mages

Review of Of Mages and Matcha by Shari L. Tapscott

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

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 Owls and Oolong by Shari L. Tapscott

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

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 The Ether Witch: The Divining of A Devil by Delemhach

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

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 Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
The wizard Margle the Horrendous takes special pride in never killing his enemies. Instead, he transforms them into various accursed forms and locks them away in his castle. His halls are filled with his collection of fallen heroes and defeated villains, along with a few ordinary folk who were just unfortunate enough to draw Margle’s attention.

It’s Nessy’s duty to tend this castle. It’s a lot of work, but she manages, taking pride in housekeeping talents that keep the castle from collapsing into chaos. But when Margle suddenly dies, everything begins to unravel. Nessy finds herself surrounded by monsters, curses, a door that should never be opened, and one very deadly dark wizardess.

Nessy doesn’t have might or magic on her side; she’s just a kobold: short, furry, and sensible. Her allies aren’t much better: a voice without a body, an angry fruit bat, a monster under her bed, a wizard in a jar (or some of him, anyway), and a one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple, people eater. It would be smarter to walk away, but taking care of the castle is Nessy’s job, and that’s just what she intends to do.

If only she could find time to polish the silver while beating back the forces of darkness.

Review:
This book was gifted to me for Christmas, so therefore counts towards the paper books read tally. I personally found the book a bit hard to get into, but then it wasn’t a book I would have picked up for myself. This book was interesting in that it dealt with a lot of neat Dungeons and Dragons adjacent creatures/effects. This was definitely a younger age book than I would have expected, though marketed for adults I really think 8+ could read and enjoy this novel. There were a lot of good moments of learning about one’s self and abilities and not being defined by a title you may have gained/have or what you are considered because of the station you were born into in life.

I would recommend this to any young readers into DnD that like adventure.

Star rating: ✯✯✯