H. L. MacfarlanePrince of Foxes: A Gothic Scottish Fairy Tale (Bright Spear Trilogy)

It’s taken me a few days to gather my thoughts about this book. It was an Amazon recommendation based on other books I’ve purchased – I’m a huge fan of fairy tales, ghost stories, and tales about magic/witches. I’m also enamored with Scotland. So I thought for sure I would like this book! Scottish fairy tale? Sign me up!Except that I didn’t love it. Here’s why:What I think I liked:• The book was well-written, and I had no trouble envisioning each of the characters or the various locales.• The setting and mythical elements made for an enchanting world – I’d live there in a heartbeat!• The story was interesting as well. I’m not super familiar with the fairy tale this book is based on, but I liked the various creatures and the dilemma that is carried through the story.What I definitely didn’t like:• I was excited to read a Scottish fairy tale – but this was more of a romance novel dressed up in Scottish mythology. I HATE romance novels - maybe I misunderstood the description for this book, which is my bad for not knowing what I was truly getting myself into. I'd even read through all of the reviews before making my purchase, and still didn't come away with a clear "This is a romance novel" warning. If you like romance, you might like this.• At times the dialogue felt too modern, which made it difficult to place the time period. One of the descriptions mentions that the story is set within the Regency era, but other than the use of lanterns instead of electricity and some descriptions of Sorcha’s clothing, there’s not much to distinguish the setting from modern day.• Characters:SorchaOur heroine bothered me for one very big reason – I don’t think the author quite knew what to do with her. And so her personality wavered between two unrealistic extremes. You can’t be both completely naïve in the ways of the world AND wily at the same time. If I were Sorcha, there is no way I would have forgotten that Lachlan was a fairie prince. Fox body or not, he’s still a man. And I’d be silly if I thought stripping naked in front of him would have no effect. But so it goes – she’s either an innocent sheltered girl OR a vixen…and spends the entire book vacillating between the two, and then wondering to herself what’s “wrong” with her. Nothing’s wrong – you’re just poorly characterized, dear.MurdochOh, where to begin with Murdoch. I did NOT like him. I get it – he’s supposed to be dark/brooding/mysterious, blah blah blah but really he was just a big, rapey brute. So of course our dual personality-ed heroine falls in love with him…when she’s not scared out of her wits, that is. I don’t know if it’s just a romance novel trope or what, but I have a real problem with a romantic lead that even sniffs of violence. Instead of the pearl-clutching/bodice-ripping reaction I’m sure the author was going for, I just kept cringing in an “I really hope she finds a big stick to swing at his head so that she can escape” sort of way. The worst part is, not five minutes later he seemed “nice” and the heroine would wonder to herself, “Why was I ever afraid of him??” BECAUSE HE SHOVED YOU INTO A BOOKCASE IN ONE INSTANCE, AND VERY NEARLY RAPED YOU IN ANOTHER, THAT’S WHY!!! I would not have been disappointed if the kelpie had leapt out of the Loch and swallowed him whole. Even the big reveal did little to assuage my queasy stomach. It’s one thing to have a violent (even rapey) character – it’s a whole nother when you use those qualities as the foundation for a love interest. BLECH.LachlanWell, I liked him better than Murdoch, but basically his entire motivation was to enchant Sorcha so he could sleep with her. And whether she’s ready for physical intimacy or not, he spends the whole book pushing her closer to it – first in her dreams, and then in real life. I’m no prude, but it all just felt yucky. Why is Sorcha even helping him?? There’s no real reason given. Even if she’s simply being altruistic, why the romantic connection? She’s so clever that he finds it difficult to enchant her, and yet she’s instantly attracted to him and willing to defy cultural and period norms to be with him. Lachlan didn’t creep me out on quite the same level as Murdoch, but really he’s not much better.I think I would have liked this book SO much more without the icky “romantic” overtones. I liked the premise and the setting – just not the characters within it LOL. Apparently Murdoch has an even bigger role in the second book (and continued romance with Sorcha). For this reason alone, I don’t think I’ll continue with the series. Which is such a shame, b/c I really wanted to like it!!Two stars for effort.

