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Only Spell Deep  tells the story of Judeth Cole, a young woman descended from a long line of elemental witches. Her late grandmother, Aurelia, once cast a powerful love spell on her grandfather, a man incapable of true love, and its obsessive effects have filtered down through the generations. When the novel opens, Judeth is sixteen years old and has lost her family and their seaside estate Solidago to a fire. Tasked with rebuilding the estate and retaining her grandmother’s maiden name if she hopes to inherit, she chooses to escape her troubled past, changing her name to Jude Clark and living a life of quiet obscurity. When a mysterious invitation tucked into a book brings her into contact with the Fathom, a circle of witches determined to seize their powers, Jude must weigh her loneliness against the cost of confronting her painful past. This novel is filled with atmospheric details which blend elements of coastal and urban magic. Morgyn offers gorgeous descriptions of a Gothic homestead set on the side of the cliff alongside thrilling adventures through the busy streets of Seattle. Although the book features a romance subplot between Judeth and Levi, the bookstore owner who helps to solve a series of riddles, the story’s strength is its commentary on pain as a source of magic and power. “Secretly, all women burn,” Judeth’s mother says shortly before the family estate goes up in flames; “To be a woman is to be fire.” Judeth learns she is a fire rover, and her interactions with the Fathom put her into contact with night bearers (those who learn to cast themselves in shadow to escape abuse) and water diviners (those who push their powers down in an effort to protect themselves). Steeped in mythology and feminine rage, this book explores difficult issues like sexual assault, suicidal ideation, and incest. The first half of the book establishes setting, initiates mystery, and explores the past’s influence on the present, setting up a second half filled with fast-paced action. Fans of Morgyn’s previous books The Witches of Bone Hill and The Bane Witch  will find much to love in Only Spell Deep . If you enjoy stories which heal generational trauma through the grasping and wielding of magical power give these books a try! You can find them here . Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Pitched as a story where Bridgerton  meets Circe , Rachel Hochhauser’s Lady Tremaine  far surpassed my already high expectations, easily becoming my favorite new read! Told from the breathtaking perspective of the twice-widowed Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley, this novel will turn your perceptions of the Cinderella  story inside out while also rewriting the script of all fairy tale plots passed down through the generations. Hochhauser’s choice to filter a well-known tale through the voice of a mature protagonist is brilliant, and her novel quickly moves beyond the fairy tale tropes on which it is built. The famous wicked stepmother of folklore is given a fully-realized past that informs the way she navigates a world at odds with her downtrodden circumstances. Lady Tremaine, a woman whose very name is a reflection of her complicated history, has lived and loved. She has been raised to straddle the worlds of the gentry and the gentile, she has learned the art of commanding blood-thirsty falcons, and she fiercely protects and prepares her fatherless daughters, Matilda and Rosamund, to face a life where appearances craft reality. Her stepdaughter Elin, bound by the aristocratic dictates of her deceased mother’s conduct manual, inhabits a world of platitudes and dreams, fainting and fawning at the prospect of labor and only exerting herself to attend a ball where she meets a prince bent on marrying a submissive wife. When the romantic relationship between Elin and the prince is exposed as less than ideal, Lady Tremaine must decide where her loyalties to her daughters, her stepdaughter, and herself rest as she makes choices which will affect not only her family but the future of the kingdom. I absolutely loved every word of this book! I am well-versed in traditional fairy tale study and have read countless retellings of fairy tale plots, but Hochhauser’s narrative had me on the edge of my seat, gasping as her gorgeous prose twisted old tropes and symbols into something entirely new. “Stories are made by organizing and rewriting details,” Lady Tremaine says, “you can arrange them in so many ways.” Hochhauser’s deft rearrangement of the Cinderella  story does far more than filter it through the antagonist’s voice; it pushes readers to contemplate their own biases, rewiring the forest we have been taught to fear as a potent symbol of human life itself. Hochhauser does not shy away from the female rage that comes of living within a patriarchal environment, but unlike other writers who fantastically twist traditional plots to right the wrongs of the past in unproductive ways, she distills that rage into a force as beautiful and as believable as the balances found in nature, showing how it as necessary for survival and presenting it as both glorious and savage. Lady Tremaine’s  characters, scenes, dialogue, symbols, and commentary are a feast for the senses; even while in the grip of a story that delighted me with surprising twists and turns, I knew I was in the hands of a writer who was consciously and beautifully transforming my perceptions of the lives we lead and the stories we tell. Lady Tremaine  is more than a book about happily-ever-afters. It is a poignant and powerful exploration of identity, love, life, loss, and motherhood that will force readers to rethink the stories that have shaped them. This is a book I would teach in my Fairy Tale and Folklore classes, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who enjoys novels that are both entertaining and transformative. You can find it here . Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship, and her first novel, Sea and Stars, a real-world reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, publishes in July 2026. Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com .

