Book Review: Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy

Pros: interesting characters

Cons:

Louella Twig is a defunct witch who pooled her disappointment about her unique book magic not being recognized by her teachers by running a bookshop that can teleport between 4 storefronts. Her magic forces her to offer the book needed by each customer, regardless of whether that's the book they want or if it tells them unwanted truths. When one of her former teachers needs help reclaiming the scattered pieces of his stolen grimoire, she joins forces with a group of new friends, including a handsome former thief, to find them.

This is a cozy fantasy romance novel with low stakes and a lot of lighthearted banter. Louella and Everett engage in a lot of flirtation. There's some kissing towards the end of the book with some heat but no on page spice. It's a slow burn romance. The book also contains an intimate off page side romance, and some positive gay and lesbian representation.

Everett is portrayed as the perfect book lover's boyfriend. A real work of wish fulfillment. He's supportive of everything Louella does, encourages her, catches her when she falls (literally and figuratively), pays for her books, and wants nothing more than to be with her and help her achieve her goals. I imagine his attitude will annoy some readers who prefer more of a personality clash between the protagonists. What's keeping them apart is simply that Louella believes he's only around for the adventure and will leave once things settle down again. She doesn't want her heart broken and can't believe he actually loves her.

The main plot is engaging enough. The pages are disguised as exotic creatures scattered around the 4 realms, giving the group reasons to travel and explore unique locations. Some of the places they go are a lot of fun and the variety of creatures - some I recognized and some I didn't - were really neat. I especially liked the haregons, which sounded adorable.

The side characters were entertaining. I especially liked Midge and seeing her relationship with Oliver develop. Feralorn could be a little annoying, but was used sparingly, so that never became an issue for me.

I liked Louella's magic and how it played out. Seeing her have to give people books about things that were embarrassing or problematic made her sympathetic, especially when she prided herself - and had a real reputation - for getting the right book to the right person.

I thought Everett's prophecy was a little too specific and it seemed to cheapen their attraction somewhat.

All in all it's a fun, lighthearted romp, that doesn't take itself too seriously but does wrap everything up nicely at the end.

Book Review: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Pros: feel good fantasy, low stakes

Cons:

After completing her last job as an adventurer, the orc Viv takes her final prize, the magical Scalvert Stone, which stories say can draw the heart's desire. She buys a used livery in Thune and fixes it up into a coffee shop. She has to find trustworthy workers, deal with the city's 'protection' gang, and show people who've never heard of coffee what they're missing.

This is a low key, feel good fantasy novel. Viv's a fun character with a shady past and her desire to start fresh is fun to watch. The book moves slowly and basically feels like settling back with a cup of coffee yourself, watching her go through the motions of setting up shop and then dealing with the challenges that come up. There's a hint of romance, but it's understated with very little tension or conflict.

It's a novel about friendship and doing your best and was a pleasure to read.

Book Review: The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Pros: slow burn romance, low stakes, cozy atmosphere even when bad things happen, a wide variety of fantasy creatures, realistic magic system

Cons:

Kiela works at the Great Library of Alyssium, keeping to herself with her sentient plant assistant Caz. When the library burns down, she escapes with a few forbidden spellbooks she's hidden on a boat. Back at her childhood home on the island of Caltrey, her plan to lie low at her family's old cottage is undermined by her handsome neighbour who keeps coming by. She quickly learns that the island is suffering due to a lack of visiting sorcerers, and starts to learn how to use the spellbooks to bring the island back to prosperity. But spellcasting is dangerous, which is why only sanctioned sorcerers are allowed to practice the art.

Kiela's a fun protagonist who starts off very standoffish and introverted, and slowly grows a group of close friends. Her relationship with Larran is sweet and very slow paced. There is a side romance that shows up at the end that felt like it came out of nowhere, but the main romance is a lovely ride.

I liked that the magic system felt realistic. Seeing Kiela try various things to get the spells to work - changing ingredients, adjusting pronunciations, studying alternatives, was neat. So much of the book is pure fantasy, that having the magic feel more ceremonial and scholarly was great.

I was a little surprised by the sheer variety of magical creatures on this small island. Otherwise the world-building was fun. I liked the political underpinnings of the story and that they were used to enhance what was happening in the main plot.

The atmosphere of the book is so cozy. Even when bad things were happening, I knew everything would turn out ok so I didn't need to stress about things. Great care is taken to describe the sights, smells, and tastes of island life.

This is a wonderful comfort read.

Book Review: Stay a Spell by Amy Coombe

Pros: caring protagonist, bookshop setting, saphic secondary romance, really tugs at the heartstrings at times

Cons: made me cry

Princess Tanadelle de Courcy is in Little Pepperidge to dedicate it's new market square when she runs out of books to read. Desperate for a distraction from her boring royal duties, she visits a bookshop. Her world is turned upside down when she's cursed by the owner to stay until she discovers her heart's desire. Now in charge of the shop, she relishes the first real freedom she's ever had, flirting with a handsome sailor and trying to drum up customers. But she dreads her parents' reaction, knowing they will stop at nothing to break the curse, even if it means sending the 7 princes of the realm to kiss her.

This is a sweet, cozy romance with a lot of heart. Tandy's such a warmhearted and loving princess, and she tries so hard to make everyone around her happy. It's hard not to follow everyone in the book's example by falling in love with her. Watching her learn how to flirt with the sailor is almost painfully cute. I loved seeing her become self-sufficient, learning simple magic to cook and clean, and watching her joy at being able to read any book she wanted late into the night.

The book is LGBT friendly, with a fun romance between two teen girls who end up helping Tandy with the shop.

There are some mildly humiliating things that happen to Tandy, which made me feel bad for her. The book tugs at the heartstrings at times and made my cry at more than one point.

This is a low stakes story with a low spice level that has one fade to black love scene and some cute flirting and banter. The story is heartfelt, sweet and lovely. It is suitable for YA and adult readers.

Book Review: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Pros: sweet story, gorgeous and inventive setting, interesting magic

Cons:

Cursed to become a statue for performing an illegal act of sorcery, Terlu is surprised to be awakened in a snowy forest. She finds herself on an island full of enchanted greenhouses whose magic is failing. Their keeper, Yarrow, believes she can fix them, but she doesn't know how to and isn't sure it's worth the risk of performing more illegal magic.

I loved the book. It's the second in the Spellshop series but stands alone very well. I haven't read the first book yet, but plan to after reading this. The stakes were mostly low key, so I never felt stressed about how the plot would be resolved. And I really needed to read something cozy and unstressful. The few tense moments the book had were filled with hope and heart and people doing their best, working together in difficult circumstances. Terla and Yarrow were both honestly good characters who wanted the greenhouses to survive for each other to be happy. The food Yarrow cooked sounded delicious, though I did start to wonder why everything tasted like spring or summer to Terla.

While the idea of greenhouses on their own isn't inventive, Durst fills them with a mix of practical garden vegetables, beautiful flowers, and exquisite magic. Some of the rooms and the creatures within are wondrous and I'd love to visit for real and see them for myself. The sentient plants were a mix of fun and annoying, but I love the idea of them and enjoyed the variety of personalities on display. I loved how magic worked in this world. As someone who's studied several languages, it was neat seeing Terla parse the various meanings words can have and experiment with spells. I loved the winged cat and feel that more fantasy worlds should include them.

The romance was understated and sweet. It progressed naturally and felt measured. There's nothing on the page beyond a few kisses and cuddles, making this appropriate for YA and adult audiences. It is LGBT friendly, with one lesbian couple showing up a side characters later in the book.

If you're looking for a feel good romance with a lot of plants and no spice, this is for you.