This series just gets more fantastic with every single book! Maebe Amos and her cousins are receiving an education in the Pactlands, trying to make up for lost time now that they’ve discovered they have Elvish blood. When she and her cousin Connor narrowly escape an attack one night, and something tragic happens to their home of East Branch, Maebe has to come to terms with her role in it. If she hadn’t pushed to try to find other settlements like hers, maybe events wouldn’t have unfolded the way they did. I loved all the interesting and terrible what if scenarios in this one. It was tragic in so many places, but such a great character study, too. I loved the look into the job of the farseers like Diriem, Rose and Ganti, and how they have an absolutely terrible but important role to play. Wylan, Annie and the gang continue to be one of my favorite parts of the books—I can never get enough of all the side characters in this series. Wylan and his brothers getting a little too excited about the prospect of going hunting? Ah, that was such a fun moment. I am loving Maebe’s trilogy and am excited to see what is in store for her in book 3! 5/5 stars.

As someone with a backyard of wild bunnies who opens my kitchen window to enjoy seeing them hop around and eat wildflowers every morning, I found this children’s book set in clover patch meadow especially charming. I like Eliza’s books because they have heartwarming messages and are written in rhyming verse, which has a charming and old-fashioned feel to it. The woodland creatures in each book are sweet, and this day of berry picking and eating tarts and everyone getting their whiskers and noses all covered in berry juice makes for the perfect cozy bedtime story. The story starts off bright with excitement and berries, and by the end, winds down, and I could even find myself getting sleepy as all the bunnies and mice were tucked into their beds! This would be perfect for reading to little ones. 5/5 stars.

I do love a good psychological thriller with some excellent gaslighting and truly nasty villains and Who Am I? was a delight to read! Freya wakes up from an accident with no memory of who she is or the people she is close to. She is taken home by the man who claims to be her husband, millionaire Carter who is twice her age, and things quickly turn quite odd after that. I love the way author Jane CR Reid sets the scene both for the lavish lifestyle Freya has been thrust into, but also for her sense of discontent, at nothing feeling right, at not knowing who she can trust when she can’t remember anything of her life from before. When strange things begin to happen and her memory seems to be acting up, Carter quickly grows more controlling and Freya is left to wonder if she’s losing her mind.

The gaslighting in this was very well done, and the reader is left to wonder if they can really trust anyone in the cast of characters in this book (my favorite sort of novel.) Monique, who is having an affair with Carter, is a delightfully despicable villain, and you just love to hate her. As things get worse and worse for Freya, you wonder how she will ever dig her way out. This made for an easy read that was cleanly written and nice and easy to follow. 5/5 stars.

In this delightful Pride and Prejudice variation, Darcy is happily married to Elizabeth and father to two-year-old son, Bennett, when his horse is spooked on his ride home and threatens to throw him in what could have been a fatal event, had the angel of death (Graham—a character I found utterly delightful) not intervened. Graham wants to spend time at Pemberley with the Darcys, and this causes some angst for Darcy, but can he really refuse if he doesn’t want an alternate reality where he doesn’t survive to come to pass?

I love that in this variation, Elizabeth and Darcy are married and parents to little Bennett. It is a delight to read the way Miller writes this couple across all stages of their relationship, from first meetings, to courtship, to later as they are comfortably married, and this book was full of lovely familiar characters with the De Bourghs and Mr. Collins and of course the charming horses and dogs that I have come to love in all her novels. For readers of the original version, you will especially like the new epilogue that has been added. I thoroughly enjoyed it! 5/5 stars.

LOVED this so much! Enrique is second in command of the Lozano cartel and Lourdes is a cartel princess who has been traded by her father from one abusive man to another in marriages she did not want to husbands who treated her terribly. When Enrique kidnaps her, she’s furious, but she also finds the one person who wants to protect her and not harm her, and keep her father from harming her.

I love the dynamic Amber Daulton creates in this series, with rough male characters who are definitely on the gray side of things with the stuff they’re doing, but worship their partners. It’s sizzling to read. It’s a spicy, intense series, and if you like mafia/cartel spicy romance, you’ll love this series! I loved getting to see some of the old characters from previous books, especially Ruben and Drina and their daughter, and Ruben and Enrique negotiating was a great scene. Of course, things don’t always go to plan, and things got INTENSE and I was completely on the edge of my seat as the gang is forced to content with the creep Lourdes’ father wanted to trade her off to. Loved Lourdes and Enrique as a couple. These two set the pages on fire in every scene. Absolutely cannot wait for the next book!