A haunted bookshop in Scotland, a series of mysterious disappearances, and a sweet romance that unfold across the bonds of time: if these things sound intriguing to you then add Jessica Dodge’s The Messengers of Magic to the top of your TBR List! This lovely novel follows Pen Turner, a young man from the 1950’s who escapes the pain and grief of his childhood when a neighbor leaves him the deed to an old bookshop named The Feather Thorn in Scotland, and Adelaide Benson, a woman who retreats to Scotland when her husband leaves her for his assistant. Adelaide soon becomes interested in the haunted bookshop from which two men have disappeared, and she decides to start her life over by purchasing and renovating the property. Soon, she finds herself in an impossible situation, communicating with the missing Pen Turner through a magical typewriter that transcends time. The dual timelines of Penn and Adelaide are punctuated with pages from the hidden diary of John Dee, an astronomer and mathematician who served as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. Dee’s writing contains the clues to understanding the rip in time that has hidden Pen from view, and together, Pen and Adelaide must work to uncover the mysteries of the past. The Messengers of Magic is the perfect book to lose yourself in, especially if you love romance and magic. Dodge peppers the text with both contemporary and folkloric references that transport readers to a quaint Scottish town, and the romantic connection she creates between two characters who spend the majority of their time on different planes of existence is admirable. Pen’s sensitivity and kindness make him an excellent foil to the other men in Adelaide’s life, and the letters he types on the enchanted typewriter are sweet and swoony. The story features a watch inscribed with constellations, chiming bells, and fluttering moths which are symbols of magic messages conveyed across time, and the buildings and streets in the small Scottish town are all named after species of moths found in Scotland. These enchanting details create an immersive experience that sweeps readers away into a world where anything might be possible. Part mystery, part love story, and part meditation on how time shapes and defines our lives, The Messengers of Magic  is a book to be devoured. You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Jess Armstrong serves up a round of murder and folklore in her latest installment of the Ruby Vaughn Mystery series The Devil in Oxford . After investigating mysterious murders and hauntings in Cornwall and Scotland in The Curse of Penryth Hall  and The Secret of the Three Fates , Ruby, a disgraced American heiress and former World War I ambulance driver, accompanies her octogenarian housemate and employer Mr. Owen to Oxford for the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Ruby has a penchant for attracting danger, and in typical fashion, she discovers the body of a missing scholar while visiting a crowded exhibition of artifacts. When her old friend, Leona Abernathy, asks for her help in finding the killer, Ruby once again becomes involved in a murder investigation. Readers of Armstrong’s series will be delighted to know it is not only Ruby roaming the Oxford streets in this novel. Ruan Kivell, a Cornish Pellar who can hear Ruby’s thoughts, once again joins the narrative, and the estranged couple must work through their awkward past while navigating their continued attraction to each other. As they investigate murder, search for missing people, and become embroiled in a seditious world of cocaine and antiquities, Ruby and Ruan’s slow-burn romantic relationship sizzles. In addition to further exploring the series' regulars like Ruby, Ruan, and Mr. Owen, Armstrong offers new and exciting characters like Leona Abernathy and Frederick Reaver, the keepers of the Egyptology Collection, who jump off the page. The twists and turns of the plot kept me guessing, and even as the “devil” was revealed, I was eager to keep turning the pages. Armstrong beautifully resolves her story while setting readers up for a new mystery, proving her series is as addictive as the illegal substances at the heart of the Oxford crime circuit. Set in 1920’s Great Britain, the Ruby Vaughn series oozes with lush historical detail and evocative settings. I loved exploring Oxford's museums with Ruby, and enjoyed the cozy winter atmosphere that permeates the tale. Gently falling snow and Christmas celebrations perfectly compliment the adventure and excitement. Although Devil in Oxford is firmly planted in the real world of dark academia, the presence of ghosts, the power of witches, and the mysteries of the other-world add a Gothic and supernatural flavor. I love the Ruby Vaughn series and highly recommend it to all who enjoy classic murder mysteries with a side of folklore! You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

