Tracy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Release Date: November 3, 2026
For years Lucinda “Lucy” Ansari has worked at Crawley Books, first in high school and college, and then on weekends after she got a corporate job. And when she lost that job, she worked there full-time as the manager, much to her overachieving parent’s dismay, but working at the bookstore and baking is what makes Lucy happy, that and her deep friendship with Charles Crawley, the elderly owner and fellow witch. Everything was going well until Charles fell and broke his hip, requiring surgery. And instead of call her, they called his grandson, Grayson in Ireland and that is when everything started going south. He is handsome, smart and annoying, and she will do anything to get rid of him…
Professor Grayson Crawley has been living in Ireland with his uncle for most of his life. His parents died when he was just six years old and he stayed with his grandparents for about a year, before he was sent to Ireland to live with his uncle and he hasn’t been back since. When the hospital called about his grandfather, he took a sabbatical and came to the States to help him, hoping to get answers and maybe even renew their relationship, but instead of a warm welcome, he is greeted by his grandfather’s employee and apparently very good friend, Lucy, who also is a witch, something that Grayson is not, despite his mother being one. He is convinced that Lucy is stopping him from having a real relationship with his grandfather and decides she needs to go…
I really wanted to love this book and it started with promise, but as the story progressed, the characters seemed to regress. Lucy and Grayson act like middle schoolers for most of the book, they are immature, petty and annoying. They both have insecurities and long for a true family bond, which could have been something that brought them together, instead they become jealous of each other and act like idiots. Even after Charles gets upset with them and they call a truce, they continue to behave like children, except when they are getting hot and heavy with each other – until they aren’t. By the end of this book, I was sick of both of them and didn’t care what happened and while the idea was cute and there was spice, the constant back and forth pettiness just ruined the book for me. And I couldn’t help but wonder why doesn’t anyone in this book celebrate Christmas or any other holiday? Overall, I didn’t hate the book, but I wouldn’t read it again.
*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. *
