Back of Book: 

Can her witchcraft charm even a notorious rake?

Although Maria Kellway prefers living in the country, where she can grow herbs for her witchcraft, her grandparents bring her to London in search of eligible suitors. Instead, she stumbles into scandal. Wanting to stay out of the gossip pages, Maria accepts an invitation to a house party hosted by one of her grandmother’s friends. Much to her dismay, though, she discovers that the guestroom next to hers houses the man who instigated the young Lord Markham.

Markham may be a rake, but kissing a debutante at a rout party was an honest mistake. He’s perfectly willing to make amends for damaging Maria’s reputation, so long as he can do so without marrying her himself. Believing that the best solution is for Maria to marry someone else, Markham attempts to find a husband for her at his grandparents’ house party. Maria may say she doesn’t want to marry, but surely love will bloom in the right setting!

But when a thunderstorm drives Maria and Markham to seek shelter together, everything changes in a heated instant. Now Markham can’t help but want Maria, and Maria isn’t as indifferent to him as she believed.

Can they find a happily ever after together despite Markham’s rakish past? Or will the coming storm, despite Markham’s penchant for weather magic, be too great to bear? 

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Historical | Romance | Fantasy 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The first book in a romantic regency trilogy featuring autistic women with magic abilities. 

Maria Kellway is a quiet young woman who prefers to spend her time with plants and mixing potions rather than mingling in high society. When her grandparents move her to London to look for a suitor, she finds herself involved in a scandal with one of the most roguish rakes in the country. Desperate to spare her reputation any further pain, she accepts an invitation to a house party at one her grandparent's friend's manors in the hopes of getting out of the public eye. Unfortunately, she finds herself sharing a rooftop with the very man that put her name on the line. Now, Maria will do whatever she can to avoid Lord Markham and his nefarious ways. However, as time goes by, Markham treats her with such kindness and respect that only a true gentleman could muster. Can Maria keep her feelings at bay? And if she can't, is she enough to tie down the rakish Lord Markham once and for all? 

This is the second historical fantasy romance that I've read by Rollins, and I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first. I always think that regency romances are going to be too cheesy and drama-filled for my liking, but Rollins' work has a way on snaring my attention and refusing to let go of it.

This book is set in an alternate version of London in 1815-1816 in which magicians are common, especially among the nobility. Much like most regency romances, this book follows a young girl who is looking for a potential husband. I've never actually read a regency romance starring a rake though, so I found it really interesting to see how the skirtchasing nature of the male love interest affected the feel of the story. I can't say it made me like Markham as a person, but it certainly added tension to the story and made for a great point of conflict between Maria and Markham. 

The magic system in this one isn't super established, but characters in this world possess various kinds of magical abilities. Maria is a green witch with a natural affinity towards plants and brewing medicines and potions. Markham however, has a less tangible abilty which allows him to foretell the weather. I found this really funny honestly. We have this devilish rogue whose magic ability allows him to forecast whether it will rain tomorrow or not. I'm not saying this isn't useful or that it doesn't come in handy, I'm just saying I wouldn't want to be stuck with this inherent ability over pretty much anything else. 

One thing I think is really neat about Rollins' work is her representation of neurodiverse characters and those with disabilities. Maria is autistic, but she masks very well. However, there are many signs of her neurodiversity including her aversion to potent scents, fear of thunderstorms, avoidance of large crowds, and her preference to be alone. Every autistic experience is different, but Maria is a great example of how neurodivergence can look. I love seeing rep like this, especially in historical fiction. 

I suppose I'll talk a bit about Maria and Markham's relationship as a whole. These two start off on the wrong foot, that's for sure. Maria is just chilling in the garden at a party and Markham walks up and kisses her out of the blue. To be fair, he mistook her as someone else, but major oof regardless. Obviously, this has Maria believing he is a vile human and has her scrambling to conceal the fact that she kissed a man who wasn't her husband. These two shortly find themselves staying in the same household and given countless opportunities to interact with one another. There are some really adorable scenes involving Markham consoling her during lighting storms, dancing with her in the evenings, and just being there for her when she is lonely. I liked the natural curve of these two becoming friends before they inevitable turn into much more. 

