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Constancy
Dragons love longest, even when hope is gone…
As a young woman, Moire Tobin fell hopelessly in love with a brave, loyal, and handsome young naval officer. Nothing, not even her family, could persuade her to spurn the young man. But fate had other ideas. Even when Oliver broke off their engagement, her tattered heart refused to stop loving. Every beat carried with it the promise of hope.
Eight years later, Captain Oliver Hartford returns to the quiet corner of rural Wyldefen. Having amassed a fortune, he is determined to find a wife. Any one would do, so long as it’s not Moire—the quiet, intelligent, and kind woman who still haunts his dreams and who is the sole reason he was returned to Wyldefen (if only he would admit it).
Fate, it seems, has had a change of heart and has decided to throw the couple together. This could be their second chance at love. Dragons might prove the salve that eases old wounds, or they might be the irrevocable wedge that forever drives them apart…
A second chance fantasy romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion…but with more dragons.
As a young woman, Moire Tobin fell hopelessly in love with a brave, loyal, and handsome young naval officer. Nothing, not even her family, could persuade her to spurn the young man. But fate had other ideas. Even when Oliver broke off their engagement, her tattered heart refused to stop loving. Every beat carried with it the promise of hope.
Eight years later, Captain Oliver Hartford returns to the quiet corner of rural Wyldefen. Having amassed a fortune, he is determined to find a wife. Any one would do, so long as it’s not Moire—the quiet, intelligent, and kind woman who still haunts his dreams and who is the sole reason he was returned to Wyldefen (if only he would admit it).
Fate, it seems, has had a change of heart and has decided to throw the couple together. This could be their second chance at love. Dragons might prove the salve that eases old wounds, or they might be the irrevocable wedge that forever drives them apart…
A second chance fantasy romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion…but with more dragons.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2024
23 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Tilly Wallace
31 books612 followersTilly writes whimsical historical fantasy books, set in a bygone time where magic is real. With a quirky and loveable cast, her books combine vintage magic and gentle humour. Through fierce friendships her characters discover that in an uncertain world, the most loyal family is the one you create.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 7, 2024
Constancy by Tilly Wallace is pure delight in book form.
It's perfect for fans of Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis, it really everyone who loves a Jane Austen like setting with a fabulous female MC and dragons!
I love how Moire is a bit of the ugly duckling in her family, but despite always being short changed, she stays positive and hopeful. She's a kind spirit, and yet willing to fight for what, and who, she seems important!
I loved her connections to all sorts of dragon kind, be it wyvern, big dragons riding into battle, or chicken sized pets. I adored them all, and some scenes were just so satisfying, it should be illegal.
She has such an engaging and charming voice, I immediately fell into her world and story, and wish I could just have some afternoon tea with her and her 2 and 4 legged companions!
The sciency background also was an immediate draw for me, I just love me some fantasy scholars.
My only complaint is the romance, and I could have done without the miscommunication trope, which I personally just hate. As it's a cosy and comfy read, I did like the last bit of that. Luckily there's not too much dwelling on it throughout the story.
It's perfect for fans of Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis, it really everyone who loves a Jane Austen like setting with a fabulous female MC and dragons!
I love how Moire is a bit of the ugly duckling in her family, but despite always being short changed, she stays positive and hopeful. She's a kind spirit, and yet willing to fight for what, and who, she seems important!
I loved her connections to all sorts of dragon kind, be it wyvern, big dragons riding into battle, or chicken sized pets. I adored them all, and some scenes were just so satisfying, it should be illegal.
She has such an engaging and charming voice, I immediately fell into her world and story, and wish I could just have some afternoon tea with her and her 2 and 4 legged companions!
The sciency background also was an immediate draw for me, I just love me some fantasy scholars.
My only complaint is the romance, and I could have done without the miscommunication trope, which I personally just hate. As it's a cosy and comfy read, I did like the last bit of that. Luckily there's not too much dwelling on it throughout the story.
January 25, 2025
It took a while for me to get into this book and if you feel the same stick with it. By the end I can say I did enjoy the story.
September 25, 2024
Miscommunication is the worst trope ever!
