Category: Contemporary

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

The Faraway InnThe Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 31, 2026

When her boyfriend Ethan breaks her heart right at the beginning of summer, Calisa’s moms decide that she needs time away to heal and move on, so she can focus on her upcoming senior year. They send her to stay with her great-aunt Zee who runs a B&B in Vermont. Things seem to go wrong right from the start, she is caught in the rain, falls through the porch and is basically told to leave by her Auntie Zee.

But Calisa needs this time away and the Faraway Inn is filled with secrets and the promise of the answers she is seeking. She charms her way into staying for the summer, and soon somewhere between baking, cleaning and making new friends, she begins to unlock the inn’s secrets and realizes her grumpy great-aunt needs help and she thinks she might be able to give it. But when Auntie Zee goes missing, she will have to find a way to save not only Auntie Zee, but the inn itself before it’s too late!

This was such a fun story! Calisa is suffering from her first heartbreak at the beginning of the story and feels like all her hopes for a perfect summer before starting her senior year in high school are ruined. She starts to believe that if she succeeds at restoring the Inn, she will find the happiness that she lost when Ethan broke her heart. Along the way she will learn so much! There will be a new love interest, mythical/magical beings, secrets, found family (figuratively and literally), magic, healing and happy beginnings! This was a great YA cozy fantasy, and I am happy to recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bit of magic!

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

 

Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf by Isabelle Taylor

On By TracyIn Contemporary, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Re-Release / Updated Edition, Rom Com, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf (Claw Haven, #1)Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf by Isabelle Taylor

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Claw Haven #1

Release Date: March 24, 2026

When Luna Stack ends up snowbound in Claw Haven, Alaska after attending a business event, she would have never imagined that she would wind up being “bound” to a werewolf. Which is especially problematic as she is engaged and due to marry in a couple of months! Luna is not prepared for Claw Haven, she is a quintessential LA Party Girl and a variable ray of sunshine, but that is a persona that hides an intelligent, creative young woman who is itching to break out of her shell, and despite her initial reaction, Claw Haven and a grumpy werewolf might be exactly what she has been looking for.

Oliver Musgrove is also new to Claw Haven, but his reasons for being there are much different than Luna’s. A near tragedy caused by trusting a stranger, has left Oliver angry, guilty and unable to shift, making his ascension to alpha questionable. He and his pack moved to Claw Haven for a fresh start, they bought a rundown inn and have tried to move on from the past. But when his pack throws a party to get to know their new neighbors, Oliver has no desire to mingle with strangers and instead finds a bottle in the back room and decides to get drunk, never realizing what exactly he was drinking or the lasting effects of his actions. When Luna arrives at the inn during a blizzard and accidentally drinks from the abandoned bottle, he finds himself bonded to the last woman on earth he would ever want as his mate. But little by little, Luna worms her way into his heart, helping him heal, but she can never be his as she is promised to another and will leave as soon as they can break the bond.

This book was a fun read with sunshine/grumpy trope, that has the bonus of being a cozy, yet spicy monster/fantasy romance. I liked Luna and Oliver, but not immediately as they both took a little bit of warming up to. I enjoyed the story, but I had a hard time with Luna being engaged and in almost constant contact with her fiancé, while carrying on sexual relationship with Oliver, despite her fiancé’s support of that relationship – I just found that cringy. That aside, I loved Luna’s personal growth and her support for Oliver and the town. I also loved most of Oliver’s pack and all of the town residents. This is the first book in a new series, so if you are in the mood for a light, yet spicy monster romance – I think you would enjoy this book.

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