An Arrow to the Heart

Alehouse Tales #1

by K.R. Bacher

Sparks fly when an injured adventurer and an immortal healer are forced to share her cosy little homestead.

She was sworn to heal
He was destined to be injured
They were fated to live happily ever after

Destiny strikes when Ardál and his canine companion travel to the charming little village of Wyrmwind in search of adventure and stories of dragons. Fate intervenes when he gets injured in the defence of the village amidst a bandit attack.

Fortunately for him, one of the small town’s inhabitants happens to be an excellent healer. Sylvie, an immortal, wastes no time in treating the handsome human adventurer. As he’s forced from his life of travelling and adventuring due to his injury he begins down a completely unexpected journey of figuring out his unravelling feelings for the woman he’s just met.

With secrets of her own Sylvie struggles as she shares her tiny home with this stranger, but she can’t deny the attraction toward her new patient and despite her best efforts tension mounts between the two.

Featuring all of your favourite
Dual POV
MCs over 30
Forced proximity
He falls first
Mutual pinning
HEA
Found family
Cosy cottagecore vibes

An Arrow to the Heart is a complete, stand-alone fantasy romance novel part of the Alehouse Tales.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Fae, Cozy, Ebooks

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2025

About the author

I have always been a dreamer with a wild imagination and having always felt like I belonged somewhere else I created my own little cosy fantasy world, drawing inspiration from my Irish and German heritage. A lover of fairy tales, strong female leads, adorable animals and all things magic.

Nowadays I can be found dreaming up new stories nestled in the Irish mountains where I live with my partner and children.

Find me as @k.r.bacher in all the usual places!

Reviews

[Anastasia ｼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

╭ ✦ •
│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹
╰ ✦ •

An Arrow to the Heart is a delightful read that combines fantasy, romance, and cozy vibes into a charming story. The plot follows Ardál, a human traveler who stumbles upon the enchanting village of Wyrmwind. The plot kicks off when he is injured during a raid and taken in by Sylvie, the local fae healer. This setup creates a beautifully sweet and steamy romance that unfolds throughout the story.

The writing is engaging, with short chapters that make it a quick read, and the pacing keeps the story moving without dragging. It does have its charming moments, and there are some engaging elements of spice and romance, but I wish there had been more substance to the cozy atmosphere.

I really liked Ardál and Sylvie! They were both over 30, adding a refreshing perspective to their romance. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the romance is just the right mix of sweet and spicy, with a few unexpected twists that kept me on my toes.

This really could have used a bit more editing to polish it up though.

Also, can we talk about the author using the word "titties," it was sooo cringy and gave me the ick

Besides its shortcomings, it was a cute, easy, spicy read with a great cozy vibe, this was a good palate cleanser between books. 

────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────

⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹

❥dual pov
❥cozy vibes
❥cute creatures
❥cottage core
❥small mountain village
❥found family
❥mutual pining
❥patient x healer
❥great banter
❥he falls first
❥golden retriever mmc
❥curvy fmc
❥spicy
❥MCs 30+
❥HEA

────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
An Arrow to the Heart | Review
A Cure for a Curse | ARC | Review

Blog ಇ StoryGraph ಇ Instagram ಇ Twitter ಇ Facebook

[Kaitie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ rounded up.

I was honoured to be a beta and ARC Reader for this whimsical love story. An Arrow to the Heart is a cozy fantasy debut with cottagecore vibes, MCs over 30, and a healthy dose of spice.

The story follows Sylvie and Ardal, a fae healer and a nomad adventurer (+ his loveable pup) brought together by fate when Ardal is injured early on in the story. It's a quick and easy-read fantasy, with fairly low stakes. It's the perfect story to read under a warm blanket with a hot drink.

Read this one if you love: 
💘 Forced Proximity
💘 Cottagecore Vibes 
💘 Healer and Patient 
💘 Curvy FMC (+ she's older!) 
💘 Mutual Pining 
💘 Spice with Great Banter 

Thank you so much to K.R. Bacher for entrusting me to provide feedback on your lovely story. I can't wait for more "Alehouse Tales". This story works well as a palate cleanser and a sweet love story to boot.