Another thing I found neat about this one is the sexual side of Maria and Markham's relationship. This book is quite steamy at moments, so I guess keep that in mind. Markham is very experienced in bed, while Maria is a virgin at the start of this novel. There are some really sweet scenes that involve Markham teaching Maria just how good they can make each other feel. Markham is always willing to keep Maria's wishes in mind, which is something that I found to be very appealing about his character. Yes, he is one to frequently talk dirty, but he would never do anything that his girl wasn't ready for or in the mood to do. I really appreciate this, and it really shows some growth from this rake who is looking to finally settle down. 

The third act conflict in this one is rather predictable, but I completely don't blame Maria for assuming what she did. It would certainly take me a while to trust someone who is so notoriously known for sleeping around. Despite it being easy to foretell, that doesn't make the scene where these two reconcile their grievances any less sweet. 

Overall, "Garden Folly Magic" was a really fun regency romance featuring diverse magic, dramatic scandals, and a neurodivergent female main character. I am finding myself to be a fan of Rollins' writing and am glad that I gave another one of her books a go. The dynamic between Maria and Markham is such a joy; I truly enjoyed spending a few days experiencing these two fall in love. I hope that I'll be given a chance to check out the rest of this series soon! 

Back of Book: 

A masquerade, a stranger, a tryst—what could go wrong?

Honora Grantly will do anything to avoid marrying the dangerous Duke of Belmont, including ruining her reputation by getting caught in a compromising situation. All she needs is a partner. Fortunately, her ability to read magical auras helps her choose a stranger to seduce at the Twelfth Night masquerade. After she’s caught in a scandalous tryst, she’ll be free to make her own life—or so she hopes.

But the man she tries to seduce, sorcerer Oliver Valance, wants to preserve his good name and most importantly, not get entangled in a scandal. Instead of “ruining” Honora at the ball, he helps her flee Belmont. When Valances realizes that he has traded one scandal for another, he proposes, hoping that a special license and a speedy wedding will make everything right. But he and Honora find that marriage to a stranger is more challenging even than the most complicated magic.

While Honora and Valance navigate London social life, avoid interfering relatives, and try to get to know each other, the Duke of Belmont continues to scheme. He bears a grudge against Honora for rejecting him, and he’s willing to threaten her nearest and dearest in retaliation. Magic, masquerade, and intrigue become the order of the day as Honora and Valance work to protect both the Grantly family and their own future. 

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Adult | Historical | Romance | Fantasy 

Review: ?

Back of Book: 

Can magic make the course of true love run smooth?

Peregrine Carrington marches to the beat of a different drum than the rest of Regency society. Having dedicated his life to the study of magic, his current goal is to create an enchantment that will catch a falling star. His spell requires too much magic to be cast by a single magician, so when a young sorceress visits Carrington Abbey, Peregrine is delighted to find a potential collaborator. As their intellectual partnership deepens into something warmer, Peregrine believes he’s found the love of his life—if only he can convince Dora’s guardians.

As the illegitimate daughter of a baronet, Dora Rossini has always lived on the margins of respectable society. With her father dead and her stepmother scheming against her, Dora is happy to exchange the hostility of her childhood home for the acceptance she finds at Carrington Abbey. Working with Peregrine to fine-tune his meteor spell gives her purpose, but being a woman, she is not allowed into magical societies dominated by men. When Peregrine leaves her behind to attend a house party for magicians in distant Cumberland, Dora thinks the only potential danger is that of missing him too much... until she hears alarming hints about the host of the house party.

Peregrine and Dora will need their wits, their magical ability, and their loyalty to each other if they want to both protect their magical scholarship and outmaneuver Dora’s controlling guardians to secure a future together. 

Book Number: Three (Last Book) 

Genre: Adult | Historical | Romance | Fantasy 

Review: ?