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The Shifting Fae #1
The Moonlit Woods
When marriage or death are your only options, you break all the rules.
Rosalie is sold to the magistrate of Farrow's Gate to compete in a marriage competition. If she wins, her home is saved. If she loses, she’ll be forced to work off her family’s debt in an undisclosed location.
But the magistrate won’t just marry any human. He wants a mate whose magic rivals his own, and Rosalie can’t ever reveal just how powerful she is. In the world of Saol magic is regulated, and if the Magi Council discovered what she is, it won’t just be her life at risk.
Her only chance of escape is with the magistrate’s bodyguard, Baine: a dark, too handsome fae, and one who has no interest in helping a human girl.
Until one night in the moonlit woods when everything changes, and suddenly Rosalie is torn between what she wants and what is right.
Losing the competition means death, winning means the death of others, and Rosalie is out of time. If she doesn't choose soon, someone will do it for her.
The Moonlit Woods is a standalone Fantasy Romance within the Shifting Fae world perfect for readers looking for sweeping, epic fantasy, a sweet slow-burn romance, fast-paced action, and a happily ever after.
Rosalie is sold to the magistrate of Farrow's Gate to compete in a marriage competition. If she wins, her home is saved. If she loses, she’ll be forced to work off her family’s debt in an undisclosed location.
But the magistrate won’t just marry any human. He wants a mate whose magic rivals his own, and Rosalie can’t ever reveal just how powerful she is. In the world of Saol magic is regulated, and if the Magi Council discovered what she is, it won’t just be her life at risk.
Her only chance of escape is with the magistrate’s bodyguard, Baine: a dark, too handsome fae, and one who has no interest in helping a human girl.
Until one night in the moonlit woods when everything changes, and suddenly Rosalie is torn between what she wants and what is right.
Losing the competition means death, winning means the death of others, and Rosalie is out of time. If she doesn't choose soon, someone will do it for her.
The Moonlit Woods is a standalone Fantasy Romance within the Shifting Fae world perfect for readers looking for sweeping, epic fantasy, a sweet slow-burn romance, fast-paced action, and a happily ever after.
298 pages, Hardcover
First published November 25, 2021
333 people are currently reading
2700 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Tilton
33 books309 followersUSA Today Bestselling author Eliza Tilton graduated from Dowling College with a BA in Visual Communications. When she's not arguing with excel at her day job, chasing after four kids, or playing video games, she's writing fast-paced young adult fantasy and paranormal tales. Check out www.elizatilton.com for more of her books or follow her on tiktok @elizatilton where she shares tons of bookish stuff.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
February 10, 2022
DNF.
I’m just going to share what I highlighted from the book and my comments about these quotes.
“I gasped when they tightened the corset and forced my chest to be more prominent, which was unnecessary considering how large my breasts were to begin with. In fact, the dress accentuated them so much I wondered if they were being served for dinner”
Note
Her chest breasted boobily
“Lord Demious slid forward on the desk, swiveling and repositioning the scryer until the woman’s face and voluptuous breasts filled the image. He pinched his fingers, enlarging the woman’s chest until he smirked and re-adjusted the image back to her face.”
Note
Did you know that the protagonist has BAZONGAS??
“The human stood by the edge of the water. Moonlight shone through her sheer-white nightshift, highlighting every curve.”
Note
Does she have any features that aren’t just her curvy body? Is she just two titties with legs?
“When he hovered by my breasts, my pounding heart almost made me faint. I stilled, not knowing what else to do.”
Note
I am 12% into this book and this is the 4th mention of her breasts.
“Why am I the only woman with her breasts hanging over the butter dish?” I groaned to Janetta at breakfast. She smiled and glanced down. “Probably because you’re the only one with breasts that large.” True, while all the women here had their own beautiful quality, I seemed to be the curvy girl out of the bunch.
Note
“Why me tits?” “Yes you tits” “Me tits more than anyone”
I just couldn’t keep going. It got to the point where I was getting MAD when her breasts were mentioned. Dear God, is there no other sexy body part to be mentioned??
I’m just going to share what I highlighted from the book and my comments about these quotes.
“I gasped when they tightened the corset and forced my chest to be more prominent, which was unnecessary considering how large my breasts were to begin with. In fact, the dress accentuated them so much I wondered if they were being served for dinner”
Note
Her chest breasted boobily
“Lord Demious slid forward on the desk, swiveling and repositioning the scryer until the woman’s face and voluptuous breasts filled the image. He pinched his fingers, enlarging the woman’s chest until he smirked and re-adjusted the image back to her face.”
Note
Did you know that the protagonist has BAZONGAS??
“The human stood by the edge of the water. Moonlight shone through her sheer-white nightshift, highlighting every curve.”
Note
Does she have any features that aren’t just her curvy body? Is she just two titties with legs?
“When he hovered by my breasts, my pounding heart almost made me faint. I stilled, not knowing what else to do.”
Note
I am 12% into this book and this is the 4th mention of her breasts.
“Why am I the only woman with her breasts hanging over the butter dish?” I groaned to Janetta at breakfast. She smiled and glanced down. “Probably because you’re the only one with breasts that large.” True, while all the women here had their own beautiful quality, I seemed to be the curvy girl out of the bunch.
Note
“Why me tits?” “Yes you tits” “Me tits more than anyone”
I just couldn’t keep going. It got to the point where I was getting MAD when her breasts were mentioned. Dear God, is there no other sexy body part to be mentioned??
February 26, 2022
I read this book back in January and just never got around to reviewing it. First of all the cover is absolutely gorgeous. However I have no one to blame but myself for not exploring the author more because this is a clean romance. This is not the reason I rated this 3 stars though -- just want to be clear about that.
The Moonlit Woods features Rosalie who got tricked by a troll and sold to the Lord of Farrows Gate. She's entered into some type of contest with other girls to compete and try to win the position of being the Lord's wife. She's desperate enough to do this because the Firehawks she's caring for back home need help and her brother is off at the front lines of the borderlands war.
