Welcome to Fae Cafe

High Court of the Coffee Bean #1

by Jennifer Kropf

There are ten golden rules if you want to survive an encounter with a If you fail to do any of these things, enslave them immediately.


On a cozy fall morning, Kate Kole is nestled in a coffee shop in the city of Toronto reading her favourite novel when she accidentally kills a guy who's being rude to the coffee shop's cashier. Unfortunately for Kate, the person she killed was a fae assassin of the North Corner of Ever, visiting the human realm in secret.

From there, four deadly fae assassins come to the human realm to hunt her down for breaking a fairy law and killing one of their own. Leading them is Prince Cressica Alabastian, the most feared and deadly fae assassin of the North and heir to the North Corner of Ever.

After the assassins arrive in the human realm, things go terribly wrong. To Prince Cressica's horror, his assassins unwittingly get roped into running a cozy café on Kate Kole's behalf. To blend in, the fae assassins are forced to learn how to do basic human activities like cleaning up after themselves, driving without road rage, reading popular fantasy books at book club without getting into alpha male fights over what they’re reading, and in general, be nice, all to blend into regular human society.

With a temper like no other, and deadly power that's unmatched, Prince Cressica seeks to get revenge on Kate Kole. But as he aims to strike where it will hurt her the most, the Prince finds himself enchanted by his human target in more ways than one. And when the darkness of the Ever Corners comes knocking at the human realm's door, he needs to make a choice that could cost him everything.

WELCOME TO FAE CAFÉ is like Holly Black’s tricky FOLK OF THE AIR schemes meeting your grandmother’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. With a sweet, comical romance and relatable slice-of-life moments colliding with manipulative fairy games and deathmatches, this book puts a spin on the typical fae stories readers know and love and aims to be the coziest rom-com fae book of all time.

This book may leave you with answers to questions you never know you wanted to ask, such as, "How many fae assassins does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

With coziness for days, WELCOME TO FAE CAFÉ is a new spin on some of the most popular fae fantasy tropes, in a setting where fae most definitely don't belong. If you like fantasy and you like rom coms, this may just be your cup of tea. (Or coffee.)

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Cozy Fantasy, Fae, Cozy, Romantasy, Fiction

369 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2023

About the author

Jennifer Kropf spent her college years bored to death (nearly) in marketing and advertising classes, and graduated only to discover once and for all that her true passion is telling stories. She lives amidst lush Ontario farmland with her husband and three kids, reads obsessively, and writes even more obsessively. She thinks tea is gross and coffee is great and secretly wishes Peter Pan will show up on some cool summer evening and ask if she wants to visit Neverland.

Reviews

[Ѽ tazannah Ѽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝐀𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐍.
𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐑: 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄, 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃-𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐀𝐄 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐂𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍, 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐁 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐊𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆."

🗡✨🗡✨🗡✨🗡✨🗡✨🗡✨

"‘Come to Fae Café, where the coffee is hot and faeries are even hotter.’

Mor grunted from the corner, and Shayne bit his lip over a grin.

Kate kept reading, ‘This official announcement has been approved by High King Shayne, ruler of the Coffee Bean High Court.’"



☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂

OHMYGRAPES! Kropf did it again! Welcome to Fae Cafe was such a whimsical read! I found myself laughing out loud so many times and falling in love with four fae assassins. I annotated this book, and guys, I have SOOO many tabs! Can't wait to look back at them, because mannn there are so many iCoNic scenes in this one! This read was so hilarious and cozy, the perfect book to snuggle up with on a crisp, fall day, sipping lattes and eating warm, gooey, freshly-baked-chocolate-chip-cookies. It was clean and had a sweet, pure romance, with cozy elements sprinkled throughout. Kropf never fails to immerse me in a sea of warmth and beauty. A must-read for lovers of rom-coms and fantasy, this genre-bending book will make you wish you owned a cafe of your own with whipped mochas, a crackling fireplace, and plush chairs to sink into whilst reading a book.

☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂

🧚 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 🧚
~ I fell in love with the four fae instantly! There were so funny and just seeing them learn how to blend in, or not so blend in, with humans was very entertaining, lol. They were so loyal to their prince, Cress, and they all shared an unforgettable bond with each other.
~ I loved the fall vibes! This whole book was such a good autumnal read, so add it to your fall TBR, folks! The atmospheric and food descriptions were written wonderfully
~ I liked the fae realm, though I felt like it could've been developed a bit more. Some of the titles given were a little too plain for me. Some of the words were very repetitive, especially "unreal" and "faeborn"... that one was used superfluously, and though it was cute, it could be used for pretty much every context, so... hmm, I don't know.
~ This book lacked themes and character development, in my opinion; in other words, it was a “no-plot-just-vibes” read
~ Not sure how I felt about Lily's absence through this book... I felt like Kropf just used the "cop-duty" call to just excuse Lily from the scene. I felt like she was hardly involved in the storyline. Also, she said "unreal" SOO many times.
~ I loved the Yarn & Stitch knitting club run by the sisterhood! They were soo cute while being absolutely terrifying, and the way they protected Kate was so heartwarming 🥹
~ The ending was good, but I think it could've been developed a little more.
☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂

🍪 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭 🍪

➵ 𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓚𝓸𝓵𝓮 ✍📖
Aspiring author. Cafe owner. A human who fell in love with the deadliest assassin of the North Corner of Ever.

"Crisp leaves drifted from trees, sparkling the morning air with twirling browns and spinning yellows, crafting a blanket of wind blown maple confetti over the campus walkway. Kate sipped her latte, rolling cinnamon and nutmeg over her tongue and soothing her spinning, aching mind with the comforts of milk and expresso."

I loved Kate. She was so sweet and caring, and the way she pursued her dreams and made her vision come to life was so great! I didn't like the part where she just skips her classes, because I feel like authors do that to create excuses for the MC to do other things, but oh well *shrugs*

➵ 𝓒𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪 𝓐𝓵𝓪𝓫𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓷 🗡
High Prince of the North Corner of Ever. One of the deadliest fae. An extremely powerful fairy not to be toyed with.

