The Fae’s Bride

Silveri Sisters #1

by R.L. Medina

A busy witch. An enamored count. An enchanted villa filled with nosy sisters.

Alessia has more to worry about than the handsome new count everyone is fawning over. Mama's health is declining, the villa needs repairs, and then there are her four sisters who always seem to be either in trouble or causing it.

With his Fae blood, Massimo never expected to inherit the title of count, nor the lands that accompanied it, and he certainly never expected to fall for the town's quirky witch—especially when she clearly wants nothing to do with him.

It will take more than magic to bring them together.

Welcome to Zamerra where cozy fantasy intertwines with Italian cottage core and fairy core vibes. Within this gaslamp fantasy realm, you’ll find witches, fae, warlocks, house elves, and much more! Each standalone book features a sweet romance and heart-warming tale of family that readers can explore in any order.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Cozy, Cozy Fantasy, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Witches

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 24, 2023

About the author

R. L. Medina is a Bolivian American author of YA and NA Fantasy. When she first learned to read, she vowed she would hate it forever. That hate quickly turned to love (or obsession) and by age eight she was filling every notebook she had with her own stories. From brooding fae assassins to socially awkward potion witches, her work is filled with diverse characters and happy endings. When she’s not exploring all the magical worlds in her head, she enjoys life with her family in the Sunshine State.

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Reviews

[the_FMC · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Fae’s Bride

A cozy fantasy romance that’s gives cottagecore vibes and Encanto vibes. At least that’s what some said.

But this book was lacking in the cozy and lacking HEAVILY on the romance.

First off the writing is rudimentary. It’s nothing egregious but it’s not particularly drawing me in either. And that is probably why I don’t find it all that cozy. Cozy is usually a mixture of settings, character interactions, and plot. The settings is terribly lacking. We hear that the mountain is beautiful but there are no lush descriptions about the greenery, the fauna, the flowers, or the fog rolling over the hills. It’s just oh how beautiful the mountain looked. There’s no vivid description of the villa the Silveri sisters live in nor any description about the inn the Count stays in.

This book is almost slice of life but it’s like they forgot whose life we’d be interested in. Massimo doesn’t have much of a personality besides being not good at talking to people, liking books, and being interested in Alessia. Alesia doesn’t have much of a personality besides worrying about everything and liking her sister’s caffe.

If you are going to do slice of life, the characters must be intriguing and inviting the reader to come along with them in their daily life. If you’re doing a cozy slice of life, it helps in a book to have lush descriptions and as I said this book has NONE. I want to know what the villa looks like, smells like. Is there ivy creeping along the stone walls? Do floorboards creak when they pass over a step? Is there a winding cobblestone pathway to the door? Is Alessia’s bedroom filled with items or is it rather bare because money is tight and she’s the type to see her sisters are happy before her? What does anything look like in this town?

We have a strawberry festival and almost nothing is described besides the Count politely eating the strawberry jam and watching Alessia dance. But it’s just short, to the point sentences. This was sold as a cottagecore, cozy romance. I want to read about the jovial townspeople laughing and drinking and being merry. I want to hear about the count drumming his fingers to the beat of the music. I want the soft glow of lights illuminating the cheery villagers as they dance. I want him to trail his eyes along Alessia as he’s taken with her beauty and the flush spreading across her cheeks.

But instead we get a few sentences about the jam and him saying it’s a nice village and the people are nice. But we don’t really know why’d he think that besides he’s from the city and everyone here knows each other’s name. And while this isn’t necessarily bad, we are told stuff like this all the time. I want to discover it with the Count. I too want to look at the villagers and be like wow this town is so cozy and lovely.

Now the character interactions. They interact alright but next to nothing happens. The Strawberry festival is glazed over. I thought this would be where Alessia and the Count had a real discussion but nope. Her wine gets ruined and he orders a bottle and they both feel a zing before it’s over.

Then he comes to dinner. The zing is there again but they don’t talk besides her telling him not to tell anyone about the magic he saw.

I don’t mind couples being attracted to one another right off the bat if it’s believable but to have 175 pages out of 340 and they still haven’t had a single conversation with one another that doesn’t revolve around the calamity of minor mishaps that follow Alessia’s family is egregious. I wouldn’t even call this insta-love. I’d call it first draft love where it was decided the two must get together but you forgot to focus on the romance and instead focused on just having a book done. Every time they see one another they have this electric pull and Massimo will be like surely she feels it to.

You know who isn’t feeling it??? Me!!!! 175 pages. Half the book. And not a single worthwhile conversation has been had between the two love interests. You can’t call it a slow burn because that requires build up and there has been no build up. It’s like a string of events has been strung together. And there was no rhyme of reason except to get from A to Z. And coming from someone who reads a lot of slice of life manga, I think and know as I have read some, that you can totally have books without some grand overarching plot or character arc and still be entertaining. But once again it comes down to the conversations and the characters and a little bit of setting. Had this book had Alessia and Massimo chatting about their passions and I don’t know anything else that makes people fall in love I’d have been ok. But I got to the end and there is never a single conversation to make me think yeah these two are in love.

And another problem was the amount of characters. Names were thrown around. Names that didn’t need to be. We got the names of every signor and signora that lived in the town and up the mountain. I could not keep Alessia’s sister straight for a while. There was a character named Salvatore and later you find out he has several brothers and cousins. Only one keeps making a reappearance, Angelo. But we got the names Raphael, Marco, and someone else and never heard of them again. Mind you these brothers/cousins were introduced when most if not all of Alessia’s four sisters were present so it would just bounce around between almost ten character names in one scene with almost all of them contributing absolutely nothing except confusion with their names.

And despite the characters being bland the sisters were so dramatic. Liliana just scowled and glared at everyone and took offense to everyone who breathed. Fiorella , I forget her age, but she was always sniffling and crying and it got rather redundant.

And the mom’s headaches.🙄 I thought there would be a reason for them but it was so juvenile. Like come on.

The last few chapters were ridiculous. Completely juvenile. Miscommunication. Fleeing. Not telling him how you feel. Lots of crying, once again by Fiorella.

At one point Alessia says:

“I don’t even know how it happens. Somehow, in one of these quiet moments, I fell in love with him.”

Giiirrrlll, I don’t know how you fell in love either.

But overall, nothing was in your face offensive. I wrote a lot in this review but I could try another book IF and when the craft is honed. All the things I mentioned are all things that can be fixed with some effort and practice.

And I liked the titled chapters. I’m a sucker for tilted chapters. Reminds me of the books I used to read as a kid. Wish more people would do chapter titles in cozy books.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alessia always puts her family first, no matter what (can relate). Her storyline gives Mirabel from Encanto vibes for sure! The feminist and overall issues in the world were written with such care. I truly admired the characters, especially the sisters, of this entire story!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts/opinions above are completely my own!

[Dora · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf at 33% 🙃

There is no one ounce of coziness in this book. Oh, it THINKS its cozy just by throwing together some big old house and wannabe witchy sisters but in reality it's nothing more than a bland mess. The characters have no personalities outside of having maybe one hobby and saying a signor/signora and caffe every two sentences and the writing is sorely lacking - it feels aa though it was written by a child who didn't learn what descriptions are yet.

All in all, it's a vapid and rudimentary blurb of words with no soul. Also, can americans please stop marketing their books as having "italian/french/russian/chinese or whatever other country in the world" vibes if by that they mean usage of three words in that language (sometimes completely inaccurately) and having maybe another two stereotypes shoved in the mix? This particular book isn't as an egregregious of an example of this particular tendency as Shadow and Bone or House of Beating Wings is but it nevertheless reminded me of this popular writing trend among american authors. It's awfully exhausting 🤦🏻‍♀️

[DancingMarshmallow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: 2.5 stars.

This is a cute, cozy, fairytale-esque fantasy romance that didn't have quite enough whimsy, charm, or oomph to get a higher rating from me. All the characters are quite superficial, and I found myself getting annoyed more than once by the fact that there's so much blushing, barreling into things on accident, and blurting out words they don't mean to say - from more than one character. Uncontrollable truth spewing isn't my favorite character trait, but it was just too much to have 2 or 3 characters in the same story with that personality quirk. There's also a lot of pranks and other mischief going on, and that just didn't work for me. Too much chaos energy here for me.

However, I think the author nailed the witchy cottage vibes, and I thought her take on magic was pretty cool. I also appreciated the Renaissance Italy vibes of the setting, which you don't see very often in fantasy romance.

