cozy fantasy

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 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: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Magical Matcha Teashop by Natasha Bache

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Synopsis:
Welcome to Lavender Hollow… your next small town romance obsession!

Grace fled London with a broken engagement and a wedding dress she still hasn’t paid for. Max returned home with secrets of his own, and a painful past he’d much rather leave behind.

But neither expected to find magic hiding in a cup of matcha. Because in the sleepy village of Lavender Hollow, something unusual is brewing…

As Matcha Made in Heaven’s newest employee, Grace soon realises she has an extraordinary gift when customers start crying over their lattes and spilling secrets they never meant to share.

In the warmth of the cosy teashop, will Grace and Max discover that the best recipe for love might be one brewed together?

For fans of cozy fantasy romance, The Magical Matcha Teashop serves up the perfect blend of small-town charm, found family, spicy romance and just a sprinkle of magic.

Review:
“Maybe it’s not about what people think they want. Maybe it’s about offering them something they didn’t know they needed.” (Page 20)

“Sometimes, freedom comes disguised as a setback.” (Page 43)

This book was absolutely lovely. The way the matcha was really a star of the show made this book stand out; it wasn’t just a typical girl moves home to work at a local coffee shop book but something magical- in part due to the supernatural aspects. There were definitely sometimes that I found it very hard to resonate with Grace because she seemed very juvenile and unwilling to “adult”. The same could be said of Max and his lack of communication at times however I absolutely loved everything about Max and Grace; how they came together, and how their backgrounds both led them back to Lavender Hollow. One thing I, as an obvious bibliophile and book lover did not love was their bookshop rendezvous. The poor books! This book was a great blend of romance with past relationship drama mixed with a hint of paranormal that made my usual fantasy/romantasy self very happy. Grace and Max both have to really find themselves and what they want from their lives before they can have any sense of personal fulfilment and the ending was absolutely perfect.

There are many reminiscent feelings in this to the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore, though this series features supernatural whereas that is not. So if you want small town romance where everyone knows everyone, but you aren’t into magic, give that series a shot. If you are game for anything so long as there is some romance, read both!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Lady Agatha Speaks Her Mind by Elisabeth Aimee Brown

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Synopsis:
If anyone else had been her fairy godmother, Lady Agatha’s birthday party would have gone swimmingly.

It really wasn’t Agatha’s fault that she insulted all those guests. After preparing for years to receive a select list of suitors for her charming, fairy-blessed hand, the last thing she wanted to do was alienate the lot of them … but her godmother’s final gift was, well, difficult to control. Now her father doesn’t care that she didn’t mean to call the visiting foreign prince a pathetic little fungus—the damage has been done.

Prince Limplemoyne would’ve been more offended if he was actually attending the party to court Agatha, but that’s not what brought him to these backwoods, fairy-infested mountains. He just wants to find a godmother powerful enough to free him from the royal life he never asked for. But when a mischievous fairy answers his plea in an unexpected way, he finds himself suddenly stuck with the beautiful, sharp-tongued Lady Agatha. Fairies can’t help them get out of this unwanted alliance—they’ll have to stop bickering long enough to figure it out on their own.

Lady Agatha Speaks Her Mind is a no-spice, standalone reimagining of King Thrushbeard, perfect for readers who like both whimsy and comedy in their mutually-annoyed-strangers-to-lovers romance.

Review:
“I can’t abide lying, and you’d gotten so smooth at it—poor thing! I could tell you wanted to speak your mind, so I’m helping you.” (Page 36)

This book was amazing from start to finish. Agatha has a very elevated status given her godmother, but because of it, she’s lived in the sort of box that one reserves for dolls and fine china. Lem has also lived a very closeted life, but how he gained it is quite the opposite sort of luck than Agatha’s. This book is an amazing coming of age story that pushes limits to show that even with gifts, personal abilities and strengths are always stronger than one thinks. Though some characters are very hard to find any redeeming qualities of, it is interesting to see the depth and characterization of some that, along with Agatha, the reader may have overlooked or underestimated. The ending was left rather open, and I very much wish to see more of this world and the future that awaits Agatha and Lem. I found this book quite engaging and found setting it down very difficult.

If you like fairy tale retellings, especially obscure fairy tales, magic, quests, and two characters who realize that they may compliment each other despite their differences, this book is perfect for you.


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Ether Witch: The Divining of A Devil by Delemhach

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Synopsis:
Magic. Mystery. Mayhem. Fate has come due.

Having defeated the corrupt concubine Soo Hebin, and cast the first witch into a prison she shouldn’t be able to escape easily, Tam thinks some rest is in order.
Sadly, because the Zinferan emperor has it in his mind that Eli should be the heir to his throne, there isn’t much time for that.

With help from Katarina Ashowan and the Ryu family, Tam, Eli, Luca, and Penelope set sail for Dazaria at long last.

Only, leaving Zinfera doesn’t get rid of their troubles for long.

Upon rescuing some mysterious Lobahlans from Zinferan pirates, and learning that the rebellion of the covens is coming to a climax, Tam finds that his new moniker, the devil, is starting to sit a little heavily on his shoulders.

