I really loved this story… Raz and Alard fall in love but Alard is from another universe, this book tackles racial bigotry in a fun and informative way. I love the way the author uses several fairytales interwoven to make a really compelling journey

Thank you to Netgalley and City Owl Press for providing this digital advanced book! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In the best way possible, this book is very Ella Enchanted coded and I love that. There is romance, spice, fantasy elements, a fairy realm, court politics, great humor, ogres and dragons. It's a unique take on fairy lore and fantasy kingdoms. There is a good explanation for how time and aging works between the human and fairy realms. I found Alard and Raz to be a sweet couple, their friendship and romance developing in an organic and exciting way. While I think that things happened a bit quickly near the end, I do find that with most fairytale-esque stories it's best to allow loose ends to be wrapped up quickly. It allows for the happy ever after effect to feel more ethereal.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I valued the absolute ALLY that was Princess Meyda, the comedic gold that was Timmie the dragon, and the emotional maturity that featured in the main relationship.

4.25/5

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 or bookellereads

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and intrigued by the synopsis. The story was easy to dive into, with very visual elements of the city so I could easy imagine the scenes and the characters.
However, I hit my first bump with the “reveal scene”. Turns out, I’m really sick of characters knowing nothing about magic being thrown into a new world and taking it all in strides. That scene was so unrelatable and unrealistically written that it put me off the whole book, to be honest.
I kept on because I had enjoyed the premises so I figured the feeling would pass, but the writing suffered too much from the dreaded “tell, don’t show” issue with characters interactions and the world-building as well. This was very disappointing because I had been rooting for Alard and Raz from the start and was so happy to see some ace representation in a main character. The story had great potential, but it didn’t live to it for me.

It's a cute, easy story with some spice to it. It also felt very tell, don't show in terms of the world-building and some character interactions. Also, found the romance to be a little too insta-love for my tastes. That said, Raz and Alard are cute together and I like how the solution to the arranged marriage and bond problem played out. It was also nice to see an ace character as a main character.

Thank you to NetGalley, City Owl Press, and B.A. Richards for providing me with an ARC of this novel to read for an honest review.

This was a fantastic romantasy novel from start to finish. This is one of the first fantasy MM reads I've read and i really enjoyed myself. I just love the characters and the spice in this book was amazing. I will definitely be recommending this book to other readers of these genres.

🌶️🌶️🌶️
A very interesting adventure in the fey world with interesting commentary on the human experience and morality. I don't think I have ever read something quite like this and I'm not sure if I will ever get the pleasure of it again. While our MMCs were plenty interesting and well-written characters, I wanted to know more about Meyda. She was just as much the heroine of this tale as Alard was skirting secondary character level of fleshing out. Timmy is best boy. This is a beautiful queer-centric entry that romantasy definitely needs more of. It delivered on the blurb promises and even went beyond them all while introducing many different kinds of fae and an interesting take on courts and kingdoms.

🧚‍♂️Spicy MM
🐉Ace rep
🧚‍♂️Fey court intrigue
🐉Arranged political marriage
🧚‍♂️Magic
🐉Mythical creatures
🧚‍♂️Mental health rep
🐉Found family

Thank you City Owl Press via Netgalley for an e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

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.

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.