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Dragonfly Maid: A Dark Fae Mystery in Queen Victoria's Court (The Queen's Fayte Book 1) Kindle Edition

by D.D. Croix (Author), DeAnna Cameron (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 140 ratings
See all formats and editions

A memory thief. A magical dragonfly. A deadly plot against the Queen.Will Jane become a dark fae’s victim, or has the monster met his match?

In the shadowy corners of Queen Victoria’s castle, a young maid named Jane Shackle has a secret that could destroy her: She’s plagued by uncontrollable visions. Yet when a group of royal servants called the Fayte Guardians reveal their own secrets, rooted in ancient Celtic lore, she agrees to use her visions to hunt for a deadly threat against the Queen.

As Jane's investigation pulls her closer to a menacing, yet handsome young man, she begins to question the Fayte Guardians’ true intentions. Is she trailing a killer, or is she merely a pawn in their game?

With the aid of an unlikely group of allies, a sassy dragonfly, and her own untested powers, Jane will have to navigate the treacherous waters of palace politics and magical realms in order to defeat the mysterious enemy determined to destroy them all.

DRAGONFLY MAID is a thrilling dark fantasy adventure that weaves captivating mystery into the hidden layers of history. With clever heroines, beastly villains, and a slow-burn romance tangled up in magic and danger, this enchanting series from best-selling author D.D. Croix will leave you breathless.

RATING: PG (Clean)

★ 2020 MOONBEAM AWARD GOLD MEDALIST
★ 2020 B.R.A.G. MEDALLION RECIPIENT
★ RECIPIENT OF READERS’ FAVORITE'S FIVE-STAR SEAL

COMPLETE SERIES
MEMORY THIEF (The Queen's Fayte prequel story) - available now
DRAGONFLY MAID (The Queen’s Fayte Book 1) - available now
SLIVERING CURSE (The Queen’s Fayte Book 2) - available now
SHADOW RITE (The Queen’s Fayte Book 3) - available now
GUARDIAN OF THE REALM (The Queen's Fayte Book 4)- available now

Join the DRAGONFLY MAID's magical adventure today!

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  1. Book 1 of 4
    The Queen's Fayte
  2. Print length
    287 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    March 25, 2020
  6. File size
    3872 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

A deadly fae secret lurks within the royal walls.
But Jane has powerful secrets of her own.
Memory Thief prequel, Dragonfly Maid (Book 1), Slivering Curse (Book 2), Shadow Rite (Book 3)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"complex and solid... A dark but exciting gaslight fantasy" -- 5-star review from Lit Amri at Readers' Favorite

From the Inside Flap

Chapter 1

I waited for my dragonfly beneath the low, morning clouds. I knew she would come. She always did when I ventured outdoors while the sun was up. I knew she would find me, even here, as I sat along the north wall with only my wool dress, petticoats, and maid's apron to protect me from the cold stone bench--embellished simply, as so many things at Windsor Castle were, with the VR insignia of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

So, where was she? Where was the friend who could make me see reason? I needed to find her. I needed her comfort because right now I had none.

Back inside, every servant scurried to prepare for Queen Victoria's return from her Scottish retreat. I should be in there, too, peeling potatoes for Mrs. Crossey, the cook I assisted most days, but the summons from the House Steward had sent me into a panic.

The young page who delivered the order didn't tell me why I was being called in, but I excused myself just the same and told Mrs. Crossey I'd see to it immediately. Instead I'd come here, to the kitchen garden--an unauthorized detour, to be sure--but I needed time to compose myself. Experience had already taught me that nothing good ever came from being summoned to that dull, dank office.

But what was it this time?

Had a new complaint been lodged against me? I'd tried to be careful. I'd reported to the kitchen on time every morning this week and stayed until properly dismissed. I hadn't even palmed a single new trinket for my memory box. Not in several days anyway.

The more likely reason was the one twisting knots in my stomach and making my hands slick beneath my lambskin gloves. In the past month, two dozen members of the staff had been dismissed. Some of them maids in good standing with far better credentials than I. That I was next on the House Steward's dreaded list seemed not only possible but rather overdue.

The others, I'd heard, had their years in royal service to help them secure positions with prominent families. With only six months of experience, I couldn't hope to be so lucky. Girls like me usually ended up on street corners begging for coins, not employed in a royal castle. If I'd come into this world with any luck at all, I was sure it was used up the day I was delivered to the servants' door and handed a scullery maid's apron, even if it hadn't seemed so at the time.

If I was turned out now, I'd end up in a workhouse or worse. Probably worse.

What was I going to do?