Rosalie is a fire elemental and the catch to this competition is that the girls have to wear a collar that dampens the use of their magic. It only comes off when the Lord wants to see their power. The Lord is also guarded by Bane whose a shape shifting Fae. He doesn't like any of the women but ends up being drawn towards Rosalie against his better judgement and her to him. They end up having a sort of alliance as more information comes out about the Lord and his real plans.
I thought the book was pretty decent. It kept my attention over all. Where I started to have problems was when it seemed like Rosalie, who had enough power to almost overcome the collar, never did. I kept waiting for a show of power but she always just cried and then someone, namely Baine, would come to her aid. In the beginning of the book she seemed fiercely independent and sort of proved that by keeping her Firehawks alive so long and her strong determination to get back to them but even they weren't saved by her.... And then the ending was completely anticlimactic for all the buildup I felt like I got.
Overall, it gave me the right feels, even as a clean romance but I just wanted more oomph and I didn't get it.
The Moonlit Woods features Rosalie who got tricked by a troll and sold to the Lord of Farrows Gate. She's entered into some type of contest with other girls to compete and try to win the position of being the Lord's wife. She's desperate enough to do this because the Firehawks she's caring for back home need help and her brother is off at the front lines of the borderlands war.
Rosalie is a fire elemental and the catch to this competition is that the girls have to wear a collar that dampens the use of their magic. It only comes off when the Lord wants to see their power. The Lord is also guarded by Bane whose a shape shifting Fae. He doesn't like any of the women but ends up being drawn towards Rosalie against his better judgement and her to him. They end up having a sort of alliance as more information comes out about the Lord and his real plans.
I thought the book was pretty decent. It kept my attention over all. Where I started to have problems was when it seemed like Rosalie, who had enough power to almost overcome the collar, never did. I kept waiting for a show of power but she always just cried and then someone, namely Baine, would come to her aid. In the beginning of the book she seemed fiercely independent and sort of proved that by keeping her Firehawks alive so long and her strong determination to get back to them but even they weren't saved by her.... And then the ending was completely anticlimactic for all the buildup I felt like I got.
Overall, it gave me the right feels, even as a clean romance but I just wanted more oomph and I didn't get it.
January 11, 2023
I listened to this book on audio and I really enjoyed it. I will say at first the narrator's voice took me a bit to get used to, I am used to deeper male voices then this one, but i adapted. If you are a lover of ACOTAR I can see you easily loving this book! Something I really enjoyed is it is a stand alone novel, so I have no wait time for the next book. The storyline was very unique, some areas it went into a deeper depth and at other times it stayed at surface level. This is definitely a slow burn. If you are looking for a mild spice romance, this is far more than perfect for it!
October 18, 2022
I really wanted to love this book. The promise of a fae romance that wasn't filled with tons of spicy scenes intrigued me. I prefer books with great plots and secondary romance, so this seemed right up my alley. The premise of this book was brilliant, and the magical creatures and the magical world were interesting, but the book suffers from repetition and lots of telling rather than showing with some insta-love thrown in there too.
There were no erotic scenes, which is what was promised, but there was a strange obsession with describing her breasts every few minutes, and she didn't seem to have much depth other than having curves, big boobs, and a yearning to escape back home. Some passages were just awkward, giving to second-hand embarrassment.
The performance of this book would have been better with a female voice or dual narrators. The current narrator goes over the top quite often when trying to do Rosalie's voice.
Overall, I feel like the book was just okay. Not one I would pick up again or read a second book about. A skilled developmental editor could probably help get this story where it needs to be and help the author create some character depth and a more natural flow.
I was given a copy of the audiobook to review honestly.
There were no erotic scenes, which is what was promised, but there was a strange obsession with describing her breasts every few minutes, and she didn't seem to have much depth other than having curves, big boobs, and a yearning to escape back home. Some passages were just awkward, giving to second-hand embarrassment.
The performance of this book would have been better with a female voice or dual narrators. The current narrator goes over the top quite often when trying to do Rosalie's voice.
Overall, I feel like the book was just okay. Not one I would pick up again or read a second book about. A skilled developmental editor could probably help get this story where it needs to be and help the author create some character depth and a more natural flow.
I was given a copy of the audiobook to review honestly.
January 11, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️
0/5 🌶
* Bodyguard Romance
* Powerful FMC
* Bridal Competition
The concept of Rosalie wanting to save her firehawk farm is very Hallmark movie meets fantasy. The world building and magic system in this story is unique and well-written. Also, we love a brooding fae male.
I will say that things progressed incredibly fast, dropping us right into the thick of it in the first chapter. This was a classic case of more telling than showing throughout the book, which was a little disappointing as there was so much potential for more. It was also a little off-putting how often the FMC mentioned how large her breasts were. We get it, you've got nice knockers. 😂
Overall, I'd say this was a typical, middle of the road fantasy romance, nothing flashy. I am interested to see where the rest of the story goes.
0/5 🌶
* Bodyguard Romance
* Powerful FMC
* Bridal Competition
The concept of Rosalie wanting to save her firehawk farm is very Hallmark movie meets fantasy. The world building and magic system in this story is unique and well-written. Also, we love a brooding fae male.
I will say that things progressed incredibly fast, dropping us right into the thick of it in the first chapter. This was a classic case of more telling than showing throughout the book, which was a little disappointing as there was so much potential for more. It was also a little off-putting how often the FMC mentioned how large her breasts were. We get it, you've got nice knockers. 😂
Overall, I'd say this was a typical, middle of the road fantasy romance, nothing flashy. I am interested to see where the rest of the story goes.
January 10, 2023
I gave it a 3.5 stars but for purposes of GR, I’m going to round to a 4!
Amazing world building and concept of a contest between all of these magical, strong women! Love the concept of slow burn, forbidden love between the FMC and MMC! Spice free but still great!!
