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Lost in Fae #1
Finding Fae
My name is Maize.
Poisonous to the touch.
The bastard child of one very dead Dark Fae King.
A refugee of a war that freed me from my three-year imprisonment.
Loyal to a kingdom that absolutely despises who I am.
I was free. As free as someone like me could be, at least. At 22, I could go anywhere. Travel any realm. Yet, I chose to stay in the kingdom that saved me. I was loyal to a fault and now after a full year spent living within the castle walls, I was being transferred to the Red Masques academy. Not as a student. Not as a teacher either. I honestly wasn’t positive why I was going… a change of pace? Or maybe they had grown tired of me in the castle. Either way, I would be staying with the team of commanders that are in charge of the institution. It couldn’t be that bad right?
Well, that was what I assumed before I met the men I would be living with. Yeah, not positive how this is going to work out… stay tuned.
Finding Fae is book 1 in the Lost In Fae series. This PNR/Fantasy RH is part of an M. Sinclair universe but can be read as a standalone series (feel free to check out the others as well for a more encompassing universe understanding and camos). Prepare yourself for a strong but haunted MFC that meets men that may be the best or worst thing for her. Undetermined.
Book will contain swearing. As well, please be advised that the book contains darker themes including assault, PTSD, and violence. Additionally, sexual themes are suitable for mature audiences +18. Burn level - slow/medium.
Poisonous to the touch.
The bastard child of one very dead Dark Fae King.
A refugee of a war that freed me from my three-year imprisonment.
Loyal to a kingdom that absolutely despises who I am.
I was free. As free as someone like me could be, at least. At 22, I could go anywhere. Travel any realm. Yet, I chose to stay in the kingdom that saved me. I was loyal to a fault and now after a full year spent living within the castle walls, I was being transferred to the Red Masques academy. Not as a student. Not as a teacher either. I honestly wasn’t positive why I was going… a change of pace? Or maybe they had grown tired of me in the castle. Either way, I would be staying with the team of commanders that are in charge of the institution. It couldn’t be that bad right?
Well, that was what I assumed before I met the men I would be living with. Yeah, not positive how this is going to work out… stay tuned.
Finding Fae is book 1 in the Lost In Fae series. This PNR/Fantasy RH is part of an M. Sinclair universe but can be read as a standalone series (feel free to check out the others as well for a more encompassing universe understanding and camos). Prepare yourself for a strong but haunted MFC that meets men that may be the best or worst thing for her. Undetermined.
Book will contain swearing. As well, please be advised that the book contains darker themes including assault, PTSD, and violence. Additionally, sexual themes are suitable for mature audiences +18. Burn level - slow/medium.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2020
1270 people are currently reading
1793 people want to read
About the author
M. Sinclair
113 books3,510 followersM. Sinclair is a USA Today Best-Selling Author who can be found writing or thinking about her characters and plots nearly every moment of the day. With over 65 published works since her debut in 2019, her work spans from paranormal to contemporary romance rooted in extensive world-building and deep character development. M. Sinclair believes there is enough room for all types of heroines in this world, and that being saved is just as important as saving others.
Just remember to love cats... that's not negotiable.
Just remember to love cats... that's not negotiable.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
July 19, 2020
Good story, poor writing
First, this is a harem of 7. It’s too many guys. Full stop. There is no way to fully develop a relationship with that many guys. I hate, with the heat of 1000 suns, large harems. On the other hand, the relationship is only developing into something by the end of the book and the guys themselves aren’t too obviously meant to represent a specific erotic stereotype. I might not be rabidly against this harem if the author keeps the relationship roll a slow one. I don’t think she will, it should be noted. 92% and it’s starting to avalanche. Second, the plot is a meandering walk though the backstory and insecurity of the fmc. That’s a nice way to say nothing much happens, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind because I liked Maize. She’s in that transitional phase between victim and survivor and I’m pulling for her. However, this entire book is a long introduction, there’s no getting away from that. Third, this author has written how many books? And the writing is bad. I mean, trite and incorrect phrasing. Misused words. Poor grammar, do we really need to talk about the difference between too and to AGAIN? Inability to recognize an adverb from an adjective. Everyone’s bugaboo, phrasal verbs or multi word verbs using the wrong freakin conjunction. It irritated me. I wanted to get out my red pen, mark up the story and email it back. That being said, it didn’t stop me from finishing the book. I would have given the book 4 solid stars, though, if the editing improved. Even with 7 guys, ffs.
First, this is a harem of 7. It’s too many guys. Full stop. There is no way to fully develop a relationship with that many guys. I hate, with the heat of 1000 suns, large harems. On the other hand, the relationship is only developing into something by the end of the book and the guys themselves aren’t too obviously meant to represent a specific erotic stereotype. I might not be rabidly against this harem if the author keeps the relationship roll a slow one. I don’t think she will, it should be noted. 92% and it’s starting to avalanche. Second, the plot is a meandering walk though the backstory and insecurity of the fmc. That’s a nice way to say nothing much happens, but I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind because I liked Maize. She’s in that transitional phase between victim and survivor and I’m pulling for her. However, this entire book is a long introduction, there’s no getting away from that. Third, this author has written how many books? And the writing is bad. I mean, trite and incorrect phrasing. Misused words. Poor grammar, do we really need to talk about the difference between too and to AGAIN? Inability to recognize an adverb from an adjective. Everyone’s bugaboo, phrasal verbs or multi word verbs using the wrong freakin conjunction. It irritated me. I wanted to get out my red pen, mark up the story and email it back. That being said, it didn’t stop me from finishing the book. I would have given the book 4 solid stars, though, if the editing improved. Even with 7 guys, ffs.
January 26, 2024
WASTE OF TIME TO READ as each book is just an installment of a single story and, despite the third installment being published more than two and a half years ago, there are no more books, meaning readers are left hanging on a cliffhanger with no ending to the story. .
My review before I discovered the author didn't bother to complete the story:
What an awful story.
1) Desperately in need of an editor
2) Oh, the contrivances
2) World-building was a bare outline
3) No ones' abilities are ever fleshed out and defined
4) In two different placements, the female lead was the only woman for no logical reason; heck, her being in either placement had no logical reason; it would have made much more sense for her to be made a lady of the court so she (a) was under the queen's clear and watchful protection, (b) was in a non-aggressive position so people had less reason to fear and, therefore, hate her (c) was in a pacifistic position, as opposed to physically-combative, so she had the space to heal from her trauma (d) would interact with women socially, make friends and gather a support system and (e) doesn't kill anyone accidentally with the magic that she supposedly can't control and will poison anyone who touches her (although it actually doesn't on-page, even those who are threatening her, unless it was needed to tie a love interest to her)
5) Settings were mainly vague outlines (except for ceilings for some reason)
6) Series arc was not established
7) Plot? What plot? Woman finds healing and confidence thru male validation by way of a forced magical bond?
8) Female lead's characterization was all over the map except for being consistently desperate for male attention and validation; it was sad and pathetic; the freakin' Queen saved her, gave her sanctuary and made it clear she thought the female lead was worthy, why didn't the female lead's healing and self-worth start to develop from that?
