A book loosely linked to A Midsummer Night's Dream - yes, please. The narrator was an interesting addition -very funny in parts. However, it would have been cool to have the direct pov of the characters at times. I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

While I wanted to love this sapphic regency romance, I surprisingly had to give up at only 10%.
The character interactions were enjoyable, but the plot lost its focus pretty quickly and I tried (and failed) picking this book up multiple times in a week. The narrating voice is very distinct and though snarky and quite humorous, it was too present (especially for a romance novel) and prevented me from getting into the story. I actually think a lot of readers won't enjoy the narrator thats leading us through the story, but I hope 'Mortal Follies' will find its audience.

Want a good time? Want a sapphic regency romance, with a dash of mystery, a sprinkle of magic, an unreliable fairy narrator and a vengeful deity?

I give you, Mortal Follies.

Told from the POV of an outcast fairy forced to tell the stories of the mortals he finds so tedious, we follow our heroines and their friends through a series of mysterious machinations, and what began as one curse swiftly becomes two, threading our leading ladies ever closer.

It was silly, it was sweet, it was a little bit saucy.

I don't want to go on too much about the plot because it is at its heart, a mystery, and I wouldn't want to spoil anything.

Miss Bickle was my favourite, forever lost in her own world and imaginings — very relatable I'm sure most will agree 😂

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion books for providing me an eArc for review, it was a truly delightful read!

DNF

I loved the idea of this, the premise seemed like something I would love, but I just couldn't get into it.

The way it was narrated just made me feel very unconnected to the story and it was just difficult to read get into.

DNF at 33% - I usually love Alexis Hall’s books, but I really struggled with this one. I may pick it up at a later date, at which point I will write and share a review.

A fantastic read! I already know that this novel will be super popular on bookstagram and booktok. Mortal Follies has it all: witty one-liners, hilarious yet relateable characters and a fast-paced, action-packed plot. The lovestory between the women was really well-written and believable, even in a world where magic, curses and goddesses are intertwined with normal life.

Narrated by a vaguely irritated modern-day fairy, we learn taht protagonist Maelys Mitchelmore has found herself victim to a curse that appears hellbent on turning her position within high society a thing of the past. Realising that she and her best friends lack the knowledge or ability to break such a curse, they soon find themselves seeking out help from the potentially dangerous (and possibly even murderous) Lady Georgiana Landrake.

I loved the setting of Regency Bath and the brilliant descriptions of the Goddess Minerva in her underground lair. The plot moved quickly and I enjoyed the clever word-play between the characters and also from the narrator.

The ending was satisfying, and while I was content to leave the characters, I would love to read about this world again very soon!

"It is the year 1814 and Miss Maelys Mitchelmore finds her entry into the highest society of Bath hindered by an irritating curse. It begins innocuously enough, with her dress slowly unmaking itself over the course of an evening at the ball of the season, a scandal she only narrowly manages to escape.

However, as the curse progresses to more fatal proportions, she realises she must seek out urgent assistance, even if that means mixing with the most undesirable company-and there are few less desirable allies than the brooding Lady Georgiana Landrake-who may or may not have murdered her own father and brothers to inherit their fortune.

If one is to believe the gossip, she might be some kind of malign enchantress.
Then again, a malign enchantress might be exactly what Miss Mitchelmore needs."

This book was so much fun- exactly what I thought I'd get from an Alexis Hall book- sassy take on the high society with a magical mix this was great.
Gorgeously sapphic while so reminiscent of Georgette Heyer's regency romances- I love the way that magic is seamlessly integrated in to this book and I could not stop smiling!
The characters are glorious and I rooted so hard for the main characters and the journey they take, it was beautiful to see their personal development!
This is such a joy and perfect for anyone who loves Bridgerton but you also have a soft spot for the Fae.

