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The Songbird Princes #1

The Nightingale Prince

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The crown of a Fae Prince is a dangerous thing

Toby’s boyfriend just kicked him to the curb, so when he inherits a decrepit mansion in the remote Aussie bush, he jumps at the chance for a break. He finds a charming little town full of big personalities, and a handsome, mysterious gardener. But Toby will soon discover that everything he thought he knew is a lie. He’s not even human.

The Fae are real, and he’s one of them.

The ancient nature Fae Amaethon has buried the pain of losing his lover a century ago. These days, he finds plants easier to talk to than people, but Toby pulls him out of his shell so easily. When the same evil that took his lover returns, he'll fight to protect Toby and the chance to love again.

An ancient magic is reawakening, and Toby is the heir. To make matters worse, Fae hunters want him dead, and they’ll destroy this quiet town to stop the Nightingale Prince from rising.

Amaethon and Toby will have to fight together to survive, and failure means the end of all Fae kind.

The Nightingale Prince is a paranormal MM romance with a touch of the gothic. May contain: Lots of chocolate chip cookies, a crumbling mansion with a library to put Belle to shame, an eccentric old lady who might’ve given King Arthur his sword, a magical housekeeper, and a badass witch librarian.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2023

99 people are currently reading
304 people want to read

About the author

Zack Bel

1 book17 followers
Zack Bel (they/them) writes about fairies, gothic houses and breathtaking romances in quirky small towns and the hauntingly beautiful Australian bush.

Based in far south Australia, Zack has a B.A in Publishing & Writing, and concocts their fantastical stories with occasional input from a menagerie of pets and house plants.

Zack grew up on a farm in the bush, found a love of reading early on, and a fascination with fairy stories not much later. Their books explore their beloved home of Australia, the gothic beauty of its landscape, and sex positivity and queer representation.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
Profile Image for Amur Thera.
560 reviews75 followers
January 31, 2023
The good
+ The cook. She was the best mom
+ Toby . That was a pleasant surprise
+ Thon's protectiveness over Toby
+ Thon's love and passion for the garden he maintained
+ Thon sharing his vulnerabilities with Toby
+ Hellekin's mate

The neutral
o I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. My review remains honest and unbiased
o I read an early copy and therefore don't know if it was edited again before release, but a lot of words were confused with homophones or just wrong altogether
o The nickname of Toby's best friend is the same name as Thon's rooster's name

The bad
- Thon, who lived for millennia and knows a lot about the Fae and the supernatural, told Toby quite clearly: "Hellekin is powerful and dangerous, you need to trust me on this Toby. He isn't a Fae you want to deal with." Toby then asked why, and Thon explained that he's old, powerful, narcissistic, and that he loved to play tricks on others. Toby's reaction to this very sensible and clear advice was to say: "I'm still going to consider it." When Thon felt hurt and left the scene, Toby was then angry at Thon for treating him like he was weak. He demanded Thon treat him like an equal. "You're going to listen to me, and treat me like an equal." Hypocrite much? Maybe Toby should treat Thon like an equal. And maybe, just maybe, the guy who didn't even know Fae existed until like two weeks ago should listen to the advice of the guy who lived amongst them for millennia
- In general, Toby acted like he was the leader and made all the decisions, while he was also the person who was the most uninformed. I also don't understand why he decided that because he was a Prince, he suddenly had the right to lord over everyone. It was clear there were many princes and other monarchs, so why did Toby decide his friends were his subjects?
- Everyone just let Toby take point like that to the point of stupidity. Yes, let's send the most inexperienced guy , he will totally be able to defend himself... And let's have him talk to . What could possibly go wrong?
- The development of the romantic relationship seemed to follow a line of checkboxes that had to be checked at a certain point, but the development between those checkpoints was missing. The first declaration of feelings came out of nowhere, and I also didn't feel like their feelings were as deep as they claimed they were when they declared their love
- So much was left unexplained. Bennett , and everyone just accepted these godlike powers like it made sense. Also, this woman . Then there was
- Many points were raised and then never returned to, leaving them open-ended. There was only one bedroom in the entire mansion in use, yet the cook and Thon were invited to spend a night there with no issue. Then, when Bennett came unexpectedly, he used Toby's bed because there was no other available. The next chapter starts the next day after Toby slept, which I guess means he shared his bed with Bennett? The bedroom issue was never mentioned again, so I think everyone just always slept in Toby's bed. I also assume that Toby called his employer to resign from his job as a barista? Then, there was Toby's
- Toby handed out forgiveness like candy, but I'm still holding a grudge against basically everyone in Toby's life