So I love fairytale books as obviously everyone picking up this book probably does, I also was looking for a good fairytale romance. Which is what this appeared to be at first. (The last really well written fairy tale romance I read being the Iron Fae series which this reminded me of a bit, at least at first).I liked the premise of the book very much.Girl is getting married off to a stranger, doesn't want to be married off, has a chance encounter with an attractive mythical creature in the forest that inspires a love triumphs over all romance. (Hopes were dashed).I really, really, really, wanted to like it, but it left me feeling so frustrated.First off, wtf is up with Sorcha?I DID NOT understand her as a character at all?! She just seemed like some lusty teenager.It's like all she wanted to do was sleep with two guys (in a time period where you waited til marriage to do that stuff) She was either taking her clothes off infont of Lachlan or Murdoch (although the book made it clear that she preferred Lachlan). But she also had some weird attraction to some brooding mysterious guy who tried RAPING HER, AND IS THE REASON SHE RAN AWAY IN THE FIRST PLACE. (Murdoch being the stranger her parents were trying to force her to marry)Aside from Sorchas personalitydisorder, the premise of the entire book is also lacking.Why is she even helping Lachland?There is no real reason even given for why she is helping Lachland besides the fact she finds him hot.And wants to sleep with him... I almost lost my (sh***t) when she stripped naked infront of him (him being in fox form does not make it better since he had his fae mind in tact)And I am all for sexy, slow burn, bodice ripping romance, but this wasn't even that. This left me feeling dirty and tricked.I wanted a true romance story between them (Sorcha and Lachlan) but it just didn't happen. All they did was sleep together and in the end she leaves him...(I realize this Is a trilogy series but it literally could have ended with Sorcha marrying Lachlan, you know the ending everyone was probably expecting. There was really no reason to make this 3 books long.)But it felt more like they were friends with benefits then they were an actual relationship.His affections for her also seemed deeper than hers since you know, she was interested in a man trying to rape her(Murdoch) and can't figure out what's wrong with her.Guess what? No one else can either, she made absolutely no sense as a character.Lachland was by far the best developed of the characters, his character actually made sense.Murdoch in any other form then the man Sorcha was supposed to marry didn't make any sense. The author tried to protray him as an unrequited love, someone to be pitied by Sorcha, but ultimately someone she does not have feelings for.But she does have feelings for him and almost gets Lachland and all his kind killed while still professing her love for him (Lachland).Lachland even seems super confused by Sorchas hot and cold feelings about both their relationship and hers with Murdoch, FOR GOOD REASON, IT MAKES NO SENSE.SORCHA PISSED ME OFF TO NO ENDHer feelings for Lachland didn't seem real at all, underscored by the fact she won't stay with him and at the end of the book AND still seems to have feelings for Murdoch.You know "wanting her to drag her under into the loch, and feared being ignored by him."I really wanted a love story between Lachland and Sorcha (AS I HAVE LAMENTED THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE REVIEW) But this didn't happen, it wasn't even a convincing love triangle.Sorchas feeling are never as deep as Lachlands or Murdochs, she only seems interested in sleeping with both of them(She doesn't actually sleep with Murdoch, but she sure wasn't fighting him off when he tried to rape her in the tent, she even said she liked his touch and wondered why?)Yeah why is that? Your claim your in love with the other dude. AND HE KEEPS TRYING TO RAPE YOU.It was trying to be a somewhat darker, but ultimately a "love triumphs over all" kind of book and ultimately failed, and ended up feeling like "friends with benefits" with no real feelings attached. I didnt feel very romantic reading this (and I am all for sexy romance) but this just made me feel dirty and uninspired.I was so disappointed 😞

I enjoyed this book as I read more deeply into the story. I liked the theme of preserving the lochs from development.I also enjoyed the banter between Sorcha and Lachlan. You can easily see the comparison of the faerie Prince and the fox that he becomes are closely aligned. They are both clever, resourceful, and cute! And surprisingly, I grew to like the kelpie, Murdoch, and could understand why he wanted to change things amongst the faery worlds. But also that he was wrong to choose this path in order to bring about change. So I felt sorry for him at the end.What I didn’t like was the groping of Lachlan whilst he was a fox. It was perhaps represented as cute but was inappropriate even for him. I was indeed uncomfortable with those scenes. Also that Sorcha was torn between the two for a while was quite lustful on her part. She almost had relations with both of them at different times, and that was just not right. She seemed indecisive whereas each man sotospeak wanted only her exclusively without a doubt,I liked how it ended and I will continue the trilogy in the future.

This was a lovely fairytale. I can’t wait to start the next book in the series. To see how Murdock and Sorcha overcome the investors.