Can he manage to help stop an all-out war from breaking out between witches and humans? Will the First Witch stay banished and leave him and his family alone? And most importantly, can he convince the freedom-loving Eli to agree to marry him?

Discover the epic conclusion in The Ether Witch, Volume 3: The Divining of a Devil—a spellbinding fantasy filled with witches, royal intrigue, magic, and star-crossed romance.

Review:
This book has everything: sass, cats, chickens (you’ll understand when you read it), and our favourite hybrid human-witch family reunited once more. Tamlin has grown so much since the first book in this series, and it is hard to say goodbye–but this book does have an absolutely lovely send off. While so many were always so hard on Tamlin, it is easy to see how he really shaped the younger family members he cared about. Perhaps some may consider him a bit too willing to jump into self sacrifice, but what is a familiar for if not to talk their witch down from making some quite stupid mistakes? Though the ending is bittersweet, there were also some very serious subjects throughout this novel of choice and what people do under pressure for those they love. One is set to dislike Luca’s mother for the way he had been reared, but after hearing how everything transpired, it is hard not to feel a modicum of sympathy for her; as in the real world, nothing in Tam’s life is completely black and white. With everything wrapped up neatly in Epilogue 2 one might have thought that this is our last glimpse into the world of The House Witch… but Epilogue 1 has me thinking that this may not be the last readers see of the Ashowan family. (May the empurror and empurress long reign!)

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl Take Thee by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
Wedding bells are in the air for witch Astra Arden and her werewolf fiancé Lothian—not to mention her divine owl familiar Archie and his feathery bride-to-be Noctua. But when a guest turns up dead at their joint bachelor-bachelorette party, “till death do us part” takes on an entirely new meaning.

With both weddings just days away, Astra finds herself juggling seating charts, cake tastings, and a murder investigation that’s hitting too close to home. Even worse, the victims’s dying message points to someone in the wedding party as the killer. Could one of their nearest and dearest be harboring deadly secrets beneath their celebratory smiles?

As magical mishaps plague the wedding preparations and suspicion falls on their friends and family, Astra and Archie must race against time to unmask the murderer before they say “I do.” With wedding gifts arriving that seem more like threats and mysterious omens appearing at every turn, the path to matrimonial bliss is anything but smooth.

Can Astra solve the case and still make it down the aisle? Or will this wedding celebration end with a funeral instead of a reception?

Review:
“Bacon transcends tradition. It’s universal. Timeless.” (Page 5)

“… love isn’t about finding someone perfect but about finding someone whose imperfections fit perfectly with yours.” (Page 430)

This book had one of the most intricate and well done mystery plots I have read in a Leeds book in a while! For the first part of the book I found myself frustrated that nothing seemed to relate to Astra’s past in the military and specifically her pyrometry power but both of those things became integral to the plot of this novel! I do wish that there had been more mention of what type of owl Archie is, as I found myself at a loss at one point. I also wish that the cover more accurately portrayed what Astra’s wedding vision is, though perhaps this is the “Percy-ified” version with Blushing Bride pink.

I loved the layers to this mystery and how while certain fae may have been trying to help, they couldn’t outright do so. There were definitely many worries that the wedding would not happen in time, or that a curse would befall them for having to postpone. Though there was tension with Astra’s mother (as always) it was so sweet how much she wanted to be there for her daughter… though I’m sure the cost will equal another book’s adventure in the future. The ending of this book was absolute perfection, and all my love goes to Midnight the owl for being the best little boy he could be!

I recommend this series to anyone who loves cozy modern fantasy mystery and especially owls.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

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Synopsis:
Halla has unexpectedly inherited the estate of the wealthy distant uncle she’s been caring for for the past decade. Unfortunately, she is also saddled with money-hungry relatives full of devious plans for how to wrest the inheritance away from her.

While hiding in her bedroom to escape her family, Halla inspects the ancient sword that’s been collecting dust on the wall since before she moved in. On a whim, she pulls it down and unsheaths it—and suddenly a man appears in her bedroom. His name is Sarkis, he tells her, and he is an immortal warrior trapped in a prison of enchanted steel.

Sarkis is sworn to protect whoever wields the sword, and for Halla—a most unusual wielder—he finds himself not fending off grand armies and deadly assassins but instead everything from kindly-seeming bandits to roving inquisitors to her own in-laws. But as Halla and Sarkis become closer, they overlook the biggest threat of all—the sword itself.

Review:
I absolutely loved this book and it was impossible to put down. Sarkis is dark, mysterious, sarcastic, and the type of protect-her-or-die asshole we all wish we had. I really enjoyed getting to know Halla, who is not only a very capable woman, but one who isn’t aware of just how precious she is. It was enjoyable having an older protagonist who knows she isn’t seen as the town’s version of beauty, but is still very strong and nice and capable. One thing that Kingfisher has been doing consistently is making sure that body types don’t determine capability–something true in life as well. I came to care far more for a priest than I thought I would in such a novel.

The ending of this book was so perfect when there were so many times that it seemed that not everyone could possibly have a happy ending. I cannot wait to continue reading about everyone’s adventures in future books to come.

I highly recommend this book to those that love strong women, magic, and those who have worked hard getting what they actually deserve (and were willed).

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