"And there, in all of those places, he had watched. It was his greatest skill—to be a silent presence in a shadow, a mere breath on the wind. To be the invisible beast of nightmares, the monster under the bed of his enemy, the evil hiding in the closet at night. Always watching and waiting for his moment to strike. He had trapped many prey after learning about their evils, their ploys, and their attempts to invade or overthrow the High Court of the North. He was an information-gathering assassin."

Cress! My second favorite character. I loved how he was so powerful and deadly, and yet his heart melted at the voice of a human girl. He was so protective of his friends and Kate, and seeing his heart slowly crack at the sight of a burgundy-haired cafe owner...? aww. The way he was willing to sacrifice himself attested to his humanness despite being an assassin; he was such a mush.


➵ 𝓜𝓸𝓻 𝓣𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓸𝓻 🗞🖤
Former Shadow Fairy. Lover of fae books + newspapers. The obscure one whose face you can never read.

"Freshly brewed espresso and hot milk were on the countertop when she came in. Mor was adding whipped cream to lattes."

MOR WAS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! I loved his mysterious aura; it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. The way he fell in love with human literature and was always off to the side, not meddling with the business of Shayne and Dranian, but rather preferring to sip a coffee and read the newspaper... ah *melts* I loved his bond with Cress, and the way he cared for him like a brother. He faced a lot of hurt and loss, but yet he made it up to his friend in every way he could, despite that one scene where he punched Cress a thousand times XD (iykyk).

➵ 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝔂𝓷𝓮 𝓛𝔂𝓻𝓸 🏹🤍
The class clown. The ladies man. White-haired sweetheart from the North Corner of Ever.

I thought you left forever.”

Shayne almost smiled. “Would you miss us if we did?” he asked. He looked way too flattered. He even came over, crouched down in front of Kate, and set his chin on his palm while he batted his eyelashes.

When Kate didn’t answer, his smile widened, revealing the faint traces of dimples. “Queensbane, Human. You like us, don’t you?” He poked her nose. ‘I think I like you, too.’"

I've taken to calling Shayne 'no-shame Shayne.' He was the funniest one who fell head in with the human world. He was quite the ladies' man, XD. I loved his passion for book club, loll.

➵ 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓪𝓷 𝓔𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓻𝔂 ⚔
The fae with the perpetual scowl and moody attitude. Passionate book-club attendee. Coffee bean pro.

"'How dare you?! Lord Swendle is practically a saint of the sky deities!' Dranian growled... Dranian swung a real punch and nearly landed it in Shayne's face. Shayne and Dranian went back at it, Dranian opening his own book to point at a paragraph. He muttered something too low for the book club to hear."

Dranian was my least favorite fae. He wasn't bad, per say, but I felt like he had the least appearances in the book. And he was like a moody teen, lol. I'm excited for his book, though!

☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂

🚨 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐎𝐕 / 𝐂𝐖𝐬 🚫
~ The romance was clean! Just kissing, and some fingers running through Kate's hair. At one point Cress puts his hands on her waist, but that was it.
~ Mentions of sky deities
~ Enchantments
~ A little death (not graphic)

☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂

🗨 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 🗨
p.47 • "His stomach growled. “Hush,” he commanded it as he walked."

p.100 • "The fae were a cold presence like a nightmare that Kate couldn’t wake from."

p.104 • "‘Did she…’ Cress’ chest tightened as the beat began to spread, “laugh at me?”

Dranian tore off his black coat and tossed it to the dusty floor.

“I am the greatest, most terrible assassin in the North. How…” Cress worked his jaw. He shook his head. Curled and uncurled his fists. ‘How does she keep escaping me?’"

p.105 • "Her laugh.

He had never heard a laugh like that, one without traces of malice and the threat of power that turned plants to ash and poisoned the air and forced the heaven to growl. Why did it ring in his ears? Why did it sound like a rusted flute or a cracked harp or the crisp crunch of dry leaves or a broken, delicate wind embracing the heights of the tree?

He hated this day.

He hated her laugh."

p.140 • "Cress glanced down as Thelma stuffed papers into his hands.

"How many letters?" he asked.

“Well, we'll start with one to the neighbours. We've been at war for three years now over them hauling their leaves into my yard and dumping them there. Last year I had to hire someone to get all the leaf piles removed," Thelma said with a grunt. "I'm too old to stuff them into bags and haul
them away myself. I think they're trying to take advantage of me. I'd like to let them know that I see exactly what they're doing."

Cress nodded and sat at the table, spreading the first page flat. "I shall tell them they are insubordinate fools who will suffer the wrath of the sky deities—”

‘Don't be ridiculous.’"

p.151 • "A muscle feathered in his jaw. ‘Do you really think I could bring my brothers home to a cruel death? I kill for a living. But I’m not entirely heartless.’"

p.168 • "The bookstore smelled of new books, pleasant stories, and clashing egos."

p.203 • "Cress marched back. Kate extended the sweater toward him with a shaking hand. He took it, found the hole, and reached to pull it over Kate’s head. He freed her hair with quick flicks and adjusted the shoulders as she slowly threaded her arms through the sleeves. He didn’t make eye
contact. He just took her hand again again and began walking back into town.

“Aren’t you freezing?” she asked him. She shrugged her free arm to herself, trapping in the sweater’s heat. It was soft on the inside.

Cress’s hand tightened in hers, but he didn’t respond."

p.212 • "‘I thought you’d left.’

“We did leave.”

“No, I thought you left forever.”

Shayne almost smiled. “Would you miss us if we did?” he asked. He looked way too flattered. He even came over, crouched down in front of Kate, and set his chin on his palm while he batted his eyelashes.
When Kate didn’t answer, his smile widened, revealing the faint traces of dimples. “Queensbane, Human. You like us, don’t you?” He poked her nose. ‘I think I like you, too.’"

p.216 • "When she headed to the chalk board to come up with a daily special, she found a remarkably detailed drawing of a whipped coffee drink filling up half the board. Beside it were the words: Ca-FAE Mocha.

"I came up with it," Shayne bragged when he noticed her looking. “It's espresso, milk, chocolate syrup, a pinch of whipped cream, and the free handsome smile of a fae serving it on a silver platter."

Kate burst out laughing. Her raspy alto filled the shop and turned heads.

