Tag Archives: romance

Oct 25 2026
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Book Review: Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: Sea of Charms

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Series: Spellshop #3

Genre: Cozy Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Marin is a supply runner with her own boat that she sails from island to island, delivering whatever anyone will pay her to deliver: letters, flour, even the occasional enchanted lemur. It’s a lonely life, but it’s hers, and she wouldn’t trade the freedom of the sea for anything. Her only companion is a sea serpent, Perri, whom she saved from a fisherfolk’s net. One day, she sails to Alyssium and discovers the city is on fire. There’s been a revolution, and the empire has fallen. Marin, with Perri, begins transporting refugees, finding them new homes where they can start over. One such refugee is Dax, a composer who refuses to leave behind his instruments, no matter how much she tries to emphasize the gravity of the situation. Intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, and his charming smile, Marin discovers perhaps she isn’t saving him ― maybe it’s the other way around. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

Sarah Beth Durst continues to write stories I wish I’d thought of first. After dazzling me with Race the Sands a few years ago, I’ve been gradually working my way through her works. She’s such a delightful writer – telling stories filled with so many fun fantasy elements that make you feel like a kid again. Everything I’ve read so far has been solid, and I can’t wait to eventually get to all of her books.

In general, I need to read more feel-good stories like Sea of Charms. That said, it did take me about half the book to really get into it. I was missing a little of that slow-burn, day-in-the-life aspect that we got in the first two books (one via starting and operating a jam shop, the other via the daily care and maintenance of greenhouse plants). Both fulfilled a specific craving, which I feel was lacking in Sea of Charms. Just a little more page count dedicated to the care and keeping of the magical ship would have gone a long way. Plus more effort on fleshing out the ship itself, giving it even more magical properties. As it was, with the ship acting as little more than a vessel (ha) from place to place, it felt like an opportunity wasted.

But that was my only negative takeaway from the book. What it lacked in caretaking vibes it more than made up for with adventure. We got to explore more of the many islands in this nation, which was probably my favorite aspect of the story. Also, the story was told along the same timeline as the other books in the series, expanding what we know of this world and where we’ve visited. As we get closer and closer to the source of the main conflict with each book, I feel myself getting increasingly invested. The framework for this whole thing is particularly fantastic because, as each of the islands has it’s own unique and magical properties, the possibilities are endless for future books. And in fact, we’ve already been given some insight into the characters we’ll meet for the next book (The Magical Cheese Emporium), for which I’m incredibly excited!

I initially wasn’t sure if I liked the main characters and their love story. I couldn’t see the what their draw was to one another other than physical attraction at first. But as the story went along, the care they took in creating a safe place for each other, offering support, and prioritizing one another soon became apparent, making this one of the more profound love stories I’ve read in a while. It was really sweet. And the side characters! Durst is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for great side characters. I thought nothing could beat the rolling cactus in the first book, but Perri, the sea serpent, earned a star from me all on his own. Loved.

Even with all of these cool elements coming together, Durst made it even better by incorporating music into the storyline in a way that wove together the entire plot. Without going full bard-mode, she managed to make the book feel heavily musical… it was downright beautiful. I will probably remember this book more as the music installment rather than the exploration/merchant one, which I don’t hate.

Overall, this was a delightful book that was the exact sort of cozy fantasy I crave between my usual gritty SFF reads. Despite the fact that it has a romance component, I would not lump this into the romantasy category, as its primary focus is on the fantasy elements, there are no sex scenes, and it has completely different vibes than the books I’ve read in the romantasy category. It was an incredibly wholesome read, and I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for us next!

I want to thank Macmillan Audio, Sarah Beth Durst, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early copy of Sea of Charms!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leah, and Laura! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 10 2026
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Book Review: Monster, Monarch, Maiden by Rae Carson

Title: Monster, Monarch, Maiden

Author: Rae Carson

Series: N/A

Genre: YA Romantacy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: Bria Angarsold isn’t supposed to be a hero. She’s just a mountain girl. A mountain girl with a near useless Gift, living an idyllic life with her sister and her parents, running the family’s thriving inn. But then the raiders come, and Bria’s family is destroyed. One of the last survivors of the raid, Bria isn’t sure she’ll live to see where the captors are taking her. Until the caravan crosses paths with a mysterious traveler and Bria’s luck changes again. With no family or home to return to, Bria swears her life to this moody, secretive young man. Titus has been chosen to complete a perilous quest—one that will make Bria question everything she’s ever believed, from the magic that weaves through their world to the very gods themselves. As the journey unfolds, Bria realizes she has something—someone—new to believe in. She’d follow Titus to the Edge of the World, sworn oath or not, even if neither of them stands a chance at returning from it. But Bria Angarsold is a survivor. She isn’t useless, and neither is her Gift. And this is her story. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

If anyone was going to write a wholesome, organic romantacy, it’s Rae Carson. I’ve long admired her approach to love stories and her character profiles in general because they always feel more realistic. More relatable. Where the romantic bonds are formed based on way more than just physical attraction and plot convenience.