9) Female lead was also an idiot; instead of going to the Queen about the harassment from the SA and the two of them together coming up with a better style of placement for her, she just went into a worse, less protected situation. And then she still didn't communicate the issues there to the Queen. The only emotionally healthy thing she did and she went back on that
10) Female lead had very valid reasons but one orgasm and she just follows the love interests home like a puppy; she didn't even bother to communicate ALL the issues she was experiencing to them; nope, just the only one that made her look like a virtuous martyr
11) Female lead inconsistencies:
11a) Female lead talked all tough in her head but couldn't back it up, even when she was attacked
11b) Female lead trained with an elite fighting force called the Obsidian Butterflies in her own country and yet, inexplicably, doesn't know how to fight physically or magically
11c) Female lead trained with the Supernatural Enforcement for the LAST YEAR in this country and yet, inexplicably, doesn't know how to fight physically or magically
11d) Female lead says she can only cry one tear... and then spends the rest of the book with tears pouring down her face every time she cries
11e) Female lead was suppose to be unable to control her instant-death-by-poison-to-anyone-who-touched-her power but she let everyone get as handsy as they wanted with her without warning, let alone invitation
11f) Female lead was suppose to be unable to control her instant-death-by-poison-to-anyone-who-touched-her power but everyone touched her constantly without any consequences
11g) Female lead definitely could not control her killing power during intimacies
12) There were too many love interests and they all just melded into one blob of pushy men who don't know how to knock and can't keep their hands to themselves
13) One love interest violated her physical autonomy, dragging her out of a bar when she was out with friends and having her first enjoyable, relaxing time since she was released from captivity, just because he selfishly didn't want her out having fun with other people; there were no consequences or comeuppance for this
14) Two of her love interests attempted to violate her mind the day they met her, one takes out his frustration at not being able to mind-rape her thru verbally attacking her on several occasions and magically attacking her during a physical combat only training session to the point where she was triggered and ends up on the floor in a ball having a severe flashback; a third love interest violated her mind later, she caught him but there was no consequence or comeuppance; in fact there were no consequences or comeuppance for any of it
15) One love interest violated her dreams the same day he meets her; she begs him to leave and he ignored her because, to him, his desire to know her trumped her privacy; and again, no consequences or comeuppance
16) Love interests were all selfish aholes; she was clearly dealing with a lot of serious trauma and overwhelmed by them but instead of leaving her in the safe, peaceful place to grow and recover, they made her return to a place where she has to deal with a loads of hostility constantly directed at her and , because they decided her place was with them, who cares about what she needs or wants, her feelings aren't important, only ours are!
17)
18) There was no relationship-building; it was just insta-lust caused by the mating bond and conflict caused by the love interests being self-involved idiots that had no consequences or comeuppance; there was not one sweet scene of a love interest just giving freely because he simply liked her
19) The one semi-sex scene did not feel consensual; more like the love interest was taking advantage of the female lead while she was overwhelmed by the bond. And the fact that it wasn't even with someone she had warm relationship with, he wouldn't listen to anything she had to say and then barked at her to not close her legs made it feel even more non-consensual... and kinda creepy
20) The minute the love interests found out she was their mate, instead of treating her like valued and respected person, they started treating her like a prize possession they needed to stay in control of at all time or someone would steal her away
21)
22) The queen had zero emotional intelligence; first she puts this traumatized woman in one hostile environment, then she puts her in second more overtly hostile environment and finally she breaks her
23) And then there was the just plain nonsense:
23a) The Horde (a half-breed fae population) territory, where the female lead was currently staying, was a mix of original medieval fae civilization and tech brought in from the modern human world so... where are the guns? They imported modern clothing like sports bras for training (as if cutesy sportswear was what people are going to war in /eye roll) but no guns when the Dark Fae was making war on them up until a year ago ? A glock's outside is made from a nylon-based polymer, not iron, so that would not be an issue.
23b) When the lead female poisons someone, she can save them by sucking the poison out but it makes the person addicted to her and they cannot be more than a few feet away from her forever without going to withdrawal that kills them. How the hell does that track?
23c) Why was the the female lead sent to an ACADEMY of (all-male) students when she can't control her killing magic yet was not meant to take classes ?
23d)
Clearly this is just another story where the female lead is set up to be a useless, needy damsel and the love interests are set up to be the intrepid heroes with her as their prize.
I am so sick of this (if you can't tell from my very long post.)
Why would a female author write a story featuring a female lead and NOT MAKE the female lead the hero of the story? And the leader of the harem instead of a subjugated object? Or, at least, an equal partner? Or even just have her autonomy respected.
I just don't get it.
My review before I discovered the author didn't bother to complete the story:
What an awful story.
1) Desperately in need of an editor
2) Oh, the contrivances
2) World-building was a bare outline
3) No ones' abilities are ever fleshed out and defined
4) In two different placements, the female lead was the only woman for no logical reason; heck, her being in either placement had no logical reason; it would have made much more sense for her to be made a lady of the court so she (a) was under the queen's clear and watchful protection, (b) was in a non-aggressive position so people had less reason to fear and, therefore, hate her (c) was in a pacifistic position, as opposed to physically-combative, so she had the space to heal from her trauma (d) would interact with women socially, make friends and gather a support system and (e) doesn't kill anyone accidentally with the magic that she supposedly can't control and will poison anyone who touches her (although it actually doesn't on-page, even those who are threatening her, unless it was needed to tie a love interest to her)
5) Settings were mainly vague outlines (except for ceilings for some reason)
6) Series arc was not established
7) Plot? What plot? Woman finds healing and confidence thru male validation by way of a forced magical bond?
8) Female lead's characterization was all over the map except for being consistently desperate for male attention and validation; it was sad and pathetic; the freakin' Queen saved her, gave her sanctuary and made it clear she thought the female lead was worthy, why didn't the female lead's healing and self-worth start to develop from that?
9) Female lead was also an idiot; instead of going to the Queen about the harassment from the SA and the two of them together coming up with a better style of placement for her, she just went into a worse, less protected situation. And then she still didn't communicate the issues there to the Queen. The only emotionally healthy thing she did and she went back on that
10) Female lead had very valid reasons but one orgasm and she just follows the love interests home like a puppy; she didn't even bother to communicate ALL the issues she was experiencing to them; nope, just the only one that made her look like a virtuous martyr
11) Female lead inconsistencies:
11a) Female lead talked all tough in her head but couldn't back it up, even when she was attacked
11b) Female lead trained with an elite fighting force called the Obsidian Butterflies in her own country and yet, inexplicably, doesn't know how to fight physically or magically
11c) Female lead trained with the Supernatural Enforcement for the LAST YEAR in this country and yet, inexplicably, doesn't know how to fight physically or magically
11d) Female lead says she can only cry one tear... and then spends the rest of the book with tears pouring down her face every time she cries
11e) Female lead was suppose to be unable to control her instant-death-by-poison-to-anyone-who-touched-her power but she let everyone get as handsy as they wanted with her without warning, let alone invitation
11f) Female lead was suppose to be unable to control her instant-death-by-poison-to-anyone-who-touched-her power but everyone touched her constantly without any consequences
11g) Female lead definitely could not control her killing power during intimacies
12) There were too many love interests and they all just melded into one blob of pushy men who don't know how to knock and can't keep their hands to themselves
13) One love interest violated her physical autonomy, dragging her out of a bar when she was out with friends and having her first enjoyable, relaxing time since she was released from captivity, just because he selfishly didn't want her out having fun with other people; there were no consequences or comeuppance for this
14) Two of her love interests attempted to violate her mind the day they met her, one takes out his frustration at not being able to mind-rape her thru verbally attacking her on several occasions and magically attacking her during a physical combat only training session to the point where she was triggered and ends up on the floor in a ball having a severe flashback; a third love interest violated her mind later, she caught him but there was no consequence or comeuppance; in fact there were no consequences or comeuppance for any of it
15) One love interest violated her dreams the same day he meets her; she begs him to leave and he ignored her because, to him, his desire to know her trumped her privacy; and again, no consequences or comeuppance
16) Love interests were all selfish aholes; she was clearly dealing with a lot of serious trauma and overwhelmed by them but instead of leaving her in the safe, peaceful place to grow and recover, they made her return to a place where she has to deal with a loads of hostility constantly directed at her and , because they decided her place was with them, who cares about what she needs or wants, her feelings aren't important, only ours are!