This author certainly has potential, and I'm sure their future works are going to be great. However, this debut was not there yet. Aside from the sometimes clunky writing with time skips and unresolved plot points, the more I read about Toby, the less I liked him. I personally wouldn't recommend this book, and I don't think I'll read future books in the series as the worldbuilding was very convoluted and I had trouble following along. That said, I'll definitely check out other future works by this author.
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,097 reviews520 followers
March 4, 2023
A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars


The Nightingale Prince is the first story in Zack Bel’s new Songbird Princes series. Bel does a really nice job here with the story set up, giving us an engaging setting and some interesting world building. The sense of place is really well developed, enough that I could really picture this remote Tasmanian town and crumbling mansion. The early parts of the story have a nice small town vibe as Toby comes into town, reconnects with the home and people he knew from childhood visits, and gets a sense of the community. Then we discover, along with Toby, that there is more to this town than meets the eye. The town has many fae living there, as well as other supernatural beings. There is a whole world that Toby never knew existed, and even more, he is a part of it. We learn early on that Toby’s mother and grandfather had been hiding his heritage from him and so he is suddenly discovering this whole new world. And not only that, but discovering that he plays a prominent role in the fae world. There are some interesting world building elements here and I think Bel really gives the story a nice foundation.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
Profile Image for Tia.
588 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2023
I just couldn’t get into this - it felt a little like someone summarizing the story rather than the story unfolding. Something stilted in the writing and a lack of detail in setting scenes, even if we get plenty on those wings.
Profile Image for Cindee.
934 reviews43 followers
August 28, 2023
This book was really good and well written I loved both the story and the characters will read more when more comes out. The characters were really interesting to read about I especially loved Toby and Thon they had great chemistry and fit so well together. There also were other great characters that added much to the story. The plot was really interesting it starts after Toby's Dad dies he finds out about the death of his Grandfather and ends up with his house he finds out some truths about himself and others there are terrible hunters which they get rid of and wonderful romance looking forward to reading more.
Profile Image for Yaredi Pizano.
1,155 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2023
This book could be described as a cozy fantasy with action scenes where the protagonists fight for their lives.
The beginning gave me vibes of small town romance that I loved, my but would be the insta love, but since I loved the characters I didn't care so much, they also make a very good couple.

Speaking of characters, I loved them all, they made a great found family. Each one has a great personality and if we add the very particular powers that each one has, I just want more of them.

Another thing that obviously, as a good reader, fascinated me and I really imagined it was the library. I feel that it is a character on its own, it feels alive and I feel that it will have a major role in the following books.