No, this isn’t a how-to guide, rather a twist of folklore that slips through the fingers like a Scottish stream. We can’t all live on the shores of Loch Lomond, but thankfully, one who does, H. L. Macfarlane, wrote the utterly brilliant Prince of Foxes to sate our appetites.“So they disappeared, in one fashion or another, and they only had themselves to blame. They had been warned, after all, and they didn’t listen.”– Sorcha, Prince of FoxesTaking us to the water’s edge was easy with Macfarlane’s smooth, rhythmic pace. She unfolds for us the ways of the lore first—the power of a name—the bindings and enchantments that lurk beneath the trees. She spears that against the press of outsiders, the slow trickle of development into peaceful, magical glens—until the tourists outnumber the locals—the concerns for everyone’s way of life outnumbering both.“Her father was a smart man. He had raised a clever daughter. Sorcha would not be caught by a faerie so easily.”– Sorcha, Prince of FoxesSorcha was born to the loch. Her family shore up the land’s traditions. She sways with the trees and sings for each rock. So what happens if she is pursued by the faeries? Perhaps even, their prince? We follow this enigmatic character on her quest to save everything that matters, including herself.“The advancements made in human medicine, and human technology, meant that humans were beginning to forget what it felt like to fear ‘otherness’.”– Lachlan, Prince of FoxesLachlan knows just how to deal with humans. Take what you wish, make pets of the best. The Seelie Court has its own traditions for the Crown Prince to follow, but why even entertain those notions when you’ve lived hundreds of years and can enchant your way from throne room to bedroom? We long to whack this entitled lad around the ear, even if Sorcha does a bang up job to begin with. We smile in turmoil as her cunning experience shields her soul—at least until Lachlan finds a new angle entirely.In the ways of love and war, their struggles are beautifully scripted. Tension, heartache, pain, and fear. Macfarlane lets us walk with both of these characters as we unwind the truth. Between Sorcha’s spontaneous instincts and the fae’s perverted intentions, this story takes us from myth to legend, scattering their facets across fresh new forests.“The feeling of singing to him was achingly nostalgic, as if she truly was sitting upon the loch-side watching the sun set across the water.”– Sorcha, Prince of FoxesOnce I fell into the ebb and flow of these words, I couldn’t stop. Sorcha provided that sass and uncertainty that builds instant fondness, Lachlan the swift fall from grace we all needed to befriend him. Together, their relationship is the slow burn to keep the plot pulling. There’s others; political, family, responsibility to heath and hearth, the unknown gentleman, the lost love. It all spins a delicate web we are happy to be ensnared by.Keep this one on your bedside table for some heart restoration. Recommend it to all of your friends who need the thrum of deep magic in their bones. I cannot wait to read the next two installments of this tale! I just hope you’ll join me in celebrating the Scottish use of ‘burn’ from here on out.By the burn, Hearties!Riv ♡

I picked up Prince of Foxes on a whim, not having read anything by this author before, but intrigued by the description and the striking cover. I was hoping for a book to escape into, to put the real world aside, even just for a few hours, and I certainly was not disappointed. Lachlan is on the verge of his coronation as King of the Seelie court when he is betrayed and turned into a fox. Sorcha Darrow has spent her whole life listening to her parent's warnings about the Faerie folk who share their land, they are not to be trusted, and no matter what you must never reveal your true name if you do not wish to give them power over you. She seems an unlikely rescuer for Lachlan, but the pair have an unexpectedly strong bond, which they will need to rely on if they are to overcome Lachlan's curse and protect the throne from an unexpected danger.This was a beautifully written book, the vivid descriptions of the beautiful Scottish setting took me away from a grey Winter's day. Sorcha is a wonderful character, strong willed, brave and loyal with a hint of recklessness that helps to propel the story along at pace. Lachlan is suitably enigmatic, given that he is a faerie prince, and I appreciated that there were some shades of grey in his morality, making him more interesting if less likeable as a character. This is the first in a trilogy, and I am keen to read more, but I really appreciated that the author did not leave the reader on a cliff hanger, something I truly despise. Instead the book has a fitting conclusion that left me satisfied while still looking forward to more.

An adult faerie tale. Nicely paced. Decent plot. Good character development. Pleasant way to spend a few hours. Could have done without the less than subtle digs about the British though - simplification of the Highland clearances as British cruelty is inaccurate and annoying.

Love, love, love this story so much I’m already searching for the next book! A lovely fairytale with an enchanting heroin, a charming fairy Prince and a lovesick but embittered, I want to say bad guy (but he’s not really a bad guy). Such a good story that it’s pulled me away from my hot monster romance. Not missing the hotness, not one bit. The inferred hotness is hot enough.

This book was an accidental purchase. A friend had put it on her wishlist, but I ended up buying it for myself instead of gifting it to her. I figured I may as well read it since I'd paid for it! It had me hooked from page 1.A beautifully written faerie tale that doesn't give anything away. The characters are complex, the story keeps you guessing, and even at the end you're not sure where your sympathies lie. I'm looking forward to reading the next book, this time purchased intentionally!