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author for review purposes.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection, which had poems in a variety of styles and inspirations and also features illustrations, which was a nice touch! Some of the poems touched on the writing process. Others felt more musically/rap inspired. There was a mix of free verse and rhyming verse and I loved the rhythm and flow as I was reading. A real treat! 5/5 stars.

This series is just so good you can’t stop reading! I finished Jane Fortune’s series (which you should also read—Fortune’s Child) and started the Maybe Magic books right away. These characters and the interesting world author Ash Fitzsimmons have crafted really stick with you, and that’s the mark of a great author. In Maybe Magic, we turn to East Branch, home of Connor, Jane’s boyfriend. The residents of East Branch have been living in isolation for generations, not allowing outsiders into their community out of fear that someone might discover their dangerous secrets. When Jane discovers Maebe in the woods after she runs away from home, hoping to see a bit more of the world, she realizes she needs to get the Pactlands involved, and that there is more magic in East Branch than anyone originally thought.

I loved all the surprises in this one. Some great twists that I was not expecting as we learned more about East Branch and its history. I love any time we see more of Diriem, Annie, Wylan, Rosie and Yven. All the recurring characters that come back are what make this series so great. Some of my favorite moments are just when Jane is helping Maebe acclimate to being in the outside world for the first time. How does toothpaste work. Or the fun of being in Diriem’s house where his cook is trying so hard to please Rosie and has a very old human cookbook with a bit too much emphasis on jello salad. These little fun touches about the elven world and the human world show more trying to coexist just make this such a treat to read. I can’t wait for the next book! 5/5 stars. show less

Cozy, dragony and delightful.

I absolutely loved coming back to this series and these characters. This cozy fantasy is a dragon-lover’s delight and one thing I always like is seeing what fun spin each writer will put on their version of dragons and other supernatural creatures in their world. The illustrations were a nice addition and I loved getting to see each of the dragons described. I also love how inclusive this series is. A joy to read. 5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author for review purposes.

The Runaway Sorcerer was so good that I kept desperately trying to steal twenty minutes here, fifteen minutes there, just to read a few pages more. I love how as everything goes so terribly wrong for Jane Fortune in her final book of her trilogy, we get to see so many characters coming together to try to help her. She’s expecting her hearing in front of the forum to go without problems, but it turns into a disaster, and it takes all her allies to help her (including boyfriend Conor, who I love), and figure out her next steps.

One of my favorite things about this series is getting to not only meet new characters with each new trilogy, but also see old friends show up. Annie and Wylan are two of my favorites, and I loved getting to see Diriem as well! Every time I see a post on social media asking for recs for books with sentient plants in them, I always recommend this series, and Sally the protective vine plant knows why. She’s a star! I don’t want to say too much about the plot because there were sooo many good surprises in store, but trust me, this series just gets even more amazing with every book! And now onto the next! 5/5 stars.

I love all of Harley’s romances and was so excited to see she was writing a werewolf romance! Daija was so much fun as a heroine. I loved the sense of mystery at the beginning, with strange encounters with wolves and a mysterious hot guy at the gas station/garage she couldn’t stop thinking about. She and Ash had amazing chemistry, and things quickly get heated! This is a mix of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, with wolf shifters and vampires, and there are some good twists I didn’t anticipate! Can’t wait to see what happens next in the series! 5/5 stars.

I didn’t think it was possible for me to adore a couple more than I did Bianca and Michael in book one, but Nick and Alexis set this book on fire! I love feisty heroines who take no buck from the hero and Alexis may have had to accept that grumpy Nick was assigned as her bodyguard, but she didn’t have to like it. Author Kaya Sable always writes really smart heroines, and I love that, and Alexis is a brilliant hacker and this is why she’s being targeted. She also has a smart mouth, which is fun. I loved the age gap. I loved the forced proximity (who doesn’t love a good blizzard, y’all!) And when these two finally get together, whew, fanning myself with my kindle here. This series is a delight and I can’t wait for the couple in book 3! 5/5 stars.

I have loved the Spellbrooke Mystery series since the very first book! Regan has been on a long journey to try to find out the truth about her past and to find her mother. Will she finally be successful here? We learn so much interesting stuff in this installment of the series about how the politics of werewolf packs and witch covens work together, and I liked all the interesting gray areas that the book explored. I also liked that it touched on Regan’s raw feelings about her bio parents, some not so positive. She was raised in a happy, loving home, but obviously that is still a wound. Without spoilers, this had some interesting revelations, and I look forward to reading the final book of the series! 5/5 stars.

