The Fanged and The Fae

Faery Bargains #1.5, 2.5, 2.6

by Melissa Marr

The three Faery Bargains novellas in a book length collection (also available in paperback & hardcover).

"Blood Martinis & Mistletoe" (Set after book 1)
Half-dead witch Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead--and spends her free time trying not to get too attached to her business partner, Eli Stonecroft, a faery prince in self-imposed exile in New Orleans.
A walking-dead relative and a deadly but well-paying job make the holidays a lot more complicated than anyone needs. With a killer at her throat and a blood martini in her hand, Geneviève accepts what seems like a straight-forward faery bargain. Eli's terms might make the holidays a little more bearable, but if she can't figure out a way to escape this faery bargain, she'll be planning a wedding soon.

"Daiquiris & Daggers" (Set after book 2)
A fun spa weekend away with friends in a city free of monsters, what could be better? Gen's necromancy had been on the fritz, so a recharge sounds perfect–until she arrives in San Diego to discover that either the spa is too steps beyond weird or there's magic afoot

"Champagne & Commitments" (Set right before book 3)
Half-dead witch Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead--and trying to make sense of accidentally ending up a faery princess when she ended up bonded to Eli Stonecroft, a faery prince in self-imposed exile in New Orleans. But bonded for eternity isn't enough for family and friends--of her future citizens. It's time to plan a wedding ceremony. Unfortunately there isn't enough champagne available to deal with an undead-great-grandmother, a faery king who's trying to romance Gen's assistant, and a city where Halloween is a holiday worth dying to enjoy.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fae, Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2022

About the author

Melissa Marr writes fiction for adults, teens, and children. Her books have been translated into 28 languages and been bestsellers in the US (NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal) as well as overseas. Wicked Lovely, her debut novel, was an instant New York Times bestseller and evolved into an internationally bestselling multi-book series with a myriad of accolades.

In 2024 she released a queer fantasy (Remedial Magic via Bramble), a picturebook about a wee one and his two moms (Family is Family via Penguin), and a DC Comics graphic novel about teen Harley & Ivy (The Strange Adventures of Harleen & Harley).

An Illumicrate edition of 6 Wicked Lovely books will release in 2025.

If she's not writing, you can find her in a kayak or on a trail with her wife.

Reviews

[Emmalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

Great novellas to bridge the gap between the books. Gen and Eli are a fun and dangerous couple but none more dangerous than Beatrice!!! Their found family is solid, especially Alice 😉😉

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I normally skip short story collections. I always assume they are more for flavor and don't really add much to the story. However, in this case I'm glad I did read the short stories and did read them at the right moment. Those stories are not just adding flavor, they're adding important details and I think I really would have felt like I had missed some really important scenes if I had not read these short stories. I mean, the first short story contains the whole moment they go from "being in love" to "being fairy engaged", which is quite an important step, if you ask me. And then the second and third books actually contain the actual wedding ceremonies, also important in this case, if you ask me. I'm now looking forward to reading the last book in the series!

[Ani]

Sadly, I wasn't a fan of the plot, characters, and dialogue. The characters spoke like uneducated adults, sounding childish. They cursed like drunken sailors and had the cringiest nicknames for each other. Blech! I couldn't take them seriously, let alone respect them. Add to that insta-lust and I just couldn't continue. It's too bad, because the cover and synopsis alluded to a bada$$ MC, my favorite kind, and I was completely underwhelmed.

[Brittany Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 great Novellas but together in one great book. Loved these stories. Definitely recommend checking it out. 1 of them take place after book 1, and 2 of them after book 2.

[Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like these read like a buffy episode. Much lighter than some of her work but enjoyably cutesy.