"How about next week's special can be a par-FAE?"she suggested.

“Brilliant." Shayne grinned.

"What about a Spearmint Ca-FAE latter ? With a magical touch," Dranian said in a monotone voice from where he sorted milk and cream pods. ‘We can put a trick inside that'll make human tongues tingle. And the drink can have those little crunchy bits of candy you sprinkle on top of whipped cream. Coffee should always have those in my opinion.’"

p.228 • "Five minutes later they sat at a table in the mall aisle, and Cress sucked the foam off the top of a latte. He stuck his tongue into the liquid first, then smacked the tabletop and growled. "It's hot !"

Kate slapped a hand over her mouth to keep back a burst of laughter.

"Give it a minute." She dragged the latte over to herself and blew on it lightly. "You're so impatient," she added. When she was satisfied it wouldn't send him tearing through the food court, she slid it back.

Cress finally took off his sunglasses and set them on the table. He eyed the latte for a moment. Then Kate. Then the latte again.

“Try it!" Kate chuckled.

He reluctantly brought the cup to his mouth and took a small, careful sip.

His eyes widened. He began to chug. Kate's face changed as he kept drinking and drinking and drinking.

"Um... maybe you should take a break—”

Cress slammed the empty paper cup on the table between them and shouted, ‘That is the warm beast's milk I have ever tasted in my entire faeborn life!’"

p.264 • "‘Here’s the deal: you stay until Christmas, and you’ll take all the kisses you want from me in that time,’ she offered with a weird, bashful grin.

“I don’t accept,” he said right away again, and Kate turned to find him glaring.

“Why?”

“Because you’d be driven to your death if I had to do that to you. You’d never catch your breath if I took all the kisses I wanted. I don’t think I’d ever want to stop. It’s a dangerous bargain, and you should know better, Kate Kole. Never make a bargain with a fairy."

p.301 • "‘I’ve been thinking,’ Shayne said.

‘How horrifying.’"

p.308 • "Cress’s jaw slid to the side. “I cannot articulate the joy and merriment it will bring me if you’re jealous,” he said. And there it was—the first hint of a smile. He smothered it away though and hardened his face.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kate said.

“I don’t need to do such a thing, Human. You’re doing it for me.”

Kaye shook her head in disbelief. “You’re the worst.”

“You’re irritatingly immune to tricks.”

“You’re astoundingly self-absorbed,” she stated. “Yes, well, I’m a prince. It’s only natural. Now, for the next two days until the human Christmas, you’re mine, Katherine Lewis.” Cress reached for her
coat and handed it to her."

p.317 • "His eyes were on Kate, even when she was out of earshot. He kept his face composed to seal away the anger threatening to erupt as he watched her be. It was the same anger he had hardly been able to contain these past days. The same anger boiled just below the set face or his
princely scent and ice-toned eyes.

Today, he hated that he was a faeborn prince, from a faeborn realm, born of a fairy kind. He tore his eyes off the human girl across the room for just a moment to choose his cookie. After a quick count, he selected the one with the most chocolate chips, as only such a dessert was worthy of a prince.

When he bit into it, he spat it back out.

"What is this?" he demanded, turning the dessert over in his hands.

"Lily brought those," Mor said.

"And what in the name of the sky deities are these?" Cress plucked out one of the chocolate chips to find it squishy. He made a horrified face. "What is it, Mor?! Why does it squeeze like a bug?"

"It's a raisin." Kate appeared and took a cookie for herself. She bit into it.

"They're not everyone's cup of tea, but I don't mind them."

Cress stared as she consumed the bite instead of spitting it as he had done. He held his cookie toward her and pointed at the raisins. "This is human trickery of the highest sort!"

Her raspy laugh filled the café when Cress tossed the rest of the cookie back onto the plate.

"Kate." Lily approached, and Cress glared at her for her raisin cookie."

p.318 • "‘You dance like a wild childling goat from the haunted woods,’ Cress told her. "But I dance well enough for the both of us, so don't worry your little human mind over it." He shoved her into a twirl, but she came back rolling her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? You hate everything about humans, don't you?"

He caught her and trapped her body to his with his arms. "That's preposterous, Human. I like many things about you."

A catchy tune rang through the café next. It didn't seem fitting for a slow dance anymore, and Cress realized he didn't know how to move to dance to a song with quick rhythms.

Kate grinned as though she realized. "We don't have to dance anymore. I'd hate for you to turn into the wild childing goat here. And do you really like many things about me, Cress?”

“Of course.”
….
“Then stay,” she said.

Stay.

How he hated that word. A word that might have had the power to change the order of the stars in the sky. A word that could break hearts and crumple fairy empires if uttered in the wrong setting.

“You don’t understand what you’re asking of me,” he said. “I will not stay.” It was best she accepted it. He brushed her hair from her face. ‘Now give me all those kisses you were so willing to bargain away before.'"

p.321 • "‘Who are you…?’ One of them dared to ask.

“Cressica Alabastian, High Prince of the North Corner,” Cress answered. ‘You might as well start bowing.’"

☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂☕🍂

If you made it this far, thanks for reading this review! Love ya!
~ Taz

P.S. THE BEST WAY TO READ THIS BOOK IS SNUGGLED UP BY THE FIRE WITH A STEAMING CUP OF COFFEE AND THE SMELL OF PASTRIES BAKING IN THE OVEN. Oh, and have a plate of freshly-baked-chocolate-chip-cookies nearby, for sure! 🍪

[Melissa Chapman · Rating 2 out of 5]

**My original review of this got deleted somehow, so here is what I can remember. It still gives me the ick.**

This book had me so twisted. The writing was choppy and nonsensical.
I finished this only because it had such rave reviews and I kept waiting for the part where it got better. The writing smoothed out a little bit in the middle after the story got going, But I can't say it was ever great.

The main character is an aspiring writer who consistently misuses words. I suppose it was trying to be endearing but it was incredibly annoying.
The main point of this book was that The FMC was trying to open a coffee shop of her own (In addition to writing the next Great American novel), And one day while visiting another coffee shop she accidentally kills and obnoxious Fae male, setting off a string of ridiculous mishaps when other "friends" of the Fae come to avenge him.