Even so, I wish the fantasy elements in the book had been stronger. They provided the backbone objective to the story and some fun moments involving personal magical “talents,” but for the majority of the book, I forgot I was reading a fantasy. The elements were definitely a bit more subtle than I usually prefer. What’s more, a lot of the richer world-building components took place “off-screen.” There’s only so much page count, and this was a romance-first story. I think had the intent been to make it a fantasy-forward tale, all of those cool elements would’ve been featured instead of getting pushed to the periphery in favor of relationship development… and I probably would’ve liked it more. The ending felt a little rushed (regarding the fantasy plot points, not the romance, which was perfectly paced), which made the rest of the book feel too drawn-out in retrospect (because omgsh we spent a lot of time trudging through the snow), which is why I think I finished it feeling a bit dissatisfied. This is definitely an instance of the book being a wonderful representation of its genre, but me not being the intended audience.

I need to rant about romantasy in general for a minute and then explain why I liked this one better than most I’ve read. Do you ever find it ridiculous how signs of attraction between characters are written in at the absolute stupidest times? Like during life or death situations where the last thing you’d be thinking about is how hot the other person is, especially in the WAY those scenes are written where time seems to slow down, the danger subsides for a minute, and we get a couple of pages describing in detail the other person’s physique. These moments irritate me to no end because they are so obviously pushing a plot agenda, and they effectively steal away all tension and sense of danger from the scene.

What’s cool is that Carson’s books never have any of the things that irritate me about how romances are often written. The relationships are always slowly developed, based on mutual respect and gradually increasing regard for one another that comes from going through difficult things together and consistently showing up for one another. So good. I give that aspect of the story a solid A+.

I know this review is weird. I’m not a romantasy fan who is trying to fairly evaluate a romantasy book. But I AM a big Rae Carson fan and have read and will continue to read anything she comes out with. And if like me you like love stories that feel more organic and wholesome, she’s a great recommend. For the record, this romantasy contains zero spice and is a perfectly lovely little love story.

I’d like to thank HarperAudio Children’s, Rae Carson, and Netgalley for the chance to listen to and review an early audiobook copy of this book!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leticia, and Leah! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 29 2026
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Book Review: Fall of Night by Rachel Caine

Title: Fall of Night

Author: Rachel Caine

Series: Morganville Vampires #14

Genre: YA Paranormal

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble… Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying goodbye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make. –Goodreads

Niki’s Review:

It has been at least six years since I picked up the previous book in this series. I was worried about going into the penultimate book without clear memory of past events. But as it happens, this was kind of a reset book after the end of an arc, so I went in with a relatively clean slate and enough memory of all the key players to pick up as if I’d never left off. Awesome – one of the few times my scattered reading didn’t cost me.

Fall of Night offered a reset of sorts to the series as we’ve known it, and I appreciated the introduction of a few new characters (one of which I wish we’d seen earlier in the series – I liked her that much). It also amped up the stakes (ha) decently for what’s going to be the final book. Although I will say the villain seemed a bit out of left field (as if I’d remember if they were mentioned previously, anyway), but there was lots of action, excitement, and a few hair-raising moments. Legit – it triggered a fear response from me, which is something I wasn’t expecting or braced for from a YA.

The objectives in the second half of the book all hinged on a single point that I found incredibly debatable on it’s plausibility… but I guess how else are we supposed to get from point A to point B? But for the record I didn’t find it believable in the slightest. Also, there’s a new technology of sorts in this book that is so hilariously under-developed that the characters may as well be walking around pointing sticks at each other for how poorly the mechanics have been described. Basically, there’s a thing that does a thing and the characters involved are smart enough to know how it works… we mere peons don’t need an explanation. Our motto: Just go with it!

In contrast to that though, you know how some fantasy books read a lot like YA even though they have very adult themes? There’s something about the character work and delivery that resonates with long-time YA readers that transcends genre labels. As it happens, this book read to me more like an adult urban fantasy than a YA, despite the themes. It has been many years since I read the bulk of this series, so there’s a chance that not all the books read similarly, [Edit: after I wrote this I investigated my review of #13 back in 2020 and was mostly ranting about the toxic relationships, teen angst, and not much else driving the plot at that point, so maybe #14 is just special], but for this book, it seemed to have levelled up… well, with the exception of a character named Eve. I’ve long thought her profile and dialogue were majorly overdone and immature. But the rest of it benefitted from Caine’s forays into the many adult genre books (not “adult” in that sense… you know what I mean) she’s written (the Weather Warden series was particularly fun) and felt just a little more robust. It’s also worth noting that we might finally be past the point in the series where teen angst is the driving point of the plot (mostly), so I’m sure that helps as well. Regardless, this might be a fun set to pick up for someone craving those nostalgic YA paranormal vibes but wants something more palatable to slightly older tastes.

