The Fey Quartet: A 4-in-1 collection of romance novellas

Fey Quartet #1-4

by Emily Larkin

One widow, three daughters … and some very dangerous Faeries

Welcome to Medieval England, where a widow and her daughters are about to come face to face with danger and adventure … and love.

This collection of page-turning novellas from USA TODAY bestselling author Emily Larkin includes four tales of peril and romance featuring courageous heroines, gallant heroes, and a dash of dangerous magic.

The novellas in this quartet are Maythorn’s Wish, Hazel’s Promise, Ivy’s Choice, and Larkspur’s Quest.

If you love sexy and heartwarming Medieval romances filled with courage, love, adventure, and a pinch of perilous magic, then this collection is for you!

Four linked novellas totaling 78,000 words
Sensuality Hot medieval romances with steamy love scenes

In addition to the four novellas, this collection also contains the first two chapters of Unmasking Miss Appleby.

The Fey Quartet novellas are the prequel to the multi award-winning Baleful Godmother series.

Genres: Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Regency

460 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2023

About the author

Emily Larkin is the USA Today bestselling author of the Baleful Godmother historical romance series, a series that readers are calling “sexy, unusual and vastly entertaining,” and "ridiculously wonderful."

When not reading or writing, Emily can be found hiking—preferably somewhere off the beaten track. She loves to travel, and has lived in Sweden, backpacked in Europe and North America, and traveled overland in the Middle East, China, and North Africa. Her varied career includes stints as a field assistant in Antarctica and a waitress on the Isle of Skye.

Emily writes fantasy novels as Emily Gee, and historical romance novels as Emily Larkin. She has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA award, as well as the National Readers Choice, Booksellers Best, Australian Romantic Book of the Year, Sir Julius Vogel, and Koru awards. Her websites are www.emilylarkin.com and www.emilygee.com.

** Join Emily’s Readers’ Group to get an email whenever she has a new release or discounts a book—plus get some FREE ebooks as well!**

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fey Quartet by Emily Larkin is the complete collection of the Fey Quartet series of novellas including
Maythorn's Wish, Hazel's Promise, Ivy's Choice and Larkspur's Quest. The Fey Quartet series is also a prequel series to the Baleful Godmother series by Emily Larkin. The books are fantasy based reads with faeries and magic involved but also a mix of romance in each story along with a historical setting.

This series starts out introducing us to the Widow Maythorn Miller who comes across a faerie baby in danger and saves it's life. She and her daughters take care of the child so when Maythorn seeks out the faerie mother she convinces her that she owes the family wishes for their kindness in rescuing her child. The mother and each of the females in their family will be given one wish upon their birthdays with each of the books telling their individual stories.

I've really enjoyed reading the books in this series with it's mix of historical, fantasy and romance. Each of the books in this collection are novella length but the author manages to tell the story of each of the characters letting you get to know them and their world very nicely even in the shorter length. There was only one instance in the four stories that I felt a little something seemed to be missing from that story but overall a wonderful job by the author creating an interesting world and story with this collection.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set is definitely for lovers of fairy tales which are full of people hoping and magically achieving their dreams! This is the complete collection of four novellas concerning the wishes made by the Widow Maythorn Miller and her three daughters after they were granted them for saving a faerie baby. Each novella relates what happens when the four women are granted their wish on their birthday. The stories are a delightful mix of history and romance in a fantasy setting, each linking to subsequent stories. The stories explore the different characters, highlighting how the different personalities impact on the nature of their wishes, their actions and reactions though in every story the main character meets her true love. I don’t want to give spoilers away so won’t go into details about individual novellas, suffice it to say they are easy quick reads, with great characters, a developing plot line and delightful to escape into!

I requested and received a copy of this book via NetGalley without any obligation. This is my honest opinion after reading the stories.