[Didi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me an early copy and making me read my first ARC ever!
I honestly enjoyed this little story. The characters were clear and well-balanced and the description of the surroundings wete stunning.
Personally, Sylvie’s story was inspiring, a true independent female who had her head held high and knew who she was and what she wanted.
I would love to learn Valeska’s story btw

[Kez Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short punchy chapters for this cosy and steamy Romantasy with cottagecore vibes.
This was very wholesome to read, it had medieval village vibes, with a sweet community and characters. It had elements of mystery and good reveals/twists at the end of the story. I loved the fantasy creatures, and the building steamy romance.
Great banter, fun friendships, forced proximity, Healer/Patient, secret mission. Overall a nice cosy read.

💘"Her eyes locked onto his gaze, like a predator locks onto it's prey. He was fucked. Utterly fucked"
💘"But tonight - you're mine, and mine alone"
💘"Anytime I close my eyes it's your face I see, you are the air i breathe, I don't want to be apart from you"
💘"She wanted him, she wanted the life they'd share. So she chose to let those walls down, letting their bond snap into place"

Honest and Voluntary ARC review

[Cocobeans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, Spicy and Spectacular 5-Star read!!

📖✨An arrow to the Heart✨
🧚🏻‍♀️K.R. Bacher

✨ Spoiler free Review✨

💘An Arrow to the heart💘 is a debut Standalone Romantasy, aptly described by the author as a "short, cheery, palate cleanser"!!

First,Tropes-

❤️‍🔥Dual POV
❤️‍🔥 Reverse Age Gap
❤️‍🔥He falls first
❤️‍🔥Cosy cottage vibes
❤️‍🔥Cutest creatures
❤️‍🔥Found family

I was hooked from the first page and am definitely guilty of finishing it in a day!
I immediately fell in love with the FMC (Sylvie). She’s an immortal healer with a super sweet yet badass heart and a plethora of secrets! She inspires us ‘mortal healers’ to love our vocation a little more!!

Our MMC (Ardal) is a human adventurer -on the road for the last two decades- with his canine comrade, Phelan, and is hurt defending Silvie's village from raiders !!! And their story starts from there! 💞

Oh I LOVEEE the sweett slowww burn, the tension, the banter and eventually the flames 🔥🔥🔥!!

But my oh my ! It's not just a sweet cozy romance, no no! There are *Jaw dropping* plot twists and those secrets we talked about earlier? Well let's just say you will absolutely NOT see them coming 😏
.
.
And yes , there's a Happily ever after , but I NEED more of their love story , just to make my heart happy and fulfilled 🥰💕

I really REALLY loved the author's writing, the world building, the sass, the romance and will absolutely be looking forward to what comes next.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

You absolutely need to pick this one up if you are nursing a hangover from a series and your mood is in need of a nice, yet gripping read!

I can't thank K.R. Bacher enough for choosing us as a part of her ARC team 💜🧚🏻‍♀️✨

[sam | sammylou.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, funny, cute, and spicy read 💕 Definitely a great palate cleanser, but it also had a few twists/turns that I didn't see coming!! 👀 The tension and banter were great. Normally, insta-love isn't my thing but this really surprised me!! I also appreciated that the MCs were in their 30s. I will definitely continue this series, I need more of Valeska, Ortolf, and Lonan!

Thank you to the author for sending me an advanced copy to read!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
💘 cozy cottage core vibes
💘 forced proximity
💘 insta-love/ mutual pining
💘 patient/healer
💘 dual pov

[Gigi Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Arrow To The Heart delivers a spellbinding blend of romance and fantasy, whisking readers away on a heartwarming journey filled with magic, passion, and adventure. With enchanting world-building and loveable characters, this debut novel is a must-read for fans of romantasy, looking for a happy ever after.

From the first page to the last, the author weaves a tale of love and destiny that will leave you spellbound. An Arrow To The Heart is a little gem in the realm of romantasy literature, offering readers a delightful escape into a world where love truly conquers all.

- My eARC Review.

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Amateur hour. The editing is atrocious: run-on sentences, misplaced commas, misspellings and bad capitalization especially within quotation marks. The story is meandering and aimless. The word “cozy” in the book description is no excuse for not having any actual plot. I’m not saying every book needs to be all about fighting or catching the Big Bad, but if your characters are stuck in one place physically, then they at least need to be having an emotional journey or else the book is just a series of meaningless vignettes with no point to them.

Characterization: I don’t like MMCs who receive a personality transplant whenever they get horny, and this book is one of the worst examples of that I’ve seen in awhile. The dirty talk does not suit this polite, friendly and helpful adventurer; he should’ve been all sweet words and honey. The FMC has no personality, just her job as healer, and while she works hard on healing all creatures who cross her path, the interactions between her and every other character feel superficial and meaningless.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kickin' your feet cute!