As soon as I started reading Vampire Destiny, I couldn’t put it down! I love how this starts off with a mystery, and we quickly learn that our main character Kelsey is an enigma wrapped in a question, wrapped in more twists. She’s trying to find information about her past, but there are also lots of holes that we don’t know about her, and I love how the writing gave us just enough to keep it suspenseful, while revealing a bit more in every chapter. As one can tell from the title, this is a vampire romance (one of my favorite genres), and I always love seeing how each author adds their own fun twists to traditional vampire lore. This was a treat! 5/5 stars.

The Tale of the Baker’s Wife was a charming fairy tale in traditional style. A baker’s wife who isn’t treated terribly well by the baker. Add in some very observant crows and a group of rats (the inner child in me rather loved the part all the animals got to play in the story) and how do fairy tales turn out? Well, you’ll need to read to find out, but there’s always a lesson to be learned in every story. Enjoyed author Joan Wendland’s old-fashioned fairy-tale style immensely. 5/5 stars.

This was such a great, raw contemporary romance that really explored second chances in a marriage and two people who reach rock bottom in their relationship due to terrible circumstances, and have to decide if they want to fight to stay together, or throw in the towel. I really loved how much emotion this book made me feel, because I felt like I was right there with Marcus and Chelsey at the start of the book when their marriage is in this really terrible place and they’re so far apart from each other because they’ve experienced terrible losses, and author Deborah Adele does such a great job of writing it, that you feel as the reader like, how are they ever going to come back from this? But of course, that’s the beauty of a second-chance romance, in seeing how it’s possible to work through the pain if there is still love there and Marcus and Chelsey do want to find their way back together. It just takes time. I loved this from start to finish, just like I have loved the entire series and can’t wait to see what Deborah Adele writes next! 5/5 stars.

I’m always so delighted to be back in author Elizabeth Holland’s charming Cornish village full of quaint English shops and cozy meet ups with friends for lunch or tea! The Cornish Vintage Bookshop was a book lover’s delight because it features Clara, a secondhand romance bookstore owner who has stayed in her small hometown and had her heart broken when her high school boyfriend Edward left to go to London for college and his career. No one was really at fault in their split—they just had different aspirations and Clara would have been as unhappy in an urban setting as Edward would have not being able to pursue his dreams.

Now it’s 10 years later and Edward is back… do they have a second chance at a HEA? I loved this, from their prickly interactions, to the sweet flashbacks where he wrote her letters and set up Jane Austen dates. You can help but root for these two even if they have a ways to go to get to that HEA. I love Holland’s sweet romances because they’re just so lovely to curl up with and enjoy, between bookish community events (the cakes were so cute though now I desperately need to bake a carrot cake), meddling mothers, and two bookshop owners who have had their hearts broken and are hoping to find their way back to each other. 5/5 stars.

I adored this spicy new adult Persephone and Hades retelling! This modern-day retelling has the familiar gods and goddesses inserted into the modern-day world. Persephone has no memory of being Hades’ wife, grew up in a witch family as a demon hunter, and wants nothing to do with him once she is told she is supposedly the queen of the underworld. It’s driving shadow daddy Hades a bit mad. The push and pull, enemies to lovers dynamic is what drives the book, and the delicious anticipation as they flirt and banter their way into lots of spicy times was lots of fun. I loved all the romantasy tropes—Hades with vampire fangs, shadow daddy Hades, fated soulmates. This was dark and delicious and I loved it! 5/5 stars.

Oh gosh, I just love this series. Jane and her circle of friends and found family in Georgia and the Pactlands is just so cozy and wonderful to read about. Jane has just finished saving her small town from a group of rogue witches who wanted to bespell them and make them slaves, and now a creepy dude shows up on her doorstep, wanting to sell a girl he’s been keeping enslaved for years. I loved this story arc, watching Jane and Sage figure out where she came from and the wonderful scenes of healing and protection. It’s also lovely to see familiar faces come around in all the books. Annie and Wylan, Pars and Canna, (and okay, I could see Jimbo, the sugar cube eating Pegasus in every book and it would never be too much.) This series is such a delight because it’s a little bit cozy fantasy, a little bit mystery, a little bit of a women’s fiction vibe, a little bit urban fantasy… I love the vibe and always grab the next book as soon as I’m done! 5/5 stars.

I adore these holiday themed novellas in the Spellbrooke series! Such a fun treat and easy to enjoy in one cozy sitting. This was a fun read with Regan and Hank, leprechaun mischief, stolen gold, and lots of crazy drama (my favorite thing in a book!) involving a cousin of Hank's yet again. The way old school drama from high school comes up time and again in this series is great because it gives it a real small town feel where old grudges have a way of sticking around. I love books that center around holidays and these are really great additions to the series with the way they pull in the paranormal beings from those holidays (Cupid, elves, leprechauns, etc.) Love it! 4/5 stars.