17)
18) There was no relationship-building; it was just insta-lust caused by the mating bond and conflict caused by the love interests being self-involved idiots that had no consequences or comeuppance; there was not one sweet scene of a love interest just giving freely because he simply liked her
19) The one semi-sex scene did not feel consensual; more like the love interest was taking advantage of the female lead while she was overwhelmed by the bond. And the fact that it wasn't even with someone she had warm relationship with, he wouldn't listen to anything she had to say and then barked at her to not close her legs made it feel even more non-consensual... and kinda creepy
20) The minute the love interests found out she was their mate, instead of treating her like valued and respected person, they started treating her like a prize possession they needed to stay in control of at all time or someone would steal her away
21)
22) The queen had zero emotional intelligence; first she puts this traumatized woman in one hostile environment, then she puts her in second more overtly hostile environment and finally she breaks her
23) And then there was the just plain nonsense:
23a) The Horde (a half-breed fae population) territory, where the female lead was currently staying, was a mix of original medieval fae civilization and tech brought in from the modern human world so... where are the guns? They imported modern clothing like sports bras for training (as if cutesy sportswear was what people are going to war in /eye roll) but no guns when the Dark Fae was making war on them up until a year ago ? A glock's outside is made from a nylon-based polymer, not iron, so that would not be an issue.
23b) When the lead female poisons someone, she can save them by sucking the poison out but it makes the person addicted to her and they cannot be more than a few feet away from her forever without going to withdrawal that kills them. How the hell does that track?
23c) Why was the the female lead sent to an ACADEMY of (all-male) students when she can't control her killing magic yet was not meant to take classes ?
23d)
Clearly this is just another story where the female lead is set up to be a useless, needy damsel and the love interests are set up to be the intrepid heroes with her as their prize.
I am so sick of this (if you can't tell from my very long post.)
Why would a female author write a story featuring a female lead and NOT MAKE the female lead the hero of the story? And the leader of the harem instead of a subjugated object? Or, at least, an equal partner? Or even just have her autonomy respected.
I just don't get it.
June 17, 2020
3-3.5ish? Well the start of this series definitely had me searching for the next book in the series only to find.. nothing yet not even a release date. Boo lol. So one of my biggest pet peeves is to start a series only to very quickly realize I'm being dropped into the middle of an already created world. Most of the time it's my own fault for being so dang impatient and grabby when I see something I like, and not taking the time to actually research whether or not the series is a spinoff. What is awesome is when the author puts in a little note at the beginning saying hey this is a spinoff you should head your butt over here first. Maybe I missed it? Maybe it was there? Either way this has to be a spinoff because there were constant mentions of a story before this.. just constant hints and references. I find that so irritating when I haven't read the first series lol. Was it irritating enough to stop, drop, and go find the first series.. nope I'm holding down that laziness and just stewing in my irritating instead lol. Either way, this was good on its own.. but, at least for me personally, would have been better with that extra knowledge.
Maize, our FMC, has some serious issues caused by a horrific background that we get snips and pieces of. She has been rescued by the newest queen from her evil fae father. Unfortunately for Maize her touch is literally poison, so on top of her issues caused by her upbringing and imprisonment, she also must have constant control of her powers or end up killing everyone around her. The pressure is overwhelming and she draws further and further into herself when the queen decides maize must venture out into the world and find something to live for.. basically. Off to Red Masques academy so that she can have some new baby sitters, a team of men that run the academy. At this point there is a lot of insta.. well everything happening and all the while Maize is still just barely poking her head out of the bubble and the guys make it their goal to bring her all the way out. Unfortunately for them, Maize is a runner.. as soon as the going gets tough, with her history, she sets off for peace. The guys on the other hand.. aren't having that at all.
All in all it was a pretty good book. Some of the relationships have some preexisting chemistry, probably from that other series that I didn't find first because KU likes to throw me under the bus and all that. I'm almost glad the next book isn't even thought out yet because its pretty obvious I'mma have to start backtracking to find where this actually starts...
Maize, our FMC, has some serious issues caused by a horrific background that we get snips and pieces of. She has been rescued by the newest queen from her evil fae father. Unfortunately for Maize her touch is literally poison, so on top of her issues caused by her upbringing and imprisonment, she also must have constant control of her powers or end up killing everyone around her. The pressure is overwhelming and she draws further and further into herself when the queen decides maize must venture out into the world and find something to live for.. basically. Off to Red Masques academy so that she can have some new baby sitters, a team of men that run the academy. At this point there is a lot of insta.. well everything happening and all the while Maize is still just barely poking her head out of the bubble and the guys make it their goal to bring her all the way out. Unfortunately for them, Maize is a runner.. as soon as the going gets tough, with her history, she sets off for peace. The guys on the other hand.. aren't having that at all.
All in all it was a pretty good book. Some of the relationships have some preexisting chemistry, probably from that other series that I didn't find first because KU likes to throw me under the bus and all that. I'm almost glad the next book isn't even thought out yet because its pretty obvious I'mma have to start backtracking to find where this actually starts...
June 20, 2020
2.5 Stars
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would tbh. Mostly because I really liked the premise of the heroines powers and her wings. Unfortunately just the premise.
At first she seemed to be PRETTY badass character, but that was quickly overturned by her victim mentality and while I do get it, given her history, it wasn‘t what I was hoping for, after her initial introduction. She just didn‘t live up to the Badass that was introduced to me at all.
I liked how her trauma is handled and not ignored and well as I said ... poisonous fucking wings.
World building was absolutely lacking in my opinion, but I imagine because this seems to be a spin-off in this world and in other because everything is explained more, from her rescuing to her background etc.
The men were rather unimpressive and didn‘t get much character traits, but oh one is a complete asshole and one a personal space invading dream prick. I wasn‘t fond of any of them.
Plot was barely existence, nothing really happens at all, besides her wallowing in self-pity and then running away for five minutes, because that all it took to convince her to get back home.
One of my favorite tropes, the tattoo turned animal, was completely neglected, and the fact ignored that sh wasn‘t really as alone as she always lamented, but they just weren‘t used besides getting pissed when someone talked bad about her. Actually they only really appear once and the get ignored most of the time. I didn‘t get it.
Thinking about it, the first half, the cooler half and what made me enjoy the book, felt rather different than the second half and a lot of things introduced there just went forgotten or neglected in the second half.
I should probably give a two star rating, but I DID enjoy the beginning, s I am sticking with three.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would tbh. Mostly because I really liked the premise of the heroines powers and her wings. Unfortunately just the premise.
At first she seemed to be PRETTY badass character, but that was quickly overturned by her victim mentality and while I do get it, given her history, it wasn‘t what I was hoping for, after her initial introduction. She just didn‘t live up to the Badass that was introduced to me at all.
I liked how her trauma is handled and not ignored and well as I said ... poisonous fucking wings.
World building was absolutely lacking in my opinion, but I imagine because this seems to be a spin-off in this world and in other because everything is explained more, from her rescuing to her background etc.
