Book Review: ‘The Rules of Enchantment’ by Wendy Tardieu

October 27, 2020 at 4:00 am | Posted in Books, Fantasy, Reviews, scifi/fantasy | Leave a comment
Tags: the rules of enchantment, wendy tardieu

So there’s a first time for everything, right? Well The Rules of Enchantment is the first time I’ve read an “erotic fantasy adventure” novel. I’ve read lots of fantasy books, and some of those have gotten pretty steamy, but this of course takes it just a bit further. However, maybe not as far as you might think. If you’re a fan of fantasy stories and you like romance, this might be right up your alley.

The story takes place in a world where people gifted in magic can go to academies to learn more about spells and such. There’s an Order of Shadows, an Order of Light and an Order of Sight. Each school has a different focus on the magical arts. Beyond the magic schools, the world lives in the shadow of an event that happened long ago. A sorcerer named Malantheus and his followers crafted a powerful gauntlet that could rule the dead. They rebelled against the kingdoms of the world as they wanted to cast off the restrictions placed on magic. Malantheus was stopped, the gauntlet locked away, and his followers were doomed as spirits to haunt an enchanted forest. All of that creates the backdrop for the world.

At the heart of it all is a young scholar named Kyler and a rebellious sorcerer named Leith. Kyler is summoned by her superiors and is informed that she is being given another chance at learning magic and becoming a sorceress. She’s tasked with going out into the enchanted forest to submit herself as an apprentice to Leith who has been far too long without one. Their ulterior motive is to use her to spy on Leith and to prevent him from becoming too powerful as love and lust interferes with the use of magic. Off in his own self-isolation, Leith has been planning on a way to find and recapture the gauntlet of Malantheus so he can use its power for his own desires. Thus the two characters are put together and the stage is set.

From there, the story does some of the things you might expect. Kyler does lessons with Leith in order to learn how to use magic. She struggles and eventually has success. As they spend more and more time with each other, they grow closer and more attracted to each other. Eventually you get some steamy romance scenes, and then Kyler has to make a decision. Does she give up on the order and join Leith in his quest for the gauntlet, or does she try to stop him?

That’s where things get a bit fun. It doesn’t go exactly the way you might think. There’s some twists and turns as they run into challenges and make decisions. Their relationship is put to the test, and in the end, it’s a pretty good story. Now it’s worth mentioning that this book is only 142 pages, so it’s a quick read. However, it is a complete story. It doesn’t feel rushed with the low page count. Rather it just doesn’t get bogged down with worldbuilding, side quests or filler. The focus stays on the main characters and the inevitable draw of the ancient gauntlet.

So, if you’ve never read an erotic fantasy adventure story before, The Rules of Enchantment is actually worth checking out. The “erotic” part of the story is barely 5% of the book, so you get lots of actual story to enjoy. And it’s very much a fantasy novel with lots of magic and some fantastical creatures. Plus, if you like romance, there’s lots of that, though it doesn’t overwhelm the book, it’s just part of driving force of the narrative. All in all, I give this one a four out of five.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.