I love ALL of this author’s books and when I found out she was writing mafia romance under a new pen name, I could not run to pre-order fast enough! Heated Redemption was SCORCHING, y’all! We have rival mafia families who are battling for control of the east coast. When we open the story, Bianca is a young woman in her early 20’s, about to be given by her father to the head of another mafia family to cement and alliance—a much older man who she does not want to marry. She has one night of an intense connection with Michael Caruso, who is trying to bring his family’s name into prominence, but these star-crossed lovers don’t get their chance… yet! I love that this is a second chance romance, and I love that this story, like many of this author’s stories feature middle aged characters. When we catch back up to Michael and Bianca, they’re both in their 40’s, and this silver fox and this hot mafia wife definitely scorch the pages. Bianca has a daughter that she will do anything to protect, and Michael is equal parts hot, possessive and a good guy you want to root for. The steamy scenes are grab your fire extinguisher hot, and the pacing stays good and quick, making this the perfect length read to enjoy in just a day or two. I was totally cheering for these two, and also for two more couples I hope we are going to see get books! 5/5 stars!

Lyrical Embrace was such a great steamy rock star romance! Erica is on the run, trying to escape an abusive ex when her car breaks down, and who should come to her rescue? That would be the hot drummer for her favorite indie band, who happens to be teaching at a music school in small town Vermont. As a retired music teacher, I really love this series, love the connection the characters have to music, and Erica and Dylan were sooo hot together on page, like have a fire extinguisher handy when she starts talking about how much she likes those tats! But Erica’s ex is still out there, and she can’t feel truly safe and ready to move forward until she knows he’s out of her life for good. This was the perfect mix of steamy romance, small town, and a bit of suspense. Loved it! 5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author for review purposes.

I absolutely love this interconnected fantasy series written by Ash Fitzsimmons, featuring various characters from the Pactlands, a pocket world created by sorcerers, elves and trolls where they could live safely as humans expanded and took over more of the world. Jane Fortune is yet another intriguing character, a half human, half sorcerer who was raised in the human world by a father who brewed potions for the Pactland and kept her existence a secret in order to protect her. The world building in this series is one of the things that makes the series so great—the Pactland has very strict laws about half humans, and relationships between magic users and non-magic users and strict penalties if you break them, and it’s led to tragic consequences over the years if you fall in love with the “wrong” person.

I loved the rural mountain feel of this, loved that Jane made soaps and salves made from plants she gathered from the mountains, and also loved how fiercely defensive she was of her hometown when a rogue magic user starts creating trouble, even when they refused to claim her in the same way. I also especially loved seeing familiar characters from previous series! Looking forward to book 2! 5/5 stars.

I love Ellie Lieberman’s books and have been looking forward to A Dance of Bow and Blade ever since I learned it would be an all-female retelling of Robin Hood and King Arthur, two of my favorite stories. I loved the camaraderie, the adventure, the playful banter in this, and also the fun classic scenes. I loved the fun play on all the names and the way familiar characters we all recognize from classic tales had unique twists. Robyn and Val were a delight to read and I loved how strong each character was on her own, and also together as a couple. 5/5 stars.

Grasping Smoke was lots of fun! I sat down to read this last night and finished it in one sitting. It’s a serial killer thriller told in multiple POVs. Samuel grew up in a household where he witnessed abuse and now seeks to save women by killing men he believes are monsters. But when he kills a good husband, that man’s wife Celeste and her twin sister Lucille plot to hunt him down and get revenge. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with all the different perspectives and different clues that there was something going on that we didn’t quite know everything about… lots of fun twists in this one. I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what this author writes next! 5/5 stars.

I am adoring every book in the charming Spellbrooke cozy mystery series! In Vampires and Valentines, Regan is enchanted by a love spell gone rogue just in time for Valentine’s Day, and she and her boyfriend Hank have to figure out who stole Cupid’s flowers and is distributing them around town. These novellas are an adorable addition to the series and I love how the seasonal novellas (this is the second one I’ve read—I also really loved the Christmas one) bring in seasonal paranormal figures like Cupid and Santa. Perfect for the genre and I love the cozy feel! 5/5 stars.

