In this charming, fable-like book from Japan, a fox spirit sells magical confections to troubled humans, only for them to get a little more than they bargained for…
Welcome. We don’t get many humans here.
In a cozy night-alley lies a very special store. It’s only open between the full moon and the new moon, and it’s full of wagashi, Japanese sweets. Each candy claims to cure some ailment of the heart or the head. But who is the mysterious proprietor, and why does he study his customers so closely?
From the girl who craves more time with her boyfriend to the friends with some buried resentments, each customer learns a valuable lesson from these sugary treats. The candies can give you what you most desire, but not always in the way you expect…
Back to the shop owner—did that shadow just make it look like he has a pair of ears? Surely, not a tail? If he is a half-fox spirit, so be it. But why is he so keen to study human emotions, and why does he say each candy has a “dosage”? Patience. Like the center of a gooey caramel, the best things take time to reveal themselves.
MY THOUGHTS
This book has been translated from the Japanese language. A fantasy book of short stories. I read this quickly and enjoyed it a lot. The story revolves around a magical candy store. The street to get to it is hidden past the hedges and only is available to those who have a true need for it. Once in this magical otherworldly candy store you will find candy unlike any available anywhere else. This magical candy will help solve your problem, but you absolutely cannot overindulge. I enjoyed seeing how people who needed help with life’s problems unexpectedly stumbled onto a magical candy store. Though this magical candy helped them at first, they came to realize the help they need came from strength they already had within themselves. A happy feel-good story that I recommend. I enjoyed reading tuis Asian literature.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
6-12 years 108 pages Lenox Street Press March 30, 2020 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
NATIONAL INDIES EXCELLENCE AWARD 2020MOM’S CHOICE AWARD RECIPIENT 2020 FOREWORD INDIES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST 2020 The Garden and the Glen is about the magic that finds us when we’re brave enough to be our unique selves.A tiny blue butterfly is chased out of a yellow garden because she does not blend in. She flees to the nearby forest glen, where she encounters a colorful band of woodland creatures-all of them expelled from the garden for the same reason-being different. The glen provides safety, friendship, and acceptance. However, it’s the garden that holds the blue butterfly’s true destiny. A Queen, a mystical potion, and the fate of their natural world hang in the balance. The blue butterfly, and what makes her different, holds the key.
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MY THOUGHTS
A tiny blue butterfly is chased out of a yellow garden. There are yellow leaves, flowers, animals and butterflies. In and of itself the yellow garden is beautiful but full of sameness.
The blue butterfly is sad and flits away visiting other animals and insects that have had the same experience, being chased out of the yellow garden. These animals are beautiful and come in a rainbow of colors. In this magical and beautiful garden full of uniqueness he finds acceptance.
Back in the yellow garden the Yellow Queen needs a magical potion for healing and the blue butterfly holds the key to procuring it for her. After being snubbed in the yellow garden should he snub the queen, and the ones sent to bring him back for her magical cure?
Despite his being wrongly treated he is not bitter and happily accepts the queens request for help. A beautiful story for children showing that just because someone is different that it doesn’t make them bad or strange and to embrace uniqueness and learn from it.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
This book began many years ago as a short bedtime story. Elizabeth Moseley’s then-young daughters loved hearing stories at the end of the day. Elizabeth was happy reading their favorite books, but found her greatest joy in creating original fiction. A lifelong fan of Aesop and mythology, her tales often featured some magic, and always a happy ending. At the urging of her now-grown daughters, she has finally written one down. Elizabeth holds an M.A. in English Literature from Georgetown University.
Sage Rhodes is eager to escape Manchester, England, and leave behind the pain of a broken engagement. When she’s offered the job as a lady’s maid to Augusta Lennox, who is traveling to Vancouver Island to visit her brother, Sage happily accepts the position.
