Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace & S.O. Callahan (Fool’s Errand) – That’s What I’m Talking About…

Audiobook review: Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace & S.O. Callahan

This month’s optional theme is Fool’s Errand, with one suggestion being a fake relationship. Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms not only features a fake engagement, but it also centers on a human and fae working together on an outrageous plan to overhaul the standard magic testing system.

The story is set in an alternative, queer-norm version of historical London, where fae and humans live side-by-side. Both fae and human children are tested for magic at a young age, and more and more frequently, human children are failing, which means no job, no marriage prospects, and they are often tossed out by their own families. 

Roger Barnes, a human whose father is a council member of the Fae and Human Relations Council, suggests a new test may be the answer, and the Council allows him to research his proposal under one condition, he must work with Wyndham Wrenwhistle (Wyn), a fae aristocrat. Wyn’s grandmother is an influential member of the Council, and his family is wealthy; however Wyn is known as a rake and acts like a snob to Roger, whom he’s known since childhood.

Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms is a lovely, sweet romance featuring an average wall-flower nerd and a handsome rich boy with a dash of gossip creating the need for a fake relationship. After a standoffish start, Wyn becomes invested in Roger’s project. Together they make new and exciting discoveries about magic. Even though everything is moving so quickly, their romance has a sweet, slow-burn quality. They get to know and understand each other a bit more with each interaction. And they each let down their guard as they learn to trust each other.

A half-fae, half-human, fully shunned gossip columnist with their own interests announces the pair is engaged, and due to societal rules and norms, Roger and Wyn cannot deny it without severe consequences to their families’ repuations and the success of their project.

The romance is low-conflict and overall, there is little that goes wrong when so much could have. It’s an easy story to enjoy. I loved the following the pair’s experiments as they work on their new magic testing rubrik.

Narration: the story is shared via the third person alternating POVs of Roger and Wyn. Simpson uses a masculine, refined voice to narrate the story. His slight British accent is upper class, which fits the aristocratic council and Londoners. He adjusts each character’s dialogue, softening some for females. While the pitch of Simpson’s voice doesn’t change much, he is able to distinguish characters by playing up characteristics like shyness, stuttering, distain, etc.  

I enjoyed Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms for the easy and lovely romance it is.

My Ratings
Story: B+
Narration: B

Jen

About the Book:

Roger not only had to prove himself to the Council, he also had to prove himself to Wyndham Wrenwhistle.

Fae and humans alike are returning to London for the Season, but the excitement is marred by the growing poverty rate among humans with low magical scores.

Tenacious Roger Barnes proposes a new rubric for testing magic to the Council, hoping to resolve the predicament for his fellow humans. But when he is paired with Wyndham Wrenwhistle, a dashing fae who has disliked him since childhood, the project seems destined to fail. Even after reaching a tentative truce, their fragile partnership crumbles due to malicious lies.

Adding to the disarray, a popular gossip column unexpectedly announces that Roger and Wyn are engaged. Obliged to go along with the falsehood to save their families from scandal, they are forced to reconcile their differences for the sake of the rubric — and for their impending marriage. As the project bleeds into their wedding plans, the pressure to flawlessly execute both mounts even higher.

Together, they have the chance to solve a crisis decades in the making — but they’ll need more than magic to succeed.

Authors: Sarah Wallace, S.O. Callahan
Narrator: Matt Simpson
Series: Fae and Human Relations #1
Genre: Historical Fantasy Romance, LGBTQ+
Audiobook Release Date: January 27, 2024
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 14 hours; 9 mins
Source: purchased/freebie
Audio Speed: 1.3x
#RRBC 2026: Wallflower/Ugly Duckling
#TBRChallenge 2026: Fool’s Errand