Review of The Dark Lord’s Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt

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Synopsis:
A conflicted villain and his unstoppable bride form the realm’s most chaotic alliance in this riotously funny dark romantasy perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villain, but darker and spicier.

“What’s mine stays mine.”

Step One: Kidnap someone cute.
Step Two: Force her into marriage.
Step Three: Try not to catch feelings.

When Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose kidnaps Lady Arabella for a forced marriage, he expects an obedient, trembling bride. What he gets is a knife to the throat and a furious woman with demands of her own. He may need her heroic bloodline to achieve ultimate dominion, but she’s not about to make this easy for him.

Arabella has already survived her father’s tower prison and a lifetime of being treated like property. Getting abducted by the realm’s most notorious villain is just another Tuesday. If she must be married to the infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) Dark Lord, she’ll do it on her terms: freedom within his fortress, hands strictly to himself, and complete honesty about his plans.

But when those plans go awry, Kazimir faces his most terrifying challenge yet: he must date his own wife. Between magical training sessions, playing golf with the eyeballs of his enemies, and aphrodisiac dinners gone spectacularly wrong, his attempts at villainous seduction are failing at every turn.

As Kazimir and Arabella navigate magical explosions and jealous exes, they discover a far more terrifying prospect than war or magical catastrophe: They might actually be falling for each other.

This dark and sexy fantasy romance is perfect for readers who love: a morally gray antihero (who stays that way); a strong heroine who embraces her dark side (she doesn’t need rescuing, thanks); the touch her and die trope; hilarious, wicked banter and sizzling spice; one bed/forced proximity; kidnapped bride/forced marriage; and dark humor.

Review:
“Marriage, it turned out, was an annoyingly complicated arrangement.” (Page 143)

This book is the perfect amount of banter mixed with slow (earned) trust and romance. While Kazimir clearly seems emotionless it is obvious that Arabella is more than a force to be reckoned with. I absolutely loved watching as Kaz attempted to woo Arabella with gifts and food (*ahem* aphrodisiacs) and as they learn more about the others abilities, even more amusement was had. I loved the back and forth between the two characters, and how Arabella, though publicly known as a troublesome and having lit someone on fire, had much more intensity (and tragic backstory) than one would expect. This book made me hate her father, love Kaz, and need the next book immediately. The slow burn of this was absolutely perfect, and I absolutely love how, despite being kidnapped, Arabella very much is not a damsel in need of rescue. Seeing Kaz develop feelings and open up was lovely, as was getting to see Arabella use those court manners that she would have had drilled into her. This book was everything and I cannot wait to continue on in the next.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

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Synopsis:
A cat a day keeps the doctor away…

Discover the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel that has become an international sensation in this utterly charming, vibrant celebration of the healing power of cats.

Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

Review:
“The amount of time you spent together probably matters, but less time doesn’t mean less love. Whether it’s a day or year, human or cat, and even if we may never see them again, there are those who are irreplaceable in our lives.” (Page 268)

This book was so touching! I definitely found myself tearing up at the end. I loved how cats can bring so much joy and change to a person. I felt very reminiscent to when my husband and I got our first two cats together; I had never had cats and thought I was a dog person! Cats may sometimes come across as standoffish or not caring, and their certainly have their own minds, but their love, once given is everything. I loved how cats both made people feel better but want to do better and be different. Oftentimes the cats also reminded people that what they thought they wanted or needed in life wasn’t the case, and if they looked to what they were missing, they would open up a whole new world of opportunities and connections. While the magical realism of this one hit home, especially in our geisha’s case, I would recommend this book to any who love cats; you’ll smile, you’ll cry, and you’ll remember just how lucky you are to have such small perfect family members–challenges and all.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Selkie by Nataly Gruender

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Synopsis:
Seven years ago, Quinn finally dared to transform from a seal into a human and took her first steps on land. As a selkie, she is both a daughter of land and sea. But when a human stole her pelt, he stole her freedom as well, forcing Quinn to become his wife and bear his children. As legend tells, capturing a selkie will bring you luck, and she became a coveted prize.

Constrained to a life that was no longer her own, Quinn longed for nothing more than to find her pelt and seize her freedom. Then one day, her eldest daughter hands Quinn her pelt and without a second thought, Quinn snatches it and escapes to the sea. But she’s no longer used to swimming and doesn’t know where her herd has gone. And after an almost disastrous encounter with her former husband, leaving her severely injured, Quinn doesn’t have the strength to go searching.