For Better or For Never was such a delight, with romance, friendship, second chances, and lots of delicious drama! I so enjoyed book one of this series with Lily and Jake, and it was a treat to come back and read Rose’s story as family and friends gather for Lily and Jake’s wedding at a luxury Mexican resort. When Rose arrives for her sister’s wedding festivities, she runs into Tyler, her ex that she hasn’t seen in years. They broke up but still have feelings for each other. This was my favorite kind of romance with lots of delicious DRAMA! Weddings always have drama and we had sleazy dudes in the groom’s party, a fake date who hoped they might become more, crazy fights, a bit of a mystery, and some people may not be quite who they seem. Both Rose and Tyler have to sort out things in their personal life before they can see if they have a way forward and I loved every bit of this. (And I’m hoping 3rd sister Daisy will eventually get a book, too!) 5/5 stars.

As someone who covers my house from top to bottom in pumpkins every year, I am always on the lookout for Halloween-themed books to add to my shelf and so was thrilled to find Acoustic Embrace by Amber Daulton! Ruby is spending the evening handing out candy to trick or treaters in the old Victorian home in Vermont that her parents have converted into a music school when she finds unexpected guests at her door, an elderly lady who used to live at the address, and her grandson, Brad. I loved the spooky plotline, where they are searching for a doll that Sapphire (grandma) lost all those years ago in a supposedly secret room and wants back for nostalgia’s sake, and Brad and Ruby… well, let’s just say things never go according to plan when you’re searching an old house on a dark night, and then they also heat up in a spicy way! This was a quick and spicy novella that was lots of fun and definitely left me curious about the rest of the series! 5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the author for review purposes.

I really enjoyed Sunset Gardens, the first cozy mystery that I’ve had the pleasure of reading by author Peter McKenna. Cozies are one of my favorite genres to read and I was sucked in right away by the setting and the characters. Ernest is none too pleased that his daughter and son-in-law are moving him to a nursing home. He’s even more suspicious when he notes a body bag coming out of the room he’s being moved to on the day of their arrival. Dot was one of my favorite characters, and reminded me so much of my grandmother—always in charge and lots of sass. She, Ernest and the other residents are convinced someone at the nursing home is up to no good, that the deaths that are occurring at Sunset Gardens aren’t natural in the slightest. And of course, it would be the perfect crime. Who would suspect or even investigate when an elderly man in his nineties passes away? But can they track down the killer before they’re next? I loved all the characters in this and hope Peter McKenna writes more in this genre. Such a treat! 5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed Sophie and Teddy’s sweet romance and couldn’t stop reading. This cozy fantasy sucked me right in from the first pages of the two of them inheriting a bakery to share thanks to one of Sophie’s relatives, and having to find a way to work together despite Sophie’s grumpy nature and tendency to leave eels in the bathtub (I was cackling in so many scenes.) I especially liked all the interesting world-building. Sophie is a faerie, but has werewolves in the family, and Teddy’s history is complicated as he’s been a lone wolf for years. I loved the wolf pack in this small town and definitely want to read more! This has a bit of suspense, lots of love and great friendships, and was the perfect read for just after the holidays! 5/5 stars.

What a great trio of cozy mysteries! I always love getting to read another Lucy Stone mystery and one of my favorite things is getting to see what is happening with Lucy’s kids. After a recent book, I was very interested to see where daughter Elizabeth’s storyline would pick up next, and this book did not disappoint!! Lucy and Bill are on their way to Paris to meet with Elizabeth to celebrate some major new happenings in her life, and of course, Lucy is excited to be going to Europe once again. (Bill is always happy as long as he gets a beer and a Red Sox game somewhere along the way.) This had all my favorite things about a good Lucy Stone mystery, with grumbly Bill and Lucy delighted to be in France. The setting was a delight, with charming descriptions of the food, and the apartments and the different cities. Lucy runs into the characters from Meier’s newest series, Carole and Frank, while at the airport, and they wind up seeing France together. Of course, someone winds up dead along the way, and if Lucy ever wants to get those passports back, she’s going to have to figure out who the killer is…

I also really enjoyed the Hayley Powell addition to this collection. When someone dies while eating in Hayley’s restaurant, an investigation is opened, but it quickly becomes apparent there is more going on. I found this one to be lots of fun, liked all the different food in it, and found Hayley to be such a hoot. I was cackling at a scene near the end regarding a show more certain easter basket and a mad car ride, and that is all I will say, but this author writing team is comedic gold. I really enjoyed the final mystery by Peggy Erhart as well! This had a great mystery, wonderful food descriptions and adorable cats. What more can a cozy lover ask for? 5/5 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Kensington and NetGalley for review purposes. show less