The magic system intrigues me and I would like to see more of its evolution. Even the new prince who has a bad boy way and I have to say the cliffhanger where it leaves us, I need the next one immediately.
Profile Image for Juniper.
3,398 reviews24 followers
January 28, 2023
My favorite parts of this book are hands down the premise and world building– I love how much care and detail goes into setting the stage for the story here, and the idea of magic hidden throughout the everyday and Fae relocating to the relative safety of rural Australia (not a string of words I ever thought I’d put together) is intriguing on any number of levels. This world does, of course, have plenty of shadows and secrets and sharp edges, and I’m not sure if I love or hate (both? Probably both?) the amount of reliance on reincarnation (same roles, different personalities, still same people somehow? I don’t quite get it, tbh) there seems to be, but I can definitely say I want to know more. If your reading experience is like mine, the plot will draw you in and keep you invested for each new turn. I have to say that as much as the overall storyline and the world these characters inhabit fascinated me, the romance I could take or leave. It’s not that Toby and Amaethon (Thon) aren’t each really interesting individuals– they are– or that they aren’t likable and deserving of good things, like love– again, they are– it’s that their relationship came together super quickly on what felt like a few wisps of attraction and a vague sense that it’s somehow destined. For me, it was too much, too fast, and I couldn't quite fully invest in it. I am intrigued to see what will happen to the overall storyline in the next book, however.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Profile Image for Mary.
1,867 reviews10 followers
January 30, 2023
What amazing mythology Zack Bel gives us in his debut book! We get fae, a witch, a padfoot, a kelpie, a bwbach, glashtyn, and a magical housekeeper (seriously, I want all of Melissa's recipes!). Toby inherits an estate in Tasmania from his grandfather, having not seen him in twenty years. When he arrives at the decrepit house, he slowly realizes the odd little occurences were really magic. Thon is not just the gardener but also high fae, deeply connected to the earth. With Thon and a wonderful case of secondary characters, Toby finds out who he really is, holy cow, and all that it entails. It sets up for quite the narrative. Yes, there's a lovely romance with Toby and Thon but Toby's self discovery journey, the search for the other princes, the peril from the hunters really are what drive this story. So with all this, why not five stars? Well, to me, the first half of the book seemed clunky to the point I almost stopped reading. The timelines mentioned by characters were a bit confusing (had to go back for rereads to figure out). I could almost tell when Bel hit his stride with the book because it really flowed so much smoother. I am absolutely reading the next book, so intriguing!

And kudos for the glossary and cast of characters at the end. The glossary was a big help but don't look at cast of characters...spoilers!

Oh and I learned there's other meanings for "homely", it can be a synonym for homey!

And what the heck are Edmund and Edwine!!!
Profile Image for Sandra.
413 reviews967 followers
Read
June 17, 2023
I read this for my batch of SPFBO9 books under judge Covers with Cassidy. Check out my reading vlog here: https://youtu.be/y7jzJ7HAIg4

Wish the book went all-in romance, then trying to rush in so many other parts that weren't developed that well. The romance didn't get to develop a lot either, it was so short and fast! Plus points for being queer though! :D
Profile Image for Saskia Veldhuis .
1,938 reviews15 followers
February 4, 2023
A really interesting world with lots of potential. The Australian bush setting is beautiful. It just felt too fast for Toby progressing from knowing absolutely nothing about his abilities and all things and beings magical to becoming a leader within weeks.There were some details which seemed to fizzle into nothing, and didn't really add to the story so perhaps could have been better left out. Although there could be points coming back later in this series so perhaps these will be more important in future books. On the whole well done for a first book and I will definitely be interested in reading the next.
Profile Image for Sadonna.
2,706 reviews47 followers
August 1, 2023
4.5 stars

This review and much more can be found at Love Bytes Reviews.

Toby’s father has recently died and he’s rightly grieving. Then his boyfriend does him dirty. At the same time, he receives word that his grandfather has died and left him the house in Pennyroyal – Avillion. He had visited as a boy and never really got on with his grandfather, but then his mother and grandfather had a row and he hasn’t been back in years. His mother abandoned him to his father and now his father is gone, so he is in definite need of a change of scenery.

He arrives in Pennyroyal to discover the house is in a fairly bad state. Melissa the housekeeper and Thon, the gardener are still there. He is amazed that he’s just noticing Thon and that he appears the same as he did when he was a boy. There is definitely a strange energy here. Then Toby is woken by what he thinks might be a dream. It is not. Melissa and Thon have to tell Toby the truth. He is not who he thinks he is. His grandfather and mother decided that to protect him, they would shield him from the truth and bind his magic so that he could grow up in the human world. But in fact, he is a fae prince. Fat lot of good that does him since no one is around to explain what that means, what kind of magic he has and why they didn’t prepare him for his rightful place. Needless to say, Toby is not happy that he’s been lied to his whole life.