Behind the Door  by M. S. Berry is a contemporary and psychological reworking of Bluebeard  that will have readers on the edge of their seats! When Anna, a student finishing her PhD in folklore and fairy tales takes a house-sitting position in a sleepy English town, she finds herself thrust into a real-world fairy tale narrative. Her mysterious employer, Ryan Boswell, offers Anna a quiet space to finish her thesis in return for light work in his book shop and care of his house and cats (named after Hamlet’s  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern), but he demands no one enters the bedroom on the second floor of the home. Although the house is beautiful, something is off from the beginning, and Anna quickly develops an intimate relationship with a local landscaper to distract herself from the strange shadows and noises that manifest in her imagination. The plot is kicked into high gear when Anna’s sister Alice, who is visiting from Toronto, goes missing just as the owner of the house announces his early return. Characters like a suspicious old woman and a thin man who regularly paces in the field behind the home add layers of Gothic color to Berry’s Bluebeard tale. Although I did have a little trouble believing a student of folklore would display what felt like a limited understanding of Perrault’s Bluebeard, and although I wished Berry, who introduces her main character as a Brothers Grimm aficionado, would have included some nods to The Fitcher’s Bird , the tense pacing and movement of Behind the Door  had me hooked from the beginning! The chapters and sentences are purposefully terse and concise, creating an atmosphere of exhilaration which kept me turning pages well into the night. I struggled with some of the decisions the protagonist made, but I was always excited to keep reading and learn how her decisions would impact the course of the story. Behind the Door  is a thriller that explores the fine line between privacy and secrecy, between love and stalking, and between passion and violence, but the setting provides a cozy feel that readers of English mysteries will recognize and adore. Divided into three sections ( The Beginning , The Middle , and The End ) to replicate what Anna understands as fairy tale structure, this novel is an addictive escape that immerses readers in a spooky house and a dusty bookshop, forcing them to consider how the repeated patterns of fairy tales reflect and impact the patterns of real human life. Anna’s initial conclusion that Bluebeard  teaches wives to be obedient is finally and meaningfully reversed by her commentary at the novel’s end, and the book’s assertion that “you can’t go back in time when it comes to knowledge” lends profound contemplation to the varied interpretations of the fairy tale. If you love Bluebeard  and you are looking for a fun read that will sweep you away to a sleepy but mysterious English countryside town, pick up a copy of this book and learn what lies behind the door! I couldn’t put it down! You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer . Her poetry and fiction have appeared in  A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Enchanted Conversation, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , Mothers of Enchantment, The Chamber Magazine, and The Magic of Us. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship. Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com .

Are you a fan of swoony Gothic romance, dark fantasy, and fairy tale? If so, you can find all this and more in Amanda Linsmeier’s novel A Dance With Death . Set in The Pins, a village by the sea, and written in the first person present point of view of Corliss Bell, one of three orphaned sisters who run the town apothecary, this book beautifully blends Beauty and the Beast  with Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes , adding a healthy dash of romantic spice to warm the gloomy atmosphere. The Pins is a place where magic resides, and rumor has it that the crumbling Colehart Mansion is haunted by a demon. Although Corliss, a tattooed rebel whose ink tells the story of her past loves and losses, doesn’t believe in magic, she visits the mansion in a desperate attempt to save her sister’s life. While there, she discovers a pair of red ballet slippers and uses them to audition as a ballerina at The Red Clover. Orrin, the demon owner of the mansion, soon learns about her theft and forces her into captivity, making her dance for him each night in punishment for her crimes. Although the demon is known for his involvement in murder, Corliss soon learns there are even more powerful villains to confront if she hopes to rescue her sister’s tortured soul. Although the writer admittedly takes liberties with historical content and dialogue, A Dance With Death is a thoroughly enjoyable read that drips with Gothic atmosphere. Lush descriptions of landscapes, ballet costumes, and mansion bedrooms transport readers to a new time and place, and the dancing imagery is breathtaking. The slow-burn but steamy relationship between Corliss and Orrin is a classic enemies-to-lovers tale, and the stakes are high enough to propel the twisting plot forward. The book explores the depths of love, memory, terror, and hope. I love this standalone romantic tale, and I look forward to reading more novels in The Three Bells  series. Fans of dark fairy tale romance will be delighted with this book! You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer . Her poetry and fiction have appeared in  A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Enchanted Conversation, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , Mothers of Enchantment, The Chamber Magazine, and The Magic of Us. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship. Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com .

