3,5/5
I’ve come to realize that Beauty and the Beast retellings are so my thing! There’s endless ways to twist the original story and I love the dynamics between the ‘beauty’ character and the ‘beast’ character.

Emma Hamm brings the story to the fae realm and builds a strong backstory for both characters. The beauty, Sorcha, is a midwife who lives in a brothel with her family. To save said family from a beetle plague, she is forced to make a deal with fae. The deal demands that Sorcha goes to a mysterious fae island and brings back a certain someone - the beast character, Eamonn, who was banished there by his brother the king. Eamonn is a sulking (obviously), huge (again, obviously) fae, who has gems protruding his skin wherever it’s broken (not so obvious, but an interesting interpretation). There’s also a lovely cast of side characters, which is a highlight of any good Beauty and the Beast story.

Heart of the Fae ended up being a bit of a ride. I didn’t get hooked until Sorcha and Eamonn meet, and the ending is hugely unsatisfying - even as a first part of a series. The in between is very good though, especially because of the banter and character chemistry. I think I just have to continue and read Veins of Magic. My favorite Beauty and the Beast romance retelling still remain Juliet Marillier’s Heart’s Blood.