People – meaning other fae – are now missing. It’s up to Toby and his friends to try to find out what happened to them. This opens a whole new can of worms when it becomes clear that they are being hunted. While he’s relatively safe at Avillion, they are definitely coming for him. And the other Fae Princes. If Toby and his friends don’t stop them, there will be more bloodshed. But they are going to have to rely on some potentially dangerous and tricky allies to get the help they need to fight these hunters. And it’s going to take all their magic to succeed.

Well this is a thoroughly enjoyable start to a series that is sure to please those who love stories of the fae and their world. I loved the setting of Australia and the Toby’s found family. There are a number of mysteries surrounding Toby’s life and those of the folks in Pennyroyal, his grandfather, his mother and his best friend. There is a bit of a love at first sight thing that happens, but in the context of this world, I think it makes sense. Toby and Thon make a good team. They deal with issues mostly in a mature manner – and work through their difficulties. With Bennet and Melissa to help along with the locals and even Thon’s ex Dara, there is a group of found family who are going to figure out this mystery and protect the princes. I loved the various mysteries that Toby and his friend have to resolve, even though some tasks end up being messy and violent. The the various fae and other magical folks in this world are fascinating – and boy do I wish I could visit Avillion’s library! This is a wonderful start and introduction to these realms and though one problem is relatively solved, there are others that require the combined skills of this team and I can’t wait to see what comes next. This ends with a HFN with an open door to the next book. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for purely.romantic.
185 reviews20 followers
February 5, 2023
3.75 stars; rounding up to 4

CWs and CNs at the end.

Zak Bel’s debut novel, *The Nightingale Price* is an imaginative exploration into the realm of the fae with a thrust to the plot that I have not seen in other books.

Toby inherits his grandfather’s mansion upon his death not realizing that with his inheritance comes new knowledge about his fae heritage and a host of problems to deal with the most mundane of which is the upkeep of the house and the most sinister being the pack of hunters who seem to be after him and his new fae friends. To keep him and his friends safe Toby needs to unlock his own powers and find out who is behind these attacks and why, all while navigating his new identity and a blossoming new romance with the high fae gardner at his new home.

There were several elements to this novel I enjoyed particularly the potential I see in it. A seemingly ordinary human being thrust into the world of magic and the paranormal is always compelling and it was especially interesting as Toby had nothing else going for him. I also did love his exploration into his new identity and the found family that he builds to fill the void of his blood family. In particular, his romance with Thos was soft, sweet and quite sexy and I enjoyed watching them fall in love.

However, I do think almost every aspect of this novel could have also used more fleshing out. There were a number of plot strands that were introduced and then never resolved. Conversely, some plot lines were set up to have a monumental emotional impact (such as all the secrets Toby discovers is being kept from him) and then were resolved too quickly leaving it a little anti-climactic. I think grounding Toby’s psychological arc a little more, with a stronger gravitas to what he is discovering and what that means for him would have allowed for a larger emotional affect.

I think Zak Bel has enormous potential and this has the bones of a really compelling series. There are some fascinating threads have were introduced in this first book that I hope find their resolution in the future books and the larger arc of the Princes is powerfully interesting. I wish them the best of luck and hope to see more moving forward.

CWs: strained parental relationship; death in the family; violence, injury and death.

CNs: This is a paranormal MM novel featuring fae anmd set in Australia. It is a medium heat with several on-page sex scenes.
2,858 reviews3 followers
September 19, 2023
intriguing start from a new author

Rating: 3.5🌈

The Nightingale Prince is a first novel from author Zack Bell and it’s a wonderful jump into the world of paranormal fiction.

Bell is establishing a universe that’s full of mythological elements, deeply rooted in a past history and past lives of the beings we’ve barely met and just gotten to know. The author has chosen a main character who’s just as ignorant of the world around him as the reader as our guide through the story, a format that allows both the reader and the person the same distance from the events as they occur.

