Tales of Earth and Leaves

Tales of Earth and Leaves #1

by Xandra Noel

After the sudden death of her brother, Anwen needs to fulfill a promise. She has to travel to Evigt Forest, a natural world wonder owned by the Swedish royal family, guarded for a hundred and fifty years and forbidden to all visitors. Haunted by her brother’s last words, she convinces her powerful family to secure her residence inside the secluded forest.

During her stay, Anwen will soon discover that she is not alone as she falls prey to the battle between Rhylan—a vengeful fire spirit and Ansgar—the youngest member of a fae royal family, assigned to guard and protect the forest.

Overcome by curiosity towards the unknown man who invaded her life, Anwen finds herself falling in love with Ansgar, only to reveal his true identity and with it, unravel the dangers that await.

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

443 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 2021

About the author

Emerging from a world where mythical beings still weave themselves into everyday life and traditions, Xandra Noel's roots run deep with fairy folklore. From her earliest days, she was immersed in tales of enchantment, heeding her grandmother's warnings against the lure of fairy rings.

Enter the realms of Xandra Noel's faerie tales and surrender to a new adventure. Prepare yourself for an escapade where every twist and turn reveals secrets longing to be unearthed and hearts yearning to be entwined.

Discover Xandra Noel's stories:
Tales of Earth and Leaves
The Realm of Wind

Reviews

[Sanjasbestshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was magical and enchanting, but not highly complex. The Fae have magic, but the world isn’t difficult to understand, and the author doesn’t drown you in the magic system. She just gives you enough to know what’s going on. Loved the story between Anwen and Ansgar, and the forbidden love aspect.

This is a 2 POV story with the MC’s being Anwen and Ansgar. Anwen is from our modern world, who travels to Evigt Forest to fulfill her brothers dying wish. What she doesn’t know about this remote forest, where she is supposed to be the only person, is that there are other beings here. For starters, it’s a magical forest with magical beings. Ansgar is one of those magical beings. He is a 27 year old Fae prince in charge of this Forrest. And he’s very handsome.

Their story is so fun and leaves you wanting more. Slow burn, spicy, magical, modern world, and Fae kingdoms. If this sounds like something you enjoy then you’ll love this book!

Can’t wait for book 2!

[HeyItsNeeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fae. Romance. Spice. An enemy. Magical creatures. Mates.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s fantasy, but light, as in the author didn’t dedicate 200 pages to world building alone. It’s also written in two POV’s.

Ansgar is soooooo sweet and thoughtful 😍😍

I love that Anwen didn’t turn into a ninja to save the world or something. It’s kinda refreshing to see in a fantasy book.

Crazyyyyyyyyy cliff hanger…..but there is a second book! I’ll be starting that this week. 🤞🏾

The only thing I would have like more of was her dedication to finding out what happened to her brother. Homegirl saw a chiseled chest and did a 360. 😂 I can’t blame her though because Ansgar is 🤌🏾. Maybe there’s more about her brother in book 2.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of Earth and Leaves was sent to me by the author, in exchange for a review. This has not impacted my review!

After her brothers death, Anwen travels to Evigt forest in Sweden to try to unravel her brothers secret. She soon finds out this mysterious forest has more to it that meets the eye. She gets tangled up in a war between Rhylan, a fire spirit, and Ansgar , the youngest member of the fae royal family. Instead of seclusion, Anwen finds herself diving deep into a new world.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the word building, and found it seamlessly introduced. I loved how snarky Anwen is, and how sweet Ansgar is. I loved the relationship they developed so much. The details of the environment were beautiful, and I could envision everything in my minds eye.

Not gonna lie, it ends on a note that made me throw my book across the room 🤣 but I picked it up and realized there was an epilogue. I CANNOT wait for the sequal. Fans of Sarah J Mass should RUN to this book

[Monica Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were definitely elements that I enjoyed. The premise and setting was interesting. I really liked Ansgar but I found Anwen annoying. I did not like some of the decision she made and I just found her an unlikable main character. The ending also left me hanging which I get because there is a second book. Overall, I would be willing to give the second book a shot because there were some enjoyable elements.