The men were rather unimpressive and didn‘t get much character traits, but oh one is a complete asshole and one a personal space invading dream prick. I wasn‘t fond of any of them.
Plot was barely existence, nothing really happens at all, besides her wallowing in self-pity and then running away for five minutes, because that all it took to convince her to get back home.
One of my favorite tropes, the tattoo turned animal, was completely neglected, and the fact ignored that sh wasn‘t really as alone as she always lamented, but they just weren‘t used besides getting pissed when someone talked bad about her. Actually they only really appear once and the get ignored most of the time. I didn‘t get it.
Thinking about it, the first half, the cooler half and what made me enjoy the book, felt rather different than the second half and a lot of things introduced there just went forgotten or neglected in the second half.
I should probably give a two star rating, but I DID enjoy the beginning, s I am sticking with three.
January 10, 2026
I loved this one. I can't wait to see what happens. I loved the guys so much.
January 22, 2026
3.5⭐️
January 1, 2026
Lacked depth of any kind?
February 8, 2026
My Review
Overall: ⭐ 4/5
Plot: ★★★★☆
Female mc: ★★★★★
Male mcs: ★★★★☆
Side Characters: ★★★☆☆
════════════════════════════
The woman didn’t want to be saved. She wanted to be loved, respected, and authentically cared about. She wanted someone that wanted to be by her side, not control her. She wanted a partner, not a master, and I couldn’t tell you how much I loved that. —Maddox
════════════════════════════
Reverse Harem | Fated Mates | Paranormal Romance
Honestly, at first this book was kind of hard for me to read. I usually dislike writing styles where the main character talks nonstop and directly asks questions to the reader, it’s just not my cup of tea because I find it really irritating. Thankfully, that style only appears at the beginning of the book.
The story centers on Maize, a pureblood Dark Fae and the heir to the Dark Fae King. She was loyal and willing to die for a country that considered her an enemy, mainly because she was saved from her own father, the Dark Fae King who imprisoned and tortured her. She works in Supernatural Enforcement, but later transfers to the Red Masques Academy, the starting point of a special operations private militia. She’s not a student and not a teacher either. Instead, she stays with the team of commanders who are in charge of the institution.
The team of comrades Maize lives with turns out to be her mates: Chait, Maddox, Valerio, Zed, Cannon, Philip, and Charm. However, in this book, being someone’s mate doesn’t mean you instantly love them, it means you’re deeply attracted to them, with an intense pull. All of them feel an immediate connection to Maize, especially Chait and Maddox, who had already been close to her for a year. Some of the others, however, are still unaware of or kind of unwilling to accept it. Even Charm has serious issues with Maize and becomes one of the reasons she eventually leaves them.
The story focuses heavily on Maize’s emotions. I felt so much pain for Maize because, at first, almost everyone doesn’t want her around. They despise her and hate her because of her race. She believes she only darkens people’s lives and brings danger with her wherever she goes and in a literal sense, she does. But she’s actually done nothing wrong. Everyone is driven by prejudice and hatred without reason. Even her poisonous abilities scare people simply because she has them. She also feels rejected by her own mates because of their actions, especially Charm and Valerio. She’s lonely, she just wants someone beside her. She only wants them to accept and acknowledge her existence, nothing more. All she’s ever wanted was to be loved, to be wanted, to be accepted. It’s the simplest and most complicated desire in the world.
“I thought I had broken and been freed from this imprisonment. I hadn’t, though. This loneliness? This isolation? The apparent divide I had from others felt more like a prison than anything I had experienced. It was so painful to be openly hated.” — Maize
She believes that now that she’s finally free, she never wants to be trapped under a cruel male’s control again. That was what mating meant in her old kingdom, the Dark Fae Lands. The only man she would ever want by her side is someone who can keep up with her, not someone who tries to control her. She also believes she doesn’t deserve a mate, and that her possible mates don’t deserve the burden of being tied to her.
When everything becomes overwhelming and Maize feels especially vulnerable because of Charm and the way the students treat her, she leaves the academy. She needs to escape, and with Gray’s help, she flees to a small town in the Earth Realm. The guys search desperately for her, splitting up into seven different places across Earth to find her. When they finally reunite, they show Maize their feelings and tell her they don’t want her to leave. They ask her to give them a chance, a chance at a relationship as mates and she agrees.
At the end of the book, the villainous students try to use a spell on Maize. Charm steps in to help her, but when Maize feels threatened, her defensive poison is released and hits Charm instead. Not wanting her mate to die, Maize bites him to draw out the poison, but it becomes more than that. Their magic connects, creating an interlocking pattern where the pull between them is equal. I loved that the bite wound transforms into a dark butterfly-shaped set of wings, almost skeletal in nature, a sign that she marked him. Charm also marks Maize, leaving a small star on her collarbone. It’s a mating bond. Out of all seven mates, Charm is the first to bond with her. And that’s the end of Book 1 out of 4.
✨ What I liked about this book:
1. The world-building. There are many realms: the Elven Realm, Fae Realm, Earth Realm, Demonic Realm, Spirit Realm, and even a God Realm. The Horde where the FMC lives is also divided into four communities: the mage community, the demonic community, and the naturalistic and mythical shifter communities.
2. Maize has two familiars. She gains them accidentally, two large creatures tattooed onto her body, created by an ink mage. Due to magical side effects, they can crawl off her skin and transform into familiars that protect her whenever she feels threatened. I love this kind of detail!
3. Small character moments. Maddox, who never acts sweet toward anyone, is incredibly gentle and caring toward Maize, leaving the other guys completely stunned by how different he is with her.
4. Each guy has his own nickname for Maize, and I loved that.
5. Low-stress story. Even with emotional pain, trauma, and conflict, this book feels light. There’s no relationship rivalry, which makes it very comforting to read.
✨ What I didn’t like:
1. Charm is extremely harsh toward Maize at first, and it genuinely hurt my heart to read the things he said to her. Thankfully, it gets better later.
At first, I thought this book would be a heavy read, but it turned out to be quite light. Aside from the early chapters, I enjoyed almost every part of it. Even when Maize struggles with intense self-doubt, I never felt irritated. The conflict level is low, there are no truly annoying or rival characters, and the pacing is solid. I found this book really comforting. It reminded me of a Jillian West book, she’s my current favorite author because it gave me the same cozy, comforting feeling.
Overall, I really liked this book, and I can’t wait to read the second one. If you enjoy why-choose romance and fabtasy genre, this series is definitely for you!
💌 Main Characters:
Maize (22)
Chait (25)
Maddox (26)
Cannon (22)
Philip (21)
Valerio (27)
Zed (26)
Charm (21)
💌 Supporting Characters:
Edwin & Byron (Lead commanders of the Red Masques)
Gray (Queen)
Bandit (Half-brother)
Laurena (Mage representative)
Alexander (Student, Maize’s friend)
Griffin (Student, Alexander’s brother)
Grover
Blue
💌 Maize’s Tattoos / Familiars:
Sy – A black widow spider, symbolizing feminine power, independence, survival, and transformation.
Lu – A black onyx cobra snake, symbolizing transformation, rebirth, wisdom, and protection.
💌 Nicknames for Maize:
Maddox: Teacup
Philip: Sweetheart
Zed: Angel
Valerio: Baby
Chait: Mon amour
💌 Abilities:
Maize: Pureblood Dark Fae, the Obsidian Butterfly, poison blood and wings.
Chait: Elven heritage, cat shifter. He can move in and out of the Spirit Realm, often more spirit than man and sometimes unseen.
Maddox: Psychic abilities, reality warping, mind reading, and telekinesis.
Cannon: Wolfman.
Philip: Alchemy and ink mage; can walk inside people’s minds and dreams; a hybrid without a natural mate but deeply bonded to Maize.
Valerio: The leader; dominant, commanding, and radiating darkness.
Zed: Blood mage, part demon/incubus.
Charm: Can see a person’s hopes and dreams, and mock or torture them with it, due to his demonic nature.
Overall: ⭐ 4/5
Plot: ★★★★☆
Female mc: ★★★★★
Male mcs: ★★★★☆
Side Characters: ★★★☆☆
════════════════════════════
The woman didn’t want to be saved. She wanted to be loved, respected, and authentically cared about. She wanted someone that wanted to be by her side, not control her. She wanted a partner, not a master, and I couldn’t tell you how much I loved that. —Maddox
════════════════════════════
Reverse Harem | Fated Mates | Paranormal Romance
Honestly, at first this book was kind of hard for me to read. I usually dislike writing styles where the main character talks nonstop and directly asks questions to the reader, it’s just not my cup of tea because I find it really irritating. Thankfully, that style only appears at the beginning of the book.
The story centers on Maize, a pureblood Dark Fae and the heir to the Dark Fae King. She was loyal and willing to die for a country that considered her an enemy, mainly because she was saved from her own father, the Dark Fae King who imprisoned and tortured her. She works in Supernatural Enforcement, but later transfers to the Red Masques Academy, the starting point of a special operations private militia. She’s not a student and not a teacher either. Instead, she stays with the team of commanders who are in charge of the institution.
The team of comrades Maize lives with turns out to be her mates: Chait, Maddox, Valerio, Zed, Cannon, Philip, and Charm. However, in this book, being someone’s mate doesn’t mean you instantly love them, it means you’re deeply attracted to them, with an intense pull. All of them feel an immediate connection to Maize, especially Chait and Maddox, who had already been close to her for a year. Some of the others, however, are still unaware of or kind of unwilling to accept it. Even Charm has serious issues with Maize and becomes one of the reasons she eventually leaves them.
The story focuses heavily on Maize’s emotions. I felt so much pain for Maize because, at first, almost everyone doesn’t want her around. They despise her and hate her because of her race. She believes she only darkens people’s lives and brings danger with her wherever she goes and in a literal sense, she does. But she’s actually done nothing wrong. Everyone is driven by prejudice and hatred without reason. Even her poisonous abilities scare people simply because she has them. She also feels rejected by her own mates because of their actions, especially Charm and Valerio. She’s lonely, she just wants someone beside her. She only wants them to accept and acknowledge her existence, nothing more. All she’s ever wanted was to be loved, to be wanted, to be accepted. It’s the simplest and most complicated desire in the world.
“I thought I had broken and been freed from this imprisonment. I hadn’t, though. This loneliness? This isolation? The apparent divide I had from others felt more like a prison than anything I had experienced. It was so painful to be openly hated.” — Maize
She believes that now that she’s finally free, she never wants to be trapped under a cruel male’s control again. That was what mating meant in her old kingdom, the Dark Fae Lands. The only man she would ever want by her side is someone who can keep up with her, not someone who tries to control her. She also believes she doesn’t deserve a mate, and that her possible mates don’t deserve the burden of being tied to her.
When everything becomes overwhelming and Maize feels especially vulnerable because of Charm and the way the students treat her, she leaves the academy. She needs to escape, and with Gray’s help, she flees to a small town in the Earth Realm. The guys search desperately for her, splitting up into seven different places across Earth to find her. When they finally reunite, they show Maize their feelings and tell her they don’t want her to leave. They ask her to give them a chance, a chance at a relationship as mates and she agrees.
At the end of the book, the villainous students try to use a spell on Maize. Charm steps in to help her, but when Maize feels threatened, her defensive poison is released and hits Charm instead. Not wanting her mate to die, Maize bites him to draw out the poison, but it becomes more than that. Their magic connects, creating an interlocking pattern where the pull between them is equal. I loved that the bite wound transforms into a dark butterfly-shaped set of wings, almost skeletal in nature, a sign that she marked him. Charm also marks Maize, leaving a small star on her collarbone. It’s a mating bond. Out of all seven mates, Charm is the first to bond with her. And that’s the end of Book 1 out of 4.
✨ What I liked about this book:
1. The world-building. There are many realms: the Elven Realm, Fae Realm, Earth Realm, Demonic Realm, Spirit Realm, and even a God Realm. The Horde where the FMC lives is also divided into four communities: the mage community, the demonic community, and the naturalistic and mythical shifter communities.
2. Maize has two familiars. She gains them accidentally, two large creatures tattooed onto her body, created by an ink mage. Due to magical side effects, they can crawl off her skin and transform into familiars that protect her whenever she feels threatened. I love this kind of detail!
3. Small character moments. Maddox, who never acts sweet toward anyone, is incredibly gentle and caring toward Maize, leaving the other guys completely stunned by how different he is with her.
4. Each guy has his own nickname for Maize, and I loved that.
5. Low-stress story. Even with emotional pain, trauma, and conflict, this book feels light. There’s no relationship rivalry, which makes it very comforting to read.
✨ What I didn’t like:
1. Charm is extremely harsh toward Maize at first, and it genuinely hurt my heart to read the things he said to her. Thankfully, it gets better later.
At first, I thought this book would be a heavy read, but it turned out to be quite light. Aside from the early chapters, I enjoyed almost every part of it. Even when Maize struggles with intense self-doubt, I never felt irritated. The conflict level is low, there are no truly annoying or rival characters, and the pacing is solid. I found this book really comforting. It reminded me of a Jillian West book, she’s my current favorite author because it gave me the same cozy, comforting feeling.
Overall, I really liked this book, and I can’t wait to read the second one. If you enjoy why-choose romance and fabtasy genre, this series is definitely for you!
💌 Main Characters:
Maize (22)
Chait (25)
Maddox (26)
Cannon (22)
Philip (21)
Valerio (27)
Zed (26)
Charm (21)
💌 Supporting Characters:
Edwin & Byron (Lead commanders of the Red Masques)
Gray (Queen)
Bandit (Half-brother)
Laurena (Mage representative)
Alexander (Student, Maize’s friend)
Griffin (Student, Alexander’s brother)
Grover
Blue
💌 Maize’s Tattoos / Familiars:
Sy – A black widow spider, symbolizing feminine power, independence, survival, and transformation.
Lu – A black onyx cobra snake, symbolizing transformation, rebirth, wisdom, and protection.
💌 Nicknames for Maize:
Maddox: Teacup
Philip: Sweetheart
Zed: Angel
Valerio: Baby
Chait: Mon amour
💌 Abilities:
Maize: Pureblood Dark Fae, the Obsidian Butterfly, poison blood and wings.
Chait: Elven heritage, cat shifter. He can move in and out of the Spirit Realm, often more spirit than man and sometimes unseen.
Maddox: Psychic abilities, reality warping, mind reading, and telekinesis.
Cannon: Wolfman.
Philip: Alchemy and ink mage; can walk inside people’s minds and dreams; a hybrid without a natural mate but deeply bonded to Maize.
Valerio: The leader; dominant, commanding, and radiating darkness.
Zed: Blood mage, part demon/incubus.
Charm: Can see a person’s hopes and dreams, and mock or torture them with it, due to his demonic nature.