Bell is creating such a vast, complicated arc and universe that at moments within their narrative it becomes a bit unclear as to what the characters are actually thinking, what their motivations are, and where they actually came from. This series is one where the characters have many rejuvenations and their past lives and actions are currently reverberating through the present day.

Confusing? Yes, but interesting? Very.

The romance between Toby who thought he was human ( he’s not, he’s a reincarnated Fae), and the ancient nature Fae, Amaethon, who’s living on the grounds of the magical house Toby has inherited, is a weak aspect to the story. It starts off as an instant love without much connection between them to back it up, so it’s hard to invest in it initially.

Does it get better? Yes, as does the other threads, but there’s so much more going on that Bell needs to lay down in terms of knowledge or drama, that the emotional connections are oftentimes dropped. Or not connected enough because our attention is everywhere.

But the cast of characters? Intriguing. The drama? Well done, including the battle scenes. The more I read about certain sections of the universe and mythology, the more I want to know about the pieces that aren’t laid down yet or fully.

Bell gives the reader and characters a cliffhanger at the end of The Nightingale Prince to set up the next story to come, The Lyrebird Prince.

I think Zack Bel did a great job with their first published novel and I’m looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
Profile Image for Cris.
538 reviews10 followers
February 20, 2023
Toby just came back from his dad's funeral to find his boyfriend in bed with another guy. He leaves their place and it's feeling adrift when he learns that this strangled grandfather has passed away as well and has left him Avillion, a mansion in the Aussie country, smack dab in a small town. When he arrives he learns that his grandfather left the mansion to almost rot and his now almost salvation has turned into another dead end. He eventually learns that not everything is as it seems with magic being real and he not even being human. Amaethon 'Thon' is a fae that has lived for millenniums, after the death of this lover he becomes a recluse and a shadow of his former self for the last thousand years. He is wary of the new owner of Avillion but Toby manages to break through his guarded heart and he starts to live again.

I have to say that as a debut novel, it has potential and I found the plot interesting but the development of the story has a few holes that bothered me. At times the story seems stagnant, like reading flowery and long bullet points but way too precise and undescriptive to feel like a novel. There are also some unfinished/unresolved side stories, like Mrs. Guidry's fate, Toby's true fae form, some kind of explanation of Glashtyn's prank, Toby's promise to Merrycote, between others, like the author had this grand idea of doing something but between everything happening it just fell through the cracks. Also, the story either moved like molasses or it seemed like between a paragraph and another weeks had passed. The relation between some chapters felt disconnected and break the flow of the story, e.g. Chapter 43, it was a super cute one but didn't make sense between the other two.

I'll probably give it another chance and read the next book, but I'm not completely sold. I gave it a 3.5 because it's a really interesting plot and the potential I see for this universe.
Profile Image for Pygmy Potamus.
63 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2023
I loved the premise and loved the introduction of fae into modern society but sadly it didn’t hit the mark for me.

I think this book really shone with its side characters. I absolutely adored Melissa and Thon and the descriptions of the baking, kitchen and garden reminded me of visits to the countryside with my grandparents. This nostalgia really kept me reading and wanting to find out about these two.

I have to admit though I couldn’t get into the main story. It felt very convoluted; almost as of it needed another edit/draft? I was confused by the timeline and also the relationships Toby had as he just explained things away and didn’t delve much deeper. This is prevalent in the beginning where he experiences a tremendous loss and it’s almost like he just brushes it off and just jumps up out of town. As a reader I didn’t like this as it led to more questions and made me dislike how after brief explanations to him and to the reader he got what I call “captain America syndrome”. This is where he had an elevated sense of self importance and leadership but ignores others thoughts and opinions even when they are more experienced and have lived far longer and know so much more about the magical world.