"Dragonfly! Where are you?" I hissed the words through clenched teeth, my fists balled at my sides. I needed my friend. I needed her to tell me again all would be well.

Then I spied a shiver in the air; that small, silvery dart with the glittering wings.

Had she soared over the castle wall? Had she slipped through an oak tree's canopy? I hardly knew, but I was relieved beyond measure to see her hovering in front of me now, fixing me with her wide, violet eyes.

"Finally, you've come. Where have you been?"

Grab your copy and read the rest of the DRAGONFLY MAID's magical adventure today!

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B083Z7BDTQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fine Skylark Media (March 25, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 25, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3872 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 287 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 140 ratings

About the author

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D.D. Croix

D.D. Croix

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D.D. CROIX is an award-winning author who writes delightfully dark fantasy with hopeful ever afters. In the pages of her books, you'll find magic, mystery, and a touch of ancient Celtic and Victorian history. Under a pseudonym, she also writes award-winning contemporary romance and historical novels that have been translated into multiple languages. She lives with her family in Southern California, where she drinks tea, plots mayhem, and counts her lucky stars. Learn more at DDCroix.com. Join the Readers Group for updates and exclusive perks at https://www.subscribepage.com/u5o8y9.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
140 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars paranormal
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
Took a while to get into the story but interesting. As with many series way to many unanswered questions. Many of the series I’ve read recently have the same theme, the heroine is in the dark, no one explains anything, she stumbles around hit or miss but manages to save the day. Still was different enough to be an enjoyable read
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Ravenluna
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story and wonderfully exciting
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
I thought this was going to be a slow read as it was a bit confusing with the secrets and that was completely wrong! This book has so much adventure and excitement I was already sucked in by the second chapter. Jane is a wonderfully sweet but mischievous character that you can love and want to journey with her on the quest to help the queen and learn about her real family lineage. The on!y issue was how to pronounce fayte? I thought it would be fey but that t in there had me calling them the fah-tee guardians. That's my only hang up. But love this book!!!!
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Rachel Wentz
5.0 out of 5 stars Very intriguing and mysterious story.
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Loved the twists and turns inside of this story. Can't wait to see where book 2 take Jane.
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Scribblealf
5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Intrigue and Fun!
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
I LOVE fantasy stories from the days of Queen Victoria ... and this novel, first of, hopefully, a long series did not disappoint. D.D.Croix has such a talent for drawing you from chapter to chapter to follow the intrigue brought on Jane, a housemaid in the Queen's household. Such a fun read! I so glad I already have Book 2 and can keep right on following Jane's adventure, along with Mrs. Crossley, Mr. Wyck, and Marlie.
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Lourena Phillips
4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
It is a fascinating premise with a lot of mystery. It has a slow start and at first I thought she was very young. The constant lying irritated me and stalled the story. It got better but left so much unexplained that it felt like only half a book. I liked the characters.
One person found this helpful
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Gayle Carline
5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting tale
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
This was a wonderful introduction to what I hope will be many stories about Jane and her friends (including the dragonflies) keeping the world safe with their magical talents. I felt that I understood Jane, her fears and her desires, and I loved her little winged friend! I'll read more!
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Camille S.
3.0 out of 5 stars Three stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020
The e-book to this had some formatting issues that made reading it difficult. There were sentences that were repeated (I think due to the formatting). This is nothing against the book itself, as this is a review copy.

D.D. Croix makes you care about the characters and makes you rather invested in what happens to them. The characters all have their own voices and are complex. Jane can be too trusting at times, but overall, I enjoyed reading from her perspective.

The world feels real, and Victorian England has always interested me.

That being said, I don’t feel like the action in the book takes place until I had gotten about 60% into the book. Once the pace of the book picked up though I felt like it progressed nicely. I plan on reading more books in this series.

I want to thank Net Galley for allowing me to review this book!
One person found this helpful
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Oma Alice
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Historical Fiction Fantasy
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
A fun and imaginative plot in Queen Victoria’s court for tweens and up. As a part of a series, it still has enough conclusion to satisfy the reader.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mrs. Bruce
3.0 out of 5 stars A slow start, but no sex or swearing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
I found this slow to start and a bit repetitive with Jane first trying to deny her abilities and
later fixated on the stable man being a threat to Queen Victoria at Windsor.
For most of the book the dragonfly didn't seem to be much help to Jane, other than as an occasional
"pet".
Most things were explained by the end of the book, so there wasn't a cliffhanger, though some
threads will be carried on into the rest of the series. There was no sex or swearing and just a hint
of a future romance.
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