Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Emily, The Beekeeper's Daughter: A Romance Novella is a short epic fantasy written by Ronnda Eileen Henry. Lord Otto, the Earl of Borrow, had four daughters, the youngest of whom was rapidly approaching her majority and would be of marriageable age. The Earl had been widowed four years earlier, and Lady Grace still keenly felt the absence of her mother. Grace’s best friend was Emily, the beekeeper’s daughter. She was also the daughter of Beth, the village’s herbalist who had become the Earl’s cook at the request of Lady Rosamunda, the Earl’s now deceased wife. A condition of her being the cook was that Emily should be allowed to accompany her to the castle. And so, Emily grew up with the Earl’s daughters.

Emily was nineteen years old now, and she watched with no little amusement as Sir Andrew sought out Lady Grace’s favors. Sir Andrew was a commoner and somewhat shorter than the average knight, but he excelled as an archer. Having seen Sir Jeffrey, another commoner, succeed in his quest to marry one of Grace’s older sisters, Sir Andrew was daring to hope that he too could marry the girl he had fallen in love with. Then Sir Robin rode into the courtyard with the Earl at his side. Robin was everything that Andrew felt he wasn’t. He was tall and strong and had a presence and carriage so like Sir Jeffrey that they could have been brothers. Andrew’s hopes were dashed when he saw the man, and he instinctively knew that Lady Grace would be unable to resist the new knight’s charms.

Ronnda Eileen Henry’s short epic Regency fantasy/romance, Emily, The Beekeeper's Daughter: A Romance Novella, is a sweet and, at times, humorous tale of true love and the often bumpy road lovers may have to travel to get to their happily ever-afters. Henry’s plot is engaging and her characters are charming and quite real. I found myself chuckling over the awkward way in which Emily confronts her real love, and enjoyed how that earthy humor imbued the story with even more authenticity than it already had. Fans of sweet romances will especially enjoy this tale, which is also suitable for young adults. Emily, The Beekeeper's Daughter: A Romance Novella is most highly recommended.