Flippin' Pages Book Reviews

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 20, 2026

Reina Martin has never let her circumstances hold her down. The illegitimate daughter of a renown Spanish dancer and a wealthy English businessman, some could say that her life started out on the wrong foot, but thanks to her mother, Reina was given an exceptional education and encouraged to follow her dreams. To that end she attended college and earned a law degree, but was refused the right to practice, so she turned her sites to finance, becoming a respected economist and published a financial guide for women as well as writing articles for Bankers’ Magazine and The Economist. Upon that success, she tried to open a bank account and was initially denied, but her arguments drew the attention of William Farlow, the bank administrator. With William’s guidance, Reina learned the intricacies of investing and banking and became a very wealthy woman with a new dream, opening a bank for women.

With her goal set, Reina purchases a house and with the help of June, her dearest friend and now her cook, she tries to hire a staff. Which leads her to Second Chance Employment Agency, a staffing agency that hire out criminals released on license (aka parole). Determined to give these people a fighting chance to succeed, she hires a full staff, including a very pregnant woman as her housekeeper. But it soon becomes clear that this staff needs more guidance than she can supply, leading her to hire and Ticket-of-leave prisoner, a Welshman by the name of John Pembroke as her butler. But what she doesn’t know is John is not who she believes him to be, and as this motley crew becomes a family, she is in danger of losing more than just her dreams…

After a five-year break, Lisa Kleypas is back and better than ever! This book is a bit different than her previous works, primarily as it is a woman’s fiction novel with some romance rather than a straight up romance. I loved it and was completely invested in the story. Reina is a brilliant woman in a man’s world, but she doesn’t let that stop her from chasing her dreams, she is also a caring and generous with everyone. John is the perfect match for her, as he is not intimidated by an intelligent, successful woman, he too is self-made and intelligent, with a heart of gold and a desire to see Reina’s dreams come true. This book is filled with amazing and diverse characters (including some familiar faces), a “sausage dog”, emotion, some laughter, found family, discrimination, injustice, triumph, love, friendship, heartache, betrayal, vindication and finally a happy ending. This book was more than just a good read, it was a journey and I loved every minute of it. Definitely a keeper and a book I look forward to reading again and again.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC/ALC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Enchanted Village by Lily Starling

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: October 20, 2026

Silas Birchwood comes to the enchanted village of Hex Hollow to teach non-magical science at Emberwind Academy, where his uncle is the headmaster. Unlike his uncle and the students of the academy, Silas is not magical and is in awe of the magic that most residents take for granted. He is in the village when he meets Miss Margaret Nettle, the owner of the Toasty Owl Pub and he is immediately smitten. He hopes to pursue her, but when he visits her pub and attempts to flirt, he is attacked by her dragon and her pub is damaged, and the timing couldn’t be worse, as a new bar is set to open in a few weeks which could threaten her business and break her heart. Silas tries his best to help repair the damage, but as hard as he tries, she seems intent on keeping him at an arm’s length.

Margaret Nettle owns the Toasty Owl pub and is the last of her line. Despite coming from an impressive magical family, Margaret has no magic of her own. She has kept the pub running by leaving everything her mother and grandmother created unchanged—not only to preserve their magical charms, but also to keep their memories alive. Margaret makes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic magical drinks with ingredients from the enchanted garden planted by her grandmother. She fiercely guards the secrets of both the garden and her recipes. She also seems to have a special gift for interacting with magical creatures, which the villagers readily call upon whenever a problem arises. Although Margaret is always willing to help others, she struggles to accept help herself—even from her best friend, Liza, a very talented witch, or from Silas, the handsome professor. When a new bar threatens to drive the Toasty Owl out of business, however, Margaret must learn to rely on others and perhaps even believe that she has had her own magic all along.

This book was exactly what I was hoping for, it is a well-written, charming and magical cozy fantasy with a dash of slow burn romance. Margaret is a sweet young woman who has long carried the shame of not being magical yet has never given up trying to keep her family’s legacy alive, but it has come with a steep price. And Silas is just about perfect, he is intelligent, caring and never gives up on Margaret, even when she seems to be trying to push him away. The book is filled with magic, found family, good friends, secrets, mythical creatures, dragons, warmish love scenes, a little heartache, betrayal and finally a very sweet and happy ending. This is presented as a standalone title, but I certainly hope that Ms. Starling has plans to return to Hex Hollow!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for a DRC/ALC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

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