[Marta Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you enjoy fairy tales ? How about stories that hark back to magical tales that are full of hopes and dreams? Well this set of novellas is just perfect for those wishing for a little escapism from the humdrum day to day existence and they come with a whole lot of sweetness thrown in.
Essentially they are the background to the authors Baleful Godmother series and tell the somewhat whimsical tale of a widow and her three daughters who live in an enchanted and protected part of an England long gone . Each individual story features one of the women bravely taking on challenges that involve both the tricky magic that the Fae exude and the reality of a life more human. They are very short reads but there's a certain naive charm as these unsophisticated women boldly follow their hearts.
Obviously being quite short each story does have to move things along quite quickly and whilst I enjoyed that in the first two Maythorns Wish and Hazels Promise by the time I read Ivy's Choice and Larkspurs Quest I was a little less taken by the storyline. They are all very different, with an overall story arc that follows through but I found the instant love just a little too much for me. There was surprisingly much more passion than I had expected and if brutally honest I much preferred the first story but as background to the authors latest work they worked very well.
This voluntary opinion is of an advance reader copy
Three and a half from me

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maythorn's Wish- 2.75 stars. Well developed for a short. I would've liked a little bit more tension and no intimate scenes (c'mon, it's so short it really didn't need it!) but that's just me. I will say this, the author managed to hook my attention from the first chapter.

Hazel's Promise- 2.25 stars. Cute, but not as well developed as the origin novella.

Ivy's Choice- 1.5 stars. Didn’t like this one as much. The physical intimacy was super rushed, even for a novella, and the hero in this story had a well known liaison with a widow in the mythical land where the story takes place. Meh.

Larkspur’s Quest- 1 star. My least favourite of the bunch. If I'd know the premise of this novella, I would've skipped it altogether. It was awkward, rushed, and gross. The heroine convinces the hero to go into the sort of dead prince's barrow with her, take her virginity while the prince watched, in exchange for the prince healing Ivy. Not my kind of thing. Ad the hero thought way too often about the woman he'd had a sexual relationship with in the past. :(

[ItaPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy is not what I usually read but this box set of novellas was a nice exception.
All the stories are really enjoyable and once I started to read it I devoured it in a few hours.
I liked how every novella talks about one of the Miller ladies but they are also all connected.

[Kel (Faerie-bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Fey Quartet
Author: Emily Larkin
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance
Format: Ebook - NetGalley
Pages: 361
Rating: 4
Heat: 5

Thoughts: I really enjoyed these stories. A very light yet steamy read that took me somewhere new for awhile. I loved the characters and still haven’t figured out which man I like best. They all had the qualities of a perfect book boyfriend. I think of Ren and say “yea him” but then think of Tam and say “oh no, him”. Then Hugh and Cadoc, seriously, these guys are all swoon worthy. Makes you want to be able to pull them out of the pages in the hopes that they will fall in love with you, sigh.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work and chose to write a review.

[Diana (DomesticGoddess) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Available free on the author’s website in exchange for signing up for her email list, along with the book 1 of the series, Unmasking Miss Appleby.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 separate stories explaining how Baletongue comes to give wishes to the direct daughters in a family tree. The stories are linked and each h must battle with an evil situation. The mother and daughters are very different, some are stronger than others, one is particularly vulnerable. Loved it.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice set of stories that tell of the origins of the baleful godmother.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fey Quartet romance novella collection is the prequel to the Baleful Godmother historical romance series & tells the history behind the series & how the female line were granted their wishes

MAYTHORN’S WISH

Widow Maythorn Miller was beautiful once that is until her husband turned to drink when she only had daughters & after the birth of their third daughter he attacked her & crippled both her & their eldest daughter. For years she has yearned for a man she can never have: the village blacksmith, Ren. But Maythorn lives near the border with Faerie, one day she finds a baby in a basket on a pond, she rescues her & the next day takes her back to the forest to find her mother & that’s when things get interesting. A delightful short story that tells the story of how the female descendants if Maythorn get their wishes

