Hello everyone!
Now if you've been following me for a bit, you might remember that this title seems familiar to some extent.
Perhaps you're thinking: have I seen this before?
Have you?
Well, turns out, you have!
Originally published as part of an anthology, this particular novella got expanded upon, rewritten, and re-published!
And, because I'm a good soul like that - and also, because Rhi Hargadon is an absolute ANGEL - I'm here to write a quick review about this new version of the tale.
Without further ado: Lily & Thorne!
Links to previous related posts can be found at the bottom of the page, as per usual (yes, even the one leading to the review of the original publication).
Lily & Thorne is the first story of the House of Fieri series, which is overarchingly connected to the Descendants of the Fates as well as Bloody Black, all CONVENIENTLY books written by this same author.
Which, by and by, if you've yet to read any of them, what ARE you waiting for?!?
Ahem.
It's a cold night, a snowy night, and our heroine, Lily, slams her small car into this dude that suddenly pops up in the middle of the snowstorm, half-naked.
Naturally, he's out cold.
Also naturally, she brings him into her bookshop.
So, a little about Lily: she's divorced, her ex is all happy-happy, married-again with a newborn baby, and all she's got to show for their marriage are countless miscarriages, and only one child that lived a little while longer ... until she made a mistake, one tiny, tiniest mistake, involving a blanket.
Safe to say she's got a healthy rage against blankets, now, and unfair infertility.
Now, her bookstore that doesn't really do all that well is her only pride and joy, and she's brought a stranger into it.
When Thorne - said stranger, and also, coincidentally, the current Lord of the Fae, ruling over the land - wakes up, he doesn't quite get why he's here or where here even is, to be honest.
He's been searching for his brother (we'll be seeing said brother SOON, in a book of his own, and oyyyyyy vey but he's going to have a long road ahead of him) to no avail, and he gets a little sidetracked because Lily happens to be his mate.
I mean. It doesn't quite work in that predetermined way in this world.
It's more a 'if we have sex multiple times then basically, I can't fall for anyone else and will slowly go insane without you' kind of deal.
No pressure.
Not that Lily's thinking about sex in the beginning. She's struggling with the concept of a guy like Thorne even looking at her twice.
But then just a snap of him on social media starts drawing more customers to the store; he helps her out when they run into James and his now-wife at a pub; and eventually the pull is just too strong, and Thorne just ... TOO GOOD, in all the best ways, for Lily to resist.
And he can't, either, so I mean, knowing he's Fae ... yep and yikes.
Reading this you know that it's all got an expiration date for when the snowstorm that's caught them inside dissipates and the snow gets removed, but what happens is even more shocking: his sister comes to pick him up.
Thorne pleads with Lily to trust that he'll return to her, but that he actually kinda has to go home for a bit to sort things through. She's too frightened to allow herself the chance, and tells him to go without promising anything.
She obviously regrets it, and finds some sort of mythical beings hotline to call if you need help, and against the better judgment of her best friend, summons a demon to send a message to Thorne.
The demon's asking price? A memory.
Just when you think she's gonna go for the one about Lily's unfortunate son, nope, she does one worse.
She takes all memory of Thorne from her (but only her, everyone else clearly remembers him, which makes this whole thing even more bonkers).
Thankfully the BFF knows they need to go through that portal that only happens every full moon, and they travel to Arcana castle where Lily meets Thorne's family - his parents, sister, the works. And no, she still doesn't remember him, but they sure as hell know who SHE is, not that they'll admit as much or even that they admire her bravery.
Achieving nothing, the two women return to their own world, and Lily resigns herself to a quiet life.
Until one day, when Thorne walks back into her bookshop.
Naturally, as she doesn't remember him, he suddenly starts piecing everything together. Of course he points out she only had to trust that he'd return, and none of this would have happened, but Lily's like, listen bozo ...
It takes a little pep talk from her ex, of all people, to say hey, just so you know, you may not remember him now but you LOVED him, and oh by the way he's crying in the park so, could you maybe not break a guy like that?
So Lily runs, deciding that, if nothing else, she will always trust her best friend, who keeps harping on about how good Thorne was to her. She goes to him, and he tells her he can return her memories if that's what she wishes, but she needs only believe as he kisses her.
The memories come back to her slowly, over time, and Thorne stays with her in the human world. They can travel to the Fae realm whenever, but mostly they're just building their life in that bookstore, side by side.
And oh, Lily's infertility? The thing that caused all the problems to begin with in her previous marriage? Thorne's got Ouroboros blood that can heal ANYTHING (I'm squinting my eyes thinking it's bound to be Elijah's - IYKYK). It's her call whether she uses it or not.
What she DOES know is that, despite everything, this life with Thorne and her trust and belief in the two of them is the happily ever after she's always wanted.
This book has absolutely hopped up to 5 stars from my previous 4 star rating. All the things I picked in the last one that didn't make sense? Now they do.
Feeling like it's the middle of the movie not the start? Over it. We get the full shebang this time.
Thorne giving more breadcrumbs to make it make sense how she finds his family? YES, BBY.
Basically, for every question I asked when I read this novella in the anthology originally, Rhiannon Hargadon found an answer, wove it into the original text like it's always been there, and then slammed the finished product on the table saying 'Complain NOW. I dare you.'
I am impressed. I am silenced. This is beautiful.
Lily & Thorne is the perfect first book into the House of Fieri series that makes you really want to read further once the rest of it gets written, and it also has important representation, deals with sensitive topics beautifully, and all in all just makes this holiday season more lovely.
... I do have to say, that I highly doubt there is anyone more handsome than Jamie Fraser. James Fraser is the bar at which ginger handsome is set! LOL but anyway.
(and if it isn't obvious by now, I was very generously sent a copy to read by the author herself, but all opinions are my own)
Basically, for every question I asked when I read this novella in the anthology originally, Rhiannon Hargadon found an answer, wove it into the original text like it's always been there, and then slammed the finished product on the table saying 'Complain NOW. I dare you.'
I am impressed. I am silenced. This is beautiful.
Lily & Thorne is the perfect first book into the House of Fieri series that makes you really want to read further once the rest of it gets written, and it also has important representation, deals with sensitive topics beautifully, and all in all just makes this holiday season more lovely.
... I do have to say, that I highly doubt there is anyone more handsome than Jamie Fraser. James Fraser is the bar at which ginger handsome is set! LOL but anyway.
(and if it isn't obvious by now, I was very generously sent a copy to read by the author herself, but all opinions are my own)
Read it and weep!
xx
*image not mine
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