First of all, why are these Fae men called assassins, when they are in reality more like private guards?
And if these men are so dangerous and wonderful and amazing at killing people, why are they resorting to silly fairie tricks instead of using the swords that they all have?!?! They constantly used the word human like an insult, and referred to them as humans as often as they could. And yet the most inept human on the planet somehow manages to outsmart them and accidentally enslaves three of them in the most ridiculous way. But then they actually like being enslaved? I guess I can see why since these hardened "assassins" are so bad at killing.

The grandma was the only saving Grace in this novel. The MMC was horrendous, And I only liked him when he was at the Grandma's house. The writing gets a little bit better about halfway through and then takes a nosedive back at the end when the FMC brings back her random misuse of words again.
The two main characters had zero chemistry. And the entire reason that the fairy tricks didn't work or because the fmz changed her last name after her parents died. Which makes zero sense. Why on Earth would anybody who had loving parents want to change the last name out of fear of being teased because her parents died??! What??
I could go on forever about the things that drove me nuts. Suffice to say I will not be recommending this one.

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 3 out of 5]

coffee shop + fae prince + writer FMC + fall coziness + new girl vibes = a damn good time
for fans of legends & lattes and the villains & virtues series

i love when i take a chance on a new book i haven't seen rec'd yet and am pleasantly surprised. for fans who might know another underrated series villains & virtues by AK Caggiano, this very much had the same vibe of "bad" mmc meets good fmc with absurd humor, though this is set in a portal fantasy in our real current world.

the fae prince Cressian is looking to avenge one of his assassins, accidentally (whoops!) unalived by the ambitious but sweet Kate. much to his surprise (and misfortune), he is immediately smitten against his wishes and some slight chaos ensues.

there are a lot of chuckles, a dash of exciting adventure, cozy slice of life vibes, found family, and some heart-touching moments. i really loved Cress's relationship with Grandma Lewis, and his four assassins were so endearing. also, shoutout to Jennifer Kropf for writing an Asian fae, i don't think i've read one yet!

i also LOVE when authors find really fun ways for fantasy characters to describe "our world" things in v creative, out-of-the-box, comical ways beyond just being confused. just a fun trope thrown in here.

His stomach growled. “Hush,” he commanded it as he walked.

“A really boring chat about character-driven plots,” she answered without looking up. “Ah. My favourite.”

“She’ll probably smack me if I try to kiss her again.” Another grin spread over Shayne’s face. “Yes, she seems absolutely fantastic like that.”

i'm excited to see the next book follow the broody assassin Mor on his own adventure.

fyi, this is not a spicy read if that matters to you - if not, you're sure to enjoy it! i recommend having some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on hand when you do ;)

_________________________________________

cozy fae?? rom com?? in a coffee shop/cafe?? only $4 for a 400-page ebook??????

i slammed that pre-order button

[k · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like to give one star reviews but I have to be truthful and I'm honestly so disappointed in this book. This book is not that cozy, the cozy cafe elements don't appear until 1/3 of the book and it is not worth it when they do sloppily appear.
This book is so mismanaged, characters will start one scene and end up moving on to something else without acknowledging what just happened, causing so much confusion with the plot's timeline. There's copaganda which I didn't need in my cozy fantasy and the main character is not "Jessica Day I brake for birds" adorkable, Kate Kole is one dimensional, unlikeable and so devoid of any true narrative strength that it makes the side characters more rounded out than her, despite the side characters also being milquetoast.
I would say give this a shot, see if you like it but there are other cozy fantasies out there with faerie mythology, focused plots, and character work that would be more worth your time than this.

[Paris (parismaereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Genre 📚 fantasy romcom
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 kisses only
- Content 🤔 past death of parents, death of grandparent, violence

The fantasy romcom mashup I didn’t know I needed!

I loved the fae assassins and their introduction to the human world, it gave very big Elf and Enchanted vibes. Their attempts to capture our female main character, Kate, and eliminate her because she accidentally broke a fairy law, prove fruitless due to Kate’s own bungling. The characters were fun and quirky and lovable and the setting of a cozy cafe in the fall/winter is perfect for a lighthearted seasonal read.

Welcome to Fae Cafe was a refreshing reset for me and the weird reading slump I’ve been wading through the last two months. There are so many funny one liners in this book and the humor was right up my alley. My library actually has the second book, and I already have it on hold to continue with the series!

[Muffinsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️ C'était complètement déjanté et je crois que j'ai bien aimé ? J'ai eu du mal à rentrer dedans, je l'avoue, parce que j'ai trouvé que c'était un peu brouillon, parfois un peu étrangement mené, un peu rapide sur certains points, un peu détaché sur d'autres... dans l'ensemble, ouais, j'ai eu des moments où je me suis dit okkkk c'est pas ouf, mais la deuxième partie a remonté mon ressenti global. J'ai fini par m'attacher à ce côté décalé, à ces personnages atypiques et à la jolie histoire qui se tisse entre eux. Bref, une lecture sympa au global !

[Sharon Loves to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Reread Review✨

3.5⭐️

I will leave my original review below, but find I quite disagree with my 10/2024-self.😌

Rom-coms are not my genre, but if I am going to read one I enjoy, it will be written by Jennifer Kropf. This was fun and quite silly. Cress’ exaggerated character traits rubbed me the wrong way last year, but I saw more humor in his character this go-around. I do wish those traits had softened toward the end to show character development, but I “can’t have my cake and eat it too,” I suppose.🤷‍♀️

Kate’s character was well-drawn. Introverted but sassy; committed loyally to her family; and dealing with deep loss, she adds depth to a story that could have suffered for lack of it. I could have used more “Grandma Lewis nods” toward the end though. She kind of just seemed to fade from Kate’s memory at the of the book.

While I did enjoy this, I will say the ending scene made me cringe.😬 It was an unfortunate way to end the story, imo.

💫Original Review💫

I am not going to rate this book since for the first half of the book, I was in a lot of post-surgical pain and couldn’t concentrate. My feelings of it being a little hard to follow might not be the book’s fault.

I really ended up enjoying it, though. If I was going to rate it based on my enjoyment alone, I would give it 4 stars. I found it unique and fun despite some heavy content.