Most of the books in this series are good, but I don’t endorse it often because the love interest and the relationships in general have always struck me as a bit toxic. Obviously it didn’t keep me from more or less enjoying the entire series so far, but I feel it’s worth mentioning. Even so, this particular volume was a great installment, and I’m excited to finally see how the series ends!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, Leticia, and Leah! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 25 2026
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Book Review: Blind Date with a Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

Title: Blind Date with a Werewolf

Author: Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson World #whatever.5

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: When the formidable werewolf Asil finds himself set up on five blind dates by unknown ‘friends’, his solitary life undergoes a dramatic change, in this captivating collection of stories by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series. -Goodreads

The Review:

I had some reservations before diving into Blind Date with a Werewolf. For starters, I’m not much for short stories, so I was a bit wary of wasting time not feeling engaged. But since there was a strong through-line between them, it read more like a novel “in stories” as the cover tag puts it rather than stand-alone snippets. That helped a lot. I also wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for a romance, which the title leads you to believe this book is going to be. But I’m such a big fan of the Mercy Thompson/Alpha & Omega world that I knew I didn’t want to miss anything potentially plot-advancing, even on a minor scale… so here we are.

As it happens, I liked it better than I thought I would. The book was nothing like I expected. The blind date aspect was clever and cheeky, acting more as setups for fun supernatural mysteries than legit romantic encounters. There was indeed a romance angle – a very slight one that served more to set things up for future books than as any sort of major highlight within this one.

Was the story a bit too silly? Perhaps. I’ve always liked Asil as an enigma character. He’s a bit scary because we don’t really know much about him or why everyone in this world fears him. And he’s old.. as the book puts it, “Not quite as old as dirt,” which always made me picture a grizzled, cranky old man. But because everything has to be over-sexualized, I was informed many times while reading this that despite his age, he actually has the appearance of a much younger man. Of course he does. Because apparently werewolves don’t age. Anyway I amused myself by continuing to picture him as an old man on all of the dates/adventures. What’s more, the story took away a lot of Asil’s mystery – having him act very out of character (by my reckoning) for the sake of adhering to the book’s theme. Nothing about his mannerisms drew me back to that scary werewolf with history and depth. Briggs often likes to take these big bad wolves and show the reader their softer sides. Like, they’re deadly beasts to everyone else, but you’re special so they can behave like puppy dogs for you. Sometimes it’s charming. In this case it kind of wrecked a character I’ve spent several books wanting to know more about. At least his wolf is still a badass.

That said, I’m sure there’s a good reason for all of this setup. And the composition of the book itself was creatively done. The structure of the stories, the strong thematic elements throughout, the tie-backs, the series-relevant supernatural mysteries, the fun cameos, and the setup for what will likely be a somewhat important addition to the series going forward were major merits. The whole time I was reading it I was marveling at how cleverly done it was, even if I didn’t absolutely love the plot.

As the book has spoilers for things that happened in some of the most recent Alpha & Omega books, I would not recommend picking this up on a whim as a taste-test of the world. It’s very much for the fans, and it’s clear its purpose is to advance the plot of some of the more secondary characters in this world. As a big fan, I am very eager to find out how all of this will play into the next main book in the series.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Karen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Poochtee, Kinsey, Alysa, Derek, Kelly, Grace, Carmen, and Leticia! <3

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Oct 13 2025
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Book Review: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: The Enchanted Greenhouse

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Series: Spellshop #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium. This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home. But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again. This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love. Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself. –Goodreads

The Review:

Another delightful tale set in the same world as her Spellshop book!

This one started out stronger than the last – with a main character who immediately came across much more likable and a setting that was to die for. Terlu as a story lead was endearing and I liked the level of caring she exuded. That’s not to say I didn’t like the lead in the previous book – a woman who was a bit unapproachable and more in her own way (with a great growth arc!) – but Terlu here made for a much more relaxing reading companion.

And the setting!! A huge cluster of individual greenhouses hosting a wide variety of habitats and species. Truthfully I could’ve spent an entire book just reading about them taking care of plants and solving soil issues, but alas that’s not as marketable. It was the world-building component that kept my interest sparked and ultimately provided my favorite takeaways from the book. I especially loved the pollinator dragons.

So even though the best elements remained strong throughout the entire book, there were a few minor things that eventually knocked me off a slam-dunk high rating: conflicts and pacing.

