The Houses of Glass & Night: The Bellham Realm Series: Book I

The Bellham Realm #1

by T.L. Combs

She just wanted to find her son…

Jasmine Barlow leads a quiet life with her young son, Robbie, after she was found 7 years ago, pregnant, with no memories of her past, and with a wolf-dog pup named Dover. When Robbie mysteriously vanishes, and the local police give up, she and Dover will stop at nothing to find him. In her search for her son, she is magically transported through a portal to a new world that seems oddly familiar. A world where time works differently and the beings that reside there are… elves?

The Realm of Bellham holds many secrets and wonders, one of which is the tall, brooding, and mysterious Reddick Whitlock, General of the House of Glass Army. His demeanor is less than charming, but it’s a mask to hide the pain of losing his secret lover. It is the evil Duchess Eratha of the Night Territory who is not only responsible for his lover’s fate but also is the cruel instigator of a violent century-long war.

The obvious attraction Reddick and Jasmine have for one another is growing, but will they be able to overcome their differences and get through the dangers lurking around every corner in time to save all of Bellham? Or will they tear each other apart before the enemy even gets a chance?

A thrilling new tale by author TL Combs, The Houses of Glass & Night, is the first installment of a high fantasy romance series that will have you on the edge of your seat and questioning everything you thought to be real.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2023

About the author

I spent almost two decades as a classically trained chef, working in multiple restaurants and catering companies. Eventually, I started my own catering company and even worked as a Certified Dietary Manager in a healthcare facility. In 2015, I married the love of my life, M.

Following the birth of our youngest child, L, I made the decision to retire from my career in the culinary industry and become a stay-at-home mother to L and my bonus daughter,
K. We all reside on our little farm in North Carolina where we enjoy raising chickens, cultivating our gardens, and spending time with our beloved Maremma Sheep Dog, Ronan, and tuxedo tabby, Ziggy.

Writing has always been a passion of mine, dating back to my childhood in Pennsylvania, when I would write short stories for my family and friends. That all changed when I began daydreaming about a high fantasy story that morphed into the Bellham Series. With the encouragement of a best friend, H.E.G., I decided to pursue the series and turn my crazy daydream into a reality. I am grateful for the unwavering support of my family and friends. Without them, I could not have achieved this dream

Reviews

[Chaotic.trex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story.
With determination and fierceness, Jasmine continues to search for her son even when everyone around her has given up hope. With the help of her dog Dover she finds him in the most unexpected place. Now, Jasmine has to learn to live in a new land with beings so didn't know existed. And to make matters worse, she has to try to find her place while General Whitlock looms around every corner. It's a good thing verbally sparing with him is so much fun. ❤️

[Adrianne Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Houses of Glass & Night has quickly become one of my favorite books. I love Jasmine so much and found her passion for her son endearing. I also adore Reddick and his grumpy with a soft side personality. The romance in this book is not overly spicy, and that’s exactly how I like it. There were also a few twists I expected and quite a few I did not, which was refreshing. T.L. Combs does a great job of describing the world and developing her characters. Bellham is definitely a place I’d love to visit in real life. :)

[Natasha Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC copy and I really enjoyed the story. The realms were super interesting, the different languages and characters too! A really good fantasy novel- definitely recommend people pick up a copy!

[M.J. Pankey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this high stakes romantasy and I'm so glad I have book 2 already so I don't have to wait on it to arrive in the mail😁

This story follows Jasmine, whose son, Robbie, disappeared in the woods a year ago. In her search for him, she stumbles through a portal and discovers a fairy tale world of magic and mystery, and meets the moody Reddick. Shenanigans ensue.

The beginning of this book DREW ME IN so fast with her search for her son and discovery of the new realm. I was thoroughly invested in her journey.
The pacing did slow down a bit as the world was explored and as her relationship with Reddick developed and some mystery elements were setup, and admittedly, it did take me a little bit to get through it. I don't generally gravitate to romantasy, or romance really at all though, so I, in no way, consider this a slight to the book. Everything that happened during this section was necessary to the plot and for Jasmine's relationship with Reddick. The bulk of relationship/sexual tension, happens here so romance lovers, which this book is geared toward, will definitely enjoy this.

The last third though😵. I could not put it down and devoured the last 150 pages in one sitdown. Full of action, magic, and some nicely setup reveals, I was hooked. Some of the mystery elements I saw coming, but some caught me by surprise. I love a good balance between 'saw it coming' reveals and 'jaw dropping omgs', and this one did a lovely job of that.

