A Happy Beginning is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy romance with plenty of charm, a touch of adventure, and a swoon-worthy magical bond. Set against the rich backdrop of New Orleans, this book introduces us to Alard, a fae prince hiding in plain sight, and Raz, a charismatic tourist who stumbles into a life-changing (and world-shaking) connection.
I loved the chemistry between Alard and Raz—it’s sweet, playful, and full of heart. I enjoyed the other characters including the snarky fae best friend. While the story leans more toward a cozy fantasy than a high-stakes adventure, it’s a fun escape with engaging characters and a beautiful cover that perfectly captures the story’s essence. And if you’re wondering if this is open or closed door romance, there is some spicy MM scenes.
If you enjoy fated mates, lighthearted fantasy, and a romance, A Happy Beginning is worth a read!

In the heart of New Orleans, fairy prince Alard Fairchild and tourist Razi Miller are magically bonded by an ancient marriage tattoo, thrusting them into a deadly world of mythical creatures, political intrigue, and forbidden love that could spark a war between realms.

This was my first MM romantasy, so there was a little reluctance in starting, fearing that I may not enjoy it however, I found it to be an incredibly sweet and unique read with some moments that frustrated me and others that made me smile at the romance of it all. The overall plot was enjoyable, with some unexpected twists, and while it featured romantic insta-love, it also emphasized the importance of communication and friendships.

The world-building could have been more developed, but the character development and introductions were well done, particularly Meyda, who stood out as a unique character.

I was hoping to learn more about the "heir" remark that was mentioned but wasn’t fully explored.

Overall, I’m very happy with the experience, and I’m grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I would like to say a thank you to Netgalley and Owl City Press for sending me an ARC copy of ‘A Happy Beginning’ by B. A. Richards.

‘A Happy Beginning’ follows two male main characters Alex and Razi or Raz. Aled is a fairy prince who is enjoying his freedom in the human realm before he has to return home for his ascension to the throne. Raz is just visiting New Orleans for a work convention when they both crosses each other paths a couple of times. After a while, they both spend one night with each other and wake up being bonded to each other which causes issues due to Aled already betrothed to a princess to unite their kingdoms.
So, they are looking for ways to break the bond before a war breaks out between the two kingdoms.

I do wish I could’ve loved this book more than I did, as it has all the buzzwords for me: forbidden love, waking up married, royalty and fae.

I really loved the characters and how their relationship progressed throughout the book. Also, on how the author transitioned between the two worlds even though they were both set on Earth it felt like two seperate worlds and how I felt like we spent the same amount of time in both of the worlds. I liked how surprised I was at a certain situation that happened towards the end to which I didn’t see coming.

I think the issue for me was that I thought the plot was too rushed as I would’ve loved to spend more time reading about Aled and Raz relationship and learning more about Aled’s world with the magic system, other races in the world and the history of the world.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book and I would recommend it to anyone loves the fairytale esq vibes and the diverse representation that it brings.

There is a review being published on Instagram, StoryGraph and Amazon later on the 17/03/25 under bookelleisreading

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Even before I knew anything about this book or read the blurb, I saw this beautiful cover and I just knew I wanted to read this book. Then when I finally read the blurb, it included some of my favorite key words; New Orleans, vampires, fairy; I had to request it from NetGalley.

I'm glad to say that A Happy Beginning did not disappoint! The main characters, Raz and Alard, were so freaking adorable together. Loved them so much. On top of that, I loved the side characters who added so much to the world and story. There was fantastic rep, adorable fantastical creatures, and a pretty interesting magic system.

I hope the author writes more books in this world because I want more worldbuilding!

What to expect:
MM romance
Dual POV
Fairy Prince x Human
Accidental marriage/mating bond
Insta-love
Spice
Queer Rep
Arranged marriage to prevent war

A cute easy to read romantasy with an engaging plot line and endearing characters! For fans of Alec and Magnus, or Simon and Baz ( if you know you know ;) )

I thoroughly enjoyed reading :))

This was a cute and easy romantasy read! The characters were fun and the plot was easy to follow and stick with!