As soon as I saw a Threads friend share this cover, I knew I had to get my little paws on it! I have been struggling to read my usual choice of big fantasy books lately and this just hit the spot! I was immersed and interested from the first page! The world was a bit like a whimsical D&D game come to life, our characters were instantly lovable (can I BE Sylvie? I want a cute pink cottage in the woods!) and I enjoyed that our MC's were older.

This was very much cozy, sweet, and surprisingly (in a good way) SPICY! I've never really ventured into contemporary romance but these fantasy romance gems are quickly stealing my heart! There were some twists that kept the plot engaging and I feel like we might see two other characters fall in love in future books and I AM SO HERE FOR IT (I could also be reading too much into it but I hope I am not, I need MORE)! The page count was perfect, the writing was easy to follow, the pacing didn't slog and the dual POV was a great choice. This was such an enjoyable cute read!!

Just a heads up, if you're a person that's going to get miffed about the words "yeeted" or "What's up?" in a fantasy setting or some Dude Thought [TM] in Ardal's POV, this might not be the one for you.

[Smut Cartel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sparks fly when an injured adventurer and an immortal healer are forced to share her cosy little homestead.

She was sworn to heal
He was destined to be injured
They were fated to live happily ever after

Sylvie is a truly remarkable character that you can't help falling in love with. I love that this story has all the cute cottagecore vibes, yet then it has jaw dropping plot twists!
I really enjoyed the world building in this book and the side characters of the town. It made you want to escape to there!
The spicy scenes between Ardal and Sylvie were hot, and I really enjoyed their sass.

Tropes:
- Dual POV
- HEA
- He falls first
- Forced proximity

[Jessy Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute, quick and spicy read filled with allllllll the cozy vibes.

If I had to choose any fae to be based on lifestyle alone, it would be Sylvie. Living in a cottage, tending to her herbs and her garden, ugh what a dream! I loved her independence & watching the heat/romance between her & Ardan blossom was delicious. Also the unexpected surprise towards the end of the story had me shook 👀

[Sharnee Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

This was a great short, whimsical, romantic story. Super easy to read, definitely a great read to get out of a slump or if you need something different as a palate cleanser. Sometimes while reading I thought how this is a great YA read but then would be hit with the spice 😂😂 Most definitely not a YA 😅

“ I will f**k you so hard the only name you’ll remember is mine.”

[ang❀┃books.with.ang · Rating 5 out of 5]

“His chest ached when he first noticed that she wore a dagger strapped to her thigh, on how he’d give anything to be that dagger.”

wow wow wow when i tell you i INHALED this book. i read this in one day and loved every single bit of it. i was not expecting the little twists through this at all. i am so thankful that K.R gave me the honor to be an arc reader for this little cozy but very spicy romance. also im going to NEED another book focused on valeska, ortolf, and lonan and how they met🤤.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked a lot of the characters and how they fall in love!!
I love a he falls first trope with my whole heart!
I did in some parts, feel it was very crammed in and rushed, the spice in some places was one of these things
but that is my opinion!
Definitely think it is worth the read!

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

He felt it then, her spirit, her magic, her love, it pierced him like an arrow to the heart." 🏹

If you're looking for something short, cute, and spicy to read, give this a shot.

This gives me novella vibes, it's a short cute/cozy story between Sylvie, a fae healer, and Ardál, who is an adventure who's new in town. Ardál gets injured protecting Sylvie's village that gets attacked, and she helps to heal him.

I liked the sassy FMC, and she's also curvy (more of this please) even outside of the romance aspect, I liked the female friendship between Sylvie and Valeska and their banter.

[Orsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Míg az ötlet maga tetszett problémám volt a kivitelezéssel. Valami hiányzott nekem ebből a könyvből. Minden gyorsan és egyszerűen a helyére került, nem volt benne feszültség vagy intrika, semmi hasonló. Valahogy lélektelen volt számomra ezért 3/5⭐️


While I liked the idea itself, I had a problem with the execution. I was missing something from this book. Everything fell into place quickly and easily, there was no tension or intrigue, nothing like that. It was kind of soulless for me, so 3/5⭐️

[Jozie | Cozy Romantasy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He felt it then, her spirit, her magic, her love, it pierced him like an arrow to the heart."