I did like the concept though and enjoyed learning about the world created and it’s intricacies regarding the fae and reincarnation etc. I will read the next one if I have time to see what happens especially as it’s meant to focus on other characters.

2 stars from me unfortunately.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Kate.
21 reviews4 followers
February 9, 2023
As an Australian, who is a fan of Fantasy/PNR in MM Romance, one of the things I always search for are novels such as these in an Australian setting. So I was delighted when I came across The Nightingale Prince, a story promising Fae and other mystical creatures in the Aussie Bush. What I got however, was some creative world building, but lots of plot points glossed over and none of the MCs challenges delved into very deep. Too many things were easily explained away or forgotten about, which left me, the reader, going "wha?" a lot.

However, my absolute biggest complaint was the Americanisation of so. many. words. Off the top of my head, these included but were not limited to, gas station, pickup, candies, sidewalk, apartment. But the absolute biggest offence was MOM and MUM. The use of this changed multiple times even on the same page. Truly infuriating. For some time "pickup" was used when referring to a vehicle and then it switched to ute. This was in desperate need of an editor that knows the Australian language. If the author (who from reading their profile, seems to be Aussie?) was trying to appeal to Americans, as so much Aussie media (not just books) tries to, perhaps the safer choice was to set it in America.

These grievances aside, I think this had a lot of potential and overall I did enjoy it, but this is a very generous 3/5
Profile Image for Fay MMBookworm.
3,084 reviews66 followers
February 4, 2023
Stars An intriguing start as Tobys life changes with his parents fights and disappearances of his mum. Toby visits his grandparents home in Avillion as a child but soon after things change and not for the better.
Fast forward, his father dies with his secret that’s important to Toby.
This is a debut novel with a good start with Toby walking in on his boyfriend cheating on him. The main book set in Australia’s Tasmania country with some fantastic descriptions.
Toby 32 years owns Avillon now which his grandfather leaves him in the inheritance and the story gets going.
Amaethon aka Thon a high fae🧚‍♂️had been banished from Avillion by Tobys grandfather 20 years ago and wants to get Avillion back to her glory from being rundown in appearance.
A good first meeting and Toby still doesn’t know his origins to his different world. An adventure of love and dangers as he becomes the prince with enemies after him. This has jumps in the story in chapters which speeds the book along at a good pace. Toby has a fast lesson on Fae magics from Thon and the others around him but dangers are close especially when his spell cover ends. Toby and Thon’s romance begins when they first meet with Thon a little protective over Toby.
Written with both POVs for a great story for the debut author which I really liked.

also reviewed on mmbookwormreviews.com
Profile Image for Savy.
293 reviews6 followers
February 3, 2023
This book didn't really work for me.

I felt like to story was of to a slow start. We only get pits and pieces of the story, but it didn't really flow for me. There also was very little tension or action, which made it sometimes hard to read on as I wasn't really captivated.

We switch perspective between the two main characters, but a lot of the focus is on Toby and it's clear this is his story. It felt like Thon was more of a support characters. I also didn't really feel the connection or spark between them. They are really sweet to each other, but that's about it.
Also, I thought Toby was taking every reveal in stride way too easy. Sure, he is a mellow guy, but were where the freak outs? The questions? When your whole world is turned upside down, again and again, I feel like there should be more of a reaction.

That being said, I could feel this story was just the first in I don't know how many. We end not really on a cliff hanger, but the ending is clearly also the beginning of the next book. It was a nice and easy read, it just didn't really stick out for me. If you like faeries, mystery, an old house and a small village full of strange people, this book might be something for you!

It wasn't a bad read, so I will give it 3 stars because of my points above.
Profile Image for Debby.
1,739 reviews75 followers
February 5, 2023
Life can change rather quickly and unexpectedly. For Toby, this is his new truth. His boyfriend kicks him out and he inherits a decrepit old mansion in remote Australia. He decides the change is just what he needs. But when Toby arrives, he finds things are not quite as expected. The town is filled with quirky individuals and he learns that he is not human but rather Fae. He meets Amaethon, an excellent gardener, and learns he is actually more than just that. Toby is part of ancient magic that is awakening and Toby is heir to that. Not only that, there is a group of hunters who do not want him to live to realize that inheritance. Together with his new friends, they come together to keep him and everyone else alive.