[Ashley Temple · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fae's Bride is a sweet, clean, and cozy love story that additionally tackles prejudice and feminist issues in a lovely way. I love this book's take on cottagecore and magic, told within a fantasy setting through a modern lens; the world building is immaculate and immersive, and supplements R.L. Medina's characterization skills. I am not ready to let go of these characters, and cannot wait to get my hands on The Warlock's Bride. I would recommend this book to all age groups and anyone looking for a sweet, cozy read.

[☾ kate al'Vere. ⁂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounding up for its cuteness 😊

Such a cute and cozy fantasy romance.

Alessia is the oldest of many sisters, determined to continue living and enjoying for unique life together in their special villa to care for her mother and sisters.

Massimo is given the title of count despite having fae blood. He enjoys reading and keeping to himself. But his new duties as count require him to visit Zamerra, the quaint town in which the Silveri's live.

After a vision of Alessia's wedding day is seen by her mother, life as everyone knew it changes.

[Jordynn Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Arc Review✨

Such a cute little story. He isn’t suppose to be a count, she isn’t suppose to be able to marry a count and yet they find the way to make it work. So beautiful! Absolutely needing to know about Lilliana and Dante and what happens with them!

[24hr.YABookBlog]

―Cozy fantasy (with cottagecore vibes) from a latina author following "A busy witch. An enamored count. An enchanted villa filled with nosy sisters." i'm seated! 🍵📖🌷✨

[Jami Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this on a stuff your kindle day moons ago and decided to give it a go, it was mediocre but it didn’t come close to catching my interest enough to want to get into the series.

[rayna ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was ALMOST like a fantasy pride and prejudice au

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have decided to start working on all the free ebooks on my kindle. This was the first one I completed.

This was a quick read. I feel like there was a lot of plot holes and inconsistencies in the book. Sometimes the flow just felt off. Really off.

There was also a bunch of characters introduced, but it was so easy to get them confused. I read major fantasy books with a ton of name drops so I am used to it. This book had them thrown in without much explanation.

Also a lot of the names were almost the same. I kept getting a horse and a sister confused lol

Overall it was a nice detour from thrillers and epic fantasies for me.

EDIT: The main guy character has a cat so that really helped me want to keep reading.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best way to describe this book is Encanto with a Fae Count. It was a little slow for me but overall very cozy and comfy. The author did a great job with making the characters quirky and fun. My biggest complaint is the character names had me a little confused at times…. I would have to keep reminding myself which sister had which power. Overall, I’m glad I read it.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Releases 24 June!

‘Everyone has struggles’
Don’t assume that people who seem to “have it all” lack problems. Rich introverts don’t like parties & other social gatherings, happy-go-lucky people might have relationship troubles, the class clown could be clamoring for attention, a seemingly successful businessperson may be on the brink of bankruptcy.
Help if you’re in a position to.

Care-givers also need someone to take care of them. Alessia runs the family, Liliana is her mama bear, Serafina will send snakes up anybody’s pants or dress who messes with her sisters,,,

I totally want a villa that whispers, “Welcome home” when I arrive after a harried day at the village market or from a happy night of dancing at the local festival.


Some sage romance advice from the author:
Be prepared ‘to help damsels in distress’.
Stay patient for the one who is worth the wait.
Don’t lose your composure around a pretty face.
Marriage is more than merely loving another person – you also take on the family and the lifestyle.

Fave line:
‘You may be the count, but I’m the lady of the house’.


‘The Warlock’s Bride’ is expected around mid-September. I wonder how that’s gonna work out since Dante told Massimo, ‘I’ve yet to meet a suit that I’ve wanted to keep for more than a year’.
Then… the Goblin, Wolf, and Druid get their brides, too!

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a sweet fantasy romance with some unusual elements

3.5
Although it took me a while to feel this story, I did enjoy it as a YA cozy fantasy romance. The setting is like a small Italian village with the good and bad that comes with living in a small town. The main family, the Silveris, are a group of five sisters and mother. There is mystery surrounded around the father, whom maybe we’ll hear more about in future books. Each sister has a skill, but it seems the oldest, Alessia, doesn’t have anything. But as the story progresses, she seems have a unique ability, which I hope develops more. Mossimo Gallo, is the Fae Count, who rambles a lot, loves books over people, and has quite the grouchy cat, Lucia. But he doesn’t seem to have much magic.
There’s a nice tempo which sets up the lovely village and mountain upon which the sisters live. The festival seems so lively and fun. They make the best coffee, strawberry jam and strawberry wine. Also some of the side characters are fun. More of Bruno, the house elf, I hope to see in future books. Other types of fantastical hybrid creatures exist like centaurs and fauns. Also Massimo’s best friend, Dante, is a warlock, and he is a good character.
This is a lovely story to read which exudes family, magic, and romance.

[Sheenamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little uncertain on how to rate this book.
I loved the worldbuilding and Zamerra's whole vibe, how cozy and small townish it was, how immersive it felt. I really liked that it was given a specific countries aesthetic, just with a bit more magic.
The idea of a somewhat sentient villa was absolutely lovely and it was portrayed so well, adding to the whole vibe.
And then there's Massimo. He's an absolutely adorable character and just so relatable for most introverts, I suppose.
However, I did not care much about the plot. There was just nothing really exciting about it. Instant attraction, convincing yourself that it isn't that serious, running into each other here and there without really emotionally connecting, but swooning nonetheless, eventually coming to the conclusion that it is that serious, needless miscommunication and making assumptions and in the end every problem is solved with not much fuss. Well, I guess that was you could expect from a romance, but I just wished for a little more sincerity in the plot.
So, it's a wonderful if you don't read it for the plot.

[Corrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen, there were aspects of this book that I straight up didn’t like. BUT MAMMA MIA THE SETTING WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. I was giggling and kicking my feet every time the mountain scenery was described. Every time the architecture was discussed I grinned. I wanted to cry happy tears at the picture the author painted of the flowers along the dusty roads. Bellisimo!
However, I’m going to come right out and say it: I hated the romance in this book. Oh my gosh, I tried so hard to like it, but, here’s the thing: the romance was not romancing. I do not claim to be an expert on the genre, but I am fairly certain that the two characters who are falling in love should probably actually talk to each other before they fall in love, right? And, I mean, I guess they did speak to each other, but not very much. I’m pretty sure Count Massimo spoke to Alessia’s sisters more than he actually spoke to her.
And yet, I really did have such fun reading it.
I am absolutely going to pick up the next book in the series.
Read my full review (and see a picture of my cat) here: https://ohmybookishness.weebly.com/bl...

[acozyhermit · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review *

This book was such a quick and cute read. I really love books that give witchy/fae vibes and this one has both!! It revolves around Alessia and Massimo who come from two very different backgrounds. Alessia is apart of a family of witches even though she doesn’t have any magic, Massimo is the Count so he is high up in nobility. This story was very well written and I loved seeing their love blossom very slowly throughout this book. I love the characters and how close they all are to each other. Alessia is completely a family girl and takes on a lot of the family problems/responsibilities which I could relate to a lot. Overall I would recommend this read!

[mybookishtravels · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Howl's Moving Castle, fantasy games, and wish to take a visit to the magical world of Zamerra...than you need to check this out!

Thank you to the author for sending a copy for me to read and provide my honest thoughts on the book.

I loved every minute I spent in this world. It was amazing from the start to the finish. The cover is stunning! (Massive shout out to R. L. Medina's husband for designing it!) The characters and world were so cozy, I wish I could join them in person and not just through the page. The ending was everything I wanted and needed. I'm excited to pick up the next one soon and see the world be expanded and the next Silveri Sister find her match.

This was a five star read for me and definitely not the last book I'll be reading by this author.

[Neka]

I am trying so hard to find books I can finish, and this isn't it.

I dnf'd at 7.93%. It was a trial to get that far.

Look, if you don't know a word, please ask a friend, or look it up in a reverse dictionary. "Patronage" does not mean 'paternity'. A "chamber stick" is not a cute name for a 'candle stick'.

A 25-year-old woman is not 'too old' for marriage. Marriage, to a rich person, has been a way of improving the family fortunes for thousands of years. It's not an unthinkable action to take.

Having a set of siblings do nothing but bicker and argue isn't nice or fun or cute. It's exhausting.

Outside of that, this is supposed to be cozy, which usually implies loving descriptions of:
the location, including any and all buildings, mountains, parks, local lands
the characters, including clothing, hobbies, types of smiles, vocal tones
the food, including beverages, any and all cooking, baked goods
the animals, including all pets, barnyard animals, livestock, local shifter populations

This had none of that. They live in a decrepit villa - no description. They have an old horse - no description. They have neighbors - no description. They live near a town - minimal description. There's a street market - no description.

Where's the cozy supposed to be?

