Category: Romantasy

The Witch of Wall Street by M.J. Etkind

On By TracyIn Contemporary, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Witch of Wall StreetThe Witch of Wall Street by M.J. Etkind

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 25, 2025

Miriam Blum and Nelson Copperfield have known each other for most of their lives and for most of that time Miriam has disliked the oh-so-perfect Nelson with his helpful magic, which is the direct opposite of her chaos magic! Years after graduating college, Miriam has learned to subdue her magic and is working for a Wall Street investment banking company, with hopes of making partner soon. When a new project comes her way, she feels like it is wrong, but it is also an opportunity to prove herself and finally achieve the success she has worked so hard for. She shoves down her misgivings and accepts the chance to lead the top-secret project. To ease her conscious, she attends a fundraiser for Housing Magic, a non-profit that provides housing for those in need – which happens to be the company that is in direct competition for the property at the heart of her business project. She is shocked to learn that Nelson is the executive director of Housing Magic and even more stunned that she is attracted to him. They spend an ill-advised night together and the next morning when she tries to leave, she learns that her bag containing her broomstick and the files concerning the project is missing, when Nelson tries to help her find it, he discovers that his enchanted taxi medallion is also missing.

Together they will have to find a way to work together to find their missing items. But Miriam can’t risk Nelson learning the truth about her project, something that is harder to do than she anticipated, especially when she begins to acknowledge that her feelings for Nelson are deeper than she wants them to be. Their time together makes her long for things she never thought she really wanted, things that could never be especially when he learns of her business project. But somewhere between feeling left behind by her coven, work mishaps, an enchanted dumpling shop, a jinn who is also a CPA, poisoned leather and a clay monster, she falls in love with the only man she can’t have.

I really enjoyed this magical rom-com, it was a quick and easy read with wonderful characters and a satisfying ending. This story has a lot going on; chaotic magic, enemies to lovers, magical beings, work obligations, ethical complications, secrets, hidden desires, coven problems, a slow burn romance and finally a solution that didn’t seem possible, ending with a happily for now and maybe forever. It took me a little while to warm up to Miriam, but by the middle of the book, I was firmly on her side. I do wish this book had more of a dual POV as Nelson was such a large part of the story and I never really felt like I got to know him. But overall, it was a delightful read and I would happily recommend it!

*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. *

Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Non-Traditional Romance, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Golden Lord (Dangerous Gifts, #2)Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney

Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars (I’m being generous)

Series: Dangerous Gifts, #2

Release Date: November 26, 2024

When Caden “Cade” Tremayne, an agent for the crown and the eldest of Rhys & Gwen Tremayne’s foster children was informed of his new mission, he knew that this was going to be a mission unlike any before. He is “gifted” and has a strong sense of foreboding and feels anger directed at him specifically. But with England and France on the brink of war, it is imperative to get the English ambassador and him family out of Paris as quickly as possible. He is delighted to learn that his foster sister Lady Tamsyn will be his partner, as they have a close bond and work extremely well together. They set out and both feel the gathering danger, but it isn’t until they are almost ready to board a ship back to England that the danger he had sensed is manifested. Cade is captured by a French agent who is also gifted, and his mind is blocked causing him to forget who and what he is, but Tamsyn manages to mentally connect with him and promises to save him. He believes that she is his wife and when they are finally reunited and his mind is cleared, he is horrified to realize that now Tamsyn knows his secret. A secret that could either be downfall of the “Tribe of Tremayne” or one that could bond them in ways they never imagined.

Lady Tamsyn “Tam” Tremayne is the eldest child and heir to the Tremayne earldom, she is also powerfully gifted and an agent for the home office. Her gift is primarily healing of the mind and body, but she also has a strong gift of intuition. She too senses danger in the upcoming mission and great change, but nothing prepares her for Cade’s secret. She isn’t sure if she can accept the change, but soon knows her heart is with Cade and hopes she will not have to choose between him and her family. But before she can worry about that, she senses that their mission is far from over, they need to get back to England in one piece and thwart Napoleon’s plans!

WARNING: The rest of this review might be a little “Spoilerish” and is definitely opinionated.

I will be honest, this book was not for me, I LOVED the first book but this one… I could not get past the brother/sister thing – I grew up in a family that took in foster children and adopted children, for me they were (and still are) my brothers and sisters – the idea of romantic love between two people who have been raised as brother and sister since they were very young children, is repulsive to me – maybe if they hadn’t met until they were young adults, I could get past it, but the story is clear, they met as very young children and have always considered each other as siblings – in fact most of the book they call each other brother/sister – I just can’t pretend that I am all right with that. That said, yes, I am aware that I have a personal bias – so, please make up your own mind, there are lots of rave reviews for this book and I will not deny that it is an interesting story with very likable characters. And the author makes a good attempt to explain that Cade never really considered her as a sister and always loved her (it just didn’t matter to me – it still felt wrong) the gifted part of the story is good and if they hadn’t been siblings, I probably would have enjoyed it. This is the second book in the series, and I would strongly recommend reading this series in order.

*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. *