I have long been a fan of Theodora Goss’ hauntingly beautiful writing, but her latest collection, Letters from an Imaginary Country , is one of my favorites. Goss has crafted an anthology of old and new stories designed to push readers past the defined boundaries of speculative fiction, and the characters, prose, and insight found within its pages will linger long after the book has been closed. Goss, who was born in Hungary and immigrated to the United States during her childhood, uses her personal experiences to create fictional stories which capture the harrowing but empowering influence of liminality. In selections like Dora/Dora: An Autobiography  and To Budapest, With Love , Goss explores her childhood home, honoring it while wondering about the effect it might have had upon a young woman’s life experiences. Goss also makes use of her deep knowledge of Victorian literature and feminist theories to explore well-known 19 th century characters including Dracula ’s Mina Harker and Frankenstein’s daughter. Fans of The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club , Goss' trilogy about the daughters of infamous Victorian monsters (Mary Jekyll, Diana Hyde, Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein) will find an origin story in The Mad Scientist’s Daughter , and those who love folkloric characters like the Snow Queen will enjoy England Under the White Witch . Goss uses her extensive talents to present multiple variants of complex characters while also rounding out the flat characters found in the background of famous stories. The tales in this collection contain an epistolary element which mires them in 19 th  century sensibilities, but they also echo with clear contemporary context. Although the selections can be enjoyed in isolation, taken together, images, themes, and characters resonate, creating a deep connection between the writer and her readers. Letters from an Imaginary Country  is the latest brilliant work from an expert writer. Whether you are revisiting an old friend or reading Theodora Goss for the first time, prepare to be enchanted by what you find. This collection will always have a special space on my bookshelf and in my heart. You can find it here . Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer . Her poetry and fiction have appeared in  A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Enchanted Conversation, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , Mothers of Enchantment, The Chamber Magazine, and The Magic of Us. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship. Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com .

Fairylore: A Compendium of the Fae Folk  is a beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of fairy lore that belongs on every library shelf. Collaboratively written by Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, the professors behind the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, Fairylore  features an incredible depth and breadth of research presented with engaging and accessible prose. The cover art and chapter paintings by Annie Stegg Gerard, and the interior drawings by Kristen Kwan, blend seamlessly with narrative explorations of otherworldly creatures, creating a multifaceted experience which invites readers into a fairy circle of magic and delight. Fairylore , which is dedicated to “all Carterhaugh students of the past, present, and future,” begins with an introduction that addresses the slippery nature of fairies themselves. After discussing the roots of the word “fairy,” Cleto and Warman investigate several theories regarding where fairies come from and how they live, grounding readers in an academic study of the fairy world even as they draw them deeper into the realm of enchantment. Unlike less-researched sources of fairy lore which often collapse the notion of “fairy” into one universal idea, Fairylore deftly explores distinct cultural depictions of fairies while also allowing transcendent similarities in the functions of fairies to resonate. The introduction establishes an endearing and lighthearted tone supported by a framework of vast scholarly knowledge, helping readers recognize that fairies are often “a reflection of the people who tell stories about them.” Cleto and Warman expertly pose and answer questions about fairies as they open a space for continued contemplation. Rather than use an alphabetical or geographical method of organization, Cleto and Warman structure their chapters around types  of fairies, which forces readers to think about what the creatures mean to the people who spin stories about them. Chapters include Fairies of the Home , Fairies of Seduction,   Fairies of Terror , Fairies of Nature, and Fairy Neighbors  (all of which feature entries on fairies from cultures around the globe). The final chapter, Our Fairies, Ourselves, blurs the boundaries between the fairy and human realms, exploring topics like changelings, the cunning folk, and fairy midwives. Each chapter is punctuated with