I went into this expecting a fun, magical romance, and that’s exactly what I got—though not without a few bumps along the way.

Set in New Orleans (which already adds extra charm), the book follows Alard Fairchild, a fairy prince pretending to be a lawyer, and Razi Miller, a tourist who ends up tangled in a world of dark magic and political intrigue. Their connection is instant, and from that moment on, the story is a whirlwind of adventure, danger, and romance.

I loved the setting—New Orleans' mystical vibe really worked for the plot, and the mix of fairies, curses, and old magic gave the book an atmospheric feel. The romance was definitely intense and fast-paced, but maybe a little too fast at times. I tend to prefer more slow burn, and this one leans into the "we just met, but it’s fate" kind of dynamic. Also, some parts of the story wrapped up a little too quickly for my liking—I wanted more time to sit with certain moments.

That said, if you’re in the mood for an urban fantasy with magic, intrigue, and a steamy romance, A Happy Beginning delivers exactly that. Just don’t expect a slow, drawn-out love story—it throws you right into the deep end from page one.

I couldn't get into this book and dnf'd after the first few chapters. As a Canadian, I just can't read things set in the US right now.

I procrastinated this a lot, but man am I disappointed in myself for doing so. I loved this so much, it hurt and healed and just so many emotions, I need more

It's a nice little story, though I can't say it's a must-read. The characters are good, the romance not so much. It felt more like a fairytale than a fantasy book as pretty much every problem is solved without a hitch. The fantasy elements were ok though I've read better. Still, it's a good story if someone like lighthearted books.

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for a review!

First, the good. I found the world of this novel to be charming. The mix of an overwhelming number of different magical creatures was fun and whimsical, leaving this feeling like a more grown-up version of a quirky middle-grade fantasy style of world. I think that was a choice that worked well for the story this book was trying to tell.

In terms of characters, I found most of the central and side characters to be distinct and memorable. I thought Raz and Alard were both interesting enough to be leads, but I was particularly interested in Catherine and Meyda. There were a few moments where I found myself frustrated by small characterizations, like the insistence of Meyda’s child-like nature, which felt like it played into the stereotype of ace/around characters as overly innocent. Luckily, this felt a bit more due to her being sheltered in the fairy realm, so it didn’t bother me as much as it might have.

In terms of character relationships, I was not particularly compelled by Raz and Alard’s relationship. It felt a bit too much like insta-love, which made it difficult to invest in the stakes of this novel, which already felt a bit all over the place. Many of the reactions characters had to large events, like impending war and kidnappings, felt a bit underplayed, while Raz and Alard thinking about leaving each other was overplayed for a relationship that happened over the course of a few days. I found myself much more invested in Alard and Meyda’s friendship, which I really enjoyed. Still, this wasn’t enough to keep me from finishing this book, so if you are a bit more forgiving about romance than I am, this book might be for you.

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining and fun, if slightly disappointing, novel, and I’d definitely give B.A. Richards another shot in the future.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. Yeah it's this is a nice low effort fantasy read with decent world building. The mlm romance was good and I adored Meyda, the ace character, and Fi. The talks in there about polycules was interesting as well. Not bad.

What if the faerie realm did exist and magic and fairy godmothers were still here to guide us? And what if a faerie prince accidentally became entangled with a human on the eve of his royal wedding in another realm? A Happy Beginning is a queer romantasy at its finest with an MM relationship and Ace representation. This story had spice and a true Disney-esque fairytale romance. While the story was a bit choppy in some parts, I loved every second of the heart-warming relationships. Would recommend to lovers of all fairytales, especially the queer ones. <3

Thank you to City Owl Press and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

This was a really fun read. I loved the world-building of the fairy realm and all of the characters were really well written and fleshed out. The plot was fun, but had its serious elements around the fairy world and the impending war/political situation. Timmie best character for sure! Love that little guy.

