magical realm, following Prince Alard and Razi, the man he accidentally marries. This presents a problem since he is to be married to the daughter of a neighboring kingdom within the magical realm.

Meyda, the princess Alard is betrothed to, is her own kind of force to be reckoned with. She’s a great character, and really supportive of Alard and Razi all while trying to help them figure out a way out of the mess they are in. Throw in some less than understanding parents and you have a recipe for potential disaster.

I really enjoyed reading this one. It was fresh and new, and extremely satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

A Happy Beginning is an urban fantasy romance novel, and the debut novel from B.A. Richards. It is a (literal) fairy tale about an instant connection between Alard, a New Orleans-based lawyer, and Raz, a businessman in town for a conference. What was expected to be a one-night hook-up transforms into an accidental bond that has major repercussions in both of their worlds.

This is a world with vampires, werewolves, and the fae. Richards weaves a beautiful tapestry of vibrant and magical worldbuilding, combining the world we know with another just the other side of the looking glass. It combines classic themes of royal marriages and palace politics with modern diversity and LGBTQ+ representation from across the spectrum. It is an easy and enjoyable read, comparable to a fun popcorn flick or a young adult novel, and sets the hook with enough temptation to read just one more chapter. Who needs sleep anyway?

This is a benefit for someone who doesn’t read a lot of fantasy or gets lost in the flood of details found in something like Game of Thrones or The Wheel of Time. My wife is familiar with the fantasy genre, but I often find it frustrating. This story is easy to follow and has relatable characters drawn from all walks of life. (Given her familiarity with urban fantasy and its subgenres, my wife was a good reference for those genre elements that made me stumble.)

The romance between the main characters does include erotic content, something that I wish had been more “closed door” or “fade to black” style given this novel’s tone. The magical relationship remains believable, but the spicy scenes presented an abrupt tonal shift, pulling this novel away from one that I could recommend to older family members as an entry point to discuss LGBTQ+ issues. Without those scenes, this could easily become a YA novel.

I do wish that this world was more fully fleshed out. Main characters like Alard, Raz, and Meyda have depth but secondary characters (such as the story’s antagonist) often don’t. The majority of the story ends up being told from Raz’s point of view, giving us the fish out of water perspective like John Crichton of Farscape. In fact, the prose shines in that exploration – a favorite chapter was a trip to a major metropolis told from the perspective of a character unfamiliar with the human world – and exemplifies the concept of “drinking from the fire hose” for Raz as he learns a whole new reality in a short period of time. But the tale falls flat in filling the magical world as much as it does the human world, often whisking the reader over interstitial spaces and leaving empty a world that we’re told is full of good, honest, caring people.

The drawbacks don’t detract from the potential provided by worldbuilding and thematic exploration. These are huge strengths, and since this is Richards’s debut work, it shows room for them to grow as they hone their craft. I enjoyed this read and would love to see more from them in the future, especially in these realms.