Instead, she finds herself taking shelter on a nearby island with a lighthouse and three lighthouse keepers. Quinn doesn’t trust humans anymore and wants to stay hidden from the keepers. But she can’t survive on her own. Can she learn to trust these humans and shed her hatred of all humankind? Or will she give into her fears and accept the monstrous fate that others have bestowed upon her?

Review:
I spent most of the first 7 or 8 chapters wondering why I was trying to push myself to keep reading, finding it very hard to fall into. The stories of the selkies were excellently interwoven to the story, and this is the first novel I have read that featured them as the main creature. Quinn felt different on land and didn’t get along with humans, but we learn more and more as the time went on how she made no efforts to attempt to fit in, and likely no one understood why she was so standoffish. By the time she had children it was too late; no one would allow her into their circles. Once Quinn makes it to the island shelter the story seemed to take off, for me. I loved the story of found family, of learning to trust people despite tragic happenings in your past. While the ending is adequate, I couldn’t get over that Quinn was willing to do everything she could for them while leaving her children behind when it had allegedly bothered her so much previously.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore

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Synopsis:
The greatest love is the one you never expected to find

Daisy is fed up with being unlucky in love. And since Mayor Kelly declared her beloved flower shop cursed in one of his infamous visions, business has been slow.

Dream Harbor newcomer Elliot has been adjusting to small-town life following his own relationship turmoil. And until now he’s avoided the flower shop at all costs. If the mayor is correct, he doesn’t need any more bad luck in his life.

When he finds himself walking through the door of the Daisy Chain Flower Shop, he doesn’t expect it to be a life-changing moment. But as the petals blossom in the sunlight, might the unluckiest woman in Dream Harbor finally find that love comes when you’re least expecting it?

The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is a cozy romantic mystery with a fake relationship dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed.

Review:
“And one day you might meet someone who becomes your new favorite person and then hearing them laugh becomes your new favorite thing.” (Page 98)

I really liked Daisy. Yes, she’s been unlucky in love, but she can turn her own luck around, darn it! I also liked Elliot; so willing to blend into the background but so drawn to this girl that he’s willing to step in and help her change her fate. While there were some pseudo generation curses to work on, it was awesome seeing Daisy and Elliot bloom from protecting themselves and only caring about business to remembering what life and love can be like. It was very amusing to experience Daisy’s back and forth between whether or not she is cursed, and how such thoughts are laid to rest. I also love Goldie and how connected she was to Daisy and Elliot. The ending was absolutely perfect.

Although the stories are rather predictably happily ever after, I did very much love this story and look forward to reading more in Dream Harbor in the future.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Of Mages and Matcha by Shari L. Tapscott

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Synopsis:
Of Mages and Matcha is the final book in Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances, a lighthearted contemporary fantasy full of humor and romance.

My name is Kit, and I’m in love with my owl.

Normally, developing a romantic attachment to an animal is frowned upon, even if you’re fae, but my owl is actually a mage. A very handsome mage, to be precise. One who enjoys Taiwanese oolong, stealing my e-reader, and making eyes at me across the tea shop.

I want Rowan. He wants me. And our bonded magic wants us together.

The only problem? His ex-fiancée wants him, too. (And she’s kind of scary.)

I have no doubt it will all work out, but I also have a passel of pesky gnomes to deal with, a garden soirée to throw, and a lot of money to raise before July.

I’m running out of time, but thankfully, business is flourishing. As long as I can keep the Fae Preservation Society from shutting down the shop, everything will be just fine…

Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances is a rom-com style contemporary fantasy. The perfect lighthearted escape, this story is sure to delight readers who enjoy cozy magic and humor.

The books in this series feature smoldering-but-sweet, closed-door romance. (Passionate kisses and some innuendo, but no spicy scenes.)