It's more of a 3,25*. It's a nice, easy read but a little too simple for me.

Quick disclaimer: I have never read a fae romantasy before. That's my first, so if some things are usual for the genre, then sorry, I didn't know.

Okay, so let's start with the plot, which is a one-night stand turned into an accidental marriage that could destroy the fae world. Wow, that's a lot, but I love the idea. And it worked quite well. I was really interested in the politics of the fae world and how Alard and Raz's marriage is a real threat to peace in the kingdoms.

What didn't work for me was actually the romance, sorry, but if I have to buy the "insta love" situation, then I need something more than physical attraction. Because, of course, our main characters fall in love with each other while they're working on dissolving their marriage. And it would be great if we could have some more scenes when they connect. Instead, there's Alard (the fae prince) who hides a lot of important things from his spouse while proceeding to still sleep with him instead of having a real conversation.

The characters themselves are fun and well written, there are quite a lot of them and only Alard and Raz have character development, but I still enjoyed the rest. Especially Mayda - Alard's future bride. And, her pets, of course. I only wish that we could get more of Alard's parents, especially the end was missing some closure from them. It's hard to believe that they didn't have any objections...

And the ending is another one of my problems. It felt really rushed? In particular, the political plot could be discussed more instead of just being accepted. I had the same feeling in some other scenes, the few times that Raz and Alard are in real trouble, everything is fixed really quickly. It takes a chapter or two.

If you are looking for an easy queer romantasy where the problems are solved quickly, then I can recommend A Happy Beginning.

This was a very fun gay insta-love romance between a fairy prince, Alard Fairchild, and a human businessman, Razi Miller. After meeting in New Orleans several times by chance and one unforgettable night together, Raz wakes up to find himself magically bonded to Alard by an ancient marriage tattoo. Neither of them knows how it happened or why, but one thing’s for the consequences are far-reaching—and deadly. I will say I did find the first third or so a little slow. I really like Alard and Raz, along with Alard's friends but it did take me awhile to get really sucked in. The more I was exposed to the fairy realm and the mystical creatures, the more engaged I was in the novel. Also, totally fine by me, but there is a lot of spice in this story.

I was very glad to have read this during February. I typically don't think to pick up a romance during the month because I'm not really wired that way, but this was a very nice change. I want to talk about Meyda who was my favorite character, along with Timmie, her pet drake. I'm assuming she is Ace-coded, while not outright stated, and I truly loved the representation that I saw in her. I love that Richards did not pit any of the three against each other, other than bringing up occasional feelings of jealousy in Raz, who never acted on them and also came to love Meyda like a sister. I think it was wonderful that she was just down for everything that was going on from the beginning and she made me enjoy this story even more.

Thank you NetGalley, B.A. Richards, and City Owl Press for free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Queer dragon romantasy? Sign me up. I was so excited when NetGalley approved me for this ARC copy and I was not at all disappointed. I found the romance to be timed perfectly and there was no confusion on my end on why they belong together. The fantasy world really came to life in my mind as well with all of the vivid descriptions of scenes and scenery.

Shirt and sweet and well paced!
Allard and Raz are the cutest and I love them! I love how genuinely nice they are but will stick up for the ones they care about in an instant. I love the acceptance between Allard, Raz and Meyda. How there was no making anyone less for what they feel and who they are.
A Happy Beginning has an amazingly diverse cast of characters, good world building, enough action to keep it flowing and a romance with just enough spice for those who need it!

Unfortunately decided to DNF.
Our main characters meet very quickly into the story and the chemistry is instant. Theres no background provided or any world building developed prior to the meet; it feels rushed. I also found some of the dialogue quite cringe and unbelievable, and the magic system seems underdeveloped.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me the way I wanted it to, which is a disappointment, and the premise is really fun. I don't think the book is a bad one, or that other readers won't enjoy it though, I think it was a personal taste issue, and maybe the fated mates trope isn't for me.