Not so long ago, brilliant engineer Jackson Lennox faced a terrible tragedy during the building of a suspension bridge in the Fraser River Valley and becomes a recluse in his fine home in Victoria. When his sister and her beautiful lady’s maid arrive on his doorstep, he’s reluctant to welcome the visitors.
Organized and efficient, Sage starts to bring order not only to Jackson’s home but also to his life. Even though at first they clash, the attraction between the beauty and the beast is undeniable. Still, they do their best to ignore it. But when Augusta goes missing and they’re thrust into a dangerous adventure together, circumstances require them to pretend they’re married.
Will the charade—and their forced proximity—change their hearts…or ruin them both forever?
Forced proximity
Broken past engagement
Beauty and the beast
Different social classes
Reclusive hero
Opposites attract
Fake relationship/marriage
MY THOUGHTS
Having read the other two books in the Bride Ships: New Voyages series I was so excited to read another book in this series. I love that it continues on with characters and situations we’ve met in past books and also introduces us to new characters as well.
The characters are genuine and realistic and it’s well plotted as you could picture these things actually happening. The descriptions make it easy to visualize the going Ons as they happen. This is another lovely and exciting book taking place in the Pacific Northwest as we take another trip there.
I enjoyed setting sail once again and personally I couldn’t imagine myself being onboard for such a long trip but sometimes things become of the utmost importance that you don’t think you could possibly have done. The love story was sweet and moved at a realistic pace. I enjoyed how protective her was of her and how she put such a priority on finding her sister.
A true Beauty and the Beast story as she discovers the true beauty behind the gruff outer appearance. A real winner and I can’t wait to read the next book in the story as it’ll continue this exciting series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean historical romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).
352 pages Bethany House Publishers December 17, 2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .
Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.
Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty’s resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm’s way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.
MY THOUGHTS
Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer is the author’s retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story. I’ll admit I liked her version much better, with the author’s usual laugh out loud humor added her quirky characters and we can’t forget the wolf (Rusty) is it okay to have a wolf as a favorite character and the fairytale like settings the story is magical. From the mansion to going into hiding and the magical forest to roam in with her wolf I was totally captivated.
I think we all need a Philip Carmichael in our lives, a Pinkerton agent he is tasked with finding Letty after she has been in hiding for many years and escorting her home safely. Though he tries not to show it he is captivated by Letty and will do everything in his power to keep her safe.
As the danger unfolds mile after mile with their perilous journey the only one who can keep them safe is letting God take control of this situation. Will Phillip be free to admit his feelings for Letty or will his formal training keep them apart?
I loved this retelling and greatly look forward to more books in the series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Historical Author in 2023 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and family board game player who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she’s on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at http://www.karenwitemeyer.com.
32 pages ages 4-8 Capstone Editions publisher August 1, 2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
A plan to build a unique home takes a timid Hedgehog on an incredible journey of self-discovery. From meeting new friends to conquering countless obstacles, Hedgehog tackles his house plan with a newfound confidence. Best-selling creator Katy Hudson (Too Many Carrots and Mindful Mr. Sloth) combines her stunning, detailed artwork with themes of friendship, problem solving, and self-awareness in this empowering picture book.
MY THOUGHTS
Every year little Hedgehog has a dull plan. It’s as dull as the plain brown leaves he makes his house from. This year timid Hedgehog wants some excitement with a bold pumpkin plan. He makes an elaborate plan to have a beautiful new home this year. While gathering his supplies he meets new friends, overcoming his shyness, solves problems and has self-awareness while gaining self-found confidence. Lovingly illustrated and giving children a lesson that they can do it themselves and gain confidence.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
32 pages 4-7 years Frances Lincoln Children’s Books August 6, 2024 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
On the sleepiest of nights, when the air is still and the moon is full, the conditions are just right… for WITCHES TO TAKE FLIGHT!
And among all these terribly wicked, cackling witches, is one… who is actually, surprisingly quite nice!