I think if I was to reread it when I wasn’t distracted, I would find some issues with the writing, such as a lack of world building and character development, which would lower my rating. However, I am not sure they were real issues—it could have just been my pain level at the time.

I definitely think this one is worth a try!

[Lillian B (Kaladin Stormblessed version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

five stars
this was sooooooo cute!!! i NEED to read book two!!

i can see why everyone oves this so much!! the pacing is perfect, the characters are great, and its sooooo cute!!

cress is... 👌🏼AMAZINGGGG!!! Hes so hilarious and charming and sweet!!

and the fmc is so relatable!! i love how shes book obsessed and has a tbr pile!! and shes fae obsessed....
now, i want more of the other assasians too!!

dont know what else i can say because im in a review slump (IKkk annoying) sooo ill leave it there. possibly more to come!!

[📚 Alana (professional book nerd) · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️ ⭐️
Rtc!! (New fav 🤭)

[Evelyn (Ev’s Novel Delights) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Clean Fantasy with Fae)

☕️🍂 WELCOME TO FAE CAFE BY JENNIFER KROPF 🍂☕️

I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT.

omgggg the fall and winter-y vibes?? AMAZING
the way it was written??? SO BEAUTIFUL AND DIFFERENT
the romance??? UGH ADORABLE
the twists?? UNBELIEVABLE
and last but not least.. the characters??? ON POINT AND PERFECTION
I could not recommend this more.. if you want a cozy (and I mean cozy) fall read that’ll make you laugh, cry, gasp, melt, and swoon; or all of the above at ONCE… THEN I MUST TELL YOU TO GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW
It was squeaky clean and just P.E.R.F.E.C.T. for the season and what I was craving for.

⚠️ Age suggestion: 14-15+ ⚠️

5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍂review to come later 🍂

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first seen this book I had to have it just by the cover alone! This book was so cozy and cute. It was the perfect pallet cleanser story.

I found every character to be enjoyable in their own way. Their banter was fantastic. Kate's need to save everyone and Cress's infatuation with himself was 🤌🏻🤌🏻

There was even a point in the book I teared up. 100% recommend! I hope we get more soon🤗

[Bella off hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF pg 171
I loved this but I dnfed bc I want to have a physical copy

2nd read: I did enjoy this, but I didn’t love the romance

[ezra [semi ia] · Rating 5 out of 5]

six stars.
sixty stars.
SIX BILLION STARS.
queensbane, this book was amazing.

[MC · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0 / 5.0 I called it at chapter 23, just over 50%…

This book was confusing, the pacing was pretty bad, the characters were skeletal, and the whole premise of the book (the cafe) was second/third fiddle to a host of other nonsense. I couldn’t really follow any of it and I am so disappointed that this was billed as “if you liked Legends and Lattes…” I did like that book (quite a lot), and this is not the same. Not even close.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to the author and publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

[Stefanie Lozinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK!

I don’t know how Jennifer Kropf does it. Really, I’m amazed. Her books are so unique, funny, whimsical, and filled with adventure all at the same time. Welcome to Fae Cafe (High Court of the Coffee Bean #1) is honestly like nothing I’ve ever read, in the best way!

It kind of reminds me of Elf (which I adore and watch every single year), but if Buddy was a deadly fae assassin.

[Jasmine (Jazzie) [Jesus Loves You!!] · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4½ stars rounded up*

“Why am I not surprised? You hate everything about humans, don't you?”
“That's preposterous, Human. I like many things about you.”

~My Thoughts~
This book was so cute and fun! I was laughing so much while reading it! This book also made me want coffee and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies almost the whole entire time…. I couldn't imagine why…. 🤔😏

And the raisin cookie scene was too real! 😭🤣 I've made the same mistake Cress did many, many times…

Some words, like Faeborn, were overused in my opinion, which is why I cut half a star, but otherwise I didn't have much of a problem with Welcome to Fae Cafe.

~Characters~
Kate Kole: She is definitely one of my favorites! Between the fact that she's an author to just her whole entire personality, she's just amazing!

Cress: I never thought I'd actually like an assassin, but that was obviously before I met Cress (and Mor, Shayne, and Dranian). I really liked how he grew as a character and came to care for some of the same people he was so prejudiced against .


~Content Warnings~
(Warning! 🚨 Before you go any further, there is a chance that something I've said about the content could possibly be a bit spoilerish, so please proceed with caution!)

Faith based/Christian:
There are mentions of other (false) gods, but I don't remember any faith/Christian based content. Though the Author is a Christian.

Violence:
A person is accidentally killed. There's some fighting. Mentions of blood, and of broken bones.

Sexual Content/Romance:
Kissing (😏🤣). Thinking of kisses. And of course, falling in love.

Bad Language:
The Fae do use words such as Faeborn a lot, and in many different contexts, so it might be considered a swear word at times for them, but there isn't actually any bad language.

LGBTQ+:
None

Drugs/Alcohol:
None. All they mainly would drink is lattes. But I mean…. I guess you could get addicted to them….??

~Other Notes~
I'd recommend it to teens 14 or 15 and up.

~Will I Read the Rest of the Series/More from this Author?~

Oh, absolutely!!

[Brie Belladonna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly what was that? I feel bad for yucking other people's yum, but I TRULY struggled with this. Half written plots, the overuse of 'human' 'faeborn' (omg use other words) not to mention awful characters and no follow through. This wasn't the cosy fantasy it was marketed as either. In the dedications it says it was thanks to booktok, and I can see where the author has tried to mash in a million booktok suggestions and it DOES NOT WORK.
Here's my biggest gripe...DO NOT HAVE AN AUTHOR CHARACTER WHO USES WORDS IN THE EVERYDAY...WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN.

I'm sorry, this book got me so heated. I finished it, but absolutely not. Never recommending this.

Kate was an absolute pain, there was practically no need for Lily, I abhor Cress' attitude and pacing with the mid book flashbacks? Nope.