A bright and whimsical romantic fantasy, Mortal Follies is narrated by Puck, of Midsummer Night's Dream fame, and set in the regency era. Its a fairly speedy read and easy to power through, but I did find myself losing interest part way through. I think the author just isn't for me!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Review:

This is my first time reading anything by Alexis Hall. I came away with mixed feelings.

The story is told through a narrator based on Puck from Midsummer Nights Dream. The tone used is humorous and made me chuckle in places. But using the narrator put a distance between the reader and the characters. At times I would have preferred to hear their perspective directly.

The sapphic romance was delightful and enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters.

The fantasy adventure added another dimension to the story but at times I found it just a bit silly and absurd.

I think some people will enjoy this read, it’s lighthearted and funny but for me the narration got in the way of my overall enjoyment

I loved the very beginning of this, but I got bored quickly. I have tried a few Alexis Hall books since first loving Boyfriend Material and I think maybe their style just isn't for me

The atmosphere and setting really made this story for me. It's regency, but make it fantasy with all the joys and frivolities of the faeries mixed up in a love story. The narrator is an omnipotent faerie, who provides the odd dry comment into the mix that sets off and stops the plot from getting too caught up in all the romance.

I will say that this is perhaps a bit too description heavy. The narrator occas9goes off on a tangent, meaning the pace is slow and takes time to build up to any kind of story progression.

The characters are well crafted, especially Miss Bickle who provides a lot of the lighthearted moments, but given the choice of narrator there's always a bit of a disconnect between the characters and the reader. It's almost as though there's an invisible wall that stops the reader really knowing what's going on in the protagonists head. The romance, as a result, feels a bit guarded.

Great setting, but I wanted a bit more from the characters emotionally.

DNF

I didn’t read enough of this to rate it. The writing was nice and the promise of a sapphic love story made me want to continue but I didn’t like that the story was being narrated by a third party the whole time—I hadn’t been expecting that.

Be still my beating heart.

I absolutely loved this! This book is perfect for readers who love Bridgerton and fairy's.

Maelys and Georgiana had the perfect slow burn relationship, although I felt Maelys was very much as girlish as Georgiana made her out to be. Often she demanded that Georgiana change her whole self to please her, while Georgiana merely wanted Maelys to grow up a little before entertaining the notion of a relationship. Of course there is also something else preventing Georgiana from pursuing her, but you'll just have to read the book to find out what that is!

The first part of the book has Maelys struck down by a curse and the first time Maelys meets Georgiana she is in a very precarious situation because of said curse. Georgiana then seems to appear whenever Maelys is struck down by the curse, leading her cousin to believe that Georgiana that is the culprit, while best friend, Lysistrata is their own cheerleader who froths at the bit for the pair to confess their love to one another. In her words, she tings them, and reader, I do too.

Also we can't forget our narrator who, without, we wouldn't have this glorious story. I knew from the start who our narrator was but I'll leave that to you to read the book for yourself and find out if you can tell who they are.

3.5 stars.

Although I adored many elements of the story, especially our hobgoblin narrator, the narration style here I found to be quite off putting which stopped me from fully investing in the characters as much as I wanted to.

