Bright and Brash:

by Luci Briar

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

Luci Briar lives in Florida with her family and too many pets. Five cats, two dogs, a snake, and blue death feigning beetles. She enjoys writing romance, reading romance, watching romance, analyzing romance, and observing romance. All her life Luci has found charm in Regency tales and fantasy settings, combining all her passions into her books. Always with a touch of humor and plenty of spice. All her characters are assured to get their HEA because reality is hard enough and books are her happy place.

When not writing she's doing her best to keep a small human alive and, hopefully, help her to grow into a functional, well-adjusted version of a big human. Luci also enjoys board games, video games, cottage-core vibes, and not being outside.

Reviews

[GabbyReadsRomantasy]

Thank you to BookSirens, the author, and the publisher for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
I really enjoyed this book! I'm a huge fan of low-stakes romantasy, and this had a little bit of everything I love: forced proximity, a fake marriage, adventure, magic, and plenty of romantic tension.
Lydia was such a refreshing FMC. I loved that she was intelligent, bookish, and determined to uncover the truth about her past, even if it meant stepping far outside her comfort zone. Miles was the perfect balance to her personality, and I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop. The slow-burn romance felt natural, and the chemistry between them kept me invested from beginning to end.
This book gave me a bit of a Bridgerton vibe, but with magic, adventure, and fantasy woven throughout. It was lighthearted, charming, and an easy book to get lost in.
Even though this is the third book in an interconnected series, I had no trouble following the story without reading the first two books. After finishing this one, I definitely want to go back and read the rest of the series.
Standalone/Series: Book 3 in an interconnected standalone series
Format: E-book
Genre: Low-stakes romantasy
POV: Third person
Spice: 3/5 – open door, explicit
What to expect:
Noble FMC × bodyguard MMC
Fake marriage
Forced proximity
Slow-burn romance
Smart, bookish FMC
Adventure and magic
One horse
Shared travel
Vampire-like villain

[Kate]

Thank you to Luci Briar for the ARC!

This was such a fun read from start to finish.

Lydia and Miles completely stole the show for me. Their chemistry was fantastic, the banter had me smiling throughout, and I loved watching their relationship develop. The slow burn, forced proximity, fake marriage… it had so many tropes I love, and they were all done really well.

The adventure side of the story was just as enjoyable as the romance. There was plenty of action, mystery, humour, and a few emotional moments that completely caught me off guard. It was one of those books where I kept telling myself "just one more chapter."

I also loved that, despite being part of a series, it worked perfectly as a standalone. It made me want to go back and read the earlier books, which is always a good sign.

If you're looking for a fantasy romance with adventure, brilliant chemistry, plenty of laughs, and characters you'll quickly fall in love with, I'd definitely recommend this one.

Luci Briar has officially become another auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to read more from this world.

[Praline NZ]

What a ride! Lydia is so much fun, I loved her. Miles wasn't half bad either ;)
The plot was plotting, spice was spicing, overall a great time.
Highly recommend if you like fantasy adventures with quirky characters and good storytelling. It is part of a series but can absolutely be read as a standalone. I'll be going back to Miranda's story for sure now that I've discovered Luci's books!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[aissa]

Another knock out book by Luci. This one was so "The Mummy " coded. It has great humor and it's fast paced. Miles and Lydia are the dynamic duo and I could not love them more. The yearning was top tier! This one made me laugh out loud and cry, yes, I cried. It was perfection!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Elaine Crookes]

This book was funny and full of banter. There was plenty of action and mystery. Great read.