I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis Series: Queens of Villainy #2
Published by Bramble on January 27 2026
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A loyal general meets a scheming fae queen in this lively romance, perfect for readers who love political intrigue and well developed characters.
“I’m afraid,” said her mother, “it is time for you to learn that, as queens, we do what we must, not what we would prefer.”
I am enjoying this series so much! Enchanting the Fae Queen focuses on the second of the Queens of Villainy, Queen Lorelei of Balravia, who uses her schemes and feminine wiles to seduce—or at least aggravate–a High General, with whom she’s had an…interesting relationship for the last seven years. This is a character focused story, and while the plot isn’t quite as interesting as it was in the first book, the character development made up for it.
For the past seven years, queen Lorelei and High General Gerard de Moireul (nicknamed “the Golden Beacon” because he never loses a battle) have been engaged in an on-again, off-again rivalry. Lorelei is determined to crack Gerard’s veneer of absolutely loyalty to the Emperor Otto, to whom he’s sworn undying allegiance, but Gerard refuses to be charmed by the flighty Lorelei. Until one day, Gerard finds himself kidnapped and taken to the fae realm, where Lorelei hatches a plan to outwit him.
Thrown into an unfamiliar land and expected to compete in a series of trials called the Tournament of Leaves, Gerard is annoyed at first, but little by little, as he gets to know Lorelei better, his feelings begin to change. When Gerard learns that his beloved Emperor is determined to carry out a plan called Purification—ridding the Serafin Empire of all non-human creatures—his loyalties begin to shift. Lorelei is starting to get under his skin—in more ways than one.
Let’s start with the characters. It was a joy to get to know Lorelei better. In Wooing the Witch Queen, she comes across as a bit silly, a vivacious woman who craves attention and is always the life of the party. Her magic includes blasting the room with glitter whenever she makes an entrance, and her over-the-top personality was a little…too much! But in this book, Burgis shows us her flaws and delves into her rather traumatic childhood, and I loved seeing her more vulnerable side.
Gerard was another big surprise, and I may even love his character more than Lorelei’s. Although he appears to be a buttoned-up, rule following, nearly perfect General, it doesn’t take Lorelei long to uncover his softer side. Gerard is also very smart and resourceful, with his years of military experience giving him all sorts of advantages in almost everything. He’s also very observant when it comes to Lorelei, and he can easily see past the glitter and theatrics. I think I liked Gerard so much because he is steadfast and true, but he’s also willing to look at both sides and come to his own conclusions. When Lorelei forces him to see that Otto is on a destructive path, he’s smart enough to listen to her.
These two characters are wonderful together! Both have hidden vulnerabilities and tragic backstories, and those details emerge organically as they become closer. The romance is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers trope, and I thought it was perfectly done. There’s just a bit of spice, and because I usually enjoy the flirting and lead-up to the big event more than the sex scenes, I appreciated the balance here. What I loved best about this romance was that neither Lorelei nor Gerard acted the way I expected them to. Stephanie Burgis is so good at making her relationships feel authentic, and for this reason it’s always refreshing to read one of her stories.
Burgis spends an equal amount of time with her world-building, giving the story a well rounded feel. There is an overarching political plot across the series, relating to evil Emperor Otto and his Purification scheme, and in this book it’s seamlessly woven into the story. I liked the intricate political maneuverings of the characters, and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out in the next book.
I did enjoy the Tournament of Leaves, although this section goes on for a long time, maybe longer than it needed to. But during all the trials (which are fun and imaginative), Lorelei and Gerard really get to know one another, so in that respect the tournament was a nice addition to the story. I did miss the three queens interacting together, though, which was one of the highlights for me in Wooing the Witch Queen.
A dash of danger rounds out the climax, although I was never truly worried about the characters. This is an upbeat romance, after all. I will be waiting anxiously for more news about the third and final book, Melting the Ice Queen!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Your enthusiastic reviews have me wanting to read this series. I’m glad you’re enjoying these. 🙂
It’s nice to have such an upbeat series to read:-)
I told myself I would read the first book by now but I still haven’t. And this second one also sounds so good. I’m forever behind on books. SIGH
Me too Stephanie…
Yay! I spotted this when I was drafting my new release post and it sounded so good. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
It was so much fun:-)
I think I’ve added some of this author’s work to my wish list after seeing her mentioned here. I know how much you enjoy her. Thans for sharing your thoughts on this one. Man, there is not enough time to read everything I want to!
I know! We all need time to stop so we can catch up:-)
This just sounds fun! 😀
It was fun. In fact everything the author writes is fun:-)
This cements my opinion that I really should give this series a shot!
Yes, do it!
Sounds like a great sequel that gives fan hope for a spectacular third and final book, Tammy !
Exactly! I have no doubts the third book will be just as good:-)
I skimmed for now because this one is coming up soon for me.
I hope you enjoy it:-)
Ooh I love a good slow burn enemies to lovers romance and it sounds like the characters have a lot of depth too which is great. As a fan of trials I think the Tournament would work for me too. Here’s hoping all of the Queens come together again in the finale.
The trials were very creative, and the characters were so well done:-)
I’ve seen good reviews for this. I like the cover except as I mentioned on someone else’s review, the woman has a very manly looking face which made me think at first maybe it was a M/M romance? But I guess not. Great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2026/01/23/arc-review-with-author-interview-love-me-tomorrow-by-emiko-jean/
I see what you’re saying about her face. It was so good!
I keep adding this author’s books to my TBR and have yet to start any! Maybe this year will finally be the year…
She has quite a few good ones to choose from:-)
I really enjoyed this instalment, including the trials and the way these characters are so very different than book 1. Really looking forward to the conclusion.
Lynn 😀
Yes, I love the way she changes up the characters for each book.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series – and then forgot allll about requesting this one, darn it! Glad you enjoyed it so much, Tammy:).
Thanks Sarah! I love anything Stephanie Burgis writes:-)
All right, you’ve sold me on this one. I don’t know when I’ll read it, haha, but I’ll keep it in mind for a somewhat lighter fantasy read. Would you call this cozy in anyway? Or maybe higher stakes cozy?
This is the second review I’ve seen for this book today! I think the universe is telling me to start the series sooner rather than later.
The three queens interacting was pretty fun in the previous book! And even if they may be a tad longer than needed, I am curious about the trials because they sound interesting!!
Glad to see you continue enjoying the series. Sometimes it’s nice to have these semi-low stakes stories to return to.
I was inundated with romantasy pitches last year and had to make the cut off somewhere so I missed the first book. Now I’m kinda wishing I started the series because it sounds absolutely charming.
I just picked up my copy, and I’m excited to read it! I will admit, I liked Lorelei least of the three queens in book one, so I was hesitant about her book.I’m glad to hear that she gets more depth in her book than she did as a side character!