HAZEL’S PROMISE

Hazel Miller has believed herself betrothed for ten years to Drewet who went off to earn his fortune &and never returned. Dressed as a boy, she sets out to find him, but the roads of Medieval England are fraught with peril. When a ragged stranger, Tam risks his life to protect her, how can she refuse his company to go & find Drewet in Mottlethorpe. Tam is also hiding his true identity, as he wants someone to love him for himself not for his name. Another easy reading charming story

IVY’S CHOICE

Ivy Miller is lame & has been since her father struck her as a child, but in a few days she’ll receive a Faerie wish. She could wish herself able to walk freely again but her beloved sister Larkspur needs saving. Ivy’s finds a roebuck & Larkspur says there’s a man trapped in the deer’s body. Ivy takes the eer back to her cottage & after midnight he changes to a man, Hugh eldest son of Lord Warder, but just before dawn he again changes to the deer. Ivy knows she must help her sister with her Faerie wish but she also wants to save Hugh & then there’s her own lameness. A touching story that shows love isn’t just about appearances. Hugh & Ivy certainly deserved their HEA.

LARKSPUR’S QUEST

Larkspur Miller is riddled with guilt that her sister Ivy used her wish to correct Larkspur’s wish rather than cure her lameness & so Larkspur is determined to earn a Faerie wish for her sister. She learned how it could be done when she could read thoughts & knows it won’t be easy & that it will require a man. She’s chosen her man: Cadoc Ironfist, liegeman to the Lord Warder of Dapple Vale. But Cadoc is reluctant, as he promised his liege that he wouldn’t go to the barrow but he does owe Larkspur & could he let anyone else go with her to perform the act needed for the bargain. Cadoc is a gentle giant & hates violence. The couple have fallen in love with each other but haven’t expressed their feelings. Another easy reading short story

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book

[Jamie Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Origin Story of the Baleful Godmother Series

I have read several other books in this author's series about the wishes granted by the baleful fairy godmother and have found them each to be an absolute delight. This author is relatively new to me, and her well-written Regency romances with a touch of the paranormal have utterly charmed me. This collection of four novellas sets up the future series. In the first story, we learn how this family gained the fairy boon of wishes granted through the generations of the (mostly) female lines. I like how the author sets up each story, giving each a “once upon a time” or fairy tale vibe to them. The beginning is mostly the same, though slightly altered for each successive story, the changes touching on what has happened prior and hinting what the story to come will hold. The first two stories unfold much like you imagined they would, the first one telling the mother's story, which then kicks off her daughters’ tales. These stories have tragedy winding through them as well as romance. In the first story, we learn of the mother and her oldest daughter being viciously abused by her now-deceased husband, leaving them both with permanent physical and mental scars. That makes them getting their HEAs even sweeter. The other two stories pivoted in a way I didn't see coming, and as a voracious reader, I love being surprised. Though brief, each story is well done, and you can't help but root for the heroines and their much-deserved heroes. While you don't need to have read other books with the baleful godmother, you will appreciate this book so much more if you have read at least one, as this set of four stories is essentially the origin story of the other books, letting the reader know how it all got started. Highly recommended.

I received a free digital copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[Jennifer Holzapfel · Rating 5 out of 5]