reprintings of stories told by famous fairy tale writers like Hans Christian Andersen and Lafcadio Hearn. The unique structure of Fairylore allows both those new to fairy study and those who already have knowledge in the field to contemplate fairy lore in innovative ways. In a beautiful forward to the compendium, Terri Windling speaks of fairies as “prickly” creatures who exist in the dangerous but exhilarating spaces “betwixt and between.” She invites readers to “turn the page” and “cross over the threshold,” ensuring them they are safe in the capable hands of Cleto and Warman, scholars who have meticulously studied the fairy world without losing hold of its magic. Fairylore: A Compendium of the Fae Folk  is a necessary book for all those who seek the rare blend of intellectual contemplation and fairy enchantment that Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman provide. It is both a valuable academic resource and a work of art that I will cherish and return to often as I continue to explore the fairy magic that beckons from “betwixt and between.” You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer . Her poetry and fiction have appeared in  A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Enchanted Conversation, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , Mothers of Enchantment, The Chamber Magazine, and The Magic of Us. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship. Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com .

Sharon Lynn Fisher, the author of Salt & Broom  and Grimm Curiosities , returns readers to the lush, romantic 19th century in her latest book Tea & Alchemy . When Mina Penrose, a lonely young woman who spends her days working in a tearoom called The Magpie in 1854 Cornwall, discovers a dead body on the heath, she becomes embroiled in a mystery concerning Harker Tregarrick, the elusive aristocrat living alone on a centuries-old estate. Together, the unlikely pair must use their intelligence and otherworldly gifts to unravel the folkloric haunting plaguing their village while navigating the growing romance between them. The characters' names hint at the presence of literary vampires, but instead of blood-thirsty demons, readers will find a lonely man cursed with a family affliction. Harker uses alchemical concoctions to stave off his violent desires, but his attraction to the sweet, tea-leaf reading Mina challenges his restraint. Their attraction to each other is further complicated by the suspicions of the villagers, including Mina’s twin brother Jack, who will risk everything he has to save his sister. Fans of vampire literature, Gothic atmosphere, and cozy, slow-burn romance will devour this book! Fisher shines in creating immersive settings, and her village of Roche Rock in Cornwall is no exception. She uses beautiful language to describe the fog and the moors, the windswept pathways and the crumbling chapel. These moody images are set against the cozy tearoom and divination magic, and beneath it all is a forbidden yearning for love and acceptance as the antidote to loneliness. I especially loved Fisher’s nods to Jane Rochester from Salt & Broom,  her use of a quote from Jon Polidori’s The Vampyre  to set the stage for her tale, and her balance of Mina’s first-person pint of view with Harker’s voice and interjections. The mystery propelled me to keep reading in the hopes of discovering the killer, but Tea & Alchemy  is a book to which I will return whenever I am longing for the comforts that only Gothic literature, sumptuous descriptive imagery, and romantic mystery can provide. Pour yourself a cup of tea, light a flickering candle, curl up beneath a warm blanket, and let Sharon Lynn Fisher’s writing alchemize the everyday world into a realm of magic. You won’t be disappointed! You can find it here . Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review. Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

In this stand-alone sequel to Amy Quick Parish’s novella Highlands Christmas : Wishes Come True , readers are returned to Scotland to revisit Melissa, a recent divorcee who has inherited a home overseas and fallen in love with the Scottish lawyer who handled the dissolution of her marriage. In this installment, Melissa’s friend Caitlin comes to visit for Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, and the women plan a getaway to the Isle of Skye. When a snow storm interrupts their plans, Melissa is stranded at home with her new love interest (the divorce lawyer Colin), while Caitlin rides out the weather in a cozy inn on the banks of Loch Ness with Colin’s sister Lindsay. There, they meet two rugged Scottish men with connections to Caitlin’s hometown of Boston. This short novella features three sweet, budding romances set against a wintry Scottish backdrop, and those who love folklore will find delight in its pages. The characters celebrate Burns Night and take part in the Highland Games. They describe the daft days between Christmas and New Year’s and talk of Scottish