Category: Christmas

Enchanted Village by Lily Starling

On By TracyIn Christmas, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Fantasy, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Enchanted VillageEnchanted 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. *

 

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Christmas, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #9)It just wouldn’t be Christmas without finding a dead body!

Frances and George were looking forward to a lively Christmas season in London when they received an invitation from George’s sister, Fiona. So, instead of spending Christmas in London, they quickly headed to Norfolk, where they were expecting an abundance of snow and a lovely holiday with family.

Unfortunately, what they got was anything but a picturesque white Christmas. Instead, a frightful wind and rainstorm pounded them. Fortunately, their home suffered little damage, so Frances, Fiona, and all five of the children set out on foot to check on their neighbors and offer whatever help they could.

Sadly, during their rounds, they discover the body of Sir Joshua Penhollow, the local doctor.

The circumstances surrounding Sir Joshua’s death are suspicious, but there is a rather significant problem: all of the men have left to help clear the roads. With the roads blocked and everyone scattered about helping with the storm damage, there is no doctor, coroner, magistrate, or policeman available to take charge of the investigation. That leaves the ladies to do what they can to uncover the truth.

I enjoy each addition to this series, and I always look forward to seeing what sort of trouble Frances and the others will find themselves involved in. I have to admit, though, that this one is probably my least favorite so far. The mystery itself is quite good, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what had happened to Sir Joshua and why. However, the pacing felt a bit slow and plodding to me. There seemed to be a lot of walking from one place to another, taking tea, and asking questions, without quite enough happening between those conversations to keep the story moving at the pace I prefer.

One part I particularly enjoyed was the arrival of the doctor from another town to perform the autopsy. I liked his character and his interactions with the others, and I have to wonder if the author might be planting the seeds of a budding romance between him and the older daughter. If so, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing where that relationship goes in a future book!

Even though this installment didn’t quite work for me as well as the others, I still enjoyed spending time with Frances, George, Fiona, and the rest of the family. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. After all, you never know when another holiday—and another dead body—might turn up!

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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