I think what I didn’t enjoy was how powerful the FMC was but was constantly needing saved by the MMC and others. I kept waiting for her to just have the killing blow or be the main hero, but everyone kept taking it from her! I would have liked a little more tension between the FMC and MMC, I feel like they fell for each other very easily and quickly despite their circumstances!
However, I never lost interest and it kept me on my toes especially the ending!
Amazing world building and concept of a contest between all of these magical, strong women! Love the concept of slow burn, forbidden love between the FMC and MMC! Spice free but still great!!
I think what I didn’t enjoy was how powerful the FMC was but was constantly needing saved by the MMC and others. I kept waiting for her to just have the killing blow or be the main hero, but everyone kept taking it from her! I would have liked a little more tension between the FMC and MMC, I feel like they fell for each other very easily and quickly despite their circumstances!
However, I never lost interest and it kept me on my toes especially the ending!
January 22, 2022
“ A human elemental desperate to save her home. A dark fae guardian devoted to his lord. A deadly bridal competition that will test both their loyalty.“
Well this is amazing. Rosalie our female mc is a great character who has to keep her magic a secret or it could mean death! This is exciting and enthralling and set in a world so detailed that you could actually be there alongside these characters, feeling what they feel, experiencing what they have to go through. Fast paced and very intriguing once I picked this up I could not put it down, I just had to know how it all ended and did Rosalie and Baine get a hea or not. With twists and turns to keep me hooked this slow-burn romance captivated me from start to finish!
Well this is amazing. Rosalie our female mc is a great character who has to keep her magic a secret or it could mean death! This is exciting and enthralling and set in a world so detailed that you could actually be there alongside these characters, feeling what they feel, experiencing what they have to go through. Fast paced and very intriguing once I picked this up I could not put it down, I just had to know how it all ended and did Rosalie and Baine get a hea or not. With twists and turns to keep me hooked this slow-burn romance captivated me from start to finish!
January 1, 2022
Eliza Tilton has become a dear friend of mine and one of my favorite authors. This is the 3rd book of hers I had the pleasure to read and review.
The magic system, world building, and character growth is amazing and grabs you from the first page. The romance is slow burn but written so beautifully that Baine is now one of my favorite book boyfriends.
I can not wait until she writes the rest of this series and I also now want a Firehawk!!
The magic system, world building, and character growth is amazing and grabs you from the first page. The romance is slow burn but written so beautifully that Baine is now one of my favorite book boyfriends.
I can not wait until she writes the rest of this series and I also now want a Firehawk!!
February 21, 2023
⭐️ 2.5/5
this book is so painfully mid. I’m not joking, so much of the plot and premise has so much potential, but it feels so hit and miss. the world building was actually pretty good, like a solid B-, however that was ruined by the actual characters. I never found myself rooting for the main characters and honestly I don’t know if they were rooting for themselves either.
Rosalie or whatever the hell her name was, is incredibly boring and drab as a main character. she gets thrown into this marriage competition and just accepts it?!?!? like wtf girly, I though you were a powerful badass elemental???
to add, the chemistry between Rosalie and Baine feels so non existent, like they compliment each other how??? they kinda give the vibes of that weird couple in the hallway, you know the one. but instead of you actually thinking that they suit each other, you think they should break up stat cause it’s ick.
ummmmm, also the third act was so jam packed, like tf. like all of a sudden toasty rosey’s brother has returned and Baines stuck in a war zone???? everything happens so fast, either extend the book 100 pages or make it two books
also, CAN WE STOP HEARING ABOUT HOW LARGE AND TITTYTASTIC HER BOOBS ARE?!?!?
to conclude, Rosalie’s back hurts, not from carrying the story, but from the triple D’s she’s apparently lugging around
this book is so painfully mid. I’m not joking, so much of the plot and premise has so much potential, but it feels so hit and miss. the world building was actually pretty good, like a solid B-, however that was ruined by the actual characters. I never found myself rooting for the main characters and honestly I don’t know if they were rooting for themselves either.
Rosalie or whatever the hell her name was, is incredibly boring and drab as a main character. she gets thrown into this marriage competition and just accepts it?!?!? like wtf girly, I though you were a powerful badass elemental???
to add, the chemistry between Rosalie and Baine feels so non existent, like they compliment each other how??? they kinda give the vibes of that weird couple in the hallway, you know the one. but instead of you actually thinking that they suit each other, you think they should break up stat cause it’s ick.
ummmmm, also the third act was so jam packed, like tf. like all of a sudden toasty rosey’s brother has returned and Baines stuck in a war zone???? everything happens so fast, either extend the book 100 pages or make it two books
also, CAN WE STOP HEARING ABOUT HOW LARGE AND TITTYTASTIC HER BOOBS ARE?!?!?
to conclude, Rosalie’s back hurts, not from carrying the story, but from the triple D’s she’s apparently lugging around
February 2, 2023
DNF - I just could not take this one seriously. Poor writing, instant and convenient plot events, and if I had to read about how big her breasts are one more time, I might go insane. Just no.
April 16, 2023
This is a very sweet, slow burn, PG spice fantasy. And while it's labeled as adult fantasy and some topics are more adultish (like the mentioning of large breasts on the FMC), the banter & romance felt a little upper YA for me personally. The pacing made for a quick read though and the world is unique and interesting!
If you are in the mood for a clean, fae romance, with a marriage competition turned bodyguard romance plot, and a fun magical world - check this series out! The nice thing about this series is that each book is a standalone in the same world, just following new couples!
⭐⭐⭐.5/5
If you are in the mood for a clean, fae romance, with a marriage competition turned bodyguard romance plot, and a fun magical world - check this series out! The nice thing about this series is that each book is a standalone in the same world, just following new couples!
⭐⭐⭐.5/5
January 8, 2022
Eliza Tilton has won me over with her first book in The Shifting Fae series. I usually don't care too much for anything fantasy but this book had me pulled in and ready to see where the story would take me.
Rosalie is basically taken captive and sold to the magistrate of Farrow's End to compete in a contest to become his bride. He is a powerful fae looking for a mate who will compliment his powers.
Things don't always go as one plans and Rosalie falls in love with the magistrates body guard and together they try to get Rosalie out of the competition.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for book two. Eliza Tilton is definitely one of my favorite authors.
Rosalie is basically taken captive and sold to the magistrate of Farrow's End to compete in a contest to become his bride. He is a powerful fae looking for a mate who will compliment his powers.
Things don't always go as one plans and Rosalie falls in love with the magistrates body guard and together they try to get Rosalie out of the competition.
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for book two. Eliza Tilton is definitely one of my favorite authors.
April 4, 2023
Cute fun read. It was quick and easy exactly what I needed to get through the final GOT book. I have the other two and I’m excited to enjoy something with a little more fluff and a little less detail.
June 15, 2025
I loved the story and the concept behind it. The world was easy to follow and really sucked you into it. I definitely need to read more stories in this world.
June 27, 2024
2.5 stars
January 18, 2022
Looks like I have found another Indie author I plan to follow and instant buy :-). From chapter one I was hooked and enjoyed the unique magic system, action, word building, and slow burn romance. I highly recommend giving this Fantasy Romance a try and enjoy the adventure it will take you.
September 14, 2022
Oh man I really don't know where to start with this book, I have so many feelings after finishing it and not a lot of them are positive unfortunately. I think it's almost upsetting how mediocre this story was considering the plot line had so much potential and it just kept falling flat over and over again when it reached a turning point or in major conflict. the characters themselves were fairly flushed out which was nice so that really did help progress the story having to learn about everyone but as for the dilemmas that are main female lead had to keep going through in order to get the story to progress they just became illogical and somewhat frustrating.
For example when the main lead finds out that she's entered into this arrangement where shes entered into a contest to marry the Magistrate, I expected her to be a bit more upset considering she's being forced into this. it was either enter the contest or be sent into servitude for 3 years in an unknown location. And she already knows she's in grave danger just being around the magistrate because of her secret gift. I was expecting her to be upset trying to run away definitely fight the whole concept of being entered into this bridal game instead she chooses not to and just simply goes along with it which I found very weird.
another thing that was just odd overall in the story was the female leads background involving her brother and her land. it really didn't make a lot of sense to me personally why her brother left to go to war to get money for the farm, but to leave her home alone on the farm, was selfish cuz he genuinely knew that the land was failing and there was no way for her to take care of it the way that it needed to be taken care of. So the fact that he just up and left on like a misaligned quest which may or may not have failed really didn't align with her love and affection for her brother.
on to the main male lead he as well did not make a lot of sense when it came to plot and development he clearly was following the orders of the bad guy, who was this whole problematic character to begin with, but when he did start to finally present traits that were mostly toxic or not the best interest of everyone else he's still was loyal to him down to the fault. It was almost disturbing.
finally character-wise I'll talk about the magistrate himself, the bad guy in the story. He really did not make a lot of sense character-wise I understood the overall plot he had to the very end but as for why he was doing it was really unsure and then just the fact of how he became that way also was not explained and once again it really didn't make sense when his people that he was taking care of we're very loyal to him they were saying how he didn't do anything wrong he was such a great guy, like he would never do anything untrustworthy and yet time and time again he was proving to be a bad guy and everyone just kind of put their head in the sand and was ignoring it because it wasn't affecting them. so overall he was pretty frustrating to understand whether or not he was good or not good throughout the story but then when you finally do see him for him it became rather obvious as a whole and it really took away from other characters when you found out just how bad he was because those characters just kept following him blindly.
overall I feel like the beginning of the story where you first flush out the plot line was really really good it had a nice pacing it was incredibly detailed for story building, characters were taken care of and flushed out and explained their purpose but then the closer and closer you got to the end I felt like the plot itself started to rush things just became more erratic, characters that didn't show up in the earlier scene started to show up and you were like why is this person important? and then it really started to spiral down from there to the very end where it literally felt like the worst ending I've read in a book in a really long time and no one wants to read a good beginning with an awful end.
For example when the main lead finds out that she's entered into this arrangement where shes entered into a contest to marry the Magistrate, I expected her to be a bit more upset considering she's being forced into this. it was either enter the contest or be sent into servitude for 3 years in an unknown location. And she already knows she's in grave danger just being around the magistrate because of her secret gift. I was expecting her to be upset trying to run away definitely fight the whole concept of being entered into this bridal game instead she chooses not to and just simply goes along with it which I found very weird.
another thing that was just odd overall in the story was the female leads background involving her brother and her land. it really didn't make a lot of sense to me personally why her brother left to go to war to get money for the farm, but to leave her home alone on the farm, was selfish cuz he genuinely knew that the land was failing and there was no way for her to take care of it the way that it needed to be taken care of. So the fact that he just up and left on like a misaligned quest which may or may not have failed really didn't align with her love and affection for her brother.
on to the main male lead he as well did not make a lot of sense when it came to plot and development he clearly was following the orders of the bad guy, who was this whole problematic character to begin with, but when he did start to finally present traits that were mostly toxic or not the best interest of everyone else he's still was loyal to him down to the fault. It was almost disturbing.
finally character-wise I'll talk about the magistrate himself, the bad guy in the story. He really did not make a lot of sense character-wise I understood the overall plot he had to the very end but as for why he was doing it was really unsure and then just the fact of how he became that way also was not explained and once again it really didn't make sense when his people that he was taking care of we're very loyal to him they were saying how he didn't do anything wrong he was such a great guy, like he would never do anything untrustworthy and yet time and time again he was proving to be a bad guy and everyone just kind of put their head in the sand and was ignoring it because it wasn't affecting them. so overall he was pretty frustrating to understand whether or not he was good or not good throughout the story but then when you finally do see him for him it became rather obvious as a whole and it really took away from other characters when you found out just how bad he was because those characters just kept following him blindly.
overall I feel like the beginning of the story where you first flush out the plot line was really really good it had a nice pacing it was incredibly detailed for story building, characters were taken care of and flushed out and explained their purpose but then the closer and closer you got to the end I felt like the plot itself started to rush things just became more erratic, characters that didn't show up in the earlier scene started to show up and you were like why is this person important? and then it really started to spiral down from there to the very end where it literally felt like the worst ending I've read in a book in a really long time and no one wants to read a good beginning with an awful end.