• Dual POV
• MCs over 30
• Forced proximity
• He falls first
• Mutual pinning
• HEA
• Found family
• Cosy cottagecore vibes

An Arrow to the Heart is a short, sweet, and spicy standalone fantasy romance. The story follows Wyrmwind's fae healer, Sylvie, and a human traveler, Ardál. During his stay in Wyrmwind, Ardál is injured while defending the village against a bandit attack. Sylvie agrees to take him as well as his shaggy canine companion, Phelan, into her home. It doesn't take long for sparks to fly between our two main characters. As Ardál's feelings grow for Sylvie, he realizes she has her own secrets.

I absolutely loved this whimsical story and the characters in it. The intricate world-building made me feel like I was in the village of Wyrmwind, specifically Sylvie's cottage and her gardens. The spicy scenes between Syvlie and Ardál were perfection, and the ending of the story was so heartwarming. It left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much, K.R. Bacher, for the ARC. I can't wait to read more Alehouse Tales 💕

[Kellie’s Journey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, for sending me an advance copy of the book, very much appreciate it.

Wow what an amazing read!!

Loved the 2 main characters within this book. Really enjoyed the journey they were on and oh my days did not see certain things happening within this book.

However, I would have loved to have more of the world building within the book, but this did not affect the story too much.

Definitely hit all the rights spots with everything else, adventure, twists, smut, romance, and everything else in between.

Loved how it was warm and cozy too. This story gave me all the feels I needed from a book. Was easy to read, even with being dyslexic. Although I wasn’t sure how to pronounce the names but it does say in the back which would have been handy to know before hand.

Will definitely reread this in a physical format, and cannot wait to see if this will become a series? As would definitely read them :)

[Kirsty Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable ARC read! Many thanks to the author for sending me it.

Really enjoyed this book! It’s a nice quick, easy, cosy read with some fantasy, romance and spice thrown in.

Tropes:
Cosy Vibes
Found Family
Healer/ Patient
He falls first
Spice

If you’re looking for a palette cleanser in the fantasy/ romantasy genre then this is the one for you!

[sue_zees_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“An Arrow to the Heart “🩷🩷🩷🩷is a cute, cosy, steamy ,fantasy book! It gave off major cottage core vibes ( loved Sylvie’s Pink Cottage 🩷) the world building was easy to follow and the author described “Wyrmwind” beautifully, felt like I was there! Loved the Insta-Love between the two main characters. I really enjoyed reading this heartwarming fairytale which ended with a HEA💘 And I’m curious to read more of a backstory about Sylas and some of the other characters.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 🌶️🌶️ 🔥

Thank you to the author for this ARC 🩷

[Lee Ann Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you K.R for allowing me to read an advanced copy of your nook. I truly enjoyed this sweet, spicy, cozy, shifter romance. The heat and the banter was perfection. I adored the friendships between the ladies and the men... a wonderful story. Hoping for a love story for Sylas...

[Mackenzie Hirschmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely ate this book up. It’s fast paced and spicy. I loved the plot as there were even some surprises towards the end. Definitely one of my favorite quick reads!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this cozy cottage vibed, fantasy romance with light spice, where we follow Ardál, a handsome, human adventurer and his canine companion on their travels to Wyrnwind, a quaint mountain village.
A bandit attack strikes whilst he is getting to know the villagers in The Alehouse, and Ardál gets injured helping to defend the little village.
It is here he meets Sylvie, the local fae healer, with more than a few secrets she trying to keep and he falls fast and hard for this curvy beauty.

I loved the chemistry, banter and angst between the two MC's and I hope there will be more books in the future. I'd also love to read more about Valeska, Lonan and Ortolf and their relationships.

My only complaint was that it finished too soon. I devoured this book in two short sittings and would of loved a little more world building and to get to know the back stories more, as there are some intriguing characters.

You don't need to wait for the next in the series as it doesn't end on a cliffhanger!

Ohh I almost forgot, there are lots of twists and secrets, that I never saw coming!!

The author describes this book as a short, fluffy heartwarming, standalone fantasy romance. Sort of like a palate cleanser in-between longer, darker books. Where he's the human and he falls first....And, I think she got it spot on!

Thank you @K.R.Bacher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC copy of your debut novel.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ardál is an adventurer who stops in town, intending to leave soon after. Sylvie is the town healer. Their worlds become intertwined when Ardál steps in to protect the town from bandits and he ends up in Sylvie’s care. The more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to deny their growing attraction. Sylvie, however, has her own secrets, and can Ardál truly stay in one place long enough to truly get to know her?

