Kissed by Starlight [Paperback]

This "fairie" (he really hates being called that) is Blaic, a prince of his people, who was cursed after helping his king's daughter escape. Blaic is thrilled when he is released from the stone, and rushes back to the Living Lands, only to find out that the curse is not yet lifted. He still needs Felicia.

As they spend more time together, Felicia and Blaic fall in love, but because Felicia is human, they cannot touch without obligation -- a "fairie" is bound to fulfil the wish of any human they come into physical contact with. This makes for great sexual tension between the two characters, and gives the book that extra zing that warrants five stars.

The novel also works in its basic plot, that of Felicia struggling to live her life on her terms, outside, and in spite of, what everyone thinks of her and tells her about herself.

This book has it all -- spells, girls fallen under enchantments, a wicked stepmother, a charming prince, and a heroine that goes from the cinders to the palace. You will get caught up Felicia's odyssey and the romance between her and Blaic, wish the stepmother to hot, firey place, and be satisfied at the ending. A wonderful escapist read that I highly recommend.

In 1789, James, Viscount Lord Stavely died leaving a widow who fails to grieve for him one iota. He also left behind a legitimate daughter Clarice and a "natural" child, Felicia. Unable to cope with her grief, a distraught Felicia retreats to the garden, standing near her deceased father's favorite statue. When she starts to cry, her tears make contact with the statue. Magically, the statue changes into a flesh and blood being.

Blaic was cursed for abetting the marriage between a fairy and a mortal. Only human tears could release him from his stone prison. All Blaic wants to do is return to his home. However, he needs Felicia to accomplish the deed. As he spends time helping her, he falls in love with the mortal, a taboo amidst his people. She returns his feelings. He spent centuries as a statue after only assisting someone break the taboo. Imagine what will happen if he actively participates in breaking the taboo.

KISSED BY STARLIGHT is a multilayered early regency romance that adds fantasy elements into a complex (at times too complex to follow) but overall charming mix. The protagonists are unique and interesting cross-species' lovers, who will garner reader empathy. The support cast, especially the Cinderella-like malevolent stepmother, seems a bit cartoonish in nature. However, anyone who enjoys a historical fantasy romance should enter the imaginative world of Lynn Bailey where reality remains in a mundane world left behind by the reader.

Harriet Klausner