January 19, 2025
Really good. Was hooked from the beginning can't wait to start my next one
March 11, 2022
Thank you Eliza Tilton for my ARC copy. This is a late post-I am sorry for that. This is my honest review.
To say that books with fae characters are a guilty pleasure of mine is an understatement. So I was super excited and intrigued when this ARC landed in my inbox.
The moonlit woods follows Rosalie, a powerful girl, who is thrown into a Bachelor like setting and forced to compete with other girls. She is desperate to save her Firehawks and worried about her brother that she would do anything for the income necessary to live. But that marriage competitions hides something sinister planned by The Magistrate.
The action was pretty simple, easy to follow along with no major twists and a happy ending. The writing style was nice, simple& clear with nice descriptions of the land/castle.
While the action was ok and I did read the book in almost one setting, I was kinda indifferent to the characters. At the beginning Rosalie seemed like a strong independent woman but as the story goes one she became somehow dull, always afraid to show her true powers. Bane could have been developed a bit better, but I appreciated the fact that he was a normal fae.
To say that books with fae characters are a guilty pleasure of mine is an understatement. So I was super excited and intrigued when this ARC landed in my inbox.
The moonlit woods follows Rosalie, a powerful girl, who is thrown into a Bachelor like setting and forced to compete with other girls. She is desperate to save her Firehawks and worried about her brother that she would do anything for the income necessary to live. But that marriage competitions hides something sinister planned by The Magistrate.
The action was pretty simple, easy to follow along with no major twists and a happy ending. The writing style was nice, simple& clear with nice descriptions of the land/castle.
While the action was ok and I did read the book in almost one setting, I was kinda indifferent to the characters. At the beginning Rosalie seemed like a strong independent woman but as the story goes one she became somehow dull, always afraid to show her true powers. Bane could have been developed a bit better, but I appreciated the fact that he was a normal fae.
July 1, 2022
Bit more than 3 but still closer to it than to 4
I mean not bad quiet a story and liked Mr Purple (reminded me: I dont want to be Mr. Pink. I want to be Mr. Black lol anyway) So quiet good world building.
I liked that the heroine is planned to be a fighter bit at the end it seemed she always needed a rescue. Which is fine but then we sd not say she is such a fighter.
Luved the wolf shifting fae toughts but didnt understand how he been exiled. We know the crime but seemed to be catched during doing it so how he ended being exiled?! There are references to his background but then nothing is confirmed. Is he a noble fae or sg? Dunno…
Also the quick turnaround of the Lord and the outcome of it is like a half page.
It also doesnt make sense then what happend to the snakes and all that darkness with the badboy demise…
And such an abrupt ending…
So all in all good toughts nice world built liked the “selection” reference but had some leakings here and there.
Not yet sure to continue (actually the next books heroine appears here but didnt made such a great impression) so maybe at one point in the distant future?!
I mean not bad quiet a story and liked Mr Purple (reminded me: I dont want to be Mr. Pink. I want to be Mr. Black lol anyway) So quiet good world building.
I liked that the heroine is planned to be a fighter bit at the end it seemed she always needed a rescue. Which is fine but then we sd not say she is such a fighter.
Luved the wolf shifting fae toughts but didnt understand how he been exiled. We know the crime but seemed to be catched during doing it so how he ended being exiled?! There are references to his background but then nothing is confirmed. Is he a noble fae or sg? Dunno…
Also the quick turnaround of the Lord and the outcome of it is like a half page.
It also doesnt make sense then what happend to the snakes and all that darkness with the badboy demise…
And such an abrupt ending…
So all in all good toughts nice world built liked the “selection” reference but had some leakings here and there.
Not yet sure to continue (actually the next books heroine appears here but didnt made such a great impression) so maybe at one point in the distant future?!
February 5, 2022
Fantastic world and concept but lackluster execution. This is the definition of telling instead of showing. There was no build up to the romance in this or anything that really happened. It was super disappointing because the world was fascinating and the bones were there for something spectacular.
March 21, 2024
I started this book after DNFing a really really horrible book. That made this book seem interesting at first. The further into it, the more I cringed.
It was so questionable that I almost fully blocked it from my mind and I finished it yesterday.
The romance was boring. The main character was silly. I couldn’t even figure out who the bad guy actually was. Bleh.
It was so questionable that I almost fully blocked it from my mind and I finished it yesterday.
The romance was boring. The main character was silly. I couldn’t even figure out who the bad guy actually was. Bleh.
February 11, 2022
A very cute slow burn romance.
Well written, fast paced but not to much.
Has two pov's
Well written, fast paced but not to much.
Has two pov's
January 10, 2024
Stopped at 71%. Couldn’t stand reading it anymore. After the creature attacked her and tried to drink her blood was the last interesting part.
August 6, 2023
2.5 Stars
Ok, so I want to start off by just letting anyone interested know that there is NO SPICE in this book. I mean it's certainly alluded to, but it never gets there and I wish I had known that before I started reading it. I don't mind reading a story that has no spice, but it's going to need to have a plot that is a homerun hit out of the park! And, unfortunately, that just was just not the case with this one.