The spice level was not high. There's lots of sexual tension and build up, but its definitely mild on the spice scale imo.

I highly recommend for romance and fantasy lovers and I'm very much looking forward to book 2.❤

[Erani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It transported me to a whole new world and had me falling in love with the characters. I definitely recommend you give it a try, and I can't wait to buy it when it's out for hardcover! 10/10 would read again!

[Adorabol Huckleby-Ordaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written!

I went from very confused to very impressed. The intermingling of today's world and a past/fantastical world created something completely unique to me as a reader.

While I love the entire story and the adventure of this journey we’re taken on, my favorite part was the character interactions. They all felt so real, and each individual’s voice really shone through. I enjoyed all of their conversations and just them being them along this journey.

Also, love Reddick and Jasmine! They were so fun to read about and so funny! Reddick with his clumsy approach to being a people person at first even though his internal monologue means well (for the most part) comes across a different way to Jazz and it’s just so funny to watch that back and forth. And then of course it was great to see it evolve into something special!

“She is incredibly and completely out of her blessed mind” 😂😂 I’m cackling!

Toward the middle, I had this feeling that their destiny and fate would unravel (in the best way) in the end and I was so warmed and happy to see how beautifully it indeed did.

This book has officially gotten me out of my year-long fantasy romance slump! I think I’m ready to get back into fantastical worlds again. Thank you T.L. Combs

P.S. Dover is the real MVP and Robbie is a mama’s boy in the best way

[Debbie Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a book of romance and fiction. The characters are of another realm or world.
What I loved about this book is how it draws you in to the story immediately. Each character you can see them, feel them. As you read you can see yourself in the Bellham Realm. I love the character Jasmine. She makes you cry, she makes you laugh. You feel her pain and her happiness, and her strength.
If you are a person who loves a good romance fiction, with an intriguing story, a story line that you can feel yourself apart of, The House Of Glass and Night is for you.

[Soñée Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did a fabulous job of making you feel every emotion the characters are feeling. I felt as if I was there with them each step through this well crafted story. Must read for every fantasy lover!

[Dani Denee’ Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SMOKES!! I knew going into this that it was going to be AMAZING but it exceeded all of my expectations!! The twists were just twisty enough but that ending KNOCKED ME ON MY BOOTY!! This story was truly amazing! I love this world, the magic, the people, the character development, all of it!! I can’t wait to see what happens next!!

[Coco TheChaoticLibrarian_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This powerful story of loss and self rediscovery follows Jasmine who 7 years ago was found along with her wolf dog Dover, pregnant with no recollection of who she is.
When her son Robbie goes missing and everyone else is convinced that she should just stop looking she and her wolf dog Dover never give up hope. But during their search on one faithful night, she stumbles through mysterious portal and is transported into a magical world one where things aren’t as exactly as they seem.
This is the realm of Bellham. There are a lot of mysterious things that happen here in the realm of Bellham, one of which is the tall, brooding, white hair general, Whitlock, his normal gruff and offputting demeanor doesn’t scare away the fierce and stubborn Jasmine when feelings he thought he was no longer capable of being to arise.
Another one of those mysteries is the evil Duchess of the night territory.
Tragedy strikes, and Jasmine, feeling confused and helpless can no longer stand not knowing who she is. But will this magical realm full of the unknown be able to help unlock her memories?


I absolutely love this story, Jasmine is fierce and stubborn and will stop at nothing to find her son. Even after everyone else has given up. But when she end Dover stumble into Bellham realm man things start getting crazy. I thought my girl was stubborn before, but when she in general Whitlock, go head to head it’s like clash of the Titans because neither of them wanna give in, but they both kinda want to give in but is too much in their own way.

I think that Jasmine’s story is a journey that many of us have been on at one point or another, and it's a reminder of the resilience we all have within us. Also the mystery and curveballs that comes at you is wild. Ugh such an incredible story.

[Amber Thoma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Houses of Glass and Night was a beautifully written story about the power of love. There is no question it was the driving force within this unique world TL Combs created. The world building was immersive and TL Combs did a fantastic job of bringing it to life with her words. The characters were diverse while their internal struggles kept them relatable. It was incredibly easy to get wrapped up in The Houses of Glass and Night. The story was fast paced and action packed while information was slowly unfurled, keeping the reader needing to know what happens next. There was romance and action but most of all there was the unyielding love Jasmine had for her son.

[Nicole Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

T.L. Combs did a fantastic job creating a unique world in this high-stakes fantasy!

