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Finding Harmony in Millbrook: A Low-Stakes Cozy Small-Town Fantasy LitRPG
A new community. A fresh start. A chance to build something better.
After twenty-five years of reactive police work, Jordan Brennan is ready for a change. When the chance to move to the quiet town of Millbrook comes up, it seems like the perfect opportunity to swap crisis management for peaceful living. Equipped with an innovative system called the Harmony Hub, which shows social patterns and relationship dynamics, Jordan expects to enjoy simple, small-town life.
But even the most peaceful communities have their challenges. When new families arrive looking for integration, tool-borrowing mysteries pop up, and growth management decisions arise. Jordan discovers that stopping problems before they start is much more complex—and rewarding—than fixing them later.
As Jordan learns the rhythms of forge work from Maya the blacksmith, navigates market day politics with merchant Clara, and helps arrange everything from garden prep to town meetings, the Hub shows that true community harmony isn't about avoiding conflict; it's about building systems that turn challenges into chances for deeper connections.
Finding Harmony in Millbrook is a cozy LitRPG story that mixes slice-of-life community building with gentle progression elements. It's perfect for fans of cooperative problem-solving, small-town relationships, and the rewarding work of helping communities grow stronger together.
Perfect for readers who enjoyed Legends & Lattes, Small-Town Crafter, The Level One Bookshop, and Village Manager.
After twenty-five years of reactive police work, Jordan Brennan is ready for a change. When the chance to move to the quiet town of Millbrook comes up, it seems like the perfect opportunity to swap crisis management for peaceful living. Equipped with an innovative system called the Harmony Hub, which shows social patterns and relationship dynamics, Jordan expects to enjoy simple, small-town life.
But even the most peaceful communities have their challenges. When new families arrive looking for integration, tool-borrowing mysteries pop up, and growth management decisions arise. Jordan discovers that stopping problems before they start is much more complex—and rewarding—than fixing them later.
As Jordan learns the rhythms of forge work from Maya the blacksmith, navigates market day politics with merchant Clara, and helps arrange everything from garden prep to town meetings, the Hub shows that true community harmony isn't about avoiding conflict; it's about building systems that turn challenges into chances for deeper connections.
Finding Harmony in Millbrook is a cozy LitRPG story that mixes slice-of-life community building with gentle progression elements. It's perfect for fans of cooperative problem-solving, small-town relationships, and the rewarding work of helping communities grow stronger together.
Perfect for readers who enjoyed Legends & Lattes, Small-Town Crafter, The Level One Bookshop, and Village Manager.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 4, 2025
18 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 19, 2025
This is not cozy fantasy. This is a supplementary course textbook on using data analysis to solve problems in a small community.
Each chapter, ex-cop Jordan observes community events like market day. A minor conflict is observed and the "Harmony Hub" is used to analyze the factors surrounding the conflict and resolve it. This is done through abstract conversations, using terms like "resource allocation," "integration planning," and "coordination challenges."
Nothing ever goes wrong and problems are solved before they develop in ways that strengthen community bonds. There are no characters, just recurring names assigned to lines of dialogue. The LitRPG element, "Harmony Hub," is never really explained.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Each chapter, ex-cop Jordan observes community events like market day. A minor conflict is observed and the "Harmony Hub" is used to analyze the factors surrounding the conflict and resolve it. This is done through abstract conversations, using terms like "resource allocation," "integration planning," and "coordination challenges."
Nothing ever goes wrong and problems are solved before they develop in ways that strengthen community bonds. There are no characters, just recurring names assigned to lines of dialogue. The LitRPG element, "Harmony Hub," is never really explained.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 16, 2025
I am always on the lookout for cozy LitRPG stories to add to my TBR, and Finding Harmony in Millbrook promised that mix, so I picked it up right away. I wanted something warm, heartfelt, and layered with game mechanics that would make the world come alive. Unfortunately, it did not quite deliver, though I could see the spark of what the author was going for.
The characters felt a bit shallow, and almost mechanical. The dialogue had a formal, report-like tone. This made it difficult to connect with them on any emotional level. It reminded me of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory but without the humor or charm to balance things out.
Because of this, the pacing struggled. The story comes across as very technical, which made it hard to find a rhythm or feel invested in what was happening. I found myself wanting more personality and emotional depth to break through the surface.
The worldbuilding was present, with a clear region, backstory, and history, but it still felt somewhat shallow. The LitRPG mechanics were there in name, but they rarely influenced the plot or the characters’ growth in a meaningful way. It felt like the potential was sitting just beneath the surface but never quite took hold.
That said, I really liked the idea of what Lina Will was going for here. The concept of a city and resource management world has promise, and with more warmth, character depth, and more of the RPG elements, this could become a charming read.
Finding Harmony in Millbrook has the framework of something special, but it needs more heart to bring it to life. Readers who enjoy methodical storytelling and detailed systems may still find something to like here. For me, it missed the emotional pull I look for in a cozy or LitRPG tale.
The characters felt a bit shallow, and almost mechanical. The dialogue had a formal, report-like tone. This made it difficult to connect with them on any emotional level. It reminded me of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory but without the humor or charm to balance things out.
Because of this, the pacing struggled. The story comes across as very technical, which made it hard to find a rhythm or feel invested in what was happening. I found myself wanting more personality and emotional depth to break through the surface.