The easiest way for me to explain why is to just jump right into it and there will be spoilers, so if you are not interested in that then
There are a TON of holes in the plot. The magistrate who maintains the magic barrier, when it comes down to it, we're told that he is responsible for all the "plagues" that are ravishing the land, but we're only told about one "plague" which is the snakes in the North and the reason why our heroine sought help in the first place, but we're never told HOW he was connected to them or what was creating them or anything. Nor do we ever find out why all the snakes died all of a sudden. One can assume that it's because the magistrate was killed, but if that's the case, how was he physically connected to these snakes that would cause them to die once he did? We're told that our heroine and her twin brother have a very unique heritage of being part Elemental and that kind of magic is forbidden because it's wild, but it's never explained what constitutes "wild magic" in this universe and how that can be harmful. Also, we're told that our Hero is strange because he can shift into a wolf too, which Fae normally cannot do, but WHY is this strange? What part would that ability play into causing a problem? Oh and the Rift which is ultimately the cause of all the chaos and war in this world, is never really explained either. We can surmise that it is how evil creatures are making their way into the world, but where are they coming from? How was the Rift created? So much information was given, yet never explained or cleverly connected to other elements within the plot and it greatly detracted from the overall story. And one part of the plot was completely abandoned for forgotten about. There were animals being found that were murdered and even one of the servants was found dead and it was a big mystery as to how all this was happening..... then the story ends and it was never circled back to!
I think the author has a clever premise and their actual writing style isn't bad at all. This story just needed further developing to feel like a complete story. As is, I would not recommend this one to anyone. You will end it feeling unfulfilled on so many levels and that's one of the worst feelings after you've dedicated so much of your precious free time to something.
Ok, so I want to start off by just letting anyone interested know that there is NO SPICE in this book. I mean it's certainly alluded to, but it never gets there and I wish I had known that before I started reading it. I don't mind reading a story that has no spice, but it's going to need to have a plot that is a homerun hit out of the park! And, unfortunately, that just was just not the case with this one.
The easiest way for me to explain why is to just jump right into it and there will be spoilers, so if you are not interested in that then
There are a TON of holes in the plot. The magistrate who maintains the magic barrier, when it comes down to it, we're told that he is responsible for all the "plagues" that are ravishing the land, but we're only told about one "plague" which is the snakes in the North and the reason why our heroine sought help in the first place, but we're never told HOW he was connected to them or what was creating them or anything. Nor do we ever find out why all the snakes died all of a sudden. One can assume that it's because the magistrate was killed, but if that's the case, how was he physically connected to these snakes that would cause them to die once he did? We're told that our heroine and her twin brother have a very unique heritage of being part Elemental and that kind of magic is forbidden because it's wild, but it's never explained what constitutes "wild magic" in this universe and how that can be harmful. Also, we're told that our Hero is strange because he can shift into a wolf too, which Fae normally cannot do, but WHY is this strange? What part would that ability play into causing a problem? Oh and the Rift which is ultimately the cause of all the chaos and war in this world, is never really explained either. We can surmise that it is how evil creatures are making their way into the world, but where are they coming from? How was the Rift created? So much information was given, yet never explained or cleverly connected to other elements within the plot and it greatly detracted from the overall story. And one part of the plot was completely abandoned for forgotten about. There were animals being found that were murdered and even one of the servants was found dead and it was a big mystery as to how all this was happening..... then the story ends and it was never circled back to!
I think the author has a clever premise and their actual writing style isn't bad at all. This story just needed further developing to feel like a complete story. As is, I would not recommend this one to anyone. You will end it feeling unfulfilled on so many levels and that's one of the worst feelings after you've dedicated so much of your precious free time to something.
January 20, 2022
If I did not have other stuff going on, I would have read this story in one or two days. This story grabbed me in the first chapter and held my attention till the end. The pacing and writing were perfect for the length of the story. I am glad the author turned this short story into a book.
Rosalie is the main character in this story. I love how she thinks about others and herself. There was no one or the other like in most stories. Rosalie is a type of character I enjoy reading and could get along with in real life. She is more of a tomboy, not into the corsets and dainty feminine role, but more of the pants and lets get down and dirty to get things done. She is loyal to her family, and those she befriends. I look forward to the rest of her character arc in the next book.
Baine is your typical mysterious character. His loyalty to those around him is deep. But everything changes when Rosalie comes into his life and he himself does not understand. Baine is a multilayered character, and this makes him intriguing. He may seem to be hard on the outside, but he has a soft spot on the inside, especially toward those he cares about. I look forward to seeing where his character heads in the next book
The rest of the cast is a hit and miss. Some I wish we could have gotten a bit more. I understand it was because of the length and the author wrote the characters well for what we got without over powering the main characters. I hope in book two some of these characters will reprise their roles and maybe we, as readers, will have time to learn more about them.
The world building in this story, for me, was a little lack. I wanted a tad more information to better understand what was going on. There was enough to keep interest and wanting to read more, but it was missing something. Another issue I had was the magic. I was not understanding the magic lore enough to know what was going on, why certain people had it, and the way they categorized the severity of the magic. There could have been some more bread crumbs.
I enjoyed reading this story. It held my attention from beginning and end even with the few issues I had. The writing itself is great and I would read more from this author. I would recommend this story if you enjoy fantasy romance, slow burn romance, magic, faes, and adventure.
*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this and other reviews on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
Rosalie is the main character in this story. I love how she thinks about others and herself. There was no one or the other like in most stories. Rosalie is a type of character I enjoy reading and could get along with in real life. She is more of a tomboy, not into the corsets and dainty feminine role, but more of the pants and lets get down and dirty to get things done. She is loyal to her family, and those she befriends. I look forward to the rest of her character arc in the next book.