4.5 Stars
.5 Spice

So, when I originally read the blurb, I assumed that the majority of this book would follow the main character, Jasmine Barlow, in her search for her son, who went mysteriously missing one night when she was at work. Her search would lead her into another world, and she would be tossed into the middle of a turbulent realm of Bellham. Although most of this is true, she finds her son in the first 15% of the book, and their reunion left me wanting to see more. They see each other and immediately run to one another, and then it cuts to them sitting by a fire, talking about how they spent hours crying, laughing, and catching up... I really, really wanted to see that, and for me, that was the only thing I wish I had more of with this book.

It has unique world-building that we see through the main character's eyes, and there aren't any huge exposition dumps, which is refreshing for a fantasy novel set in an entirely different world. If you are sick of the typical hot white fae that is extremely popular in books right now, then this is for you. Her characters all have unique looks and abilities while still providing the familiarity of fae that isn't Eurocentric.

On top of that, it also provides a unique language with a language guide. The culture and lore of this world were interesting and well-rounded. One thing I did find a bit contradictory is we are told that people with silver skin (servile class) aren't seen as less than others and could still move up in the social hierarchy to be well-respected members of the Bellham realm. But when it finally comes to the big question of Robbie's birth father, and they find out that his father is of the servile class, we are shown that people with silver skin are still clearly looked down upon. We specifically see several royals (gold skin) say that the realm won't accept a royal born from a servile father and a royal mother. So, I think T.L. Combs wanted and tried to create a realm absent of racism, but ultimately, we still see this toward the end of the book.

I loved seeing this enemies-to-lovers romance subplot between Jasmine and General Reddick Whitlock. They must be civil because both mean a lot to Robbie, Jasmine's son. Reddick stepped in and raised Robbie when he found him on the castle training grounds in Bellham. As Jasmine and Reddick spend more time with each other, their undeniable attraction for one another can't be ignored, and I ate up their angsty pining for each other. The spice in this book is mild for sure, but I didn't mind because we have romance brewing between the two main characters.

I also love how T.L. Combs fostered this beautiful family dynamic that was warm and welcoming. There was a good amount of the book where family dynamics were a major focus in the plot, and it was refreshing to see a family that wasn't utterly toxic. Now we do see this in regards to the Royal family members Zephryne and Vesper and how family expectations and favoritism can cause deep bitter wounds to fester and cause absolute mayhem. So, seeing how this plays out is interesting and keeps you on your toes.

I did find that the plot twists were a bit predictable. I'm not sure if that was my author brain kicking in but I enjoyed it nonetheless. There was fighting, mystical beasts, adventure, and fantastical scenery. I really enjoyed Jasmine and Reddick going to the House of Night forest and wish we could have seen more in this setting. (fingers crossed for more in the second book)

As much as I wanted a different ending for Eratha, I'm not mad at the ending she got, and I love that Princess Zephryne and Eratha manage to work together to bring technological advancements to the rest of the Bellham Realm.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster with love, loss, betrayal, deception, and happy endings. In my opinion, this is a must-read if you are a fantasy lover!

[Kae. B. abstractvoyager · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I purchased this book myself and all opinions are my own!*

I had an amazing opportunity to read this book earlier this year and loved it! Here are the things I liked and some things I'm hoping to see more in the rest of the series!

1. I loved the female character. I think in the world of fantasy today, too many writers are focusing on creating the "BAFMC" without giving her a chance to be feminine. Jasmine is a great balance between "don't play with me" and "be gentle with me". Female main characters who are able to exemplify this are already a win in my book because this is the ultimate relatable connection for me as a female reader.

2. The world-building was easy to understand but still maintained a sense of uniqueness to it. I think having a glossary made this SO HELPFUL! I hope more authors include this in the future because there's nothing worse than being in a fantasy world with words you can't pronounce!

3. The relationship between the two love interests (if I say their names it would be a spoiler in my opinion) is intimate! I do occasionally like a "spicy book" but too much spice takes away from the romance. This author did not write spicy scenes AND THAT'S OKAY! The intimacy, the angst, and the build-up of the love between the characters still made me feel connected to their relationship and had me cheering them on throughout the entire story!

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to seeing in the rest of the series:

1. I would like a little more fighting/battle scenes. I knew going into this story that fighting was not the main focus which was totally fine. However, the few encounters we get in the book left me wanting more action and that fantasy-fighting vibe!

2. I'd love to see more of the creatures and/or the environment of the series! We do spend the majority of the book inside of a castle or traveling, but I want to get more visually in tune with the world surrounding the characters.