I'll start by saying that before I picked this up I had no idea I would have quite the level of personal connection to this book as I actually have. This story takes place in Bath (the city in England, not the bathroom) and features the use of curse tablets - I actually wrote my undergraduate thesis on those selfsame tablets! I just wanted to flag that up as being a very cool thing to have included in this story and it will probably mean that I have to buy myself a copy just for my own enjoyment.
This is a sapphic historical romance in which out main character discovers she is cursed but she has no idea by whom and has to team up with the rumoured murderess who is very easy on the eyes in order to solve the mystery. If that sounds like a romance novel you would enjoy then I say read like the wind!
For me personally the romance didn't quite land but I'm willing to believe that is simply the trope of reluctant romance not being my favorite. If you enjoy a 'I must persuade you to admit you want to be with me despite the fact that you seem to think it would put us in danger' then you may feel very differently. I did enjoy the dynamic between these two characters outside of that romance and if there were a follow on book after the start of their relationship I don't think I would have any issues so it was just that element.
I liked the friendships and family of our main character as well, it was nice to read a mostly accepting family as opposed to the plot revolving around keeping attraction to women a secret. While sometimes the characters can feel quite naive I think it fits in with the overall tone of the book.
My favourite aspect of this story as a whole was the supernatural elements included. It was very cool to see a world where the fae exist and also the roman gods? Sulis Minerva showing up was not something I expected and she was truly terrifying and magnificent. I would say those who like a bit of supernatural threat in their romance will find that quite satisfying.
I should also mention that if you're looking for a book with a slightly unconventional narrator this may be one to seek out - the book is actually a story being told by Puck of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The layers of meta this brings to the story weren't always my cup of tea but I did appreciate the lens through which you as a reader get to experience the tale.
Overall I'd recommend this to people who already know they like these tropes in romance, I am not an avid reader of romance books and thus my favourite parts were the fantasy elements but I am who I am and I can't stop that now.
My rating: 4 stars
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I’ve definitely never read a story narrated by a hobgoblin external to the plot before and I certainly would again! I loved that concept, and it added a little something to the narrative to have ‘Robin’ providing commentary on the goings-on and also on the world of fairies. My favourite character was Miss Bickle - she’s a little wild, a lot curious and wholly strange. She added a good dose of comedy to the narrative with her unusual conversation and views of the world, and it seems it’d be impossible to be bored with her around. I didn’t find the other characters particularly interesting or charismatic, so I didn’t connect with them, but the magic and intrigue kept me reading. I enjoyed the mystery in the plot and seeing Maelys come into her own, but would have loved to feel any kind of chemistry between her and the Duke.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Such a great concept, but the narrative framework immediately put me off and I wasn't able to return to my initial excitement. For me, it felt like I was being held at arm's length by this framework, and I simply wasn't permitted to grow close enough to the characters to stay invested. Beautifully written, however!

Overall, I feel like the story was 4 stars and it gets an extra half a star because I loved the narrator.
This is the story of Maelys Mitchelmore who starts the book cursed by an old god, and it goes on from there. A lot happens in the book, she falls in love, maybe gets cursed AGAIN, but is helped out the whole time by her cousin, John Caesar, and her best friend Lysistrata Bickle, as well as the Duke of Annadale, Lady Georgiana Landrake. The story is very entertaining and I love how a regency novel is woven through with all of these old gods and goddesses, as well as magic and lore.

But what truly makes this book is the narrator. I won’t say much about him, other than that he is perfect, and snarky, and funny, and I would read any number of books narrated by him.

I am so grateful to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Ok, so I'm not as fond of the narration as I thought I'd be. I think it does the book a disservice, but only Alexis Hall would have the power to make me want to finish it in spite of this. The rest of the story is fine, and if you're into a lot of humour with your romance, then don't miss out on this title.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an ARC in exchange for a review.

As someone who is a massive fan of Alexis Hall's contemporary romance series 'London Calling', I was excited to see his take on historical fantasy, one of my all time favourite genres - and this book absolutely delivered. The fantasy elements were excellent, and I particularly enjoyed the way that different aspects from folklore and mythology were combined. Hall's fantasy world not only includes the fae of traditional English folklore (think A Midsummer Night's Dream, as the book's narrator is literally Puck/Robin Goodfellow), but also draws upon elements and gods from Greco-Roman mythology. My particular favourite was the inclusion of Sulis Minerva, the goddess associated with the baths in Bath. Many novels set in the Regency era use Bath as a key setting, due to it's popularity as a fashionable destination at the time, but the inclusion of Sulis Minerva and the curse tablets (which can be found in the museum at the Roman baths to this day) tie the story and its magic firmly into the city, taking full advantage of the setting and not simply including it as a go to Regency backdrop.