Baine is your typical mysterious character. His loyalty to those around him is deep. But everything changes when Rosalie comes into his life and he himself does not understand. Baine is a multilayered character, and this makes him intriguing. He may seem to be hard on the outside, but he has a soft spot on the inside, especially toward those he cares about. I look forward to seeing where his character heads in the next book
The rest of the cast is a hit and miss. Some I wish we could have gotten a bit more. I understand it was because of the length and the author wrote the characters well for what we got without over powering the main characters. I hope in book two some of these characters will reprise their roles and maybe we, as readers, will have time to learn more about them.
The world building in this story, for me, was a little lack. I wanted a tad more information to better understand what was going on. There was enough to keep interest and wanting to read more, but it was missing something. Another issue I had was the magic. I was not understanding the magic lore enough to know what was going on, why certain people had it, and the way they categorized the severity of the magic. There could have been some more bread crumbs.
I enjoyed reading this story. It held my attention from beginning and end even with the few issues I had. The writing itself is great and I would read more from this author. I would recommend this story if you enjoy fantasy romance, slow burn romance, magic, faes, and adventure.
*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this and other reviews on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
February 25, 2024
An entertaining fantasy story with interesting characters!
Rosalie is a slightly desperate character. She needs money to pay for a healer for her sick firehawks, so she makes the incredibly wise decision to sell herself into slavery for a few months to some Fae lord to pay for the treatment. Unfortunately, the troll who she was bargaining with was a bit shady and actually sold her into a bridal competition. She's a strong character who has a slight naïveté that fits with her characterization of being from a small rural farming town, so while I had some moments of "why did you think this was a good idea?", it still fit with how Rosalie was written. She was a refreshing character who stayed true to herself throughout the competition and maybe got to catch the eye of a certain grumpy fae who could help her escape.
Bain is the classic brooding, grumpy lead. I liked his scenes with Rosalie because she gave as good as she got with him. He's a complex character who follows his master because of a life debt, but just might alter his allegiance for the right human.
I liked the story and was delighted when I found out it was dual POV! It has really good world building with difference classes, and types of magic (including the forbidden kind!), and different creatures introduced throughout the story.
This is a mostly clean story. There are some suggestive comments and implications made, but overall pretty tame. There is some violence, not particularly gory. The language is also pretty mild, I can't remember anything too strong used, but I could have missed them.
The narrator was interesting! I hadn't heard him narrate before and he does a good job with all of the voices and voicing each character's perspective distinctly. For the female character's POV, he was able to do a different voice for narrating than for the male character's POV, and I thought that was wonderful and made it a lot easier to tell who was narrating the chapter. Though, I will add, that his voice for Bain really made me picture Bain as Snape which kind made the story a little bit silly for me. I listened at 1.2x speed.
Rosalie is a slightly desperate character. She needs money to pay for a healer for her sick firehawks, so she makes the incredibly wise decision to sell herself into slavery for a few months to some Fae lord to pay for the treatment. Unfortunately, the troll who she was bargaining with was a bit shady and actually sold her into a bridal competition. She's a strong character who has a slight naïveté that fits with her characterization of being from a small rural farming town, so while I had some moments of "why did you think this was a good idea?", it still fit with how Rosalie was written. She was a refreshing character who stayed true to herself throughout the competition and maybe got to catch the eye of a certain grumpy fae who could help her escape.
Bain is the classic brooding, grumpy lead. I liked his scenes with Rosalie because she gave as good as she got with him. He's a complex character who follows his master because of a life debt, but just might alter his allegiance for the right human.
I liked the story and was delighted when I found out it was dual POV! It has really good world building with difference classes, and types of magic (including the forbidden kind!), and different creatures introduced throughout the story.
This is a mostly clean story. There are some suggestive comments and implications made, but overall pretty tame. There is some violence, not particularly gory. The language is also pretty mild, I can't remember anything too strong used, but I could have missed them.
The narrator was interesting! I hadn't heard him narrate before and he does a good job with all of the voices and voicing each character's perspective distinctly. For the female character's POV, he was able to do a different voice for narrating than for the male character's POV, and I thought that was wonderful and made it a lot easier to tell who was narrating the chapter. Though, I will add, that his voice for Bain really made me picture Bain as Snape which kind made the story a little bit silly for me. I listened at 1.2x speed.
May 3, 2022
The Moonlit Woods by Eliza Tilton created a magical fantasy story featuring two protective characters who are not supposed to like each other. Rosalie’s firehawks, that prevent plague snakes from destroying farmland, are ill. Her twin brother is gone to war, and her parents have passed away, leaving Rosalie desperate for money. Deceived by a troll, she has arrived at Farrow’s Gate to find she is a prospective bride for Lord Demious. Under heavy guard and her magic suppressed by a collar, Rosalie finds herself drawn to the head guard. Baine is a shapeshifter Fae loyal to Lord Demious. He owes his life to Lord Demious, but something about Rosalie seems different from the other girls. It also seems that Rosalie has a penchant for getting herself in situations where Baine has to risk himself for. Rosalie knows she has powerful feelings for Baine, but his ability to reflect no emotion confuses her. Should she try for favor by Lord Demious? Will she get back in time to save her firehawks?
This is a slow burn romance fantasy story which captivated my full attention. Eliza Tilton made the perfect atmosphere with several challenges for Rosalie to overcome. Rosalie’s personality was the perfect reflection of her fire abilities. This feisty nature that she has added to her appeal, but displeases Lord Demious. It drew Baine to be protective of her, and I understood his inner conflict struggle. He couldn’t follow through on how he felt because of his loyalty to Lord Demious. Vivid descriptions of supporting characters, ally and villain, made it difficult to predict how the story would turn. The conclusion surprised me. There was a small piece inviting a continuing series, and I look forward to reading the sequel. Readers of fantasy romance stories with unpredictable endings will enjoy The Moonlit Woods.