These are not my "cons" but a few elements I'd love to see explored in the rest of the series! Overall, this is a great story and I'd consider it to be the perfect palette cleanser if you've read some pretty tough genres recently!

[Chelle Cypress · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by this book from beginning to end. I loved the twists and turns that kept me enthralled in a unique fantasy world.

The story follows Jasmine, a woman with long term amnesia, whose son goes missing a year prior. It weaves through her search for him leading her to a portal to a magical realm with dire wolves, fairies, dragons, and beings who inhabit the world. However, everything is not as it seems as Jasmine crosses paths with the brooding Reddick who knows of her son and an unmistakable chemistry ignited between the two. They set off on an adventure of twist and turns as they unfurl how her son ended up in this realm and the key to her missing memories.

Trope include:
Ultra brooding MMC with denial of feelings
Strong willed FMC
Touch her and 💀
“Mine” and “Good girl” 😏
🌶🌶 out of 5

The first half of the book I squealed with delight reading the tense interactions between Reddick and Jasmine. I love nothing more that a man who is a total simp denying his feelings for the FMC. It was chefs kiss well done. Red is brooding but his stony facade hides a heart of gold struggling with the lose of his long lost love.

Jasmine is strong, independent and fierce. Often charging first into danger and willingly putting herself in danger for those she loves all while harboring a tenderness to her. This character was so well done, balancing maternal love, fierceness and tenderness. She was multifaceted.

The side characters were also well done and fleshed out. I LOVED all the plot twists and almost missed out on the final reveal. The author does a great job of dropping clues throughout the novel. They are subtle, but there shaping undercurrent of deceit.

My only critic would be Jordina whose compulsion seemed to be to cry about everything but since she was such a minor character it didn’t effect my rating.

Overall 5 out of 5 would recommend and am looking forward to the next book.

[Ginger Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! I had dreams about this story! There were so many plot twists, every time I thought I knew how the story was going to progress, another plot twist would happen and turn everything around! I loved Jasmine's character so much, she is the epitome of a mama bear. Her dynamic with Reddick at the beginning was so tense but also fun because he is used to being the most dominant in the room, and has no idea what to make of Jasmine and her take-no-gruff from anyone attitude. My favorite female main characters are those that can take care of themselves and don't need a man to rescue them.

Jasmine has no recollection of her life before the birth of her son Robbie. A kind woman at the hospital took them and the pup she was found with, Dover, into her home where Jasmine and Robbie lived happily for seven years. Everything changes one day when Robbie takes Dover for a walk into the woods, and never returns. One year later, Jasmine knows her son is still alive somewhere and is determined to find him. As she and Dover search the woods where he was last seen, she comes across a cave. Instead of finding her son, she finds a portal to another realm that is full of creatures, including elves.

Jasmine is thrust into the heart of a war that has been going for over one hundred years. She begins to have visions that might connect her lost memories to the Bellham realm, but she doesn't know how. All the while, she has a tense connection with General Reddick Whitlock, who is not thrilled about Jasmine being there but also can't bring himself to stay away from her. This is all the detail I can provide about the storyline because I don't want to drop any spoilers to the exciting plot twists.

This book has a slow burn romance between Jasmine and Reddick that is so tense and delicious. I loved everything about this author's writing style and I am looking forward to reading the rest of her books.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, but almost couldn’t finish (Spoiliers!!)

So, the book is amazing. The idea of the story, at first, had me nervous that it was going to be dark, with the disappearance of Jasmine’s son. It wasn’t. And it was much more than I expected. Highly recommend. (Spoilers now, stop reading if you don’t want to see the spoilers.)

The budding romance between Red and Jasmine was so sweet. When they finally admit their love for each other, I was cheering. Finding Robbie now an adult, and the flashbacks Jasmine keeps having, you just know she’s the missing princess. However, when she finally gets her memories back, to save Robbie, is when I almost stopped reading. Zeraphyne comes back, all her missing memories and powers. But instead of Jasmine remembering everything and gaining back her power and confidence. Instead of it building her up. She’s replaced. Gone. My favorite character just disappears under the awakening of Zeraphyne. I was heartbroken. She’s gone. It’s like the death of the main character, and you’re supposed to like and believe the character that replaced her is better (and she gets there by the end). I’m basically in mourning over Jasmine. I still enjoyed the book, and this was an author decision that was completely valid, and didn’t ruin the writing. But, for me, that disappointment, losing the main character, is what kept me from truly loving the book.

[C. Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like fantasy, romance, strong main female characters, adventure, and magic, you should give this book a read! I really enjoyed this book!