Imagine this scenario
A woman and a man have loved each other for 10 years. Due to an easily avoidable misunderstanding, they were separated for 8 years. Then when the misunderstanding is revealed and both learn they're still in love with each other, the woman says they can't be together because it appears another woman the man met two weeks prior is in love with him so they can't be together, despite 10 years of history between them. Especially because other people also think the man and the second woman MIGHT be getting married. So it's over.
If that scenario sounds ridiculous to you, don't bother reading this. It's drama for drama's sake. Persuasion didn't have those ridiculous tropes.
Imagine this scenario
A woman and a man have loved each other for 10 years. Due to an easily avoidable misunderstanding, they were separated for 8 years. Then when the misunderstanding is revealed and both learn they're still in love with each other, the woman says they can't be together because it appears another woman the man met two weeks prior is in love with him so they can't be together, despite 10 years of history between them. Especially because other people also think the man and the second woman MIGHT be getting married. So it's over.
If that scenario sounds ridiculous to you, don't bother reading this. It's drama for drama's sake. Persuasion didn't have those ridiculous tropes.
September 22, 2024
Poor retelling
*Magic of Wyldefen* by Tilly Wallace presents itself as a retelling of Jane Austen’s *Persuasion*, but despite its potential for a blend of Regency charm and mystical creatures like dragons, it falls short in execution. The story of Moire and Oliver, whose engagement is broken only to reunite seven years later, mirrors the emotional estrangement of *Persuasion*'s Anne and Wentworth. However, where Austen's narrative shines with sophisticated irony and social commentary, *Magic of Wyldefen* feels like a second-rate romance. The emotional complexity and tension of Austen’s original seem diluted.
One of the most disappointing aspects is the lack of focus on the dragons and mystical elements, which could have added a rich layer to the story. Instead, these creatures feel like an afterthought, barely influencing the plot or characters in any significant way. Additionally, the novel’s attempt at a Regency setting is undermined by glaring inconsistencies. For instance, Moire's behaviour, such as riding outside a coach, goes entirely unchallenged by societal norms, which would have been scandalous in Austen’s time. These oversights diminish the authenticity of the historical backdrop and leave the book feeling disconnected from its intended era.
Overall, *Magic of Wyldefen* had the ingredients for an engaging retelling but ultimately lacked the depth and wit that makes *Persuasion* so enduring, making the entire reading experience feel somewhat hollow.
*Magic of Wyldefen* by Tilly Wallace presents itself as a retelling of Jane Austen’s *Persuasion*, but despite its potential for a blend of Regency charm and mystical creatures like dragons, it falls short in execution. The story of Moire and Oliver, whose engagement is broken only to reunite seven years later, mirrors the emotional estrangement of *Persuasion*'s Anne and Wentworth. However, where Austen's narrative shines with sophisticated irony and social commentary, *Magic of Wyldefen* feels like a second-rate romance. The emotional complexity and tension of Austen’s original seem diluted.
One of the most disappointing aspects is the lack of focus on the dragons and mystical elements, which could have added a rich layer to the story. Instead, these creatures feel like an afterthought, barely influencing the plot or characters in any significant way. Additionally, the novel’s attempt at a Regency setting is undermined by glaring inconsistencies. For instance, Moire's behaviour, such as riding outside a coach, goes entirely unchallenged by societal norms, which would have been scandalous in Austen’s time. These oversights diminish the authenticity of the historical backdrop and leave the book feeling disconnected from its intended era.
Overall, *Magic of Wyldefen* had the ingredients for an engaging retelling but ultimately lacked the depth and wit that makes *Persuasion* so enduring, making the entire reading experience feel somewhat hollow.
February 3, 2025
Tilly Wallace is a favorite of mine, and her Monsters & Manners collection is partly responsible for my getting back to reading for enjoyment. I feel like she is still experimenting with her style and not afraid to test boundaries- a good thing that can look ugly at times, right? This specific work showed some weakness in character development that left me cold... I am not sure if it was under development, or rather a sense of repetitive traits from earlier works. I was thankful that the ending tied up so many of the loose ends, but there were a LOT, making me wonder if the deadline caught the author by surprise. Up until the last five or so chapters, I was fully prepared for Wyldefen to be a new series, but within a few final pages, saw it wasn't the plan.
September 17, 2025
3.5
I've never read Persuasion, the book that this is inspired by. Loosely based on? So I can't really say how it compares. I read a summary of the original, and it does seem to hit the major beats, while adding a lot of different flavor and context.