[Celestria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book so bad, but it didnt quite live up to my expectations. The writing wasnt great in my opinion, and I thought I might DNF at first, but I tried to ignore it because I love the concept of this story. I love the whole idea of these ruthless and terrifying fae assassins being totally lost and confused by everyday, ordinary things in the human realm, like cell phones and whatnot, and somehow getting roped into being baristas. But other parts were TOO unrealistic/cringe and didnt work for me. I also wasnt feeling the romance. The other assassins were more likable and interesting than Cress imo. so I have a lot of mixed feelings. There were parts I liked and that made me laugh, other parts not so much. That being said, I will probably read the rest of the series because I need Shayne's story and his is the last book.

[Emily McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the Fae Café by Jennifer Kropf
“You’d never catch your breath if I took all the kisses I wanted. I don’t think I’d ever want to stop.”

Thank you, Jennifer, for allowing me to be on your Street Team! And thank you to Winter Publishing House for providing me with this ARC!

BEWARE!!! MANY SPOILERS AHEAD!! This is going to be a long review.

Okay, first I have to start off with THAT DEDICATION!! “To every teacher I ever had. I made it. In your face!” Bold and daring and I love it!
Kate Kole, a bit of a socially awkward and quirky young college woman who wants to be an author is at a café enjoying a good book like any respectable person when low and behold one of the rudest guys ever walks in, dressed like some kind of knight out of a fantasy movie…and she accidentally kills him.
Cressica Albastian is the fae prince in this story and the guy that Kate killed was one of his assassins. So, he forsakes his promise to his mother-in-law to be and goes into the human world to avenge him by killing Kate Kole who broke the faerie law by killing one of his own. Which we all knew was coming, since he was so unhappy in his world.
Never let it be said otherwise though, Kate Kole is very hard to kill.
She is just trying to open her beloved café on time and gather up the money for it, and yet she always seems to escape prince Cress and his three assassin friends simply by being human. The fae prince tries many tricks to get Kate Kole to die, including one where he tries to enchant her with his kiss…which backfires and he is now the one enchanted. Whoops. That kind of complicates things. Why won’t this faeforsaken human die?
Finally though, fate catches up with Kate Kole and the assassins pin her in a library…where she speaks their true names and enslaves them to do her bidding. All except for Cress. Which is unfortunate for him because now they act like personal bodyguards—against him. That REALLY complicates things. Cress must now stay away from his own men, his own friends, unless he wants to end up dead. Oh, the irony in that.
And then it was nothing but a hilarious read with some heartstrings being tugged the rest of the time!
There were many places where I would just burst out laughing from the sheer ridiculousness of some scenes, (most included the fae trying human things as you can imagine) and some in particular included Book Club, sledding, enchanted kiss number two, and most of the scenes involving running the café. Oh, I laughed so hard with those! Shayne was very entertaining. And there were many places where my heart hurt for the characters too. *cough cough* Mor. You know which scene Mrs. Jennifer!
Speaking of which, we should introduce the other fae assassins!
Mor: A reformed Shadow Fairy who can take a person’s memories and walk among the shadows. He is most definitely the older brother in the group and my personal favorite. Jen, if he is need of a girlfriend I volunteer! Strong and silent type, he also was seen a lot with a book which makes him even hotter. Book-loving men…nothing better in this whole world than that! Accept if he is accompanied by a strong FMC that wants to be an author and has a serious wit under her belt. 😉
Shayne: Crossbow and more than a little flirtatious, he is the one with all the self-confidence. And he is the one that likes to create the fun. Shirtless Fae Barista… need I say more? He is a shameless flirt! He and Cress share this quality as most of the scenes involving them were eventful.
Dranian: The one with something to hide. And I am not spoiling what that is! He is also a faeborn grouch and I love him for it.
All of them are more loyal to Cress than anything, and it goes beyond just honor and promise. Mor, Dranian, and Shayne were some of the best male characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading! Their chemistry when they were together was so heartfelt and pure and I can’t wait to see more of them in the second book coming in 2024! Especially after that little sneak peek. Ugh, its going to be so hard to wait!
One of Jennifer’s biggest talents is her ability to make up her own language. She has always been phenomenal with that! This whole book was full of fun, heart-melting and swoony scenes perfect for the fall season and on up until Christmas. And the sarcasm was top notch! I also really liked that Jennifer did a duel POV for this book as well and that we got to see into the minds of both MC’s; that really made the book shine. Well, that and all those chocolate chip cookies!
Overall, my first romcom was a success!! Fans of the Cruel Prince will especially love this book. I will forever hold it in a special place in my heart as my first ever romcom AND my first ever ARC. Go preorder it now! And be aware of enchanted kisses, they don’t always go the way you want them to.
Welcome to the Fae Café. You’ll never want to leave!

[EllieJellyBean :D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
It was sooo good. 🥲

The beginning was a lil slow, and then I got busy and didn’t read for like a week. But, then I started up again and read it in like 2 days. 😂 probably would have finished it sooner if it was a hard copy, but oh well.

This book literally had me wishing I was in the book after I finished. I had MAJOR book withdrawal after finishing this. I just wanted to LIVEEEE in it. I also wanted more of it, but it ended. 😭 Guess I’ll have to settle for book 2.

My thoughts and feelings bout this book are sooo…idk, confusing?? I don’t really even know what to say. 😂 Bear with me on this oneee.
So let’s begin!

The story~
The story and plot was…just so good! 😂 I mean, accidentally killing someone, and it being a Fae is just hilarious! The creativity of the book is amazing. I think the author did a good job of balancing the plot and just fun cafe shenanigans. The book definitely got better half way through, though.

The characters~
I LOVED THE FAE!!!! They were just so funny, and so loyal, and I just loved all 4. I feel like they all had different personalities and there was a purpose for all 3 Fae side characters.
I didn’t love Kate Kole, I just felt like her character wasn’t that relatable or believable. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Maybe it’s just meee.
At first I didn’t love Cress, but he grew on me half way through. Just had to get to know the dude a lil bit betterrr.
I loved Grandma Lewis!! She was so sweet and genuinely cared for everyone. (Except her neighbors 😂)
The Fae thooo…..👀😂
I know they are like…..assassins but like….minor details, righhttt? 😂 real reason I wanna be in the book….jk 👀😂

The ✨romance✨~
The romance was a little confusing…I kinda felt like at times it went back and forth that they liked each other. I don’t know, it just felt a little weird at times. Buttttt, it was still really cutee and I did really enjoy ittt!! I did feel like it could use a lil more cutesy and romancey moments thooo! 😁

Overall~
It was amazing!! I highly recommend reading it if you are into quirky writing and characters. Along with hilarious moments with the Fae that had me literally laughing out loud!! 😂😂 And banter that is just pure…✨perfection!!✨Ahhh the banterrrr! Love me some good banter 😌

Well, I can’t really think of anything else right now. Probably should have written this right after I finished the book…whoops. My memory isn’t very good sometimes so I probably forgot something I wanted to touch on. 😂

Till the next review!

~ EllieJellyBean ✌️

[Rhaine Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t love it or even really like it. What drew me to the book was that the premise was so original and cool sounding. Sadly, I don’t feel that the book delivered.

I’ll start with what I like from the book:
1. I ended up really liking the assassins in the book (Dranian, Mor, and Shayne). I thought they were amusing.
2. Clean romance (no porn)

Here are my problems with the book:
1. The backstories of every single character are half developed at best. They are at times confusing and somewhat difficult to follow.
2. Grandma Thelma: I do not understand her relationship with Cress. I don’t get why she quite literally let a random person stay with her when they began their interaction with him saying he couldn’t give his name.
3. Multiple unfinished plot lines. These include (but are not limited to) 1. What happened to the loan shark? 2. What happened to Conor? 3. What happened to Officer Riley? 4. What happened to the mythology professor? 5. What happened to Cress’ mom? 6. Did kate keep letting the fae enchant her pastries to force people to keep coming back? 7. Is the girl with orange hair across the street the same as the girl from the car crash? If not, then why did the author include those random details?
4. The fae keep getting alluded to as powerful but it never clarifies what their powers are.
5. There’s a lot of arbitrary references to faerie lore that appears randomly in the book. It feels as if the author expects us to know these things even though the lore is neither referenced before nor is necessarily true for all faerie books. Examples: references to cold iron. We must assume cold iron hurts them from context (like Shayne with cold iron on his feet). Another is that bread is poison? There are some vague references to this as well.
6. The knitting club is useless. It does not explain why they only meet for an hour. Also, is there a time warp in there?? They say like 5 things and time is up for a week.
7. Personally, I was super bothered by Kate not knowing how to use vocab words. It drove me up the wall.
8. The plot was so rushed in the last 3 chapters. It was hard to buy into it. I think the author focused so much on the amusing interactions of the fae that the story just got lost.

So this is just my opinion. Feels like a lot of people liked it based off of the reviews so maybe it’s a me problem.

[Christina Baehr]

Loved that it was set in Toronto and I highlighted some bits that genuinely made me chuckle.

Overall, the humour was a little on the goofy/slapstick side for me personally and I wanted a bit more change in the romance arc (did not quite buy the HEA between these two) but I can see why people who are looking for a cute, cozy, no spice cafe-owner/fae-prince rom com are enjoying this.

This book has a golden-retriever energy that is hard not to like!

[Evangelise Rose (in my sick lit reading era) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never been the type to write “hate reviews”, and I usually try to stick to the same template of reviews each time, but after struggling through this book for nearly four hundred pages and not finding ANY redeeming qualities… I feel like I earned the right to rant just a little bit. I will do a normal review after, but first you get this…. Top Three Reasons This Book Sucked:

1) Faeborn.

This word is SO ANNOYING. There was not a single paragraph that did not use the word at least five times. Furthermore, the word was used in so many different contexts that you are never sure what meaning it has been assigned in this novel. Coined terms are fine used in moderation, and with clear meaning. If I read the word Faeborn again in my lifetime, it will be too soon. Also. The word Queene. Adding an extra “e” at the end does not make it cutesy. It just makes every grammar nerd want to die.

2) Excruciating writing.

Look, I can have mercy on up and coming writers to an extent. I get how hard it is to write a novel, and so I can allow room for growth. But seriously? Y’all. This book was painful. My first grader sister writes better than this.

3) Those stupid chapter headers.

I was so annoyed by the little italics before each chapter. They were grammatically poor, not witty in the slightest, and really just spoiled the next forty pages before I ever read them. Seriously, why do that? They added nothing and really just made the author look stupid.

Thank you for listening to my rant, now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

❀ ━ { content warnings }
Actually, it was pretty clean. Violence and magic, but that’s it. And both were mild.

❀ ━ { recommended audience }
No one.
But I suppose 15+ purely because any younger and you would be even more bored.

❀ ━ { themes + what it meant to me }
Themes? I am not sure this author has heard of those. I certainly didn’t see evidence she did. There was nothing, other than the fact that fae like tricks a lot and apparently this one girl can’t be spelled? But they never explained why she can’t be spelled!

❀ ━ { characters }
All of the characters were stupid. Except maybe the grandmother. She was kinda funny.

❀ ━ { plot + story development }
This book had no discernible plot.

❀ ━ { author + writing }
I wasted precisely six hours and thirty six minutes of my life reading this horrible book.

❀ ━ { overall + closing notes }
If I could give this book less stars and still write a review then I would. If you like this book, that’s great, and I am glad you found a read you enjoyed. For me? This book was not it. And I will not be reading anything more of this author or her work.

[Carly W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY TOP-TIER! I love this book with an undying passion<3 I probably won’t shut up about it for a long, long time! I felt so much joy while I read this super cute book:) Cress, Mor, Dranian, and Shayne are the kings of having god complexes — so funny! I also loved Kate; she had so much luck and unintentionally became such a badass. On top of being a funny, cozy faerie romcom, this book carried one of the best stories I’ve ever read! I received so much serotonin Tehe. I’m so going to re-read this book in the near future!

First Read-Through: October 9th, 2023 - October 12th, 2023

Second Read-Through: August 13th, 2024 - August 15th, 2024

[Tiny Dragon Books~ Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW 📚of Welcome to Fae Cafe by Jennifer Kropf

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“You’d never catch your breath if I took all the kisses I wanted. I don’t think I’d ever want to stop.”