April 24, 2020
Maize, the daughter of a dark fae king, one that waged a war for three long years. All three of those years she spent in a prison being hurt and beat, her powers drained. For she is a very powerful fae, one that can kill with a touch or not! But when the Queen killed her father and set her free, she became loyal to a kingdom who hated her, and a Queen that offered her friendship. She made two special friends, ones that she would love to be more with but could not. For she is deadly to those around her. But when she is relocated to Red Masques academy she stays with a team of Commanders that are in charge of the academy, and now it would appear of her.
Finding Fae centers around the female lead Maize. She is the daughter of a dark Fae King. He treated her very badly. Like locked her up in a dungeon and tortured her bad. She is one tough cookie. But she is very dangerous. Like can kill you with a touch, dangerous. Maize is such a good person though everyone fears her. She just wants a normal, as normal as she can, life away from those who hate her for who she is. She is witty, funny, strong, loyal and protective. All of what a good female lead should be.
The guys, holy crap, are freaking hot. There is such a mixture in there. All loyal and protective over Maize, even if they do not know why. Of course you have to have one that is not totally on board at first, and yeah he will not be your fave at first. But give it time.
I really enjoyed this first look into this series, and I hope we get more of what happens for Maize. There was not a big cliffhanger but instead kinda eases us into the next one. There are mentions of abuse and talking about it. If you have any triggers I would be forewarned. I cannot wait to visit this group of characters again.
Finding Fae centers around the female lead Maize. She is the daughter of a dark Fae King. He treated her very badly. Like locked her up in a dungeon and tortured her bad. She is one tough cookie. But she is very dangerous. Like can kill you with a touch, dangerous. Maize is such a good person though everyone fears her. She just wants a normal, as normal as she can, life away from those who hate her for who she is. She is witty, funny, strong, loyal and protective. All of what a good female lead should be.
The guys, holy crap, are freaking hot. There is such a mixture in there. All loyal and protective over Maize, even if they do not know why. Of course you have to have one that is not totally on board at first, and yeah he will not be your fave at first. But give it time.
I really enjoyed this first look into this series, and I hope we get more of what happens for Maize. There was not a big cliffhanger but instead kinda eases us into the next one. There are mentions of abuse and talking about it. If you have any triggers I would be forewarned. I cannot wait to visit this group of characters again.
May 8, 2020
Finding Fae as the title suggests is obviously about Faes but in a set of pattern you would expect if you have read enough books from this author. If you haven't liked something from the other works then there isn't anything radically different here to change your opinions.
The book despite having side characters from some other series or being revolved around events that took place in those said series, doesn't end up feeling too difficult to get into. The start summarising all of the info is enough yet I feel like I missed out on the powerful rescue episode as it's not explored here much than brief flashback retelling. The whole academy thing was just aimless in this story, even if there is a reason given. The weird not-student-not-teacher situation of Maize just leaves no variety for her character other than the trauma and it's recovery and essentially makes the academy just a placeholder.
For characters, Maize was a gloomy heroine to match the tortured past bit. The guys were meh, much of what I saw wasn't enough to form any strong opinions on them. They just had a shallow summarised personalities that sometimes felt abrupt like Charm or Valerio. Their transitions into accepting the FMC isn't smooth.
As a plot, there isn't anything concrete jumping out. This book ends up feeling like a filler with certain tiny things that are set in place for the actual storyline to start in the next book. I'm not sure if it's enough to hold my interest and make me pick up the second one.
The book despite having side characters from some other series or being revolved around events that took place in those said series, doesn't end up feeling too difficult to get into. The start summarising all of the info is enough yet I feel like I missed out on the powerful rescue episode as it's not explored here much than brief flashback retelling. The whole academy thing was just aimless in this story, even if there is a reason given. The weird not-student-not-teacher situation of Maize just leaves no variety for her character other than the trauma and it's recovery and essentially makes the academy just a placeholder.
For characters, Maize was a gloomy heroine to match the tortured past bit. The guys were meh, much of what I saw wasn't enough to form any strong opinions on them. They just had a shallow summarised personalities that sometimes felt abrupt like Charm or Valerio. Their transitions into accepting the FMC isn't smooth.
As a plot, there isn't anything concrete jumping out. This book ends up feeling like a filler with certain tiny things that are set in place for the actual storyline to start in the next book. I'm not sure if it's enough to hold my interest and make me pick up the second one.
August 3, 2020
3.5 Poisonous Stars
Finding Fae is the first installment in the Lost in Fae series by M. Sinclair.
The writing?
A little robotic? It wasn’t flowery or flowing, somewhat choppy. Not too terribly disrupting to the story, but was all the same noticeable.
The plot?
Is there one? Outside of Maize being a scary Dark Fae, hated by or distanced from the Horde around her, and the harem aspect? Not really.
The harem?
This is why I usually don’t enjoy the RH books with more than four mates, it’s hard to learn enough about any of them to really distinguish them. They all start to blend together. The only two I even remember individual characteristics for; Cannon is the were type, and Phillip is a dream walker type? I think Zed is demon/vampiric? But I know Charm is demonic? So I’m confused. Valerio is some sort of demigod/Light Fae blend? So maybe three?
Okay I went back and checked up on Chait and Maddox since I clearly remember their powers being explained in the beginning, but never really spotlighted. Chait is connected to spirit/necromancy, similar in how Maize can dissolve and reappear, although he seems to have more control. Maddox is listed as having psychic ability? Along the lines of telekinesis, mind reading, mind bending?
I hope there’s more definitive outlines placed on their defining features in the rest of the series. Because trying to parse out her seven mates is going to pretzel my mind.
Finding Fae is the first installment in the Lost in Fae series by M. Sinclair.
The writing?
A little robotic? It wasn’t flowery or flowing, somewhat choppy. Not too terribly disrupting to the story, but was all the same noticeable.
The plot?
Is there one? Outside of Maize being a scary Dark Fae, hated by or distanced from the Horde around her, and the harem aspect? Not really.
The harem?
This is why I usually don’t enjoy the RH books with more than four mates, it’s hard to learn enough about any of them to really distinguish them. They all start to blend together. The only two I even remember individual characteristics for; Cannon is the were type, and Phillip is a dream walker type? I think Zed is demon/vampiric? But I know Charm is demonic? So I’m confused. Valerio is some sort of demigod/Light Fae blend? So maybe three?
Okay I went back and checked up on Chait and Maddox since I clearly remember their powers being explained in the beginning, but never really spotlighted. Chait is connected to spirit/necromancy, similar in how Maize can dissolve and reappear, although he seems to have more control. Maddox is listed as having psychic ability? Along the lines of telekinesis, mind reading, mind bending?
I hope there’s more definitive outlines placed on their defining features in the rest of the series. Because trying to parse out her seven mates is going to pretzel my mind.
August 25, 2021
No real plot or conflict besides speciesism towards Dark Fae, which is what Maize, is. I liked the characters, despite how 2D they were. All of them experienced trauma at some point and came together to create a family. Maize is very obviously a survivor that now lives with PTSD. Unfortunately, that is her only trait. I know how difficult mental illness can be and how it can affect your life, but most people can realize what their intrusive thoughts, triggers, and episodes are and know how to cope with them. I see Maize struggling with this and with a lack of introspection. The book was supposed to be about paranormals, but her powers really don't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Maize could've been a regular human in a high class enemies to lovers novel and she'd receive the same attitude and treatment from small minded people and men, in particular. These books are often the same, MC is traumatized, but "powerful", meets her mates that are 'different' than everyone else with the exception of one of her mates, that believes her behavior is an act, MC is bullied by peers and that leads her to believe her intrusive thoughts (the ones that tell her no one likes her, she's a waste of space, unwanted, etc.), MC runs away only to be found by her mate(s) to then live HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2026
2.5⭐️ - wow i honestly dont know how to feel? it felt a bit rushed throughout the whole book and i was just confused for a lot of it... it was fast paced to be fair but you just get thrown in the deep end and i felt like i was missing a lot of key factors and world building (it felt like this was a sequel to another like two series which i feel like it is but idk). did i still have a great time reading it? of course its a rh famtasy with 7 mates. but um i will not be continuing.