This little witch doesn’t enjoy being wicked like the others. Not one little bit. She doesn’t like creating mischief, she doesn’t like making a mess and she definitely doesn’t like any naughtiness!
The other witches decide that the littlest witch needs rescuing from all this icky, gooey goodness! It’s time for some lessons in wickedness, and the best way to do that is by making a completely terrible and utterly awful potion…!
Will our little witch leave her kind and gentle ways behind her and join in the wickedness? Or will she persuade her fellow witches that actually, being wicked isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?
This playful take on spooky witches from the award-winning Bethan Stevens takes readers to a magical world of wickedness and kindness. This is the wonderfully funny follow-up to the prize-winning Grumpy Fairies and the fairytale twist A Damsel Not in Distress.
MY THOUGHTS
All witches are mean and not so polite, right? Now hold on just a minute, Halloween night finds a nice little witch who despite the others trying to change her to be like them just wants to be herself. A story about uniqueness and a wonderful lesson in not following the crowd and that it’s okay to be yourself. Super cutely illustrated for the younger crowd.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.
Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.
Kate’s solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven’s annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate’s birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate’s past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate’s duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul–he’s a practitioner of forbidden magic who’s tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.
As she juggles Matthew’s arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother’s. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.
A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long.
MY THOUGHTS
A Dark and Secret Magic has such an incredible cover that I was drawn to it straight away and I knew I had to read it because it sounded so interesting.
Taking place in the days leading up to Halloween this is the perfect seasonal read. Filled with all the Halloween and Fall vibes you want including our main character a hedge witch. She lives in a cozy cottage filled with herbs and her cat’s name is Merlin.
Hecate, our protagonist is always baking, cooking and making a special recipe hot chocolate, I swear I could smell the cinnamon as I read.
This is my first fantasy read and I was captivated by it. Witchy, Halloweeny vibes, black cats, cozy cottage, small town charm, a pumpkin contest I’m all in. Marvelous and I’ll be looking for more like this soon.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Wallis Kinney’s biggest sources of joy in life are science and fairytales. She tries to imbue elements of both into every story she writes. She studied planetary science and molecular biology at the University of Colorado and has a master’s degree in economics from Purdue University. She is president of the Jane Bosart Foundation, her family’s private foundation that focuses on granting high school and college scholarships to underprivileged students. She wrote A Dark and Secret Magic as a gift for her older sister, in honor of all the years they spent celebrating the magical wonder of Halloween together. Wallis lives in Dallas, Texas, with her family. In her free time she enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and making videos on YouTube that document her writing process.
Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature the first line of Fables from Scotland by Samuel Denhartog.
FIRST LINE(S)
Thomas Learmont, the young laird of Ercildourne Castle, was known throughout the land for his charm and wit. He was a man of many talents-skilled with both pen and lute, and blessed with a love for poetry and music, unusual tastes for a man in the thirteenth century.
426 pages Part of series Fable Anthologies Publication date September 13, 2024
Would this make it onto your reading list? Please share the first lines of what you’re reading or the book closest to you.
On the night that Trudy Asp discovers her ex is engaged to the same dental hygienist who’s been picking at her teeth for ten years, her daughter, Madison, suddenly announces that she too is getting married, in Europe.
Frumpy, floundering, and forced to live with her martini-swilling mother, Trudy is swamped by these revelations. And on top of it all, she’ll be wearing the second most scrutinized gown at the wedding.
Having packed on the pounds during the demise of her marriage, the idea of being eyeballed by her ex and his scrawny fiancée Zelda, is truly horrifying. To make matters worse, there’s the paralyzing fear of a transatlantic flight — something Trudy has avoided for decades.
When Zelda offers to stand in for her, Trudy is forced to confront the forces that stole her marriage and threaten to steal her daughter’s wedding too. With three months until the ceremony, Trudy must get to Europe, squeeze herself into a gown, and claim the role she wants more than anything: Mother-of-the-Bride.
