Thank you to Morgan Elizabeth and Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC of this book on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Favourite tropes:

• Cosy small town - all the Gilmore Girls vibes but with magic! AND she runs a bookshop
• Witch x human
• Grumpy (him) x sunshine (her) and naturally, he falls first

This was a really fun read! While the romance was a big part of the plot, there were other aspects that kept the story interesting. We have the beautiful setting of Heartwood Hollow, with its small town dynamics and a cast of friendly minor characters. We have Rosie and her fellow witch siblings who each run a shop in the town, using their magic to help their customers. We have Percy the cat who (sadly) doesn’t talk but does cause chaos and beg for food constantly - my favourite kind of cat. We have a friendly but nosy ghost in the form of Jack’s grandpa. And finally, we have a magical ingredient hunting quest!

I really enjoyed the dual POV as we got to know both Jack and Rosie equally well, although it did cause some minor frustration for me when they had problems a simple conversation would have fixed. This isn’t quite the miscommunication trope I would say though! There were a few instances where there was excessive repetition of key plot points, but it didn’t spoil the story for me.

This book is SPICY. I would say it’s spicier than other books in a similar style and there is a strong emphasis on these scenes. That isn’t to say that there isn’t enough else going on to enjoy, but if you don’t like books heavy on the spice, this might not be for you.

Overall, this was a heartwarming and fun story and a very enjoyable read. The next book will follow one of the other sisters and I cannot wait to see how her story will unfold.

Thank you to Takuya Asakura and HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction for an eARC of this book on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a charming and delightful tale, with the perfect number of cats. The story follows Amane who has unexpectedly inherited her grandfather’s bookshop (despite having never met him). The bookshop is in need of some love, but thankfully Amane finds a small horde of cats who seem to be guardians of the bookshop and have a few mysteries of their own.

The cats are such a central part of the story, and we even get a few chapters from the POV of a cat. Their descriptions leapt off the page and I loved reading about how they helped Amane reconnect with the home town she had forgotten.

Over the course of a year, Amane finds friendship, both old and new, and starts to rediscover herself among the dusty shelves and familiar streets.

Despite being relatively slow paced and short, it was so beautifully written that I wanted to take my time with it. Beneath every chapter were numerous layers of deeper meaning and emotion.

Overall, this was a comforting read with plenty of heart and a lot of cats!

Thank you to Ellie Alexander and Storm Publishing for an eARC of this book on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Favourite tropes:

• Small town - give me a beautiful small town in autumn and I am sold
• Autumn vibes - deserves its own line as I am a sucker for all things autumn!
• Second chance romance - an FMC and MMC who are around 40 - yes please!

This was a cosy romance set in the beautiful Half Moon Bay, a seaside Californian town with dreamy autumn vibes. The setting was easily my favourite thing about the book - Ellie’s descriptions were so vivid and I could picture myself right there with the characters. If Half Moon Bay existed, I’d already be there.

We get four POVs - Miranda (single mum who runs a shop in Half Moon Bay), Pete (Miranda’s son, who works remotely from Half Moon Bay and is secretly looking for his father), Jim (a Voyager employee trying to make Miranda into the next Internet sensation) and Shelby (another Voyager employee with a very specific vision and a secret of her own). I’ve never seen this many POVs in a romance book and I actually quite liked it. It kept the story moving and we got a real insight into all of the main characters and their motivations.

Despite the predictability of the overall plot (no complaints from me, it’s what I’m here for), the addition of social media influencers and viral sensations made this feel fresh and kept it interesting, especially having a slightly older woman as the main character!

Overall, the book was a fun read but a couple of things stopped it from being a higher rating. First, the degree of insta love - I don’t mind instant attraction but the ‘love’ felt quite underdeveloped for me, especially with the focus on social media and the four POVs drawing time away from the two romances. Second, there was some miscommunication. While it was fairly mild, having the four POVs meant we could see exactly who needed to speak to who to sort it all out which I found mildly frustrating. I still enjoyed the book and would probably pick up the next one though!

If you love a cosy autumn read (no spice) and are up for a fresh take, this book could be for you!

Thank you to Rachel Rowlands and Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC of this book on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Favourite tropes:

• Secret millionaire - and one who donates money to cat shelters!
• Small town - a community coming together to save the local cafe!
• So many cats!

This was a fun, cosy book. My favourite part of it was the abundance of cats - from Brenna’s horde of black cats, Matt’s ginger cat and of course, all the cat cafe cats, this book was packed with charming descriptions of felines.