For example, I get the impression that the relationship in the OG is broken off because the FMC is convinced by her family to break it off. In this version, Moire refuses her family's demands, but the relationship is still broken off, due to a misunderstanding.
So, that aside... I do have to say that the misunderstanding trope is one of my least favorite, as I'm always just wanting to smack people's heads together and get them to talk to each other. It's slightly mitigated in this book because the MCs at least try to talk to each other (in letter format), but circumstances, we'll say, intervene.
All that said - Moire is a fucking saint.
I actually got annoyed with her on a few occasions for being a doormat, but since her coming into her own and, well, stopping to be a doormat is a big part of her character growth, I'll forgive it. A little. Mostly. Maybe.
But her family is literally the worst. Even her younger sister, who Moire insists has a good heart and means well, would make me want to pull my hair out. Her father and elder sister and just awful. Like, I literally hoped they would end up starving in the gutter.
I liked the dragon bits of the story, though. Another review mentioned there weren't enough dragon and that it was just sort of background flavor, but I don't agree. There's actually quite a lot of the different types of draconic creations - dragons, wyverns, drakes and pipterries*. I would like a tiny dragon companion, please and thank you.
* Not at all sure of this word. I'm not familiar with it outside of this book, and being as I listened to this book, I have no idea how it's meant to be spelled.
Aside from generally loathing Moire's family, and being righteously pissed off at Oliver for a good part of the story... I think the part that annoyed me the most was at the beach.
I've never read Persuasion, the book that this is inspired by. Loosely based on? So I can't really say how it compares. I read a summary of the original, and it does seem to hit the major beats, while adding a lot of different flavor and context.
For example, I get the impression that the relationship in the OG is broken off because the FMC is convinced by her family to break it off. In this version, Moire refuses her family's demands, but the relationship is still broken off, due to a misunderstanding.
So, that aside... I do have to say that the misunderstanding trope is one of my least favorite, as I'm always just wanting to smack people's heads together and get them to talk to each other. It's slightly mitigated in this book because the MCs at least try to talk to each other (in letter format), but circumstances, we'll say, intervene.
All that said - Moire is a fucking saint.
I actually got annoyed with her on a few occasions for being a doormat, but since her coming into her own and, well, stopping to be a doormat is a big part of her character growth, I'll forgive it. A little. Mostly. Maybe.
But her family is literally the worst. Even her younger sister, who Moire insists has a good heart and means well, would make me want to pull my hair out. Her father and elder sister and just awful. Like, I literally hoped they would end up starving in the gutter.
I liked the dragon bits of the story, though. Another review mentioned there weren't enough dragon and that it was just sort of background flavor, but I don't agree. There's actually quite a lot of the different types of draconic creations - dragons, wyverns, drakes and pipterries*. I would like a tiny dragon companion, please and thank you.
* Not at all sure of this word. I'm not familiar with it outside of this book, and being as I listened to this book, I have no idea how it's meant to be spelled.
Aside from generally loathing Moire's family, and being righteously pissed off at Oliver for a good part of the story... I think the part that annoyed me the most was at the beach.
November 9, 2025
I really liked this book once I got into it. the people around the mc are so insufferable I almost stopped reading but I'm glad I didn't. one question though, how is the egg saved? I thought it cracked and they had a funeral for it? maybe I missed something as I listened to the audiobook. I do hope this will be a series, I would like to see more of this world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2024
This just came out, and I can't wait for the next one! This is a regency romance written with a heavy Jane Austen feel and a loose retelling of Cinderella with dragons. If you're a nerd, you may love this as much as I do.
December 25, 2024
Phase 1 of the story lasted alot longer than expected, before the time jump... loved it all, in the end, and I hope the author writes more in this world... seems ripe for semi-standalone romances + dragons... I thought book 2 was coming out in January, but that's another new series, instead...
September 19, 2024
4.5 stars
October 29, 2024
skimmed and dnf 40-ish %
January 2, 2025
I enjoyed this a lot. I'd like to see more of Jane Austen with dragons from this author.
February 27, 2025
A roller coaster of a read.
Just when I thought something was settled off we went again. Very enjoyable read and some great characters. A good standalone but with scope to continue.
Just when I thought something was settled off we went again. Very enjoyable read and some great characters. A good standalone but with scope to continue.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews