cozy read

Review of Star-Crossed Holiday by Sarah Deeham

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Synopsis:
One grumpy movie-star dad + one nanny = holiday Christmas magic in a small town.

The small-town teacher
I never imagined I’d get stuck in an elevator with Ronan Masters, a grumpy, gorgeous action star, and his adorable daughter. But then again, nothing has gone as expected over the last few months. Not losing my beloved job as an art teacher or my fiancé dumping me.

The giant of a man may not smile much, but at least his little girl likes me. I try to keep the crush I’m feeling on Hollywood’s hottest dad under control. But all bets are off when he asks me to be his temporary nanny over the holiday season.

And the action star

I’m in Snowflake Harbor to film a movie while adjusting to being a parent to a daughter I only recently met. When I get stuck in an elevator with Poppy O’Brien, I’m not sure what to think of her. She smiles too much and has a Mary Poppins purse full of glitter glue, goody bags, and snacks. And she makes my solemn child smile like no one else. Soon, we’re both under her spell.

Becoming the new nanny, though, makes her strictly off limits. I can’t afford distractions and I don’t do commitment. I also don’t do holidays. But as the countdown to Christmas continues and the date we have to leave comes closer, Poppy has me rethinking everything.

Review:
Oh, the slow burn of this is just perfection! Poppy is just the best, most bubbly person who went through something traumatic and I absolutely love how Ronan ends up the knight in shining armour. Ronan is stoic and unsure of himself and yet Poppy breathes life into his and his daughter’s lives. This is truly one of the sweetest holiday romances I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. The characterization of these two is spot on and I love how they push each other. Poppy is a totally relatable character who throws her whole heart into everything she does and because she cares finds it hard to say no, whereas Ronan finds it much easier to just keep to the status quo and has to learn there’s more to life than simply work. Together, with Belle to guide them, it’s fun to see exactly how perfect a family can be during the holidays- especially in a town that ADORES everything about Christmas. Amazing cozy romance I highly recommend. Probably even cozier if you read during the Christmastime and not in August like I did.


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️

*This book was read in August, though reviewed now.

Review of Owl Shook Up by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
When Aunt Gwennie’s famous snickerdoodles go missing before the annual cookie competition, Astra and her sisters prepare for a bitter battle over the sweet treats. But the trouble turns deadly when Aunt Gwennie’s rival, Agatha Blackwell, is found dead with a snickerdoodle stuffed in her mouth.

With Archie’s help, Astra dives into the cutthroat competition of Forkbridge’s baking scene. Secrets are simmering about Agatha’s controversial new recipe, stolen ingredients, and suspected poisonings. As she sifts through motives and investigates shifty behavior behind the scenes, Astra discovers that she may be in over her head.

Can Astra clear Aunt Gwennie’s name and crack the case before the cookie crumbles? Or will the sisters watch Aunt Gwennie’s cookie legacy come crashing down like an underbaked soufflé?

Find out in this delectable tale filled with baked goods, betrayal, and bewitching hijinks galore.

No gore, intimate scenes, or swearing – only a captivating story suitable for adults.

Review:
As always, a decent story, quick read cozy mystery by Leanne Leeds. There were a few parts that I personally felt were a bit jumpy. Clearly a big point of this novel was to show that Astra wasn’t prioritizing the correct things, needs to learn to organize herself better, but it seemed daft that she never really investigated anything regarding the sudden death. She sort of visited the scene and checked her own house, but the whodunit being found out (and her presence when it did) was entirely coincidental. There were many angles and loose ends left out about Carla, Iva, and Clarkson. I really did love the introduction of another magic-tech gadget from her magical military days. I do hope that such things will continue to make appearances. All in all, a good quick read, and I’d recommend to anyone who likes modern fantasy cozy mystiers.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of How to Fake-Date a Vampire: A magical romantic comedy by Linsey Hall

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Synopsis:
Faking it with a vampire duke should be easy, right?

I’ve got one chance to prove to my coven that I’m worth my wand. But to do it, I’m going to have to make a deal with a vampire duke. I get to use his gorgeous estate in Cornwall to host the Beltane Ball–and in exchange, I’ll pretend to be his girlfriend. But it’s all a show for his grandmother.

The rules of our fake relationship are simple:
No flirting. No emotion. No sex. Easy, right?

Except I can’t seem to ignore the allure of the infuriating and devastatingly sexy vampire. Falling for a duke isn’t an option, though. I would lose the anonymity that protects me and my coven, and that would ruin my life–and the lives of the other witches in my coven.

So yeah, totally easy.

How to Fake-Date a Vampire is a fun, frothy romantic comedy full of laughter, love, and magical hijinks. It’s the second in a series of stand alone romances set in the seaside village of Charming Cove. The books do not need to be read in order.

Review:
This book was quite amusing from the beginning with Emma’s accidental meeting of the “it” guy that everyone wants to sneak a peek of and become close to. Emma wants what everyone wants; to feel part of a family/connected/wanted. While perhaps she starts off a little backhandedly in trying to get everything she wants, seeing her interact with Alaric’s family makes everything seem just within reach. I quite enjoyed Emma’s thoughts on being a witch and about how it made her feel powerful; so long as she is clever and strong enough it is flexible and she can do anything.

Very light in feel/depth, it is understandable why Alaric doesn’t want to open up, but it seemed to me as if the connection between Alaric and Emma was a bit too instant for my liking- there wasn’t a lot of development. Things seemed also a bit too easy to reconcile with a big gesture, as if all the issues/problems leading up had really been nothing and it made it seem as if there had really never been any stakes to what the reader has spent an entire book hoping for. All in all, a quick and easy cozy read of light romantic fantasy; while there isn’t a lot of depth it is a decent read.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️