This is a slow burn romance fantasy story which captivated my full attention. Eliza Tilton made the perfect atmosphere with several challenges for Rosalie to overcome. Rosalie’s personality was the perfect reflection of her fire abilities. This feisty nature that she has added to her appeal, but displeases Lord Demious. It drew Baine to be protective of her, and I understood his inner conflict struggle. He couldn’t follow through on how he felt because of his loyalty to Lord Demious. Vivid descriptions of supporting characters, ally and villain, made it difficult to predict how the story would turn. The conclusion surprised me. There was a small piece inviting a continuing series, and I look forward to reading the sequel. Readers of fantasy romance stories with unpredictable endings will enjoy The Moonlit Woods.
June 22, 2023
Easy to read, grips you from the start, edge-of-the-seat til the end - loved it!
Orphaned and with her twin brother at war, Rosalie, a fire elemental mage, is left to fend for herself. To keep her estate and her fire hawks alive, she sells herself into servitude for a year. The troll bartering the deal tricks her and brings her to an aristo’s bridal competition where she has to wear dresses the only function of which is to show off her breasts. Enter Baine, a fae shifter (yeah, that’s exciting) and head of guard to the master of the house who owes him a life debt. I loved how headstrong Rosalie was, how her enemies-to-lovers developed with Baine and how she struggled to make the right choice: disclose how powerful she really is and marry the pompous ass to save her fire hawks or avoid the leech & find another way. Baine was the cutest cinnamon-roll hero ever - prickly and deadly wolfie-fae on the outside, but “grrrr… I’ll protect my human” on the inside. Still, not a pnr book as romance was a secondary plotline and it was mostly about finding ways to fight the darkthings & maintain the magic of the land. Loved Baine’s & Rosie’s twin Calvin’s interactions as well and the baddie was described to the epitome of loathsome!
Recommended for lovers of YA/NA paranormal fantasy, fae fantasy with shifter elements and fae-human enemies to lovers trope. If you like Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series, you’ll love this one. It can be read as a standalone, no cliffhanger in the end - different books seem to contain different storylines.
The FMC is 22, so this puts it into the NA age-range, but coming into her powers and the coming of age of falling in love for the first time (plus the other prospects being 16-19yo) could equally still make it yummy for upper YA fans to read.
Orphaned and with her twin brother at war, Rosalie, a fire elemental mage, is left to fend for herself. To keep her estate and her fire hawks alive, she sells herself into servitude for a year. The troll bartering the deal tricks her and brings her to an aristo’s bridal competition where she has to wear dresses the only function of which is to show off her breasts. Enter Baine, a fae shifter (yeah, that’s exciting) and head of guard to the master of the house who owes him a life debt. I loved how headstrong Rosalie was, how her enemies-to-lovers developed with Baine and how she struggled to make the right choice: disclose how powerful she really is and marry the pompous ass to save her fire hawks or avoid the leech & find another way. Baine was the cutest cinnamon-roll hero ever - prickly and deadly wolfie-fae on the outside, but “grrrr… I’ll protect my human” on the inside. Still, not a pnr book as romance was a secondary plotline and it was mostly about finding ways to fight the darkthings & maintain the magic of the land. Loved Baine’s & Rosie’s twin Calvin’s interactions as well and the baddie was described to the epitome of loathsome!
Recommended for lovers of YA/NA paranormal fantasy, fae fantasy with shifter elements and fae-human enemies to lovers trope. If you like Holly Black’s The Folk of the Air series, you’ll love this one. It can be read as a standalone, no cliffhanger in the end - different books seem to contain different storylines.
The FMC is 22, so this puts it into the NA age-range, but coming into her powers and the coming of age of falling in love for the first time (plus the other prospects being 16-19yo) could equally still make it yummy for upper YA fans to read.
March 7, 2023
Eliza Tilton is a new to me author, when I was asked if I wanted to read one of her books I was like sure why not, I'm always looking for new authors/reads. I went into this novel blind - this review is my own unbiased opinions.
I loved the cover of The Moonlit Woods and I was intrigued to find out what novel awaited me. Well let me tell you as soon as I got into chapter 1 I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The world building was richly created and the characters of the strong females gave a sense of something more than a male dominated stories. I loved, loved, loved Baine. His character being a Fae was unlike ones I've read before and it was nice to see a kind side to a Fae and not a tricky trickster. I also loved that he was a wolf shifter - that banter towards the end with Calvin had me laughing - it was a great relief in a tense scene.
Rosalie - I also loved her. She was so strong and was the perfect main character. Her determination put her into situations but it also created the character she was.
I saw on another review the descriptions of her curves and her breasts..as if it was a problem, well as a curvy person with breasts myself I didn't find these descriptions out of place and to be honest if I was strapped into bodices like Rosalie I'd be saying and thinking the same things.
As I said I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and though there's no spice in the story, I didn't find the novel lacking. I enjoyed that spice didn't distract from the main storyline and what a storyline it was. It had tense moments and twists that I didn't expect.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series just to find out what happens next for Baine and Rosalie.
I loved the cover of The Moonlit Woods and I was intrigued to find out what novel awaited me. Well let me tell you as soon as I got into chapter 1 I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The world building was richly created and the characters of the strong females gave a sense of something more than a male dominated stories. I loved, loved, loved Baine. His character being a Fae was unlike ones I've read before and it was nice to see a kind side to a Fae and not a tricky trickster. I also loved that he was a wolf shifter - that banter towards the end with Calvin had me laughing - it was a great relief in a tense scene.
Rosalie - I also loved her. She was so strong and was the perfect main character. Her determination put her into situations but it also created the character she was.
I saw on another review the descriptions of her curves and her breasts..as if it was a problem, well as a curvy person with breasts myself I didn't find these descriptions out of place and to be honest if I was strapped into bodices like Rosalie I'd be saying and thinking the same things.
As I said I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and though there's no spice in the story, I didn't find the novel lacking. I enjoyed that spice didn't distract from the main storyline and what a storyline it was. It had tense moments and twists that I didn't expect.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series just to find out what happens next for Baine and Rosalie.
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