[Eryn McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very wholesome, very sweet, witch cottagecore romantasy. The characters are lovely, there's a witch who understands animals, strawberry wine and a lovely hero.
It is probably a little too wholesome for me. The stakes are low, and really the biggest drama is when boys are making eyes at girls or when the house elf bites the unfortunate fellow who is fixing the roof.
The characters don't undergo all that many changes which I suppose is understandable with its low stakes premise. I would have liked to see more of those potions and spells!
But it is enjoyable, fun and a pleasant read. I recommend.

[Liz H {Redd's Reads} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, so I’m going to tell you what worked for me and what didn’t.

I’ll start with what didn’t work for me. There were a couple of continuity issues where the dual POV didn’t match up. And that didn’t seem to be story driven. There were a couple of sentences that didn’t really make sense either. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of and some of them didn’t stand out as individuals.

Now for what did! I loved the cozy feel of this story and the romance elements were so sweet. I definitely got Encanto vibes in the best way. Alessia and her sisters were fantastic and well defined. I most enjoyed the scenes where they are just being themselves together. I liked the fae and magic elements and hope that future stories explore more of both of those.

I’m very much looking forward to more in this series!

[Ari Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while it was pouring rain and sipped on warm tea. The best word I can use to describe this book is cozy! It was an easy read and gave me such warm feelings. I only wish that there would have been a little more development of the two main love interest.
I’m excited to read the second one in hopes that it’s just as cozy. If you’re looking for an easy and lighthearted read I recommend this book!

[Suzanne McNeill Taviner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very sweet read, a lovely, romantic story with great characters, good world building and a thoroughly enjoyable plot. Alessia and Massimo were just so sweet together, neither willing to admit that they liked each other but totally obvious to everyone else.
Also liked the way it sets things up for the next book!

[Karen Manaog · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started off a bit slow and then ended a bit quickly, but i found the story to be an overall cute and fun read.

The character personalities were written in such a creative way and i loved the way the author incorporates people being different and the prejudices that exist.

I loved Alessia’s personality and the way she cared for her mother and sisters and Massimo’s character was so sweet. The concern he had for everyone was genuine and he was just a lovable character.

Thank you for sending me and ARC of this fairy tale fantasy romance.

I would rate it 3.75

[Yes_I_Read_Lots · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful witchy novel.

A mother as a Seer, all of the children with different magical abilities.

A chance meeting with a newly inherited titled Fae Count.

A meddling mother, a King to please, a Duchess to deter. An enchanted villa to tame, a new town to win over … can Massimo possibly have fallen in love with a witch?

4⭐️0🌶️ a delightful YA novel.

[Ikayuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded this on "Stuff Your Kindle" day, and while I normally don't go for romance, this was adorable!! The character building, as well as the world, were really enjoyable- but the romance felt a little unnatural and forced, and it ramped up really quickly. 4 stars just for Massimo though- what a loveable idiot. Absolute favorite character!

[Matilda Furness · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, sweet fast little read. Really enjoyed it, but wish Alessia and rhe count could have had more meetings without all her sisters around! So many sister, I didn't have track on which witch had which magic 😅 ( some easier then others)

[Amber Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cozy love story that I recommend for young adult readers. There isn’t much spice I’d say one chili pepper on the spicy rating not even maybe a half a pepper because only kissing is involved. However, this being said the love the main characters feel is beyond realistic and very beautiful. If you like romance this book is for you but it’s not like most romance novels the main characters fight their thoughts and feelings and have actual real world problems. Either way the main female characters family is so cute they help push her to fingers out love and each family member is special in their own way and there is fae involved what more could you want! Highly recommend reading this If you like young adult cozy warm happy light hearted reads.

[Sydney Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, cozy romance!
It was like a mix of Bridgerton, The Princess Diaries (except the Count is the princess in this scenario), and Encanto (but Italian instead).
The MMC is an introverted cat dad who was hesitant to take on his new role and title. The FMC belongs to a family of witches, whose relationships are so sweet and you can feel their intense love for one another. Their house has its own magic and they also have a house elf who likes to cause mischief from time to time.
The love that blossoms between the two main characters is so pure and beautiful. It was a great read. I’m excited for the other sisters to get their happily ever afters too.

[Liz Kittencat · Rating 2 out of 5]

@DFN 80% I really don't care enough. It's cute and cozy but insustancial :(