A Fair Deception

The Fair Chronicles #3.1

by Lyndsey Hall

Spare to the throne, Prince Lonan escapes the tedium of the Gnome Castle to go for a ride through the woods on his trusty steed, River. Whilst out riding and dressed as a commoner, he collides with a mysterious young woman hunting pheasants on the Crown's land. But neither are quite what they seem...

Daya's family has fallen on hard times since her father passed, she's forced to put food on the table while her mother and sister work their fingers to the bone to keep the roof over their heads. Could a chance meeting in the forest be the answer to all her problems?

When their worlds collide at the Winter Solstice ball, will the secrets they keep bring them together, or tear them apart?

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories

54 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2021

About the author

Lyndsey Hall lives on the edge of Sherwood Forest, one of the most magical places in England's history, and the inspiration for her debut novel, The Fair Queen. She grew up surrounded by books, and loved to write from a young age.

She loves to travel and try her hand at new things, but is most at home when curled up in a chair with a cup of tea and a good book, usually accompanied by at least one dog.

Get a FREE book when you join Lyndsey's email list: https://substack.com/@lyndseyhallwrites

Find her on social media: @lyndseyhall on Instagram and @lyndseyhall_ on TikTok

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by LH and it had some interesting moments and it made me see some good potential in the main series.

One thing that's hard for me with novellas is that the stories tend to be simplified and I felt like that happened here.

LH was able to bring in some real drama into the lives of both Lonan and Daya gave them a realistic drive to strive for exactly what they wanted, which I appreciated.

There simply didn't feel like there was time for things to fall more naturally into place, for the conflicts to build, and for the trust to be built between the characters. The HEA (or at least HFN since I haven't read the first main book if the series) felt like it came out of nowhere - I expected it knowing that Daya becomes the queen in the first book at least. But, here come the bigger spoilers for this story...
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Daya's mother and sister Penelope go to petition the king and Lonan just sits there the whole time fixating in Daya (who has gone by her Penelope's name thus far in her interactions with Lonan). I know that Lonan knows that he has heard similar stories all day and then zones out while Daya's family is making their case. But he does absolutely nothing.

And then, at the ball, which is the next time they are each other after meeting 2 or three times, the recognize each other immediately and he calls her his bride and that's it. Lonan does put the pieces together immediately when he sees her and hears her true name, but there's no guilt about them sending her family away after knowing what the petition was fully about. If Daya hadn't come to the ball, he would doomed her family to the seriously horrible terms that they were petitioning to be rid of.

I honestly think that I would enjoy this series - I needed more time for things to be more fully realized, including really searching for one another, and full novels allow for so much more of that. I needed more meetings before that ending, too - their relationship and circumstances had the potential for so many interesting hurdles, but I'm guessing some if these things will come out in the main series.

So, this story had some nice pieces to it, but because of those details mentioned, it fell into the trap of being a novella, where some stories really feel like they should be full-length.

[Chad Barrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this tale of two people who meet under not
the most pleasant circumstances but nonetheless have an attraction between each other. They both tell each other false names so trying to find each other is rather difficult to say the least. But under the shadow of a sudden death of one of the two’s siblings they do meet again and as the saying goes the rest is history.

This is a short read but very enjoyable and I recommend it to all those who love fairy tales and happy endings! There is a follow up book entitled The Fair Queen which I’m going to read next which should be enjoyable as well.

In our present day and the doom and gloom constantly being droned on by the media, it’s refreshing to read a book which will lift ones spirits and make you ready to face the world again. We all need a little escape and this book provides just that!

Give yourself a treat and enjoy a book which is so much more satisfying than sitting in front of a tv to be entertained!

[Jill Gauger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! The characters were so good together.
I can’t wait to read more about Lonan and Daya 🥰

[Leaaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how sometimes you're eating dinner and you get a smell of something that goes away quickly but you know smelt good? That's kind of how I would describe this book.

A Fair Deception is a prequel to The Fair Chronicles (a series which I will admit, I have not read yet) and is also a novella, therefore making it a quick read. I was intrigued with the overall plot and felt like the backstories of the two characters would be interesting to follow, especially since I love multi-perspective novels.

However, in some circumstances, I wish that the storyline had been fleshed out more. There were familial connections that I wish had been explored more, character emotions that could have been delved into, and more time spent with the characters as they bonded.

In saying this, I did enjoy this novella and will look into the Fair Chronicles series as I am excited to see how a full-length novel will explore some of these concepts (even though I know the series does not focus on Daya and Lonan.)

[MGB · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story with a true fairy tale ending. You will love the interplay of the two main characters. The setting is in the Fair realm and they definitely deceive each other. The book is well named. A prince and a huntress weave this story, each from their own perspective.

If you love fairy tales, you will love this one.

[Auburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the Fair Realm. That means it is going to be some short stories that don't wrap up all the way. instead they will make you immediately want to go and read the full series.
I had read another book in the Fair Realm and then found this prequel stories. It was a great way to get back into the authors world. It gave insight and just a peek at some of the bigger things we find in the actual novels.

[Ilona Nurmela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Lonan and Daya's unlikely romance and the ending, ahhh... A tale full of twists, turns and little and not so little white lies, telenovela-like giant misunderstandings. A fabulous prequel to The Fair Queen. Recommended for lovers of YA fae and dwarven fantasy, Cinderella stories and HEAs.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable interaction between Lonan and Daya. The writing is enchanting and pleasant to read. They meet in the forest purely by coincidence during the time they are both struggling. They deliberately exchange false names without knowing the other has done the same, which makes for an amusing read. From Lonan's point of view, Daya is referred to as Penelope, and from Daya's point of view, Lonan is referred to as Xander.

Then the story becomes heartbreaking for both Lonan and Daya since circumstances have determined neither of them will meet again until after the Autumn Equinox. But with a ball organised, secrets are finally revealed.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.

[PAR · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was excellent, but the story was one I had read before. Basically, the story of Cinderella. Now that said this is just a prequel and The Fair Chronicles may lead the reader entirely different direction. So please do not be warned off by my thoughts on this subject. I received this novella from StoryOrigin and this is an honest review. The opinions are my very own.

[The Book Dragon's Hoard by A.V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story set in the Fair Realm and giving us a glimpse of how things were before the time of The Fair Queen. Lyndsey Hall spins a story that smacks of fairytale, but has its own flair. This is a thoroughly enjoyable short by a great writer! I'm looking forward to what Hall serves next!

[Breeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this story. I wish there was more drama or something to expand upon the sister's almost wedding or the meeting between the two, but everything was still cute and fun to read, and it was easy to understand as well . I recommend this for anyone who likes cute short stories about royalty and romance.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magical retelling of Cinderella set in the Fair Realm (so faeries!) with a riveting storyline that just begs to be devoured in a single sitting.

[Mrs Geraldine Hinsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book can’t wait for the next series

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how both Lonan and Daya are comfortable being themselves around each other (I’m so not into enemies-to-lovers trope). No pretensions, no expectations; just two people who met each other in the woods. And shared a wee secret or two…