superstitions and traditions like first footing, a belief that the first visitor to cross your threshold in the New Year sets the tone for months to follow. They plan to visit famous landmarks like the Loch Ness, The Old Man of Stor and The Fairy Glen, and they tell stories of kelpies, selkies, and water horses as they sip whisky around peat-scented fires. This short book gives readers a bite-sized taste of Scottish culture and a sweet, romantic escape into folklore. If you are looking for a light-hearted reprieve from the holiday bustle, and if you enjoy a man wearing a kilt, Amy Quick Parish’s book Highland New Year  is for you! You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis is the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine. Her work has also been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her first novella, Selkie Moon , comes out in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/

For many years, I wrote about home keeping and gardening for a small weekly paper, and I enjoyed it. So I decided to bring some of that experience to The Fairy Tale Magazine through Cinderella’s Hearth. It’s been great fun doing it, but I’ve always prided myself on knowing when to move on. I stick like super glue to relationships with people, but I need a lot of creative stimulation, and I’m ready for a new challenge. But first, shoutouts to Kelly Jarvis and Lissa Sloan for their frequent excellent contributions. Thank you, both, you fabulous friends and writers! Starting early next year, I’ll be writing posts on fairy tales, folklore, myth, magic—the subjects we always write about here, but I’ll be engaging in research and falling down rabbit holes, I hope! I’ll be sharing what I discover here on the blog, and I may even dabble in creative nonfiction and delve into explicating folkloric rituals. I’ll hope you’ll enjoy the results. For now, Cinderella, my favorite fairy tale heroine, is going to bank the fire in her hearth, blow out her candles in her kitchen, and roll off to new adventures in her glorious pumpkin carriage. See you in the new year! Kate Wolford was the publisher and editor of The Fairy Tale Magazine  for many years. She’s now enjoying being Resident Fairy Godmother

Are you ready for some yuletide magic? Let Amy Trent’s novella The Princess and the Shoemaker  warm you up this holiday season. Trent returns to the fairy tale kingdom of her Enchantment Retold  series to share the story of Cornelius, a veteran soldier who has returned from war to work in his parents’ struggling shoe shop though his heart is filled with poetry. When he falls asleep before he can finish his last pair of shoes, he awakens to find a lovingly crafted pair of leather boots mysteriously stitched with the silver words of his latest poem. The financially struggling family tries to embrace the magic, thinking a fairy has come to lend them a hand, but when Cornelius meets the woman who has been visiting the shop to stitch shoes, he falls head over heels in love with her kind demeanor and dark brown eyes. Gwen is more than just a fairy; she is also one of the kingdom’s twelve princesses, but she hides her true identity to protect Cornelius from her overprotective sister Ivy. Her sisters desperately seek the name of the man she is smitten with, but Gwen is resolved to keep their relationship a secret. The unlikely couple flirt all through the yuletide season, crafting shoes, discussing poems, and enjoying seasonal treats, and when the truth of their identities is revealed, they must find a way to address their own insecurities and secure their happily-ever-after. Although The Princess and the Shoemaker  is a standalone novella, fans of the Enchantment Retold  series will recognize the names of characters from Amy Trent’s novels Smoke, Steel, & Ivy and Clever, Cursed, & Storied . The novella deals with intense feelings of grief and guilt, but it also sings with romance as Cornelius and Gwen engage in sweet activities and poetic conversations. Trent’s writing is filled with beautiful colors and wintry imagery, and the closed-door relationship between the couple will make even the scroogiest of readers swoon. Trent, who also penned Curses, Diamonds, & Toads , is not new to the fairy tale novella form, and her short work offers great depth and insight for readers looking for an appetizing bite of her storytelling magic. If you love romantic stories set at yuletide, gift yourself and someone you love a copy of The Princess and the Shoemaker . I loved it! You can find it here . Kelly Jarvis works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University. Her work has been featured in A Moon of One’s Own,   Baseball Bard , Blue Heron Review , Corvid Queen, Eternal Haunted Summer,   Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly , The Chamber Magazine , The Magic of Us, and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers . Her debut novella, Selkie Moon , was released in 2025. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/