THE ABSINTHE EARL by Sharon Lynn Fisher – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Absinthe Earl by Sharon Lynn Fisher
Series: The Faery Rehistory #1
Published by Blackstone Publishing on October 15 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Another winner from Sharon Lynn Fisher, The Absinthe Earl is a delightful historical romance, meticulously researched and full to the brim with unexpected fantasy elements and a fast moving plot.

I stared wide-eyed and then dropped into a drunkard’s curtsy, blushing like a lovesick maiden. “Your Majesty,” I murmured. I closed my eyes, pressing my lips together, feeling the mortification wash over me. I’d just been discovered by the queen of Ireland, half-dressed, with torn undergarments and in the arms of a bare-chested earl who just happened to be her cousin.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sharon Lynn Fisher comes up with the most unusual ideas, and she incorporates these ideas into thrilling stories with elements of mystery, intrigue and of course, romance. In Ghost Planet, every person on the planet of Ardagh 1 has an alien spirit attached to them, identical to someone in their life who has died. In Echo 8, “Echoes” from alternate universes must steal energy from humans in order to survive, and in The Ophelia Prophecy, the main character encounters an alien who has both insect and human DNA—and falls in love with him! Now in her latest, Fisher has created a delicious scenario in which the souls of an ancient fairy warrior and his lover are able to inhabit the bodies of an Irish mythology scholar and an Earl, causing all sorts of havoc. I’m thrilled that The Absinthe Earl is the start of a series, because I enjoyed this world so much.

The story takes place in 1882 Ireland. Ada Quicksilver is a student studying Celtic mythology at Trinity College in Dublin. She’s currently researching the connection between the fey and absinthe, after interviewing people who claim to have seen fairies while drinking the strong, green alcohol. Her research leads her one evening to an absinthe bar called The Green Fairy, where she strikes up a conversation with a handsome man. He introduces himself as Lord Edward, the Earl of Meath, who turns out to be related to the queen of Ireland. But Edward is a little odd. He wears green tinted spectacles and acts as though he’s seeing things that aren’t there.

It turns out, he is. Edward can see spirits and fairies when he drinks absinthe, and wearing the glasses blocks them from his vision. But while talking to Ada, Edward removes his glasses, and he sees something terrifying. Hanging around Ada is a vision of a banshee, which Edward interprets as a death threat against his new friend. Determined to save her from a terrible fate, he convinces Ada to accompany him on an errand for the queen. At least if they’re together, Edward will be able to see any otherworldly dangers and prevent Ada from getting hurt.

But on their journey, they discover there’s an even bigger threat. An immortal fairy warrior named Diarmuid has managed to use Edward’s body as a gateway between our world and the world of Faery, and Diarmuid’s lover Cliona is also able to cross the gateway through Ada, much to her chagrin. Long ago, Diarmuid cast a spell that exiled all of faery from Ireland. But the spell is starting to break down, and a war between the Tuatha De Danaan (fairies) and their enemies, the Fomorians, is brewing. 

This is quite the intricate plot, and I don’t want to go into too much more detail because it’s best to let things unfold as you read. Fisher has done an amazing amount of research to bring her story to life. I love that she chose to set her story in the late 1800s, which gives it a wonderful historical vibe. And I’m sure that one of her core ideas—that absinthe and seeing fairies are somehow connected—fits nicely in a time period when drinking absinthe was all the rage. This time period also sets the tone for the relationship between Ada and Edward, a time when women were still under the protection of husbands and chaperones and certain behaviors were expected from them. That’s not to say that Ada follows those constraints herself, but more on our heroine later. 

In addition to the historical elements, I loved all the details about Ireland and the world of Faery mythology. Fisher brings ancient monsters into her tale to spice up the plot, like the Irish water horse, a púca, and even a bog man! She also incorporates a real life tragedy from Ireland’s past, the Great Famine of Ireland, and comes up with an alternate history that involves fairies. All these details and more gave the story an extra, vivid layer that really brought the characters to life.

I really enjoyed Ada and Edward, and they definitely had the sizzling chemistry and witty banter necessary for a believable, romantic couple. Edward is more of the traditional male love interest, always trying to protect Ada from the danger that seems to be lurking around every corner. Luckily, Ada wants none of that! “Miss Q,” as Edward calls her, is intelligent, headstrong, and independent, and despite her unusual silver hair and almost otherworldly beauty, she’s much tougher than she appears and holds her own very well. Let’s just say their relationship is going to be on her terms, and I loved her for that.

But for me, the meatiest part of the story, and the element that gave me the most food for thought, was the way Fisher introduces Diarmuid and Cliona and has them interact with Ada and Edward. I mentioned before that the author has a knack for coming up with unusual romantic situations, and she certainly didn’t let me down with this book. As the two become more and more attracted to each other, the big question is whether their feelings for each other are real, or whether the interference of Diarmuid and Cliona is influencing those feelings. Fisher raises the question of whether they’ll ever be able to have a normal relationship with two immortals barging into their lives unexpectedly, and I thought she did a great job of resolving that conundrum by the end of the story.

We do get to visit the Faery realm eventually, but I would have liked to see even more of the story take place on that side. The final and inevitable battle scene felt a little rushed at the end, but I did love the way Fisher brought out some truly terrifying mythological creatures for our characters to fight against. There’s a lot I haven’t talked about in this review (pirates, for example!), but I’ll leave you to discover those elements for yourselves. The ending was just perfect and actually gave me goosebumps! The story wraps up neatly without a cliffhanger—thank goodness—and I’m very curious to see where Fisher takes her story in the next book. Fans of lively historical fantasy romance are not going to want to miss this book.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.