Thistlemarsh
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Apr 21, 2026
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in the aftermath of WWI, in a world where Faeries are known but thought to have abandoned England, Corrigan's quaint historical fantasy debut offers a gentle love story. Mouse Dunne is the inheritor of Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, but her hateful uncle has left some conditions. To keep the house, Mouse must either marry or completely renovate the crumbling manor within the month. If she doesn't, the entire inheritance goes to her awful cousin, Carlyle. Desperate to provide for her disabled brother, Mouse makes an ill-advised deal with a Faerie, Thornwood, who shocks her by appearing on the property. He agrees to use his magic to restore Thistlemarsh to its former glory. As the two work together, a soft and sweet romance takes root. Despite their diametrically opposed worldviews, Mouse and Thornwood go from entertaining disagreements to slowly earned respect. The duo's dynamic keeps the novel afloat, even when their investigation into the estate's magic underwhelms, suffering from a few too many convenient turns. A sense of isolation, stemming from a lack of interaction with the surrounding town of Tithe, makes the world of the novel feel somewhat limited and flat but gives the small cast more time to shine. H.G. Parry and Heather Fawcett fans should take a chance on this one.