Category: Young Adult

Death Meets Cute by J. Penner

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

Death Meets Cute by J. Penner

Tracy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 28. 2026

Iris Weyward is the middle sister in a family of witches. For years she has been working together with her sisters Dahlia and Poppy plotting to enhance their villainous natures and hopefully find a way to build an evil empire and take over the realms. But when their magic starts to fail and they begin to turn on each other, Iris has had enough and leaves them. She settles on the outskirts of Fraywell with her familiar, a hedgehog named Quince and starts an evil potion & hex business. Things were going OK, but recently her magic has been getting weaker and her bodyguard leaves and doesn’t return, and she is not sure what to do. But when everything changes when an injured orc bangs on her door and then dies in her backyard. Since she is in need of a bodyguard, she sees this as an opportunity for evil. She casts a spell that lets her interview the dead orc and when she decides that he would be perfect for the job, she casts another spell to “re-alive” him. But the re-alived orc is nothing like the dead orc and she is pretty sure she is going to have to re-unalive him, that is until her sisters show up and chaos ensues.

Talon Gefroy has only vague memories of his life before he woke up in Iris Weyward’s house. But he is immediately smitten with her and dives right into setting her house in order and baking. He accepts his new position and when her sisters show up, he is happy to take care of all of them and help them find a way to regain their powers. He settles in and feels like he is finally happy with life and thinks he might have a future with Iris, but then he learns the truth of how he ended up in her house and he is heartbroken. Can he reconcile the truth of who he is and what he has done with the orc he is now and can he forgive Iris for keeping the truth from him?

OMG! I loved this book, Iris and Talon were so cute together and Iris’s reactions to her feelings had me laughing out loud. This book was a quick, easy read with likable characters, a lot of emotion, wonderful secondary characters, a journey of self-awareness, acceptance, reconnecting with family and finally finding love and happiness. The story is promoted as a romantasy, but it is definitely geared more towards a young adult reader, as there is no intimacy beyond chaste kissing. So, if you are looking for a fun read with amazing characters, laugh out loud dialogue and a low heat romance – look no further – this is that book! I highly recommend this story, and I am hoping that there will be more stories featuring her sisters in the future.

*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. *

 

Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan

On By TracyIn Debut Novel, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Romantasy, Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

ThistlemarshThistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: April 21, 2026

Though Faeries had not been seen in England for over a century, Misneach “Mouse” Dunne had always been fascinated by Faerie lore thanks to her mother and planned to study Faerie anthropology at university, but life had other plans. When the great war steals her beloved cousin and leaves her brother a mere shell of himself, she abandons her dreams of Faeries and travels abroad to become a nurse and to try and save her brother. But when their uncle dies and she is named as his heir, she returns to Thistlemarsh Hall. If she can meet the terms of her uncle’s will and either restore Thistlemarsh or marry within 30 days, the estate will be hers, if she fails, she loses everything and the estate goes to a much-despised distant cousin. The task seems impossible, until she meets Thornwood and does the one thing no mortal should ever do…make a deal with a Faerie.

Thornwood has been waiting for almost a century to be freed from the spell that frozen him in stone. Now he is free and needs Mouse to help him exact his revenge. But when his magic is thwarted by protection spells, he will need Mouse even more to help him break the spells and restore Thistlemarsh to its former glory. Only then will he be able to find the prize that has kept him motivated for years. He never imagined that he would actually fall for a mortal, but Mouse is unlike anyone he has ever known. But in order to attain his revenge, he will have to betray her and ruin any chance for a HEA.

This was a vivid story by a new to me author. And while I enjoyed the story, I have mixed feelings about this book, I liked the idea of the story and the magic was well defined, but it was a bit wordy, parts of the story dragged and apparently in this England primogeniture doesn’t apply. Mouse and Thornwood have a very slow burn / enemies to friends type of relationship and while they declare their love, I honestly wasn’t feeling the romance. Overall, it was an interesting, immersive read and while it does drag a bit and the romance is very young adult, I did enjoy the book and would happily recommend it to those who enjoy a no-heat fantasy romance.

*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. *