The world of this book definitely had a lot of the typical fantasy elements, but it also showed glimpses of the ways that world also uses Earth technology, which made for a fun change of pace from a typical fantasy world. Some of the monsters were typical fantasy monsters, while some felt completely new and original.

I only had two very minor complaints about the book. First, the book was told in first person with two different points of view. (That is completely a personal preference of mine, not anything the author did wrong. I just prefer 3rd person if there are going to be multiple POV characters.) Second, there were a couple places in the story where I felt like something was intended to be a big reveal, but they came across as a little predictable to me. Overall, I really liked this story and neither of these complaints was a huge deal. At most, I would take off a quarter of a star for those points; I'd definitely recommend giving this book a try!

[Mamatyalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic high fantasy read!

I met this author at The Seelie Soiree by LoreMakers, and she was such a joy! I've been whitening my way through books by new author friends and am thrilled to have finally come to this one! Hidden worlds, mystery, finding yourself and your identity, love, magic, seriously this book hits all marks for a high fantasy! I wish there has been spicier spice but that's a personal preference. If you love tension and low spice I just found your new favorite book, you're welcome. The story, the world building, the depth given to the characters were still A1 and I'm certain any fantasy lover will enjoy it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! SPOILERS AHEAD SO BE CAREFUL!

First and foremost.. damn Reddick. The love between him and Jasmine is palpable from the first time they meet. I was giddy giggling through most of this book! When the "Princess" showed up at Robbie and Jordina's ceremony I about came UNGLUED. I told my husband "she's gotta go, she ain't real man." 🤣 this book kept my attention and I finished it in a couple days, has some mild spice but nothing graphic.... but it's oh so sweet when they do get a lil heavy!

Definitely would recommend this book! So freaking good!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

I DNFed three books before picking this one up and I’m glad I did! It was meant to be. TL Combs has created such an amazing realm (literally) and characters who will grab your attention right away. Although I predicted some of the things that wound up happening, it didn’t take away from the experience. Frankly, I felt vindicated by knowing they did. Ha! Can’t wait to pick up the second book!

[Suzanne Aquillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say the book started off very well. I loved the mystery behind the new hidden world. I might have enjoyed it more if I didn’t take such long breaks between reading it, but I was losing interest. Every question was answered with another question. It wasn’t long before I lost track on who was who. I wouldn’t say this is a bad story, it just wasn’t for me.

[Mungbean Oohhaha]

~DNF~
Sorry. I wanted to like this. But it’s just not for me. When I start viewing picking up a book as a chore, it’s time to move the heck on. I found it a lil formulaic, boring, pandering to an established audience (money grab 🤫), and brimming with excessive purple prose that bogged down the pacing. Let’s get those innovation engines going! 📣 I’m so tired of the copy paste.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a beta reader for this book and absolutely LOVED IT. The relationships are so well done, plot twists had me on the edge of my seat. This was SUCH a good book and I strongly recommend it. TL Combs is awesome and I'm so excited for her upcoming stuff!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Kept me interested the entire book. Was not expecting a plot twist so early in the book but was pleasantly surprised. Loved the characters especially Jasmine and Reddick, their romance was cute. Plenty of action in the book as well.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

Loved every moment of this book! Great characters and an interesting world. I definitely need more of the fairies and the dark kingdom. I love the combination of old world and new world. Fatansy with a pinch of spicy that fades to black.

[Nicklous II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

The House of Glass and Night by TL Combs had me salivating for more! The world she built is impressive and immersive and she gives you characters you can root for. The mystery of the story pulled me in and as soon as I felt I had everything figured out, she threw more twist and turns in there. Also, this is a rare time I actually enjoyed the romance of a fantasy novel! This is a wonderful book and I can’t wait to continue the series.

[Marissa Atchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy crap

This book kept me on edge…. I was thrown for a loop, and was sure I was going to be wrong in my assumption… I wasn’t, but I didn’t expect that end. I am jumping right into book 2!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable and a different premise. Mother on a search for her son and finds he's now a grown man. A strange world that seems somewhat familiar in different ways. She becomes stronger and wiser.

[Michelle Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

I purchased these books a while ago and they have been on my TBR. Why did I wait so long to read them! I’m so in love with this realm! I can’t wait to see where things go!

[Audrey Finchum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved this cozy fantasy. I read this book so fast. I was completely absorbed in the story. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. This one did not disappoint. If you are new to fantasy, this book is not intimidating at all. The romance was so much fun to watch play out. I am not a romance girlie, but Ms. Combs is one of my favorites in that genre.