The Nightingale Prince has an incredible cast of characters. There is a powerful witch/ librarian and a cook who makes unbelievably good food. Add that to his handsome gardener and many other Fae individuals and we have an incredibly rich, bountiful world, a world that is a mix of old and new. Toby has a hard time once he realizes his past life had been a lie. Thon helps him with that even though he is still grieving a lost lover. The action is exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The next book cannot come fast enough.
Profile Image for i ma read it.
175 reviews
February 5, 2023
I find this story very well done from it's lovable main and side characters to the seemingly living breathing magical system that literally speaks to the fae.

The book was quite slow to start, but I personally found the fae world and history created within the human world very intriguing. I felt I was learning to live in this new reality alongside Toby. There was a lot to unpack with his newly uncovered true heritage and coming to terms with who played what part in his past.

2 things that kind of irked were that Toby was so quick to take everything as it was without questioning it too much considering only a few days ago he was a regular human that lost his father and got cheated on by his partner. The other thing was the insta love between Thon and him. I wish there would have been more development there because the rest flowed beautifully. Spice level I give a 1🌶

Considering how slow it started and the cliffhanger at the end I am sure we can expect book 2 to pack quite a punch!

Please check for content warnings.

I received an ARC from GRR and am willingly leaving an honest review.
Profile Image for Lindsay McCracken.
65 reviews6 followers
February 2, 2023
3.5 stars

This was a solid debut novel from the author. I really enjoyed how detailed the scenes were and that I could easily imagine the fantastical world that was being revealed to Toby. The characters were very likable, especially the side characters. While I did enjoy the relationship between Toby and Thon, and I was pleasantly surprised by the level of spice, their chemistry wasn't totally doing it for me. I do enjoy insta love but I wish I felt more of the love between them, it was more told to you than shown. The beginning was a bit difficult to get into as it felt a tad choppy, but I'm happy I continued. I loved that the mystery and suspense made it difficult to put the book down as I just wanted to know what happened next. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I am a big fan of series that follow different couples but have the same overarching plot.

**I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
116 reviews
February 7, 2023
I think this is the author's debut novel, and for being first out of the gate it was a good start. I enjoyed the story overall and thought there was some good worldbuilding, but I did have a fair few questions at the end about some minor story points and events. I also found Toby a bit unlikeable in places, and in some cases I just wasn't sure why he was behaving in certain ways. The writing was a bit awkward and clunky in places, more so towards the first half of the book, but I think that's to be expected in a debut novel.

I liked the romance and Thon especially was a great character, but at times I thought there was a bit of a lack of depth in their interactions, and that the relationship seemed a bit stilted. This is the start of the series but with an HEA for this couple, and I'll definitely check out the next book. On the whole, a good read, but with some issues that will probably be resolved as the author continues to write.
Profile Image for Siâni.
118 reviews16 followers
February 19, 2023
A mix of the gothic house, Fae fantasy, and a cute mm love story at the centre. This is my kind of story!

We're introduced to Toby, a very unassuming young man with an odd upbringing. His grandfather and mother are always fighting, and his grandfather's house, Avillion, is an imposing structure that is home to a magical housekeeper.

Toby's life changes when his grandfather dies. He inherits the house, and that's when he learns a lot of truths about his family, the house as well as himself.

Overall, it's quite a sweet story and I found Toby quite likable. The side characters are all quite eccentric and they make quite an amusing team.

My only 'issue' with the novel is how easily it glosses over certain things. I appreciate you don't want to drag it out too long, but Toby takes to having magic fairly easily (in terms of accepting that the world has magic) and when one of the characters loses a limb, they seem quite chill about the entire thing...

