Stay for a Spell
Amy Coombe
4.4
Thistlemarsh
by Corrigan
Published Apr 21, 2026
Category
About this book
An Instant USA Today Bestseller! "Perfect for reading in the garden…and readers who’ve loved the fairy-adjacent historical romances of Robin McKinley or Mercedes Lackey will find themselves right at home.”—The New York Times "The perfect escape for A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue fans.... Thistlemarsh is perfect for all genre lovers."—Parade Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return. Welcome to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin. In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams. When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother. It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
Available Formats
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What readers are saying
HeatherLike a warm hug - I want to revisit Thistlemarsh again and again
"What a lovely book!! I wish I could read it again for the first time. But this story will be re-read and a perfect cozy read to gift. ["
May 16, 2026 Verified Purchase
DottiWhimsical Yet Eerie
"Moorea Corrigan’s Thistlemarch is a faerie novel filled with magic, enchantments, mysteries and unravelings. Our story is set against the backdrop of the end of World War I, with the loss of a generation of young men and the trauma of a nation at war. Our main character, Mouse, has come into an odd inheritance; her beloved cousin was killed on the front lines, and her dear brother was injured trying to save him. Mouse is the poor relation of the family, the offspring of an improper marriage, so inheriting Thistlemarch, the dilapidated faerie home once used as a hunting ground for the Faerie King, was unexpected; even more unexpected are the conditions for the inheritance, which force her to go through a series of tasks. In order to accomplish these tasks, Mouse ends up partnering with the first faerie found in a century, a former statue named Thornwood. I had heard this story described as cozy fantasy, and I think I would disagree with the assessment. It felt more like a traditional fairy tale; sometimes whimsical, sometimes spooky, often layered with magic yet to be revealed to both our character and our audience. The tone of the story was serious, focusing heavily in the beginning on the characters effects of the great war on England and its citizens. Mouse’s brother experiences PTSD and is often disassociated from the world, and her relationship with him defines a lot of the early part of the book. Her desire to keep the house away from its next successor is directly tied to her relationships with her brother and cousin. The romance in the story built well but subtly. I wouldn’t call this a romance novel or a fantasy romance, but rather a fairy tale with a romance subplot. Our male main character is High Fae and exhibits all the capriciousness of the species. The romance is not the main core of the story, but has impact on the story as a whole and the climax in particular. He’s not a swoon-worthy protagonist in comparison to many of the men in modern fantasy, but he’s interesting. There was a lot in this book that reminded me of the Emily Wilde books by Heather Fawcett. The male main character is very similar to the one in those books, the leanings into different fairy tales and myths, the main character’s very pragmatic approach to faeries. The tone takes a very similar approach, and so I think this book would be enjoyable for someone who loved Emily, as I did. Altogether, this book was more serious than I expected but not for the fault of the publisher. The story was engaging, and the twists throughout the story were solid. I did not expect the character reveal at the climax of the story, which was well done and engaging. Elements from the beginning of the story were scattered throughout and had long term implications. This was a solid book and worth reading, especially if you loved Fawcett’s work and want something similar. A huge thank you to the team at Berkley for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ["
April 30, 2026