May 18, 2020
Maize is a bit lost after having Ben held captive and tortured by her father for three years. She is loyal to Queen Gray but due to her dark fae nature, isn’t accepted by many. She ends up at Red Masque academy and meets her mates. I like how unique each of her relationships are. This book is in the same world as her other series and there are some references to the other books, and Queen Gray from the Vengeance series shows up, but in a way that felt organic to the story. I’m intrigued by Maize and her guys, and will definitely be looking for book 2!
April 23, 2020
3,5 stars ish
i want the next book
i want the next book
November 13, 2020
All the feels!
November 5, 2021
Too many monologs ⭐⭐⭐3.5⭐⭐⭐
Well, as much as I like monologs and they're helpful to understand the FMC psyche, there were way too many monologs in this book🙄. Actually, there were ONLY monologs. Nothing really happened and it became boring at the end. Of course, there was the usual fights between the FMC and some of her guys like in every RH story but nothing else very significant.
In contrast, I would say that I liked Maize, the FMC. She's a dark fae, the daughter of the former deadly enemy of the Horde. Maize is extremly powerful and deadly: she has beautiful dark poisonous wings and two terrifying familiars, a black cobra and a tarantula (I hate spider😨 but that's pretty badass😉)
Maize has been detained in a dungeon for three years, tortured by her father and his guards. She has been saved by the present queen of the Horde, Gray.
Maize struggled finding her place in this world, always considered as an enemy and despised by everybody except two members of the Red Masques, Chait and Maddox. When the Queen suggested that Maize moove to the Red Masques Academy, Maize hoped taking a new start but prejudices die hard. 😥
At the Academy, she met the other members of Chait and Maddox's teams and things became a bit more complicated... 😉
Because of the lack of storyline, I will for sure read the next volume because for sure interesting should happen!
Well, as much as I like monologs and they're helpful to understand the FMC psyche, there were way too many monologs in this book🙄. Actually, there were ONLY monologs. Nothing really happened and it became boring at the end. Of course, there was the usual fights between the FMC and some of her guys like in every RH story but nothing else very significant.
In contrast, I would say that I liked Maize, the FMC. She's a dark fae, the daughter of the former deadly enemy of the Horde. Maize is extremly powerful and deadly: she has beautiful dark poisonous wings and two terrifying familiars, a black cobra and a tarantula (I hate spider😨 but that's pretty badass😉)
Maize has been detained in a dungeon for three years, tortured by her father and his guards. She has been saved by the present queen of the Horde, Gray.
Maize struggled finding her place in this world, always considered as an enemy and despised by everybody except two members of the Red Masques, Chait and Maddox. When the Queen suggested that Maize moove to the Red Masques Academy, Maize hoped taking a new start but prejudices die hard. 😥
At the Academy, she met the other members of Chait and Maddox's teams and things became a bit more complicated... 😉
Because of the lack of storyline, I will for sure read the next volume because for sure interesting should happen!
January 26, 2021
I struggled to finish
The h is deadly poison & is imprisoned as well as chained to keep her from protecting herself resulting in physical & mental trauma. She is feared & spit @ for being Dark Fae once freed & placed in another society. After some time passes she moves to an academy for some not clear reason where she still suffers bullying, suspicions yet some interest. Though powerful, she seems to get attacked without her defensive magic reacting just to move the plot in a certain direction. It is confusing & annoying. Also, my pet peeve is jerks who are ignorant & purposely cruel that once say sorry get forgiven immediately. Another annoyance is a scene where an H , even after being horrifyingly made aware of the extent of her abuse, chores her for being a coward after running away from threats, attacks & rejection .from other Hs. She wanted to finally experience peace from all her suffering & looking over her shoulder & that is what he says to convince her to come back to them!?! Selfish a-hole! None have saved her from anything so far, so Not clear what good they are except for looks. Not sure if I'm continuing.
The h is deadly poison & is imprisoned as well as chained to keep her from protecting herself resulting in physical & mental trauma. She is feared & spit @ for being Dark Fae once freed & placed in another society. After some time passes she moves to an academy for some not clear reason where she still suffers bullying, suspicions yet some interest. Though powerful, she seems to get attacked without her defensive magic reacting just to move the plot in a certain direction. It is confusing & annoying. Also, my pet peeve is jerks who are ignorant & purposely cruel that once say sorry get forgiven immediately. Another annoyance is a scene where an H , even after being horrifyingly made aware of the extent of her abuse, chores her for being a coward after running away from threats, attacks & rejection .from other Hs. She wanted to finally experience peace from all her suffering & looking over her shoulder & that is what he says to convince her to come back to them!?! Selfish a-hole! None have saved her from anything so far, so Not clear what good they are except for looks. Not sure if I'm continuing.
December 18, 2025
I have a good feeling about this series.
M. Sinclair is one of my favorite authors. Her world building & characters with depth really pull you in & have you wanting more.
And Maize is just another example of that.
From the beginning of the book, we learn that Maize hasn’t had the greatest last couple of years. Being imprisoned & tortured by her father & guards left her broken & bruised & a wee bit untrusting.
But when Queen Gray saves her, she’s hoping for the best. Despite everyone hating her for her Dark Fae heritage, she just wants happy too.
But she ends up at the Red Masques & into the arms of a team of men who are equally intrigued by her presence.
But she feels the hatred wafting off of the other students there & feels like she is better off leaving. But that only hurts that team more because she knows they’re her mates.
I really enjoyed seeing her learn to open up for these men because I think they could be really good for her.
And I am so excited to see what happens next!
Amazing job!
M. Sinclair is one of my favorite authors. Her world building & characters with depth really pull you in & have you wanting more.
And Maize is just another example of that.
From the beginning of the book, we learn that Maize hasn’t had the greatest last couple of years. Being imprisoned & tortured by her father & guards left her broken & bruised & a wee bit untrusting.
But when Queen Gray saves her, she’s hoping for the best. Despite everyone hating her for her Dark Fae heritage, she just wants happy too.
But she ends up at the Red Masques & into the arms of a team of men who are equally intrigued by her presence.
But she feels the hatred wafting off of the other students there & feels like she is better off leaving. But that only hurts that team more because she knows they’re her mates.
I really enjoyed seeing her learn to open up for these men because I think they could be really good for her.
And I am so excited to see what happens next!
Amazing job!
July 29, 2021
I find myself reading this story getting more and more intrigued. Yes, this is a spin-off to another series but to be honest the way it is written it only makes you want to go back and read it as well. While reading this I didn’t feel like I missed something that made it hard to read this one. It was well written and though I think Maize could be stronger I know she had to extremely strong to endure what she did endure. I do like how we are seeing her develop and get through the things she need to in order to become her full potential. I love the guys and how caring and supportive they are. The story doesn’t have a lot of action but it has drama coming out of its ears. It drew me in as I just had to see how it was going to proceed. I am excited to read the next book in the series to see what is going to happen next.