*spoiler alert* do not read if you do not want to know some of the major plot lines of the books. The Fey Quartet is the prequel to the Baleful Godmother Series. It tells the tale of how the daughters of one family line each get visited on a birthday and given a single wish, which will change their lives forever.
The Widow Miller goes out gathering herbs in the Dapple Vale woods and hears a baby crying pitifully. She drops her basket and struggles into a stream that turns into a raging river to grab the basket with the baby. She nearly drowns, as she has been severely crippled for the past 21 years. Her husband was angered that she gave birth to a third daughter and bashed her face in, crushed one arm and leg. she barely makes it out of the stream and looks upon the baby and sees that it is a faerie, with solid black for eyes and sharp teeth. Ren Blacksmith finds her struggling to go home and insists on putting her on his mount and carry the basket, all the while, the widow praying the babe would not make a noise.
The Widow returns the next morning to the forest to find the babe's mother, for a faerie can only have one child. When she finds the mother, she demands repayment, for that is what you do with faeries. her wish is that she is healed and 15 years younger, so she is the age of her daughters, and she wants each of her daughters to have a wish. The baleful faerie agrees that her daughters and any daughter born in her line will receive a wish upon their birthday.
All the daughters of Maythorn of York (her name from when she was young) have birthdays within a few weeks of each other. She shocks her daughters upon her return as a young and beautiful woman, and they hide her for a full day, then introduce her as their cousin, saying that she was named for their mother and came from York and that their mother returned to York to visit her family.
Ren who is a widower falls for Maythorn and realizes she is the widow Miller and he wants to marry her, but first they must speak to Dappleward, the lord warder, to tell him of the wishes the faerie has given, so it can be kept secret so others will not go in search of faeries, for they had lost hundreds of people over time to the faeries tricks. They are told that nobody is to know the secret and the daughters must be very discrete in the gifts they ask for.
The Daughter Hazel chooses to find what is lost, looking for the man who bedded her at 13 and promised to return once he made his money. She runs into trouble and is attacked while on her way to meet her betrothed. She meets up with Tam, who refuses to let her travel alone, after killing off her attackers. She finds that her betrothed is a fat slovenly liar. Tam beat him to near death and they ran from the stinking village into the woods. On the way back to Dapple Vale, Tam is attacked and Hazel, being so mad from earlier, beats his attackers to death. They fall in love on the way home and she finally figures out Tam is a Dappleward and he is perfect for her and they plan to marry in the summer.
Ivy the daughter who is lame from her father breaking her leg, uses her wish to undue her sister Larkspur's wish, which is killing her. Larkspur wanted to know what men were thinking, so she would not get an abusive man. The Faerie tricked her and she can hear the thoughts of everyone all the time and it is killing her, she is wasting away before their eyes. She wants Ivy to use her wish to cure her lame leg, not fix her mistake. Before she can argue, she hears a man in distress heading their way and what appears is not a man, but a Roebuck deer. Larkspur screams that it is a man trapped in the body and his fear is killing her.
Ivy and Hazel bring the deer back to their home, but give it a bath in the brook for it smells horrid. It can understand everything they are saying and can nod his head in answer to questions. Ivy sends Hazel to get Lord Warder. Ivy feeds the deer cold goat milk, for it is starving and tells him to lay in front of the fire. In the night, screaming wakes her and she finds the deer transforming into a naked man. Ivy gets down to the floor and holds him and comforts him during the painful transformation. He at first doesn't know who he is, but Ivy speaks to him and says that he is Hugh Dappleward, and the memories come flooding back. He makes intense love to her and becomes very ashamed. In the morning he turns back into a roebuck. Larkspur figures out who has put this magic on him, and the next day is Ivy's birthday and she has her sister's gift removed, though faerie tries to convince her to fix her lame leg and marry Hugh. Hugh wants to marry Ivy lame or not and she finally agrees.
Larkspur, While hearing everyone's thoughts learned how to earn a gift from a dead faerie, buried outside of faerie land. She begs Cadoc Ironfist, to go with her on her quest, and he refuses to break the rules of Dappleward, he being one of the guards. Larkspur says she will just find someone else to help her and Cadoc cannot stand the idea.
They travel to the burial cave of the Faerie and He forces her to eat, because time is different inside the faerie realm. He leaves to go wash himself in the stream, then Larkspur does the same. Cadoc moves the heavy stone from in front of the opening and they enter. He has brought candles and a blanket. They call the faerie and the faerie says he will not help them because what could they offer him. Larkspur offers her virginity and this excites the faerie and he agrees to fix Ivy's lameness once her virginity is given. Cadoc unwillingly takes her virginity quickly, for the faerie wants to enjoy it fast. After they are finished and try to leave, he tells them Ivy is cured but he never agreed to let them leave. The only way is if Larkspur gives oral sex to Cadoc. Cadoc is horrified, but his penis is more than willing. After the act is complete, they are released from the tomb.
Cardoc cannot look Larkspur in the eye, and She says she chose him long ago, when she could hear what was in everyone's mind and that she loves him and wants to marry him. He makes true love to her by the stream, the way he wanted to in the tomb.
They go back to the home of Dappleward, who wants to fire him until larkspur tells him how it transpired and that Hugh would not be alive, never mind be marrying a no longer lame Ivy.
They have a triple wedding, and all live in the Dappleward compound. The three sisters have a dozen children between them, some of them being the females who will get a wish upon their birthday and each of their daughters' until the line dies out.

[Haidee Sell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, everyone has been writing a bit about the background stories, fairy tales, etc. I'm not going to do that, instead I'm going to focus on the heroes. These are MY heroes. These are the men I want in my life. Kind, considerate, respectful, but not wishy washy. Above all, these guys are NICE, and I mean that in the most incredibly perfect way. These are the ones I will measure heroes by :) Our heroines are plucky, fiesty and committed to each other, which is wonderful to read in these days of sibling rivalry. They are also poor, as are the heroes, which is also really refreshing - no throwing money at problems to solve them :)

I am reading these out of order of course, having read Unmasking Miss Appleby, Trusting Miss Trentham and Resisting Muss Merryweather, then coming to these. I am in love with all the heroes and want to be all the heroines. I can't recommend this enough. THe books are sweet without being sickening, although if you're after step by step erotics, maybe not this series. Love scenes aren't over the top. I would recommned these to young adult readers, if you want to start your daughters on romance novels, these wones would be my top pick - rather than the angsty - bad boy/ good boy triangles I see mainly in YA romance, because you always know she's going to pick the bad boy, and that's just want you want to teach your girls *rolleyes*

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maythorn's Wish
Maythorn lived a rough life, but through her kindness, quick wit and courage was able to find love and peace in the end by the hand of fey magic. I really enjoyed this tale based in fey folklore. The characters are very intriguing and the plot quite nice.

Hazel's Promise
Hazel choose a true gift with her wish. I wasn't so sure she had at first. Tam is a true delight. I really enjoyed this story. Hazel is very faithful and brave.

Ivy's Choice
Ivy is truly selfless. She truly thinks only of others. Hugh is honorable more often than not and a fine heir to to the Warder. I really enjoyed their story. It has a really good theme and great characters.

Larkspur's Quest
I really enjoyed Larkspur's story. I wasn't sure how her story would turn out, but was glad to see it did in fact have a happy ending. Cadoc was very honorable and a man of his word.

I really enjoyed this series of short stories that sets up a whole other set of stories. I volunteered to read this book.

[Zena · Rating 5 out of 5]

These novellas filled me in on all the background bits and pieces in depth of the Baleful Godmother series and it is a good idea to read these four before going onto the main books of the series, however it is not a total necessity to do so but merely my recommendation.
I loved each of these novellas. They were sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes witty, sometimes sexy and always showed the closeness of the families.
The Fey were not shown in a good light and I really came to see them as not liking members of the human race and totally distrustful of them.
I would recommend these four novellas as very informative and each story is a delightful read.
I requested and received a free 'starter' ebook from the author and this is my unsolicited and unbiased review.

[Harley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally choose to read sophisticated novels, but something in the description attracted me and i was not disappointed. This compilation of stories appear to almost be like fairytales *cough* for adults, of course.

Three sisters and their mother gain a wish, where anything is possible! The women are altruistic and kind. The men of their choice are kind and worthy. Makes for the best kind of story, no?

Written in a whimsical and inspired tale-telling style, I can definately say I enjoyed it for it's light and gregarious flavor, not to mention, the perfect "happily ever after."

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book allows me to contemplate the random supernatural dilemmas that our medieval ancestors probably dealt with on an everyday basis - questions like "Should I lose my virginity to this guy in my house that just transformed from a deer to a man?" and "Should I take my girl to this evil fairy burial to have sex and maybe get a wish to heal her sister? Is that an acceptable risk level?" (Spoiler, the answer to these questions - Yes. Definitely.)

I just find sex scenes more plausible when there is a ludicrous supernatural component.

[Christiane Robillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, unusual, imaginative

Without a doubt, “Baleful Godmother” is the most unusual and imaginative series I’ve ever read. I loved it for its originality and for the very interesting characters in each. The stories were well written, with few typos. This particular book is the prequel to the series and sets the scene for the 6 books to follow. The only
thing I disliked about the series was the sexually explicit scenes. The books could have been written with milder sexual content.

[Ninette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larkin is an enchanting storyteller! She paints a vivid scene invoking all the senses so that the reader is placed in the middle. Told in A Fairytale fashion (but not childish).

I often don't like novellas because the characters don't fully evolve or the ending falls flat yet Larkin manages to give us complex characters and an emotive endings; her stories are captivating. While each can be read separate, reading them continuously is a wonderful journey.

[Rhonda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Beginning

This box set contains 4 short stories about how certain women are granted a faery wish on their birthdays, when they are 21, 23, or 25. While each is a short story, they really should be read altogether and are like one full length book. The stories are very good! They include a mother, who is cruelly treated, and her 3 daughters. The women are a loving family who will do anything for one another, even sacrifice their fondest desire. Great stories.

[Gerda · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are the prequel to the Baleful Godmother Historical Romance series by Emily Larkin and they are true fairy tales. A mother and her three daughters are granted wishes and not all of them turn out to be satisfying. "Be careful what you wish for" never was truer, as the phrasing of the wish was important.
Recommended for fairy tale lovers.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed these four novellas about a mother and her three daughters and the wishes they are granted by an evil faerie. Although I've put the book on my historical-romance shelf, it's really fantasy, so don't expect historically accurate medieval details. As romances with a touch of magic, these are quite delightful.

[Debbie Cawker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading The Fey Quartet by Emily Larkin..The characters in the story had their own unique personalities and you felt like you were involved with each one of them. A Fairy Tale Story filled with Magic, heartbreak, laughter, and love. Once you start reading these stories, it was hard to put the book down. Love it, Loved it.

[Margaret Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful

This the second time I have read the quartet. It didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed it more this time than last time. These four novellas are the perfect start to the baleful godmother series. I have now read all of the books in the series and can hardly wait for the next one. Readers you will enjoy this series as much as I have!

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this quartet after reading the the follow-up stories - Unmasking Miss Appleby and others. The writing is just as good. The stories explain the baleful godmother and her nastiness. They are entertaining, original stories, not re-tellings of the fairy tales we grew up with. Re-read worthy.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the stories had their moments, but I think I liked Ivy's best. I had read Maythorn's story before, but now that I've read all the currently published Baleful Godmother books, it was interesting to see where the whole story came from.

[Diane Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

What price would you pay for another

A mother's instinct to save an unknown child. Her request to be rewarded; but at what price? A delightful read f he each character was affected by the mothers reward.

[Margaret Browder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each one as good as the others

I love this author! The first books of hers that I read were fantasy. Couldn’t read enough of them. Having read those, I started on her historical romance (with a bit of magic) novels and love them!

[Cynthia Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this quartet. The stories are very unique and therefore, in my opinion, should have been lengthier to allow the characters to shine more. But all in all, it is a very good read.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

On average the novellas were 3 stars, but the four together? Definitely 4 stars.