Overall, it was a nice easy read about a fantasy world where the underdog turns out to be a reincarnated prince who falls in love with a Fae with a cool Welsh name so I am here for it!
Profile Image for Siobhan.
5,037 reviews596 followers
February 4, 2023
The Nightingale Prince is the first book in the Songbird Princes series, and it was a book that didn’t quite work for me. It sounded like it would be perfect for me, yet it was one of those cases where I was not the right reader.

While there was an interesting story in this, it did not hold my attention in the way I had hoped. I wanted more from the romance between the main characters, and I felt like things moved too easily in the story. While it was sweet in places, the sweetness was not enough to make up for what I did not get enough of. I’m sure many will enjoy this, yet I needed to fall deeper into the story and for the characters to love this in the way I had hoped.

All in all, I was not the right reader for this.
1,600 reviews8 followers
February 6, 2023
Unique and engaging story, with mystery, hidden family history, surprises, and danger. I have to say the book started a bit slow for me, and I was waiting for it to pick up momentum. It did eventually, and I'm glad I held on, but I wish the pace had been quicker to start. I liked the MCs (Toby and Thon), but I would have liked to have seen more of their relationship development on page. What was there was good and sexy, but I felt like a lot more happened off-page that I would have liked to see. The world-building was strong and detailed, but now that that's out of the way, I hope the rest of the series moves at a brisker pace. More of a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up with high expectations for the next book.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
185 reviews2 followers
February 13, 2023
Unique Fae Story

I love a good story with fae, but they can sometimes be unoriginal. This story shakes things up a bit, with the fae having left Faery sand settled in places like Australia. In this version of the world there are certain titles that are passed down through family ties, but some are reincarnations of the last title holder.

Toby grew up believing he was human, but he is actually the reincarnation of one of the four faery princes. Together with his friends, he discovers there is a group of hunters that after the fae in their small town. But there is something even more sinister at hand.

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Recommended!
1,014 reviews5 followers
July 25, 2023
If it was possible to give this book 6 stars, I would. Great story set in Aussie land after the death of his father and grandfather discovers loads of secrets kept from him. His is a Fae Prince, one of four. Together with a motley crew of Fae and witches and others do, he discovers his true identity and destiny as well as an extremely hot Hi Fae called Thon, who happens to be over 2000 years old. Together, they battle with forces determined to eradicate Fae. As he searches for answers and the other four Fae prince's, they face multiple dangers as well as very hot sex scenes with the man or should I say Hi Fae he comes to love. Can not wait to book two. It has alot to live up to. Read it enjoy.
971 reviews3 followers
February 8, 2023
This book was pretty good. I was hoping for a bit more of that feeling you get when reading a really captivating fairy tale, where the magic of the world just sweeps you away, but I think that was somewhat overtaken here by world-building, which at some points felt a bit clunky and not well-integrated into the main story of this book. Since Toby is a bit awkward and has had a lot of stuff dumped in his lap suddenly, it sort of worked to make the reader more fully identify with him but again ran counter to immersion in the magical feeling I was…craving? Expecting? Anyway, it’s an intriguing first book for the series and I’m looking forward to book 2! Recommended.
Profile Image for Ida Umphers.
5,543 reviews48 followers
February 7, 2023
I enjoyed the world building in this one so much, the town and its people whose stories I want to know all about, Thon and the way the author wrote about his connection to the earth and plants, the description of the mansion Toby inherits, all were beautifully described and made this a world I could see clearly. Thon's grief and the way Toby fills the void made their immediate connection plausible and I enjoyed seeing the growth in their relationship. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Profile Image for P Leslie.
3,207 reviews17 followers
January 30, 2023
Toby is pushed into a world he didn’t even know existed. His path ahead is full of unknown dangers and self discovery.

Toby was a bumbling mess around Thon which was so sweet. These two had a beautiful pull that got stronger with each passing page.

There were loads of intriguing secondary characters.

I really enjoyed this book, it was definitely a page turner.

*I voluntarily read this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's*
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