April 7, 2021
Powerful heroine with low self esteem
Spoiler
At first I liked this book. Then, it slowly changed. The heroine had been handcuffed in a dungeon for three years, yet makes a handcuff sex joke. Not believable, since she is still having nightmares every night. Then after a lot of crap happens to her and she needed to get away, the men in her life immediately goes after her. Caring more for their own feelings than hers and calling her a coward when she tries to explain why. Then goes on to stomp down her reasonable. There might not be a dungeon, but she is not free. Great love interests there. With all this happening, the heroine just blames herself and think that the men is right.
Spoiler
At first I liked this book. Then, it slowly changed. The heroine had been handcuffed in a dungeon for three years, yet makes a handcuff sex joke. Not believable, since she is still having nightmares every night. Then after a lot of crap happens to her and she needed to get away, the men in her life immediately goes after her. Caring more for their own feelings than hers and calling her a coward when she tries to explain why. Then goes on to stomp down her reasonable. There might not be a dungeon, but she is not free. Great love interests there. With all this happening, the heroine just blames herself and think that the men is right.
November 11, 2023
earlier work
I honestly had a hard time getting into this book but glad I stuck with it. Mostly due to the constantly repetitive thoughts that happened for quite a few chapters as the plot and characters were being established. Do not base her current writing skills off this book, if it is your first, because this is an earlier piece, being written in 2020, and like with everything else mastery of a craft happens with constant practice. While the story was good and has kept me hooked enough to finish and want to read more, it can definitely do with a rewrite cleanup to tighten up the story.
I honestly had a hard time getting into this book but glad I stuck with it. Mostly due to the constantly repetitive thoughts that happened for quite a few chapters as the plot and characters were being established. Do not base her current writing skills off this book, if it is your first, because this is an earlier piece, being written in 2020, and like with everything else mastery of a craft happens with constant practice. While the story was good and has kept me hooked enough to finish and want to read more, it can definitely do with a rewrite cleanup to tighten up the story.
December 27, 2020
Could not put it Down
I am rediscovering this author and am so pleased that this showed in my recommendations. The FMC is strong but not so much so that it is off putting. The harem are broody, protective and a little psychotic (although you only get a glimpse of that in this book). I found myself picking up my kindle to read whenever possible and finishing the book well past midnight. My only critiques is that the book has a lot going on in a short period of time - not a horrible thing though. I would consider this a slow burn.
I am rediscovering this author and am so pleased that this showed in my recommendations. The FMC is strong but not so much so that it is off putting. The harem are broody, protective and a little psychotic (although you only get a glimpse of that in this book). I found myself picking up my kindle to read whenever possible and finishing the book well past midnight. My only critiques is that the book has a lot going on in a short period of time - not a horrible thing though. I would consider this a slow burn.
August 4, 2021
Good start, but annoying grammar
Good start to a new series set in a pre-existing world, but the grammar issues (mainly commas and word choice and placement) make the reading very dense. Sometimes I had to read and then reread sections to get at the point. Not much happens in this installment, either. The antagonists and their reasons are almost an afterthought and they don’t get played up as much as they should.
Multi-POV
Slow build steam, fast build harem
Mates/magic/shifters/demons/etc
No MM in this book, no clue about the series
Good start to a new series set in a pre-existing world, but the grammar issues (mainly commas and word choice and placement) make the reading very dense. Sometimes I had to read and then reread sections to get at the point. Not much happens in this installment, either. The antagonists and their reasons are almost an afterthought and they don’t get played up as much as they should.
Multi-POV
Slow build steam, fast build harem
Mates/magic/shifters/demons/etc
No MM in this book, no clue about the series
April 24, 2025
I love me some m. Sinclair
Why choose, magic, romantasy. She is a badass fmc. She has poison in her skin and she can kill without meaning to. Afraid to get close to anyone, in fear of hurting them.
This world is interconnected with her other series as well. Some characters may come up in other books, but they do explain in a little detail who they are. But It might have small spoilers. U might want to start from the 1st series. I promise they are worth it. Also, lots of spice.
Why choose, magic, romantasy. She is a badass fmc. She has poison in her skin and she can kill without meaning to. Afraid to get close to anyone, in fear of hurting them.
This world is interconnected with her other series as well. Some characters may come up in other books, but they do explain in a little detail who they are. But It might have small spoilers. U might want to start from the 1st series. I promise they are worth it. Also, lots of spice.
December 18, 2025
Captivating characters and world
This is not my first journey to the Horde and I'm ecstatic to be revisiting this world. Maize is a complicated character and while this book isn't setting up the story it is definitely introducing the players. We get to see Queen Grey again and Princess Luna for a moment, both important to Maize. You can feel her pain so acutely in this book, I cried which M Sinclair has an uncanny ability to cause my tears. Highly recommend this book and anything from the Red Masque universe
This is not my first journey to the Horde and I'm ecstatic to be revisiting this world. Maize is a complicated character and while this book isn't setting up the story it is definitely introducing the players. We get to see Queen Grey again and Princess Luna for a moment, both important to Maize. You can feel her pain so acutely in this book, I cried which M Sinclair has an uncanny ability to cause my tears. Highly recommend this book and anything from the Red Masque universe
January 5, 2026
2,5 ⭐️
The story had several promising perspectives, but ultimately it did not live up to my expectations. The narration of the world and the magic system felt quite chaotic and none of the MMCs’ magical abilities were clearly defined, and overall I didn’t feel a strong connection with any of the characters. For the most part, the story revolved around the FMC’s insecurities, the introduction of the world building and and very little of real substance actually happened. Overall I didn’t feel a strong connection with any of the MCs .
I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series.
The story had several promising perspectives, but ultimately it did not live up to my expectations. The narration of the world and the magic system felt quite chaotic and none of the MMCs’ magical abilities were clearly defined, and overall I didn’t feel a strong connection with any of the characters. For the most part, the story revolved around the FMC’s insecurities, the introduction of the world building and and very little of real substance actually happened. Overall I didn’t feel a strong connection with any of the MCs .
I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series.
January 14, 2026
2.5 ⭐️ Reading time: 3 hours and 40 minutes, 206 pages.
A slow start. Took half a star off because the author decided that flashbacks a few scenes later were a better method than just letting the storyline unfold when we were literally at that moment in time? ( idk how to describe this, hopefully this makes sense)
I’ve not decided if I want to read the next two. I’m trying to read paper books during the day and ebooks in the evening when I can get cozy in the dark. So I’ll decide tomorrow evening.
A slow start. Took half a star off because the author decided that flashbacks a few scenes later were a better method than just letting the storyline unfold when we were literally at that moment in time? ( idk how to describe this, hopefully this makes sense)
I’ve not decided if I want to read the next two. I’m trying to read paper books during the day and ebooks in the evening when I can get cozy in the dark. So I’ll decide tomorrow evening.
November 30, 2020
Lost in Fae along side them
The way M. Sinclair builds worlds is amazing and truly an art form. I have read several of the series in this world, okay I've read all of them. And the layer upon layer of detail you can't help but get lost with the characters and feel like you're right with them. You feel their emotion you feel their loss. You see the trees and the snow and the sun and whatever she has woven. Truly a piece of art, a woven tapestry.
The way M. Sinclair builds worlds is amazing and truly an art form. I have read several of the series in this world, okay I've read all of them. And the layer upon layer of detail you can't help but get lost with the characters and feel like you're right with them. You feel their emotion you feel their loss. You see the trees and the snow and the sun and whatever she has woven. Truly a piece of art, a woven tapestry.
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