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A review by jkneebone
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Mortal Follies is a Regency romance with a twist. Narrated by Puck (yes, from A Midsummer Night's Dream), it follows Maelys Mitchelmore as she realizes she has been placed under a curse, and teams up with the infamous Lady Georgianna Landrake to break it. Nicknamed the Duke of Annadale, Lady Georgianna is widely suspected of being a witch, and having murdered her entire family in order to inherit their wealth. After she saves Miss Mitchelmore from several unfortunate situations, such as her dress dissolving away at a ball, it turns out that Lady Georgianna does have some knowledge of the supernatural. With extreme reluctance, she agrees to guide Miss Mitchelmore in breaking the curse she is under, to the delight of Miss Mitchelmore's companions, the magic-obsessed, common sense-lacking Miss Bickle, and her much more skeptical cousin Mr. Cesar. Along the way, Miss Mitchelmore realizes that she has feelings for Lady Georgianna, and though "the Duke" seems to return them, she won't act on them - much to Miss Mitchelmore's frustration.
I was excited to pick this up because it is set in one of my favorite cities, Bath, and in that area it did not disappoint! So many iconic Bath locations were mentioned, and I loved that so much of the curse plot was centered around the baths themselves and the goddess Sulis Minerva. I love a Regency romance anyway, but the setting was truly the cherry on top! More Regency novels set in Bath please!!
I found this to be a really fun read! I laughed out loud many times while listening. I know some people disliked the use of Puck/Robin as the narrator, but I didn't mind and found it quite fun, except that it did feel odd (especially by the end of the book) that our main characters were still being referred to as "Miss Mitchelmore" and "the Duke of Annadale," even if it was accurate to the time period. I thought all of the fantasy/curse elements of the plot were very engaging, and I especially liked the Puck narration there, especially where Miss Bickle's input was concerned - she was definitely my favorite character! The relationship between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna was interesting, if not completely compelling.
My main issue was with the pacing - which, honestly, I've read enough Alexis Hall novels that at this point I should expect it. I appreciate that Hall breaks with the typical romance novel arc and last-minute break-up, but the second half of this book dragged in a way that, IMO, it didn't need to. The relationship dynamic between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna felt very repetitive - it felt like they hashed out the same issues/disagreements repeatedly, with only slight changes even after their relationship changed.I didn't even mind the curse being solved earlier on, and the introduction of a second curse, but I think the arc of their relationship should have been better intertwined with the curse narrative - if Maelys and Georgianna had gotten together, or gotten closer to it, before the first curse was broken, and had a briefer period before the second curse began, I think it would have flowed better. As it was, I got pretty bored of Maelys trying to seduce Georgianna/Georgianna refusing cycle, and of Maelys moping, and how the weird cycle continued even after Maelys and Georgianna technically became lovers. The end of the book picked up again and left me more satisfied, but I wish it hadn't dragged so heavily in the middle. I think pacing issues/the stories being slightly too long has been an issue in most Alexis Hall novels I've read, though, not that it's an excuse.
This is a unique take on a Regency romance, and especially likely to be of interest if you have buy-in for the gimmick of Puck as narrator or the setting of Bath. It's not the strongest romance of the genre, but the curse/magic subplot and the delightful side characters help it to stand out and beef it up beyond a straight (pun intended) Regency romance or even romantasy. Despite some flaws, I enjoyed it overall (the narrator of the audiobook did a fabulous job), and I will probably pick up the sequel at some point.
I was excited to pick this up because it is set in one of my favorite cities, Bath, and in that area it did not disappoint! So many iconic Bath locations were mentioned, and I loved that so much of the curse plot was centered around the baths themselves and the goddess Sulis Minerva. I love a Regency romance anyway, but the setting was truly the cherry on top! More Regency novels set in Bath please!!
I found this to be a really fun read! I laughed out loud many times while listening. I know some people disliked the use of Puck/Robin as the narrator, but I didn't mind and found it quite fun, except that it did feel odd (especially by the end of the book) that our main characters were still being referred to as "Miss Mitchelmore" and "the Duke of Annadale," even if it was accurate to the time period. I thought all of the fantasy/curse elements of the plot were very engaging, and I especially liked the Puck narration there, especially where Miss Bickle's input was concerned - she was definitely my favorite character! The relationship between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna was interesting, if not completely compelling.
My main issue was with the pacing - which, honestly, I've read enough Alexis Hall novels that at this point I should expect it. I appreciate that Hall breaks with the typical romance novel arc and last-minute break-up, but the second half of this book dragged in a way that, IMO, it didn't need to. The relationship dynamic between Miss Mitchelmore and Lady Georgianna felt very repetitive - it felt like they hashed out the same issues/disagreements repeatedly, with only slight changes even after their relationship changed.
This is a unique take on a Regency romance, and especially likely to be of interest if you have buy-in for the gimmick of Puck as narrator or the setting of Bath. It's not the strongest romance of the genre, but the curse/magic subplot and the delightful side characters help it to stand out and beef it up beyond a straight (pun intended) Regency romance or even romantasy. Despite some flaws, I enjoyed it overall (the narrator of the audiobook did a fabulous job), and I will probably pick up the sequel at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Murder