Review:
“You are adorable–the kind of girl a man wants to cuddle up to and protect.”
“You make me sound like a purse dog.” (Page 61)

The final conclusion of the story is bittersweet! There were some inclinations towards the grand reveal about Rowan and a lot of surprise that Ash hadn’t figured it out beforehand. I love how everyone arrives and does their best to help and support Kit however they can. While clearly opinionated I also like that Kit’s parents do their best to be supportive of her dating decisions, even if they dislike them. I will say I didn’t see the main climax coming, and I was very glad when Kit was tracked down! Some parts of this story seemed as if they were only there to encourage readers to learn more in a next series, but that didn’t really bother me.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Of Pixies and Pekoe by Shari L. Tapscott

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Synopsis:
The author of A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening and Obsidian Queen brings you a lighthearted fantasy full of humor and romance, set in a cozy contemporary fae town.

Welcome to Merriweather Tea Shop, where the tea is piping hot, gossip flows like Earl Grey, and a family of gnomes has inconveniently moved into the back garden.

My name is Kit, and I’m the new proprietress. I know next to nothing about tea, but that’s all right, because I’ve hired my owl to help. Except Rowan isn’t an owl anymore, and our friendship isn’t as simple as it used to be.

But that’s the least of my concerns right now. My focus is on my business ledger, which apparently isn’t supposed to be negative. I’ve quickly discovered that running a business is expensive, especially when I can’t touch my aunt’s fortune for another three years.

Review:
“Apparently, I’m a bit of a grudge-holder. I need to work on that. You know, eventually. Today isn’t that day.” (Page 84)

I absolutely love the connection between Rowan and Kit. I also love how Kit is starting to get negative feelings from Ash. What I don’t like is how every time Kit seems to finally be sorting things out and learning how to be the tea shop proprietress that will make her family proud, something seems to happen that financially could spell ruin. I absolutely loved how the gossip of town seems to run, and how people remember how they have been treated and respond accordingly. While she is an adult and trying to make it on her own, I do love that when she has a problem, Kit can rely on her parents. Some issues did seem a little too obvious in origin for this novel, but regardless, a great continuation of the trilogy, and on to the next…

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Of Owls and Oolong by Shari L. Tapscott

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Synopsis:
There are three things you need to know about my great aunt—she’s eccentric, she’s rich, and she’s dead. No, make that four things. She also named me as the sole beneficiary of her fortune. There are, however, a few stipulations.

1. I must move into her cottage in Moss Hollow, Vermont—a magical community that values tradition and tourists.

2. I must keep her beloved tea shop open and running for at least three years.

3. I must take care of her tiny owl, a prickly creature by the name of Rowan. He’s moody, opinionated, and he used to be a mage.

He doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like my dog, and he really doesn’t like the handsome fae councilman who starts hanging around as soon as I arrive in town.

But for a small fortune, Rowan and I are going to learn to coexist long enough for me to figure out how to turn him back into his normal self with my “cute and worthless” pixie magic—preferably before he ruins my dating life or drives me insane.

Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances is a rom-com style contemporary fantasy. The perfect lighthearted escape, this story is sure to delight readers who enjoy cozy magic and humor.

The books in this series feature smoldering-but-sweet, closed-door romance. (Passionate kisses and some innuendo, but no spicy scenes.)

Review:
“I feel like there are levels adult attain as they age, and I’m still at the starting line. Ash is several steps ahead of me–he’s an actual grown-up. I, however, am a twenty-six-year-old playing pretend in her aunt’s fairytale cottage. Technically, yes, I’m an adult. But he’s an adultier adult.” (Page 98)

This book has everything; great town building, great characters, and great chemistry! This was a great change of place for Kit! I absolutely loved how even if she wasn’t sure about the tea shop, she acknowledges that she has to stick around to take care of and help Rowan. As one who doesn’t love insta-romances, I actually really disliked Ash from the start; it almost seemed like an attempt at Mr. Darcy before Rowan reveals his thoughts on why Ash likes Kit so much. I adore the magic system and how it was so soundly explained without just stating what everyone is and what they could do. I absolutely couldn’t wait to continue onto the next book, so continued immediately.

This book series is very reminiscent in feel to many K. M. Shea’s Magiford series of books, so if you like her style, give this a try!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of This Damsel is Not in Distress by Tee Harlowe

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Synopsis:
A magical castle.

The woman who’s to become queen.

And her growing feelings for the bodyguard that might just ruin it all.

When Niamh Merridon flees her war-torn kingdom, she doesn’t expect to stumble upon a tower that provides the protection she’s always wanted . . .