I’ve not read the previous books in this series but it was accessible as a standalone, especially as we get Brenna’s perspective, someone new to the area. Brenna is a secret millionaire who is running from her past life, holed up in a vast mansion with her small army of black cats. She’s intensely private and struggles to let anyone in but has a close relationship with her nan, which was lovely, but I wanted more. Her nan was barely mentioned in the second half so the time spent building up their relationship felt a little wasted.

We also get Matt’s POV. He is (mostly) emotionally intelligent and generally very considerate of Brenna’s feelings. However, he clearly has a chip on his shoulder about money and becomes judgy about Brenna’s casual spending, which made for some uncomfortable scenes. While this was eventually resolved, I did find myself getting a little tired of his constant negative comments. However, for the most part he was very perceptive and considerate so I will forgive him!

This book largely focuses on the cafe’s book club and them fighting to save the cafe after it’s threatened by the development of a warehouse nearby. This meant there was much less focus on the romantic relationship and while I wouldn’t have minded that, I felt like Brenna and Matt got so little time to talk that the ending was unrealistic.

Despite the above, it was a very fun read and I adored reading about all the cats! If you love cats and small town vibes, with a hint of romance (no spice), this is the book for you!

Thank you to Charlotte Buckley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this book on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Favourite tropes:

• Witch x vampire - how do you make a book about vampires even better? Add a witch!
• Two brothers - think Damon and Stefan Salvatore
• Forced proximity - but to who..?

A witch in a palace filled with vampires? Sign me up!

We see the story unfold through Finn’s eyes. She’s a witch hiding her powers while employed as a servant in a royal vampire household. Her secret is unveiled by none other than King Mordric who then gives her an offer she can’t refuse - a place at his side if she learns to control her powers.

Naturally, her trainer is Prince Enhart, the King’s younger brother, who wants to be anywhere other than at Finn’s side. As one would expect, both brothers are very handsome, and while Mordric is affectionate, loving and openly enamoured with Finn, Enhart is arrogant and makes it his daily mission to annoy her.

The dynamic between the trio was interesting, even if some of the plot points were a little predictable. I really liked how she had to actually learn how to use her magic over months, rather than just being a natural from day one. This also gave Finn and Enhart more time to snipe at each other which I won’t complain about.

The pacing of the book was mixed. The start of the book was pretty fast-paced, with the middle section much slower and focusing on Finn understanding her magic, then ramping up towards the end - I read the final 20% without stopping as I needed to know how it ended!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was easy to read and addictive, especially nearer the end. The murder mystery element was interesting, although I would have liked to see a little more on page investigation!

P.S. There are wyverns and I would like to see more of them in book 2 which I will absolutely be picking up when it’s available!

Thank you to Joss Wood and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an eARC of this book on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to dive into Halloween Town after enjoying Summerween. If you’re in the mood for a cosy, autumnal romance with a hint of magic in the form of ghosts and witches, this could be the book for you.

I am slightly desperate to visit this quirky Halloween-obsessed town, complete with wacky residents, Reggie the traffic-stopping turkey, Morrigan the judgy cat and the meddlesome ghosts. This time, we occasionally get Ruby’s (a ghost) POV alongside Poppy’s and Thom’s which keeps things interesting and separates this from non-magical romance books.

In this book, we get to know Poppy and all her people-pleasing tendencies, see a little more of her relationship with Wren, and see how her relationship with Thom develops from ex-childhood best friends into something more.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but I liked it a little less than Summerween for a few reasons. The main reason was the excessive focus on Poppy’s body. At times I found Thom’s POV really uncomfortable to read with his focus on Poppy being short, slim and curvy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating this body type but I found myself rolling my eyes every time it came up - it felt like he had nothing else to say about her, which was concerning especially as they were meant to be childhood best friends and have a deep emotional connection!

Throughout, there was a tendency to over explain, with a few instances of repetition even within a couple of pages. Finally, everyone’s least favourite trope (miscommunication) appeared although I do think it was handled better than many books I’ve read so I can just about accept this.

Overall, it was a nice and cosy read and I would have rated it 3.5-4 stars if there hadn’t been such a strong focus on Poppy’s looks. I will definitely be checking out the next book though as I love this town!

Favourite tropes:

• Small town - not just a small town but a bonkers town
• Ex’s brother - but not quite what you think…
• Animal companions - Fel the dog and the resident town cat and turkey get a brief mention too!