Kate Kole is up to her ears in problems. Not only is she a uni student, budding author, and trying to open her own cafe with her friend Lily, but she seems to have accidentally…killed someone.
When Kate interrupts a male ‘Karen’ harassing a tearful barista, Kate steps in, and when things turned physical, she accidentally fatally kicks him into a table. Weirdly though, no one seems to remember the incident, and there’s no evidence left behind. However, Kates problems have not disappeared, it turns out the guy she killed – fae- wasn’t just any guy, and when Fae Prince Cressica, the First Assassin of the North, appears to seek vengeance for his fallen Brother, Kates world becomes ever more complicated.

There were so many enjoyable things about Welcome to the Fae Cafe! Right from the forward/copyright info I knew I was in for a good time. The formatting is excellent (chapter headings!) and the dual POV worked so well.
WTTFC is a cozy, feel good romantasy story that would appeal to a large age range of audiences. Complete with fall/Christmas vibes and whimsical Fae worlds, my favourite part of the story was the hilarious Fae interactions. The Assassin‘s learning about human items/technology was easily some of the funniest writing I’ve ever read. And soft-hearted, main character, Kate, was quirky and relatable (I would totally throw a book at a pompous Fae as well). Wholesome yet exciting, this was a joy to read, and “He could kill you with a spoon“ is going on my list of favourite book phrases.
Table for one, please!

[Val]

In my opinion, this book didn’t have the smoothest start. The story began with pacing issues and read a bit choppy. I didn’t find myself invested in the characters until around the 70-100 page mark. There was also little world-building, but it was just enough to follow the story and its characters. The magic system wasn’t fully developed and explained either. In this area, we also learn the need-to-know details, mostly pertaining to specific characters, mostly the male MC. Furthermore, some of the supporting characters come across as a bit one-dimensional or flat to me.

There was also the issue of backstories being paced oddly in the middle of the book. It seemed that the pacing was starting to resolve itself, but we were surprised with a few past excerpts back-to-back. The way they were placed seemed to put a halt in the main narrative. I don't know if that makes much sense or if it’s just me or the time I was reading it. But it seemed like this could’ve been done in a better way to not feel interruptive.

Also, why did everything fae or fairy-related need to have "faeborn" in front of it? Faeborn male. Faeborn female. Faeborn spear. Etc. If it wasn't the exact word "faeborn," it was fairy or fae or something else. This irked me less by the end as I had become used to it.

For the season, the story and characters were still fun to follow, and this was a very lighthearted read. However, if I read this out-of-season, I might have liked it and put up with it less.
In short, this book definitely had its issues. But if you’re looking for an easy, cozy, and fun read that has a lighthearted adventure for the winter season, this still might do the job. I still had fun reading it once I accepted its flaws. It might serve as a palate cleanser between bigger and more complex fantasy novels. Nothing groundbreaking, but to me, it was cozy and fit the bill for the season. It also made me laugh a few times. And I may be interested enough to try the next installment when it comes out. We’ll see.

[✧Bella✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was cute and funny. A sort of rom-com meets romantasy book, although very different from Assistant to the Villian. I do feel like it could have used some editing tho. Honesty, the number of times faeborn was used... Also, half the time, it was used like it was a swear word, and the other half, like it wasn't? Also, Cress' turquoise yes... it was rivaling Powerless for eye color mentions. And in his own POV even. But seeing the fae interact with the human world was great. Also why did the dungeon break-out scene remind be of Merlin? I guess because everyone's always breaking out of the dungeons in Merlin lol. I feel like maybe things worked out a little too easily in the end, and I'm not sure whether I'll ever continue the series, but if you want a cute cozy fantasy rom-com, and don't mind some editing problems, and I suppose violence, this might be a good choice.

[Bookish Brin✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok hear me out... this book was like reading the bat boys (iykyk) in the movie Enchanted but in the best way possible!

Don't let the cozy vibes of this book fool you, it is ACTION PACKED. I was pleasantly surprised at how much fantasy action and tension was in this book. The majority of the book felt pretty high stakes and kept you hooked for all of its twists and turns.

The main guy group in this book remind me so much of the bat boys and the banter and tom foolery is top notch! I love the found family aspect too. The characters were so well developed and you really felt like you knew them!

I will say if your looking for any kind of spice, this isn't it. This book is very pg and I'm talking like not even a bell pepper rating but I don't feel like it takes away from the story. I do wish a certain romance aspect was explained more, but it seems like that will come with the next book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and really felt all the emotions along the way! It had all the great tropes: enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, touch her and pay, found family, forbidden love, arranged marriage, forced proximity....the list goes on.
Definitely worth the read and is the perfect book for fall and winter!

[Arica Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So thankful I got to be an ARC reader for this book and Author, she’s incredible. Her winter souls series introduced me to the indie book world!
Four deadly assassins from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is my new comfort book☺️I can’t wait to buy a paperback, so I can tab all the places I laughed, awwed, and held my breath. It was so warm hearted and fun but also intense and page turning. I loved so many of the relationships in this book and enjoyed all the individual quirks of the characters. I only wish there was a little more emotional development between the love interests. That being said their banter was sooo cute! I can’t wait to see how the story will continue and all the relationships will grow. Here’s to hoping I’ll find some pink fairy yarn to lead to book two! Now I’m off to bake some chocolate chip cookies for some reason I’m craving them.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

his is SOOOO cozy. I am obsessed with this genre. It has everything you can ask for

✨️ fae ✔️
✨️ enemies to lovers ✔️
✨️ found family ✔️
✨️ top tier banter ✔️
✨️ grumpy sunshine ✔️
✨️ Forbidden love
✨️ and so many delicious descriptions of coffee 🫠😍

This whole idea of other species coming and doing ordinary human stuff is honestly top tier comedy (a la Cardan/Jude), and honestly this book had me howling.

Cress the fancy fae prince (invisible lint picking vibes) is what book boyfriends are MADE of. The three assasins (bat boys vibes) finding joy in the most of mundane instances, had me in stitches. Fantastic banter, fantastic found family.

I love this book, it's like a cozy hug. Such a sweet (and action packed story). I feel like it's Legends and Lattees × Cruel Prince x Bat boys. A must read for this fall ♡