Until some idiot arrives to “rescue” her and somehow gets her locked out. Now she’s stuck with Rafe “the Wolfe” Wolfgang, a grumpy guard who’s wholly unsusceptible to her charms. Worse, he claims she’s to marry his prince because of some prophecy.

Niamh isn’t keen on the idea, especially when she arrives at a sentient castle and discovers she can’t become queen until the castle presents her with a key. How does she get this key? No one seems to know.

Niamh quickly realizes this might give her the safety she seeks . . . if she can survive the disappearing doors, shifting rooms, and mysterious secrets, secrets more dangerous than her own. Yet the hardest part of it all might be resisting the broody guard who makes her feel brave. If she can’t avoid the temptation, it won’t just be her heart on the line, but her life.This Damsel Is Not in Distress is a standalone cozy, spicy romantasy with a grumpy/sunshine forbidden romance, a mischievous castle, and a know-it-all magical bookwyrm.

Review:
Given the title I expected a very different type of book. Niamh is a girl fleeing her past and very much incapable of doing much on her own. While she doesn’t want to be pushed into a prophesized wedding, she really didn’t have any aim for her life otherwise. Despite being in her mid 30s Niamh didn’t showcase any other skills. It was great for her to realize that she needed to be more proactive for her own safety, and to act on what she feels instead of what she was told she has to do/be. Most of the book was spent with Niamh not doing much at all except contemplating how little she has been capable of doing. There could be something said about not enabling people that may have some sort of ailment or disability to not ever challenge or better themselves. She does grow and learn and change in the end, but personally, this story was not for me. There was a lot of predictability involved, and an assumption that everything would work out exactly as you thought it would towards the beginning–and then it did. The ending, however, was a complete cliffhanger of what the heck.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

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Synopsis:
Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.

The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.

Violet’s vibrant bouquets and cheerful enchantments soon charm the welcoming townsfolk, though nothing seems to impress the prickly yet dashingly handsome Nathaniel Marsh, an alchemist sharing her greenhouse. With a struggling business and his own second chance seemingly out of reach, Nathaniel has no time for flowers or frippery—and certainly none for the intriguing witch next door.

When a mysterious blight endangers every living plant in Dragon’s Rest, Violet and Nathaniel must work together, through their fears, pasts, and growing feelings for one another, to save their community. But with a figure from her previous life knocking at her door and her secrets threatening to uproot everything she’s worked so hard to grow, Violet can’t help but wonder…does a former villain truly deserve a happily-ever-after?

Review:
“Goodness wasn’t something you could just be; it was something you did.” (Page 322)

I loved how Violet works to reinvent herself and is always wondering whether or not she can be something other than how she was raised. There were so many times that I wished people would just communicate with each other in this book! Given how very long it took Violet and Nathaniel to get along, I had expected more than his frantic and quick blow up on her at the first sign (for him) that she was more than just some girl who grew flowers. There were so many twists and turns between the townspeople and Violet’s history at the very end that it seemed almost an abrupt- ah, she was capable all along! I do understand why it wasn’t revealed sooner, but most of which I had figured out throughout the reading (though clearly Nathaniel didn’t). Although the premise would make it seem as if it would be far darker, this read as a cozy fantasy romance.

This book, while original, didn’t draw me in enough to want to continue the series.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

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Synopsis:
When you lose your way in life, the Elsewhere Express just might find you. Step on board the train that may take you to your life’s purpose in this wistful, Ghibli-esque fantasy from the bestselling author of Water Moon.

You can’t buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it’s a magical train seeming to carry very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.

Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead.

One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she’s swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, an intriguing artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.

Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that’s also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds.

Over the course of their long, strange night on the train, they also discover that it harbors secrets—and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.

But in investigating the stowaway’s identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life’s true purpose—and is it a destination the Elsewhere Express can take her to?

Review:
“Acting brave was easy as a stand-in, but much less so without the costume of someone else’s dream.” (Page 41)

Is this book Ghibli-esque? Yes. Will it leave you wondering what the heck actually happened and where did things end? Also yes.

This book encompasses what finding oneself may look like–the introspection, the different paths one could go, the different interests one has and how they could have developed if they were nurtured. One decision could change your entire life. This book is a wonderland type adventure where you’re never sure what may lie ahead or whether or not you’re really there. This is very much a story of magical realism where the reader must make judgements about things that may never be stated in full. Maybe your life would be an entirely different way if…

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