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Court of Midsummer Mayhem #3
Dance of Nothing
Fated mates with her childhood nemesis.
From the moment Beatrice found a home at the Great Library in the Court of Knowledge, Benedict, the arrogant son of a fae lord, has been her nemesis. Now, all she wants is to secure the open assistant librarian spot and fully solidify her place in the fae court once and for all.
Benedict has spent the past few months as a prisoner. Now that the war between the courts has ended, he is allowed to return home. Yet even his freedom is conditional on a vow he would rather not make, forbidding him from telling the secrets that jeopardize his court and the Great Library. He left himself one loophole, but he must track down the most elusive fae in the Fae the Wild Fae Primrose.
When a Midsummer Revel brings Benedict and Beatrice together and reveals that they are fated mates, Beatrice is determined to find a way out of the binding, no matter what it takes. Benedict is just as determined to change her mind. As misunderstandings abound, will these fated mates save the Great Library and fall in love or will their history tear them apart forever?
A no spice cozy fae romantasy, loosely inspired by Much Ado About Nothing!
From the moment Beatrice found a home at the Great Library in the Court of Knowledge, Benedict, the arrogant son of a fae lord, has been her nemesis. Now, all she wants is to secure the open assistant librarian spot and fully solidify her place in the fae court once and for all.
Benedict has spent the past few months as a prisoner. Now that the war between the courts has ended, he is allowed to return home. Yet even his freedom is conditional on a vow he would rather not make, forbidding him from telling the secrets that jeopardize his court and the Great Library. He left himself one loophole, but he must track down the most elusive fae in the Fae the Wild Fae Primrose.
When a Midsummer Revel brings Benedict and Beatrice together and reveals that they are fated mates, Beatrice is determined to find a way out of the binding, no matter what it takes. Benedict is just as determined to change her mind. As misunderstandings abound, will these fated mates save the Great Library and fall in love or will their history tear them apart forever?
A no spice cozy fae romantasy, loosely inspired by Much Ado About Nothing!
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2026
About the author
Tara Grayce
35 books840 followersBorn and raised in Michigan, I enjoy traveling to new adventures that inspire my writing.
Growing up, I read just about every book I could get my hands on, especially fantasy. I currently write YA fantasy and romantic fantasy filled with lots of humor, spunky and tough leading ladies, and broken heroes.
When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my chocolate lab, Miss Kisses.
Growing up, I read just about every book I could get my hands on, especially fantasy. I currently write YA fantasy and romantic fantasy filled with lots of humor, spunky and tough leading ladies, and broken heroes.
When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my chocolate lab, Miss Kisses.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 21, 2026
Sweet, cute, and heroic
I enjoyed the references to Shakespeare and Orczy in this fun, original romance with a side of danger. A semi-sentient library, magical pockets and houses, and a deeper theme of human dignity with a realistic enemies-to-lovers scenario made this an easy and entertaining read.
I enjoyed the references to Shakespeare and Orczy in this fun, original romance with a side of danger. A semi-sentient library, magical pockets and houses, and a deeper theme of human dignity with a realistic enemies-to-lovers scenario made this an easy and entertaining read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The latter half of this book was a bit of fun, which brings it up an extra star, but the first half was mind numbing. The repetitive writing was probably the worst offender.
A nice portion of this book's 200 pages were spent on people summarizing the events of the other books and the roles various characters played in those books, regardless of their importance on the present plot.
Benedict was tortured in the dungeons by illusions of rats and spiders, among other things. What those other things were, don't ask me. We're only ever told about the rats and spiders. Repeatedly.
Benedict tormented Beatrice when they were young, or so we are told at least once every chapter. He put slugs in her pockets and spiders in her hair. These are the only examples of the terrible torments ever given.
By the way, Benedict is handsome, often "infuriatingly" so. If you forget, don't worry. Beatrice will be sure to remind you. Every. Time. She sees him.
Idk if I'll continue this series. At this point, I'm only in it for Lord Cauvlyn's redemption arc, and these last two books hinder my trust that that will be handled well or brought to a satisfying conclusion.
I pre-ordered this book and got it early in the mail, but I'm not an ARC reader for it or anything, at least as far as I was made aware. All opinions are completely my own.
A nice portion of this book's 200 pages were spent on people summarizing the events of the other books and the roles various characters played in those books, regardless of their importance on the present plot.
Benedict was tortured in the dungeons by illusions of rats and spiders, among other things. What those other things were, don't ask me. We're only ever told about the rats and spiders. Repeatedly.
Benedict tormented Beatrice when they were young, or so we are told at least once every chapter. He put slugs in her pockets and spiders in her hair. These are the only examples of the terrible torments ever given.
By the way, Benedict is handsome, often "infuriatingly" so. If you forget, don't worry. Beatrice will be sure to remind you. Every. Time. She sees him.
Idk if I'll continue this series. At this point, I'm only in it for Lord Cauvlyn's redemption arc, and these last two books hinder my trust that that will be handled well or brought to a satisfying conclusion.
I pre-ordered this book and got it early in the mail, but I'm not an ARC reader for it or anything, at least as far as I was made aware. All opinions are completely my own.
