Category: Young Adult

Bargains with Benefits by Jillian Witt

On By TracyIn First Person Narrative, Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

Bargains with Benefits (Fae by the Bay #1)Bargains with Benefits by Jillian Witt

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: Fae by the Bay, #1

Release Date: June 3, 2025

Half-fae Luna Pierce is living her dream of running the Cliff House Inn, an inn that is owned by her estranged Fae father. But when her father threatens to sell the inn, Luna convinces him to give her time to prove that the inn can be profitable, too bad she doesn’t possess fae magic herself, oh and the fact that she threw a drink in the face of Vincent Andiveron, the recommendations columnist for the Bayside.

But lucky for them, all is not lost, since Vincent also has a dream, and it isn’t writing the recommendation column, he wants to write investigative pieces and has the best idea for a story but lacks a source. That is until he meets Luna, and they strike a bargain – he will help her make her inn the “must-visit” destination and she will help him crack his story about her father. What could go wrong??

I will be blunt – this could have been a great story, but I had issues – first and foremost it is written in First Person Narrative and if that wasn’t bad enough – it is a dual POV FPN – I seriously dislike FPN, but I hate dual POV FPN – I just can’t. Secondly, it was kind of predictable and a bit cliché, and finally the romance was blah (and clearly my idea of “spicy” is not the same as the author’s). The story does have some bright points; I did like both Luna and Vincent and I thought the family issues were handled well. But for me this story was a miss, it felt more like a YA fantasy than an adult cozy fantasy, and I didn’t read the previous series, but I don’t think that would have made difference.

*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. *

Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood

On By TracyIn Contemporary, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Standalone Title, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

RewitchedRewitched by Lucy Jane Wood

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: September 17, 2024

Belladonna “Belle” Blackthorn is a witch from a very powerful magical family. Belle came into her powers at 15, but has maintained a primarily non-magical life, she does use small incantations but for the most part she hasn’t really embraced her magic and has pretty much taken it for granted. She works at a charming little bookstore and lives with her best friend (who doesn’t know she is a witch), she is content but doesn’t take any risks. So, when she gets visit from Rune, a warlock in her coven, she learns that on her thirtieth birthday, she must present herself to the coven to undergo the EquiWitch trial, and be judged worthy of keeping her powers, she is understandably thrown for a loop.

The trial doesn’t go well, but thanks to a loophole, Belle is given a second chance to prove herself to the coven, but the catch is that she will have only 30 days to prepare or risk losing her powers for good. Her magical mentor has a shady past and may or may not have killed his brother, but upon meeting Artorius “Arty” Day, she can’t believe he could be the villain the coven leaders said he is. With Arty’s help Belle delves into magic and realizes how much she wants to keep her powers. But when things turn dark, she may have to give up her magic to keep the people she loves safe.

This was a charming, well-written witchy story with wonderful characters and a happy ending. I loved Belle, she is caught between two worlds and at thirty still hasn’t decided what she is doing with her life. I loved watching her rediscover the thrill of magic and moving outside of her comfort zone. Overall, this was a good read with likable characters, secrets, magic, danger, shocking revelations, dear friends and family, an annoyingly good-looking warlock and a spectacular ending. This is my first time reading this author, and while I felt the story dragged a bit at times and I would have enjoyed a bit more romance, overall, I enjoyed her writing style and am looking forward to her next book.