[Gaea Wyatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt as though it was written by two different authors at times.
Also feel that the behaviour of the two main characters would have made more sense if they were like 17/18 years old, not 25/27.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/30/2022)! 🎁

[Mia Regine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of Earth and Leaves.
A sweet yet spicy romance novel between a fae and a human.
Honestly, this being a debut novel... If I had only read the book and not known this was her first published book... I wouldn't have given it a thought at all. But the creativity of this amazing new land, the characters, the spells etc. It's honestly hard to believe this is her first.
An amazing debut novel! You don't want to miss out on this adventure. Applause for Xandra Noel👏 Honestly, I can't wait to read what she got next for us.

[Cazzie Bliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first impressions were that the writing felt very stiff. I don't know if Xandra's first language is English or not, but it came across as not so most of the time the writing felt clunky. The story was fine and I really enjoyed Rhylan's character - BUT - the romance was sort of awkward. Honestly, Ansgar is too good for Anwen. The amount of times she did something outlandish without putting strain on their relationship baffled me. I didn't hate the read, it was a fairly pleasant one, but it's a book I'll put on my shelf and probably won't pick up again in a hurry.

[SnowInJuly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was amazing, I really enjoyed it!

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

I loved the characters and their love story (my fav character was defo Vikram)

The only thing that could make the book better, is telling more about the Mc's Brother Erik and his journey then and letting the Mc follow his journey, which I truely hope is going to happen in book 2)

Thank you so much for letting me Betaread, Xandra💕

You should definetly read it (especially if you love spice)

[P Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this faerie romance - was so beautifully and expressively written. Sex was raw and powerful - I want to know if there is a follow-up story for Anwen and Ansgar .

[Jessika Darkstar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. I loved it so much, and enjoyed every moment of it. Just remember that these characters are loveable and hateable.

You will not like it if...
You don't want to cry
You want cheery butterflies and rainbows
You want a happily ever after


You will enjoy it if...
You like folklore
You enjoy a good cry
You are wanting to dive into a series


To the author,

if you keep Writing, I'll keep reading. Deal?





Go further and you will reach the spoils











Spoiler Alert


Don't go further



If you don't want





To be spoiled


Spoiler alert


Don't go further

Stop!!!!





Welp, I tried!!! Here's the spoils:


Anwen is such a loveable protagonist but so niave. Like, she should have read up on all folklore before she tried to interact with the Fae. Being tricked by Rhylan so easily made my heart break. I was screaming "don't do it." I'm not even sure, if she realized Rhylan was Fae or not in that moment, but us readers knew it. My grandmother always taught me "never eat what the Fae offer you."

Rhylan, the hateable antagonist. despite not knowing much about him, he is what you would expect a Fae to act, if you were raised by Irish Folklore. Like I have. Treat him with extreme caution and don't let your guard down ever. But, despite that, I want to know more, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.


Ending:
I know that people will be disappointed in how the ending is worked out but honestly, if this was true reality, would it work out? It rarely works out the way you want it. This really reflects that and to be honest that epilogue makes you be pulled into the world again. It makes you crave the next book. So I look forward to reading more.

[Monique De Villiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent and ARC for an honest review..

Let me tell you, for the first time in a while a book pulled me right in from the start and spit me out at the end.

Anwen is great, I love her so much, she's funny, whitty, have some major anger issues, went through so much pain with her Brother and was just a character you could relate to. I mean who doesn't want to run off to a magical forrest where faeries and fae are all over the place..

Ansgar was such a comfort character that I can't even with him. From him helping her where she was literally unconscious because of someone torturing her, to him falling in love with her even after she stabbed him, hit him with a bat on the head and tie him up on a couch. I loved him so much.