This is a perfect low-stakes spicy book to chill out with. The writing was fairly basic when it came to world building, but had good descriptions of people and settings. Though, I think if you know basic D&D levels of fantasy, you probably won’t need more description than what is provided as the story is fairly contained. The characters are where the book shines. The cast is likable, and I enjoyed that our two main characters were established adults when the story started.

The pacing gets a bit rushed towards the end, and I think at least one of the sex scenes could have probably been removed, but I enjoyed this book a lot. The short chapter lengths were nice, as I was able to easily start and stop reading whenever I needed to, and I had a lot of fun getting to know the characters. There is a good balance of magic, romance, and plot to keep things moving, and cozy, relaxed vibes to enhance the experience. Definitely recommended for fans of cozy fantasy and fantasy romance.

4/5 Quick, steamy, and enchanting.

[A Wimbleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the opportunity to ARC read your debut novella. This was a quick, cute and spicy read that definitely worked great as a pallet cleanser. 

Ardàl is a total sweetheart and loves with his whole heart and there is nothing that will stop him loving Sylvie completely. But don't let that fool you, he's a gentleman in the streets but a freak in the sheets and he definitely has a way with words.

Sylvie is just hot and curvaceous and I might just fancy her a little bit myself 🔥 🔥. She also holds a little mystery which is revealed near the end and it's a twist you don't see coming. 

The chemistry is definitely there and I'd love to read more about the two of them in future books. I'd also love to dive into more about Valeska, Ortolf and Lonan. I can sense the filth already because why choose right 😜.

This book is not overly spicy in comparison to other reads of mine but there was just the right amount.

Quotes: 

"When I f*uck you, and make no mistakes, I will, Sylvie." He said his tone low. "I will f*uck you so hard the only name you'll remember is mine."

Release date 28th May 2024.

[Charlie Quarmby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traveller stumbles into a village whilst looking up to the sky he notices something that peaks his attention. Making his way to the ale house in the village his life changes…

3.5 star book for me, not my usual pick up but I enjoyed the journey that Ardal and Sylvia took me on. The side characters don’t find themselves too involved in this book but that may come to light with future editions by this author.

This book is a lot in such a small amount of pages, I feel like several more pages would have allowed the book to not feel as rushed in some places. Don’t get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed this book and extremely appreciative that I was able to enjoy this as I was gifted an advanced reader copy, however a lot happened in 200 pages.

🌶️ score: 2.5/5
There are not masses of detail with the adult scenes in the book, however there are plenty of moments in this book that will catch the readers eye if there is 🌶️ desire.

I would happily continue the journey with this series, oh and he falls hard and fast first…

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really lucky to get an ARC of An Arrow to the Heart (my first ARC ever 💕)! The novel is everything it promises to be: funny, cozy, spicy fantasy story with medieval village vibes.

Synopis from my insta post: Sylvie is an immortal healer who lives in a charming little village called Wyrmwind. One day a handsome stranger gets injured while defending the villagers from raiders and he ends up staying at Sylvie’s cottage while waiting for his injury to heal.

I love books with short chapters and this was also a perfect quick read between longer and heavier fantasy books. And a huuuuge plus for the curvy FMC!

[Lyndsey Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cutest story.

I love Sylvie! She is just the sweetest character. This was such an easy pallet cleanser to read.

The story was light hearted and quick. The love story was interesting but also a little complex in how each of them were feeling.

I really enjoyed this and I suggest if you like magical love stories, this one is for you!

[Janneke RS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a story you would want to read when you are in need for a story that is exciting but also heart warming.
I had the pleasure to be an arc reader, and I love to have this one! And now I'm in need for more of these books. Please keep writing about Wyrmwyrd, this is the village you want to stay in.

[Tracy Read a New Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was so warm and cozy with a wandering MMC who finds himself defending a town and falling for the woman who helps tend to his wounds. His heart is pure and genuine while the FMC is battling distractions in her life to find a reversal to a dark curse.

There is mutual pining, mate bonding, protective MMC, he falls first, and shifters/magic.

I loved reading the story of these two bonding and growing to learn that life with the right person is so fulfilling and feels like home and it’s okay to allow others to help you especially if they care for you and don’t judge.

Truly a great short read that has all the cozy, warm hearted feels! Would definitely recommend.