The conflict in this story was off somehow, perhaps not quite robust enough for the length of the story. On one hand it’s a cozy fantasy and the conflict in those can be anything as simple as “Gosh I really need to spruce up this cottage because it’s filthy.” So maybe needing a more robust conflict wasn’t the problem, but it definitely needed something… more. More cozy-world problems. More day in the life of a greenhouse gardener-type of vibes. The grand conflict overarching the story I thought was great, but the solution didn’t require enough elements to merit a large page count, so it was kind of in and out.

And then you have a third drama point where the main character is fixated on the problems of a different character – that was the part I really didn’t like. It felt like she didn’t have enough going on to drive a story, so she had to borrow problems. So I think between her not having enough internal conflict and the simple overarching plot is why the pacing felt a little off. And there wasn’t enough of that cozy “nesting into our new environment” element to keep me engaged in the meantime.

While the romance in the first book was so subtle and lovely that it didn’t even feel like a major component to the book – in this one the romance was much more heavy-handed. I like that Durst’s male leads are kind people with a lot of compassion and and positive regard for the main characters. I also like that they both managed to showcase these attributes in completely different ways. I will admit that in this one, I found the back-and-forth between the two a bit too saccharin. But it’s a cozy fantasy so I just leaned into it.

Despite a couple of minor issues that kept the book from being higher rated than the first one, the last couple of chapters really brought it home for me and I ended up walking away really glad that I had read it. I’m especially excited for Sea of Charms currently slated for release on July 21, 2026

Recommendations: if you’re in the mood for a cozy fantasy with a touch of romance (and I mean only just a touch in the first book) this series is an absolute delight… give it a try!

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Tracey, Poochtee, Kinsey, and Alysa! <3

Other books, you might like:

By Niki Hawkes 

Jul 15 2025
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Book Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Title: Great Big Beautiful Life

Author: Emily Henry

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years–or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century. When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game. One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over. Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication. Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition. But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it. –Goodreads <-omg you don’t even have to read the book if you read this massive overview.

The Review:

This was an ambitious Emily Henry novel that hit different notes than her previous books. Overall, I found it a wild success, even though it didn’t quite give me that same “fix.“

I can see why this book was chosen for Reese Witherspoon’s book club because it was written more like a literary fiction with the romance as a supporting plot driver. It contained a story with a story that was woven throughout the chapters giving the book multigenerational vibes and a lot of additional points of interest. I usually struggle with stories within a story, often caring less about what’s going on in the secondary storyline and feel impatient to get back to the main point of the book. I felt that on occasion here, but ultimately Henry is such a brilliant writer that she managed to make me care about everything (eventually).

The real test was whether or not that story with a story ultimately worked to support the main plot between the love interests. I had doubts even though I shouldn’t have – Henry has more than earned my trust by this point and yes, it delivered in an incredibly satisfying way.

So because the book was written well, I thought it ended amazing, and it kept me hooked the entire way through, I’m rating it highly. But there’s just a piece of me no matter how obstinate that wishes even more time had been spent with the main characters. Because everything was so well woven together and dependent for that payoff, I thought the craft elements were brilliant. But if my main draw to the story was the relationship dynamic between the two main characters, I felt the story within a story a major buzz-kill when things mattered most. It broke up their relationship momentum and made me feel much more disconnected during “important“ moments than I have with previous books.

And one more thing that didn’t quite land was the whole “we can’t be together because of some stupid arbitrary reason“ component to the book. I don’t have a lot of patience for stuff like that. Emily Henry handles tropes like that better than any other author I’ve read, and I realize that the tension of the book was completely reliant on it, but I tend to prefer different relationship-dynamic structures. That one is more a personal gripe than any knock on the quality of the story, but it was just enough to make me feel like this particular contention point was my least favorite of Henry’s that I’ve read.

Conversely, I think Alice and Hayden were among my favorite characters that I’ve read so far from the author. I didn’t find either of them relatable in the slightest, but I did find them equally charming, realistic, and just downright fun to root for. It might be recency bias, but I think of all the couples that I’ve read about, this is the one I’d be interested in spending more books with. I really liked them.

Overall, if you’re not super into contemporary romance yet, but like your literary fiction, this is an excellent crossover and I think a good introduction into Emily Henry’s works. If you don’t give one wit about literary fiction, but want to try a fun, contemporary romance, pick a different Henry. All of us Henry fans will tell you we liked different books the most. My personal favorites were Beach Read and Book Lovers (…and People We Meet on Vacation, lol). She’s my favorite author in the genre, her books are absorbing and totally addicting, and I can’t wait to read what she comes out with next.

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, Bee, Tracey, Dagmara, Poochtee, Kinsey! <3

by Niki Hawkes