Will this Odd Mom Out sink or swim? Or will she drown in a sea of humiliation?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandy Day is a recovering chatterbox and writer of riveting slice-of-life poetry, memoir, and fiction. She has authored five books to date, with two in the works. A graduate of Glendon College, she studied creative writing under Michael Ondaatje and bp nichol. A lover of cheese, coffee shops, and illustrations, she lives on the shore of Lake Simcoe in Georgina, Ontario, Canada. You can find and follow her on Substack and sandyday.ca – it rhymes!
Since none of us have enough books, including myself I did a little browsing on Amazon and thought I’d share my findings with you. If you’re interested, I’d download as soon as possible since we never know how long these will last. Hope you enjoy.
The first in a new romantic comedy series from CP Ward, author of Christmas at Marshmallow Café and Summer at Blue Sands Cove.
Having fled a relationship and a previous life she would rather forget, young teacher Jennifer Stevens throws herself into a demanding new job at Brentwell Primary. Charged with marshalling a group of unruly eight-year-olds to the autumn harvest festival, her only solace is the peace of nearby Sycamore Park.
As the evenings draw in and the leaves begin to fall, will new friends, delicious autumn treats, and a possible new man on the orange-tinted horizon help Jennifer finally come to terms with her past and begin to look forward into the future?
Autumn at Sycamore Park is another delightful romantic comedy from CP Ward, author of several popular seasonally themed novels. Set against a backdrop of warm autumn days, it offers everything fans of CP Ward’s other books have come to love: laughter, friendship, good times, and a hint of newly discovered love.
The first book in the sparkling Glorious Summer series from CP Ward, author of Christmas at the Marshmallow Cafe and Autumn in Sycamore Park.
Tired of the city, Grace Clelland returns to Blue Sands, the quiet Cornish seaside village where she grew up. There she will meet old flames and old friends, rekindle old loves and ignite new ones in a novel that will have you dreaming of the soft crash of the waves on the shore, the feel of sand between your toes, overloaded ice-creams and smoky beach barbeques.
Not to be missed – the debut summer novel from CP Ward – the author whose Delightful Christmas and Warm Days of Autumn series have captivated thousands of readers worldwide with their warmth, humour, and just a little hint of romance…
I’m glad I found you this Christmas – an uplifting sweet romance set against the magical backdrop of Christmas.
Maggie Coates is frustrated. Her longterm boyfriend, Dirk, recently moved to London to take a job she fears puts him out of her league. Despite the assurances of her best friend Renee, Maggie is convinced Dirk is slowly drifting away. All Maggie wants is to get married and settle down, but maybe Dirk has other ideas.
Convinced by Renee to make one last throw of the dice, Maggie books a romantic holiday for two in the quaint Scottish village of Hollydell. But will Dirk show up?
And if he doesn’t, what if there is a perfect man waiting for her among the Christmas magic of Hollydell’s snow-laden streets? What if Henry, the humble reindeer farmer with the kind smile, turns out to be the man of Maggie’s dreams?
I’m glad I found you this Christmas is a glowing sweet romance which will leave you feeling warm inside and buzzing with Christmas spirit.
Love is on the menu in this sweet romantic comedy set in Italy.
Ginny’s Italian cooking course was supposed to be a peaceful escape from her troubles. But when she meets Preston, an infuriating know-it-all history professor, she quickly realizes her past has come back to haunt her.
The last thing Ginny needs is for Preston to find out who she really is. Her plan seems foolproof—assume a fake identity and keep her distance from the pretentious jerk.
But when they’re forced to work together, Ginny starts to see a different side of Preston. She’s torn between her desire to reveal who she really is and her fear that she’ll lose everything in the process.
Will Ginny be able to trust Preston with her heart, or will love turn out to be the ultimate recipe for disaster?
If you like quirky characters, happily ever afters, and the occasional drooling cat, you’ll love Ginny and Preston’s story.