I have to say, the more the book went on and the closer we got to the end my heart started sinking. I wanted to stop reading quite a view times to stop what was going to happen. Got to say the plot twist got me and my heart broke at the end.

I laughed, I cried a bit, was a little emotional roller-coaster. The writing was great, the world building was amazing, I could see everything clearly in my head and I wish someone would carry me up a mountain to explore that amazing sunset with all those emotions attached.

[F.G. Laval · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully told story of a couple, Anwen and Ansgar, human and fae, who are destined to meet and fall in love. Well plotted tale that takes us on a page turning journey into a world where good and evil cross swords with the natural environment hanging in the balance.

I loved the way the author built the relationship between Anwen and Ansgar, both of whom have their own agendas that don’t always overlap, but share a connection that neither can ignore. Nice world building and integration between our world and that of the fae and the descriptions were just enough to engage the reader without being too explicit. I liked that the author gave us enough detail to then be able to fill in the rest with our own imagination.

The ending is quite a shocker, but then it is clear that this is not really the end and the story will pick up in the next book. A lot of spicy scenes between the lovers – this is a series to get really hooked on. Would suit fans of Sarah J. Maas.

[Sarah Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is shaping up to be my next favourite series. After a severe ACOTAR hangover I found this book and devoured it in a day, it was fantastic, the characters I grew to love quickly. Thankfully there was no filler chapters and everything was relevant to the story and easy to read. No over complicated magic themes, a good plot with a twist and a nice amount of romance and spice. I even grew to love the side characters quite quickly. The mix of modern world and Fae worlds/magic is a favourite for me. The Female lead was relatable and likeable, honest and doesn’t come across absolutely fearless all of a sudden which I prefer. I am moving straight into the next book, the cliffhanger was too much for me to even wait.

[FelineFatalistic · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, when a book makes me put it down to avoid secondhand embarrassment, it's a good book. And Tales of Earth and Sea certainly did that, more than once. The suspense of knowing something the characters didn't, the wondering if something was going to happen, it all made me want to keep going.

The crafting of the world was lovely, and a tad different from what I normally expect when it comes to things to do with the Fae. The love story also captivated me, allowing me to wonder just how far it'd go, and the ending? It made me cry a little. I certainly look forward to reading the next book!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received an ARC in exchange of my voluntary review.**

The author did a great job of building the setting. I also liked that the magic part was not too 'overpowering'. Some scenes felt rushed and/or escalated too quickly in terms of spicyness, sending me conflicting messages my brain was not really able to process (heh heh that's on me, I'll revisit the book). I LOVED LOVED LOVED the ending. It felt like I had missed the hidden meaning of the book throughout my reading and now I can't wait to read more to see if my assumption of a sub theme is correct.

I will definitely be putting this book on my to explore again list.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows anwen who is fulfilling a promise to her late brother. She goes to the evigt forest which is for bidden to visitors. She gets entangled in a battle between rhylan a fire spirit and ansgar who is the Fae Prince in charge of guarding the force. The story is full adventure, fairy mythology, hidden identity, and some spice! I really enjoyed the story full of magic and mystical creatures. It definitely is a fantastic fantasy romance. I was saddened when the story ended, but I look forward to reading the next book within the series. The story definitely pulls you in and gets you invested in the characters

[Rachel Estep · Rating 5 out of 5]

From early on the story I was captivated by the sweetness of Anwen and Ansgars story. There's was a fairytale romance, true soulmates, and being along for the ride as they made that discovery was heart warming. The looming danger kept me on my toes, constantly wondering if and when it would show itself. At some points it made me think maybe I myself had misunderstood something and the danger was entirely benign. Boy was I incorrect. When the devestation hit, it hit me hard and shattered my heart into a million pieces.

Waiting. Impatienly at that, for the next book to be released.

[Gabrielle Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt engrossed in the story the whole time while reading and that's something I really loved about this story. The setting sounds amazing and the characters stole my heart. Even Rhyland wormed his way in like a slithery little snake, charming me into thinking he could be a love interest. He’s a sneaky one.

What really had me was the sacrifices made by Ansgar for his love and by the end of the book my heart was broken. Shattered into bits and I'm not sure how the author plans to pick them back up but I am ready for the rest of the ride.

[Nikole Birtle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started skimming the book at 60%. Boy oh boy did this book put me in a slump. I never wanted to pick it up but I pushed through because I wanted to like it so much. A fae prince in Sweden??!! Sign me up! But it was so boring and it didn’t really make sense or matter. The conflicts happened just because they could and then the resolutions happened as if the conflict didn’t occur. Idk it wasn’t very flushed out and uhhhh we still don’t know what the brother meant for Anwen…? So really what was the point?

[Ashleysdreamlibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next. I rated this book a 3 due to feeling like there wasn’t enough use out of some of the characters, but there was some good backgrounds for some of the characters. The ending felt rushed and it felt weird to read a cliffhanger in an epilogue. I feel like normally when I read an epilogue that’s the end of a book, tying up loose ends sort of deal.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is A wonderful modern day fantasy read and is set in an incredible world designed by this author. A well written, exciting and enchanting storyline that draws you in, makes you laugh, makes you cry and makes you swoon a little too! I absolutely loved the characters Anwen and Ansgar , their spicy romance, their chemistry and their journey in then forbidden forest and I have to say that I read this in one sitting. It’s a magical and enthralling read and I cannot wait to read the next book.

[Rambling Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story…

This was beautiful and imaginative. I love the world of fae as described by the author. It loses one star because of some clunky language usage. Poor word choices and odd phrasing throughout tended to pull me from the story. It wasn’t so significant that I couldn’t follow and enjoy, but annoying enough to remove a star. Regardless, I would definitely recommend it, and I’m running to get the second book now!

[Carly H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really loved this whole series. But I am disappointed with the duel ending and the fact you can pick which one.
It really messed it up for me.
When I read a book I want to escape from reality for a little while. I want to decisions made for me. I don't want to have to make decisions on a books ending. I would have given 5 stars if not for that.

However, the books and story is fantastic. I wish there were more!

[Rae Metters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales of Earth and Leaves is a thrilling fantasy romance with duel POV between main character Anwen and her Faery prince love interest, Ansgar. Mixing modern society with a brand new world filled with magic and excitement, Tales of Earth and Leaves is a light-hearted story that will make you laugh out loud in parts, and weep in others. This book is not to be missed.

[Becka Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a beta reader for this book and so enjoyed it! This is a fantasy novel with an amazing dueling POV that I was surprised to enjoy so much! I love the characters and the book made me laugh out loud in a few spots and really hit me in my heart in others! I loved the world building and the magic within it and highly recommend it! Excellent debut novel!!

[Maria Fatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last half of this book took a completely different turn than how I thought it would go. The ending surprised the heck out of me. I did like Anwen and Ansgar as characters. Both of them were adorable together. Ansgar was such a sweetheart. I really hope the next book resolves the massive cliffhanger of an ending of this one.

[C.J. Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to think...

I liked this book at first but then it became a tad predictable. What I didn't like was the ending. It doesn't really fit the romance genre as its not a HEA or HFN ending. Yes there is the opening for the next book but still....I'm sure others will enjoy it but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

[The Goth Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure I’ve read a book so quickly in recent years! I fell so hard into the world of a Tale of Earth and Leaves, it so worth it.

Tiktok recommended and didn’t disappoint. The only problem is I don’t have the next book and I need to know what will happen to Anwen? Will she ever see Ansgar again? What trick is Ryhlan playing?

Honestly such a great read.

[Robyn Frances IronOak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paperback & Kindle 😍

I loved the world building of modern day & fae crossover and the build up to their meeting. I love the dual P.O.V approach and the beautiful headers to each chapter. R the little snake! I loved how easy a read this is & cannot wait to read the next book in this series.