To Read or Not To Read

I have never laughed so hard while reading a book! My Roommate is a Vampire  is a hilarious, fun, enjoyable rom com about an artist in desperate need of a place to stay, and a vampire trying to learn to navigate the modern world. With a premise like that, the jokes could write themselves—thankfully, Levine does that for us so all we have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride. By day, Jenna Levine works to increase access to affordable housing in the American South. By night, she writes romance novels where ridiculous things happen to beautiful people. When Jenna isn't writing she can usually be found crying over K-dramas, starting knitting projects she won't finish, or spending time with her family and small army of cats. You can find her online at JennaLevine.com or on Instagram @JennaLevineWrites.  Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it's a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she's desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment on a...

A joyful read,  The Neighbor Favor is perfect for book-lovers and fans of You've Got Mail . With relatable characters who struggle with family and career woes on top of romance, Forest creates a book that's about more than just the two main characters finding their way to one another—it's also about how each main character comes into their own. A powerful yet fun and enjoyable read!  Kristina Forest is the author of romance books for both teens and adults. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School and she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf. Visit her online at kristinaforest.com . Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children's book editor, but she's been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondence with her favori...

Everything Kate Clayborn writes I would like injected straight into my veins. That could be the whole review, honestly, except Kate's writing deserves so much more praise, so that is what I will attempt to do (while keeping my wits about me) for Love at First , which made me cry by the time I finished because it's beautiful, heartfelt, wonderfully charming, and real  in a way that only Kate Clayborn is able to capture.  Kate Clayborn lives in Virginia, where she spends her days reading and talking about all kinds of great books. Kate loves to hear from and connect with readers—follow her on Twitter, on Instagram, and on Facebook. Visit her at kateclayborn.com to sign up for her newsletter. You can find more of my reviews of Kate's work here .  Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard —the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It's a memory that's ne...

The Secret Service of Trea and Treason  is a soul-satisfying, cozy conclusion to India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series. Full of everything we've come to love about the previous two books, Alice's and Bixby's story is full of even more hijinks, pirates, magic, and romance, making for a bittersweet finale for these characters we've come to love!   India Holton lives in New Zealand, where she has enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats. Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues, and drinking far too much tea. You can find more of my reviews of her work here .  Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Ali...

If you love high-energy romances that are voice driven with a large cast of misfit characters, you might enjoy Witcha Gonna Do?,  the first in what appears to be a series of romance novels following the family members of Witchington's most powerful families, the Sherwood clan. While I enjoyed how fun the concept this one was, it didn't have the level of world building, along with other key elements, I had hoped for to make it a satisfying romance.  USA Today   and Wall Street Journal  bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband, and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee-IV drip. She lives outside of Washington, D.C., with her family, Dwight the cat, and a pack of five dogs all named after food. If she is not reading romance or bingeing reality TV, she is most definitely plotting to take over the world so she can banish Crocs from existence. Visit her online at averyflynn.com .  Could it...

Another instant favorite of the year, The League of Gentlewomen Witches  has everything I love in a witchy romance: enemies-to-lovers, off-the-charts cozy energy, working together (but we're still enemies!), Jane Austen (mis)quotes, and a happily-ever-after to boot. Dare I say I loved this one more than the first? Well, I'll say it. If India Holton wasn't an auto-buy author before, she absolutely is now!  India Holton lives in New Zealand, where she has enjoyed the typical Kiwi lifestyle of wandering around forests, living barefoot on islands, and messing about in boats. Now she lives in a cottage near the sea, writing books about unconventional women and charming rogues, and drinking far too much tea. You can find more of my reviews of Holton's work here .  Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said— witchcraft . The Wicken League strives to improve the world in small ways. Using...

I'd been seeing this book everywhere for weeks, and hit up my group chat so many times about wanting to read it. Now that I have, I simply want to turn back time and read it all over again for the first time.  Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is so many things—cozy, fantastical, gorgeously written, endearing—and I know that it's going to live for a very long time as one of my favorite reads. I absolutely adored this book.  Heather Fawcett is the author of the middle-grade novels Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Language of Ghosts, and The School Between Winter and Fairyland, as well as the young adult series Even the Darkest Stars. She has a master's degree in English literature and has worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theater festival. She lives on Vancouver Island. You can find her online at HeatherFawcettBooks.com .  Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is a genius scholar who is writing the world...

Romantic comedy. fans, find your nearest bookstore! You'll want to dive into India Holton's hilarious, witty debut, The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels . Fast paced, romantic, and magical, this novel is the historical romance of our dreams.  India Holton lives by the sea in New Zealand. Her books are historical fantasy romcoms featuring unconventional women and charming rogues. India's writing is fueled by tea, buttered scones, and thunderstorms. You can find more of my reviews of Holton's work here .  Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it's a pleasant existence. Until the men show up. Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunatel...

Sarah Hawley's witchy romance A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon is the perfect cozy start to the spooky season. A fake dating/forced proximity/roommate romance, Hawley's novel hits on many hallmark romance tropes with the clever fantastical twists of a witchy romance. Super fun and delightful, would definitely recommend to anyone looking for their next cozy escape!  Sarah Hawley is a cohost of the Wicked Wallflowers Club podcast and the author of A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon . She has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.  Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes...

A friend of mine had been telling me to read this forever, and I'm sitting here wondering why it took me so long to listen to her advice. I loved Uprooted —a standalone fantasy novel that has the feeling of a classic fairytale, this book is addictive, magical, and adventurous. Uprooted 's success in telling a multifaceted and engaging story has convinced me that standalone fantasy is my brand of this genre.  An avid reader of fantasy literature since age six, when she first made her way through The Lord of the Rings , Naomi Novik is also a history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era and a fondness for the work of Patrick O'Brian and Jane Austen. She studied English literature at Brown University and did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadow of Undrentide . Over the course of a brief winter sojourn spent working on the game in Edmon...

Sangu Mandanna's unputdownable The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches  should absolutely be on everyone's TBR. A cozy, fantastical (dare I say, witchy), and romantic romance, Mika's story is more about romantic love, but also the love that comes from finding your people, and finding yourself. Sangu Mandanna is the author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom, and several other novels about magic, monsters and myths. She lives in Norwich, a city in the east of England, with her husband and three kids. You can find her online at SanguMandanna.com or on Instagram and Twitter @SanguMandanna.  As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules, with one exception...