What would you do if your husband got you the worst anniversary present ever?
Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her clueless hubby presents her with a rundown boat. She’s not impressed.
When she discovers someone murdered on board, things get even worse. Mollie hopes it will convince her husband to rethink his hare-brained scheme of sailing off into the sunset. Instead, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set off to sea.
Poking her nose in where it doesn’t belong, Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, eats way too much chocolate, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.
Will Mollie be able to discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?
Murder at the Marina is the first book in the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery series. If you like quirky characters, adorable cats, and loads of chocolate, you’ll love this cozy mystery. Spoiler alert: You’ll be craving brownies by the time you finish this book!
What happens when you travel across the country for your dream job and end up sharing a bed with an older man who volunteers you to be his fake girlfriend? You hope you don’t fall in love when it’s time to say goodbye.
The Fall of Us is an age gap, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had to hide who I am. What I am. They had me play the sheep. They had me blend in. They marked me and sealed my power. Now I have my freedom, because everyone who’s ever wanted me confined is dead. I could have changed it. I could have altered the course of fate. I could have saved the unseelie queen. I didn’t.
Vlari has always known her place: as far away from court as the unseelie queen can send her. The youngest royal, born in an impoverished household, she endeavored to earn her keep as an assistant and stay out of trouble. Dark, striking, and with a hidden agenda, Drusk definitely qualifies as trouble, but he refuses to leave her alone, clashing with her at every corner. Then the world implodes around her. With friends and foe by her side, she can fade with rest of the unseelie kingdom, or protect a court that has never cared for her.
wo sisters. One enchanted forest. And a hidden destiny that could doom them both…
Swept away to the castle beside the Darkwood, Rose Valrois finds herself in a world full of secrets and forbidden magic. There she meets her new stepsister, the enigmatic Princess Neeve, who will either become her best friend – or her worst enemy.
When Rose follows her stepsister into the enchanted shadows beneath the trees, she is beset by dangerous creatures and rescued by Thorne, the Dark Elf guardian of the forest, who binds her to the Darkwood and forbids her to speak of its mysteries.
Yet despite the danger surrounding her, Rose continues to risk everything in her quest for answers, until the day she steals into the depths of the forest and discovers the most perilous secret of all…
From USA Today bestselling author Anthea Sharp, a fantasy fairy-tale weaving elements of Snow White & Rose Red with romance, magic, and dangerous secrets that will destroy a kingdom. Will appeal to fans of Sylvia Mercedes, Naomi Novik, Holly Black, and anyone who loves a fairytale beautifully retold~
The melancholy, brilliance, passionate lyricism, and torment of Edgar Allen Poe are all well represented in this collection. Here, in one volume, are his masterpieces of mystery, terror, humor, and adventure, including stories such as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Pit and the Pendulum, to name just a few, that defined American romanticism and secured Poe as one of the most enduring literary voices of the nineteenth century.
Jason ‘Jase’ Rascal is just an ordinary twelve-year-old boy. His daydreams, however, are quite another story – for whenever Jase dozes off he enters bizarre parallel worlds where he often seems to find himself in very real danger …
Season Three: ‘Autumn Nightmare’ (or ‘The Hallowe’en Horrors on Hexhill Common’)
Jase couldn’t have picked a worse time to enter one of his all-too-real dreamworlds: the evening of Hallowe’en! Whilst on his way to a costume party, he dozes off – and finds himself lost on Hexhill Common: a spooky place with a grim reaper raven, giant grasshoppers, man-eating mantids, deathwish beetles and monster moths … It’s Jase against the magic of the Pumpkin King! Stuck in this surreal nightmare, Jase has to find a way to break the curse of Hexhill Common – before he meets a grisly demise at the hands of countless Hallowe’en horrors!
Darkly comical, spooky fun from the author of ‘Lydia’s Tin Lid Drum’.
Thanks for stopping in. I hope you find some choices you like here.
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