*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing Scales and Sensibility, which was The Weatherwax Report‘s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
Sensible, practical Elinor Tregarth really did plan to be the model poor relation when she moved into Hathergill Hall. She certainly never meant to kidnap her awful cousin Penelope’s pet dragon. She never expected to fall in love with the shameless—but surprisingly sweet—fortune hunter who came to court Penelope. And she never dreamed she would have to enter into an outrageous magical charade to save her younger sisters’ futures.
However, even the most brilliant scholars of 1817 England still haven’t ferreted out all the lurking secrets of rediscovered dragonkind, and even the most sensible of heroines can still make a reckless wish or two when she’s pushed. Now Elinor will have to find out just how rash and resourceful she can be when she sets aside all common sense. Maybe, just maybe, she’ll even be impractical enough to win her own true love and a happily ever after, with the unpredictable and dangerous “help” of the magical creature who has adopted her.
Our Thoughts
With Scales and Sensibility, we have our second Regency-era romance with dragons in this year’s contest. Our judges found it to be a delightful read and fell especially in love with the dragons as ‘pets’ aspect of the story. The mystery was well done, and the romantic relationship had some interesting twists.
You will note Scales has an identical score to Miss Percy (our other Regency-era romance with dragons). This is due to a split between our judges: some liked the former more, others the latter. If you love the concept of Jane Austen with dragons, you definitely can’t go wrong with either title!
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And again, you can see the list of all the finalists and their scores here. Our judges are Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kerry Smith, Max Freeman, and Jennie Ivins (me). If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at me, Jennie Ivins, via DM on Facebook and Twitter.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene