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A cozy magic store goes wand to wand with newcomer mages in a small town where only one shop can survive. Charlie and her two moms live and work in the cottage spell shop that has been the family business for generations. It is all Charlie wants in life to keep the shop going but that might all change when a hot mage and his sister move into town with an updated store and plans to get the only license. If only Fitz and his sister were horrible but they are anything but and what turns into a friendly competition is made more difficult by all the sparks flying between Charlie and Fitz. Cozy magic meets "You've Got Mail" retail romance for the perfect read to end summer and get ready for Halloween. Fans of THE EX HEX by Erin Sterling or LEGENDS & LATTES will enjoy. 3 1/2 stars 
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In the vein of THE STEPFORD WIVES Vincent Tirado explores a strange mostly white gated community and the effects it has on the Korean American and Dominican American gay couple who buy their dream house there. Sol and Alice have worked hard to buy a place of their own and can't believe their luck when they find something in the "near perfect" community of Maneless Grove. Everything is too perfect, the neighbors are way too nosy and overly friendly which is making Sol twitch. The final straw for her is being forced to sign a multi page HOA agreement. Alice is the more social of the two and she acclimates much faster but is still not immune to the many weird things going on. All of this, including Sol being accused of plagiarism and home on a forced sabbatical, is causing tension in their marriage. From the haunted house vibe to the zombie teens in the woods to the voices in her head Sol is having one scary nightmare. This story will appeal to the author's young adult fans as well as adults who enjoyed LOVECRAFT COUNTRY and ONE OF OUR KIND. 4 stars  Grace Winters is a retired math teacher and recent widow who suddenly finds herself left a home on the island of Ibiza. She is surprised that her friend whom she hadn't seen in many years would have left her this but she also needs a change of scenery. Ibiza has a profound effect on Grace. At 72 she learns to scuba dive and it is in these strange and magical waters that Grace has an epiphany. She receives the gift of mind reading not only of the humans around her but animals and birds as well. This comes in handy as there is a developer who is building a resort that will destroy the environment and sacred habitat whom activists and her new friends are trying to stop. I love the way this book begins with Grace responding to a letter from a former pupil who is going through a crisis moment. Matt Haig reminds us that we are human capable of great love and even greater mistakes and all of us have the ability to change lives. He also tries to cement the message that there are wondrous places on this Earth that will not survive unless we change our behavior. A second act of courage and adventure with a dollop of magic provides the perfect mix of delightful story and a call to action. Readers of Lydia Millet and PLAYGROUND by Richard Powers will enjoy this. 4 stars  A fever dream of a story about an adventurous husband who drags his wife off to a remote island in search of an illusive spider whose silk holds magical powers. The women of the island embrace Sophia but her husband steals the spiders bringing them back to England which sets a curse into motion. A generation later the factory spinning the spider silk is in full operation employing the whole town - men, women and even young children. Henry is a grieving audiologist who is hired to help cure the owner's deaf daughter. While he is unable to improve her hearing he becomes obsessed with the silence provided by the spider silk and sets about marketing it. Caught in the seductive web of recognition and the lavish attention of the lord of the manor/factory owner, Henry tries to prove his worth while looking the other way at the plight of the young workers whose health is failing. It is a classic story of the class divide, unrequited love , the horrible working conditions of young factory workers and the allure of magical creatures without a thought to how they might exact their revenge. Atmospheric writing that will attract readers of Lydia Millet and Adrienne Young. 4 stars  On a large farm in Nebraska a domineering father lords over his two sons who he has raised alone. Abusive both physically and verbally, he tries to make men out of them through hard work, hunting and absolute obedience. The favored older brother goes off to school and comes back with an Asian wife thereby being disowned. The younger son Nick is left on the farm (now the only son) trying to win his father's approval and keep his desires well hidden. Suddenly, their dad announces he is dying and calls all of them home ( Emilia included). A truce of sorts begins but there is an unbalance and Emilia is at the center of it. This is an eerie blend of abusive family drama mixed with ancient Asian mythology and a smidge of horror. There is an undercurrent of unease and violence that makes you want to turn the page and wince at the same time. THE LIFE WE BURY by Allan Eskins and THE FOX WIFE by Yangtze Choo fans would like this for very different reasons. 3 1/2 stars  A coming of age fantasy about the journey of a young artisan searching for her true calling. Shean has trained hard as a dollmaker's apprentice but is stunned to learn that she has been denied her license to create the guard dolls that battle the monsters who killed her parents and plague the land. Instead she is guided towards making works of art or toys. Seen as an insult, Shean takes matters into her own hands by stealing her master's license running to another town and challenging its dollmaker for her position. She is so sure of her ability and knowledge that she fails to realize how she is putting others and her dolls at risk. She will discover much about herself and learn to trust others to destroy the monsters before all is lost. I hope this is the start of a new series that fans of all those young female warriors in THE WHEEL OF TIME and THE WITCHER will embrace. 4 stars  Cordelia has lived her whole life under the thumb of her ruthless mother. There is no such thing as independence when you mother is a powerful sorceress. Dark magic of classic fairy tales meets the gentry of Bridgerton in this historical fantasy. Anyone who gets in the way of Evangeline ends up dead or worse - obedient. When the sorceress comes to call and sets her eye on a new wealthy husband the household and Cordelia band together to rid the world of the evil. A retelling of the classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale "The Goose Girl" this is just as dark and magnificently told in audio. 4 stars  In the wilds of Kansas in the 1870's the homesteaders were afraid of two things - traveling through the Indian Territory and outlaws. Warren's family are lawman and he being the youngest is untested and constantly fighting the voices in his head telling him to commit violent acts (even to his own family). When his father leaves to search for a missing friend doesn't return Warren sets out to find him. Along the way he stops to water and feed his horse as well as ask after his father. One stop is to a strange cabin where the family acts wrong. The teenage daughter convinces Warren during a seance that his dad is dead and he should hunt down the killers. It is only much later that he discovers who the killers really are. This is a slow burn coming-of-age true crime story in a western setting with a bit of horror thrown in . Based on a real serial killer family it is very violent, intense and it will appeal to adults as well as young adults. This is a western IN COLD BLOOD. 4 stars  A found Polaroid camera exposes much more than just instant grainy shots and instead the ghostly images haunt the person who uses it. A nightmare plane crash leads a couple of survivors away from much more than just the threat of freezing to death. A house that beckons the curious until you step inside and are lost forever. A woman finds a box of VHS tapes with a warning not to watch but of course, she does. These seemingly innocent objects become the most frightening as Darcy Coates proves in this collection of horror tales. These will appeal to the post GOOSEBUMPS generation of young adults and adults in their ability to scare but are not overly graphic. 3 1/2 stars  A widowed Countess keeps to herself deep in the Carpathian mountains using village girls to work at the castle. Strange rumors of torture and worse begin as those girls are not seen again. Boroka is one of those orphaned girls working at the castle but where she finds cruelty and violence from the women in charge of the staff, she finds only grace and compassion from the Countess. When the King decides he wants to silence the Countess and take her land those rumors and a handful of frightened servants is all it takes to bring her down. 1573 Romania is no different than the Salem witch hunts or Spanish Inquisition where powerful men use fear and intimidation to silence outspoken women. There is the hint of a Dracula horror story but really it is more a historical tale that will appeal to readers who don't like horror. 4 stars  |
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