Lady of Light and Shadows by C.L. Wilson
Review by Jennifer (mywolfalways) 
Elysetta, the daughter of a woodcarver, always dreamed of being whisked away in a Fae tale like those she read in her youth. Unfortunately, being in a real life Fae tale is more complicated than the ones she read.
In the previous novel, Lord of the Fading Lands, our heroine was saved from a marriage to a nasty neighbor when Rain, the Fae king and legendary Tairen Soul, made claim to her as his true mate. This novel continues to show her courtship with Rain, her preparation for marriage through exhausting ceremonies in the church, the challenges she faces in learning high social graces, and the prejudices she encounters as she comes to terms with her newfound magical abilities.
When I read the first book, I thought I might be reading another peasant to princess story, but it’s much more than that. The second book gets more in depth with the characters, the world, and the plot. Elysetta is an intelligent and generous young woman, who quickly has to mature in this novel due to enemies in court, most of which seem to want to do nothing more harmful than embarrass her. Rain, a loving and protective man, insists that she be guarded by a quartet of Fae. Her guards protect her but are also loyal to her through friendship. As she opens up to them, they teach her how to protect herself in a physical manner. Once Rain and the others learn of her magic, they encourage her to learn to control it; however, she is somewhat reluctant to do so, having been told all of her life that it is evil.
Having been so long away from the mortal world, Rain is often surprised and frustrated by how easily mortals seem to forget history. While he has thousands of years to remember personally, humans have at most a hundred. He has to fight in the court against dangers in a formal manner that he would rather confront directly. These dangers, of course, soon reveal themselves to be much more dire than anticipated.
Most people in the city are suspicious of Rain and the Fae. This makes Elysetta’s life difficult enough, but it’s made even worse by her concerned mother, who spares no chance to let her daughter know that she disapproves of the match. Her father, while concerned, decides he will respect whatever decision Elysetta makes when it comes to her marriage arrangements.
At the climax of the novel I was stunned and felt the sting of Elysetta’s loss. And when I reached the last page, I knew I couldn’t let my heroine’s story end this way. I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next book.