June 21, 2026
Absolutely wonderful
I’ve been waiting for this book, and it was worth the wait. Now all of Meg’s siblings have found their spouses and have had their stories told. Admittedly I know very little about Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, but like the other books in this series, as I fully expected I would, I loved the characters, plot, and world. It's a romantic comedy but with the extra plot gravity that fits with the tone of other books in this series. Beatrice and Benedict are the epitome of childhood enemies to adulthood lovers. Their relationship was a constant push and pull yet they both matured and grew together as the story progressed, making them a wonderful couple. The way the book ties to the first book’s Wild Fae Primrose while ending the war from the previous book made me so happy. Despite the shorter length compared to the previous books in the series, the story felt complete to me. Lord Chauvlin is really making me curious, and I hope we’ll eventually get his story.
The book is clean in language and no spice. I would highly recommend this book to readers looking for a quick read with compelling characters and plot, who also enjoy romantic comedies with stakes. Readers will likely want to have read earlier books in this series to avoid spoilers and gain maximum enjoyment of the world and cameos.
I’ve been waiting for this book, and it was worth the wait. Now all of Meg’s siblings have found their spouses and have had their stories told. Admittedly I know very little about Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, but like the other books in this series, as I fully expected I would, I loved the characters, plot, and world. It's a romantic comedy but with the extra plot gravity that fits with the tone of other books in this series. Beatrice and Benedict are the epitome of childhood enemies to adulthood lovers. Their relationship was a constant push and pull yet they both matured and grew together as the story progressed, making them a wonderful couple. The way the book ties to the first book’s Wild Fae Primrose while ending the war from the previous book made me so happy. Despite the shorter length compared to the previous books in the series, the story felt complete to me. Lord Chauvlin is really making me curious, and I hope we’ll eventually get his story.
The book is clean in language and no spice. I would highly recommend this book to readers looking for a quick read with compelling characters and plot, who also enjoy romantic comedies with stakes. Readers will likely want to have read earlier books in this series to avoid spoilers and gain maximum enjoyment of the world and cameos.
June 20, 2026
The pain of not being able to demonstrate growth
The first part of this book was so massively frustrating, cause since we were in his head, we knew he'd grown, matured, and wasn't human hating at all. But not being able to demonstrate that at all to Beatrice was just heartbreaking. I felt soooooo bad for him. But everything came together in the end for happy endings all around, like I knew they would. So amazing that Basil is the next head librarian. I mean, he needed to be, but it happened, yay. I still remember his and Meg's book best, despite how long it's been since I've read it, though I remember Brigid and Munch pretty well, too. I've forgotten the twins though. And I just adore how the courts are all characterized with Shakespeare.
The first part of this book was so massively frustrating, cause since we were in his head, we knew he'd grown, matured, and wasn't human hating at all. But not being able to demonstrate that at all to Beatrice was just heartbreaking. I felt soooooo bad for him. But everything came together in the end for happy endings all around, like I knew they would. So amazing that Basil is the next head librarian. I mean, he needed to be, but it happened, yay. I still remember his and Meg's book best, despite how long it's been since I've read it, though I remember Brigid and Munch pretty well, too. I've forgotten the twins though. And I just adore how the courts are all characterized with Shakespeare.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love Tara Grayce's books and Much Ado About Nothing is my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies, so I was extremely excited to be able to pre-order Dance of Nothing and read it a little ahead of the official release date!
This book was exactly what I'd hoped for. All the witty banter from the original play is here, but the book is also distinctly its own thing and fits into Grayce's established fae world perfectly. I particularly loved this portrayal of Benedict and how he grew from childhood nemesis to dashing hero.
This book was exactly what I'd hoped for. All the witty banter from the original play is here, but the book is also distinctly its own thing and fits into Grayce's established fae world perfectly. I particularly loved this portrayal of Benedict and how he grew from childhood nemesis to dashing hero.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I absolutely loved this book! Beatrice and Benedict make sparks fly as they engage in witty banter and of course, fae trickery. I really loved how Benedict was humbled and this is his redemption story. Then Beatrice doing her best to prove herself and grow out of her siblings' shadows--it was perfect. The whole curse and fated bindings made an intriguing layer that was just fantastic. I read this book in one sitting, it was so good.
June 20, 2026
fated mates
This is hands down, the best fated mates book I’ve ever read. Most of the time I can’t stand the trope, because the characters seem forced to “be in love”, but Tara Grayce gives her characters a choice! I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that. I love this series and this was a perfect continuation of the series. I can’t wait for the next one!
This is hands down, the best fated mates book I’ve ever read. Most of the time I can’t stand the trope, because the characters seem forced to “be in love”, but Tara Grayce gives her characters a choice! I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just leave it at that. I love this series and this was a perfect continuation of the series. I can’t wait for the next one!
June 26, 2026
I really loved reading this wonderful book! I loved the characters and the plot! I had a hard time putting this wonderful book down! I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this wonderful series!
June 20, 2026
Great book!
I’ve been looking forward to this book, and I loved reading it! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
I’ve been looking forward to this book, and I loved reading it! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
June 21, 2026
A family of librarians
Love how the last of the family finds her way and we get insight into how all of them are doing. I have really enjoyed the journey!
Love how the last of the family finds her way and we get insight into how all of them are doing. I have really enjoyed the journey!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews