Every writer dreams of visiting her story. But what do you do when the hero is more like a villain, the villain is more like a hero, and your side characters come to life with stories of their own? Oh, and you don’t know the world, and the person you have a crush on is sucked into the story with you.
Regency and Regicide by J. J. Fischer is the book of every writer’s soul. I may not be Miss Diana Crewe, aspiring authoress from Regency England writing a novel inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, and I may not have a dashing family friend named Ignatius Sinclair, but I also just might fall in love with a fictional character—if I really met him. I also mold my world and its inhabitants around the places and people (and books) I know. I also lose track of who did what in which draft (and am guilty of creating cardboard side characters and committing paper murder). I also can find traces of my heart and soul in every element I’ve created. And I also have learned that no writer, no matter how isolated, ever writes her story alone.
If you’re not a writer, never fear—there’s still plenty of adventure and romance and laugh-out-loud humor to make Regency and Regicide a five-star read for you.
In my opinion, Regency and Regicide is way too genius, profound, and adventurous for a mere rom-com. While it is an absolute romp in the best of ways—witty conversations, hilarious ironies, and a narrative voice of dry humor from start to fin—it also continues Fischer’s characteristic depth of character and theme. “What is a hero?” this story asks, and answers. “What is a writer? What is story?” And, of course, “What is love?” Plus, the plot is just as strong as those of Fischer’s high fantasy novels, expertly crafted in the way it builds—with a few surprises—all the way up to the happiest of endings.
I’m not really a romance-only reader, much less a fan of the cheap story and plastic characters often found in rom-coms. Yay for me, nothing about Regency and Regicide was shallow or eye-roll inducing. Instead, the warm humor and real relationships invited me into the story from the very first chapter, and I wished I could stay well after the last page left me back in my own world (not Regency England, sadly).
Regency and Regicide is also one of the most quotable books I’ve read. Clever, comical, convicting—you name it, there’s a quote for it somewhere in this story. I want quotes on my writing desk and quotes at my wedding, and probably a quote in my funeral too. I’ve already used one of its delectable insults (“glaringly unfinished”) that I’d tucked in my pocket, and I look forward to using it and other (less offending) quotes in both daily life and special occasions.
“Stories could do so much more than entertain…they had the power to change the world. To bring healing and celebrate goodness. But they had to be finished first.”
~Chapter 16, “Ambush”
As a writer of medieval fantasy myself, I’d be remiss not to give a nod to Fischer’s stellar portrayal of castles, knights, jousting tournaments, and all the other elements of Diana’s story world. She has my envy for making the height of early medieval fashion look flattering. Of course, her details of the Regency era that bookends the medieval adventure—and bleeds into the story throughout—carry just as much authenticity. I felt comfortably grounded in both worlds and honestly would have been happy to live in either one.
My very favorite part of Regency and Regicide, however, is, as its premise suggests, its magnificent insight into authorship, writing, and the process of imagination. Fischer captures the writer’s dreams, struggles, and quirks perfectly, wrapping in lighthearted prose and rousing adventure a deep reflection on the heart of story and—true to her style—the heart of the best story.
Like I said, you don’t have to be a writer to appreciate this book, but if you are a writer, you’ll only enjoy it that much more.
So I raise my glass to Regency and Regicide: a delightful adventure, a sweet romance, and a literary tribute to the thrills and throes of writing. This book is a true credit to the rom-com genre. Long live the writer.