The worldbuilding was present, with a clear region, backstory, and history, but it still felt somewhat shallow. The LitRPG mechanics were there in name, but they rarely influenced the plot or the characters’ growth in a meaningful way. It felt like the potential was sitting just beneath the surface but never quite took hold.
That said, I really liked the idea of what Lina Will was going for here. The concept of a city and resource management world has promise, and with more warmth, character depth, and more of the RPG elements, this could become a charming read.
Finding Harmony in Millbrook has the framework of something special, but it needs more heart to bring it to life. Readers who enjoy methodical storytelling and detailed systems may still find something to like here. For me, it missed the emotional pull I look for in a cozy or LitRPG tale.
June 25, 2025
Finding Harmony in Millbrook is Book 1 in a Cozy Small Town Fantasy by Linda Will. I thought that this book was very different in A good way… not the same old fantasy. Jordan was a 25 year policeman in contemporary time. He wanted a fresh start in a small town using a relic "Harmony Hub". I thought Jordan was a solid main character and when he held the Harmony Hub, it is magical! I am looking forward to reading the next book to see what happens next. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
July 21, 2025
Thanks to BookSirens. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I loved the idea of this one, but that's about it.
The smallest complaint I have is that, as far as LitRPG goes, this is barely in the genre. I know that literary genres are not set in stone, but here we have a system, sort of. And that's it. Not leveling, no stats, no reward system, nothing. There is just this system that tells what the MC is doing. That's it.
And to be honest, this is a big thing. But it's the minor in the list.
The worldbuilding is "file not found". And that's bad, because things do not make sense. Our MC is a former policeman, who finds himself in need of a new occupation, so he leaves the big city and goes for the rural life, because an estranged aunt (something like that) died and has left him her place in the community as Coordinator. And the job comes with a house and a strange empathic artifact. And since he is in dire need of a roof, on he goes!
His new community is based on agriculture, harvest time is coming, and they are in distress because there is a lot to do, and now there's even more because the blacksmith injured herself (I won't say anymore about this incident, but things should be said here too). The problem is that other blacksmiths can really do a good job in her stead due to the particularity of the iron in the tools they should repair. So a person in the community starts to sabotage their work because they think that they are not up to the task. We get to read a lot about the fact that their tool are not the same, and it almost seems logical but... why? I mean, I can understand if we are talking between a blacksmith in the States and one in Japan, then I can get it (if we are not talking about the modern world, but something more with an "ancient style" kind of setting. And we don't know which we are getting, either) because the iron used in Japan before globalization could be a tad different from the iron used in the states (I am saying iron, but I am meaning the whole "materials and ways to forge tools"), but here we are speaking about people who is from nearer community (like they can come and go all in the same day!!) so... why are they different? What makes them special?
Then there are a lot of details that need some smoothing. Like, the community is having problems that are rooted in something that happened in the past. We are talking about a small community, and the past is not ancient past; we are talking about a thing that happened between the fathers of two characters. Their fathers, so it's just a generation (maybe one and a half) removed. It's a small community, so everyone should have known what happened because it was a big thing and it wasn't a lot of time ago. And yet, sometimes it seems like everyone knows everything about it, and sometimes it's a new thing. That's not realistic and it's shabby.
And related to that, we learned that one of the families sued the other, but then, when we get to learn what happened in the past, the legal part does not make sense, and they go on like it didn't happen. There is no mention of this part when we get to the resolution of the problem. And again, when we learn what happened, the bad blood between families continues to make sense, but not the suing and involving legal part. It does not make sense, at all. And it's conveniently forgotten.
I could go on and on, but I won't because, frankly, I think it's enough. I will just add one thing. The romance part? Nope. Thank you, but no. Those dialogues?? They are so fake! They seem copied-pasted from some (B-rated) manual for couples therapy or on conflict resolution. They are... bad. Bad. Baaaaaaad. And so booooooooooooring!
And there are a lot of things that don't really make a ton of sense, that should have been explained better, but I think that's this is enough to get the gist of it.
I loved the idea of this one, but that's about it.
The smallest complaint I have is that, as far as LitRPG goes, this is barely in the genre. I know that literary genres are not set in stone, but here we have a system, sort of. And that's it. Not leveling, no stats, no reward system, nothing. There is just this system that tells what the MC is doing. That's it.
And to be honest, this is a big thing. But it's the minor in the list.
The worldbuilding is "file not found". And that's bad, because things do not make sense. Our MC is a former policeman, who finds himself in need of a new occupation, so he leaves the big city and goes for the rural life, because an estranged aunt (something like that) died and has left him her place in the community as Coordinator. And the job comes with a house and a strange empathic artifact. And since he is in dire need of a roof, on he goes!
His new community is based on agriculture, harvest time is coming, and they are in distress because there is a lot to do, and now there's even more because the blacksmith injured herself (I won't say anymore about this incident, but things should be said here too). The problem is that other blacksmiths can really do a good job in her stead due to the particularity of the iron in the tools they should repair. So a person in the community starts to sabotage their work because they think that they are not up to the task. We get to read a lot about the fact that their tool are not the same, and it almost seems logical but... why? I mean, I can understand if we are talking between a blacksmith in the States and one in Japan, then I can get it (if we are not talking about the modern world, but something more with an "ancient style" kind of setting. And we don't know which we are getting, either) because the iron used in Japan before globalization could be a tad different from the iron used in the states (I am saying iron, but I am meaning the whole "materials and ways to forge tools"), but here we are speaking about people who is from nearer community (like they can come and go all in the same day!!) so... why are they different? What makes them special?
Then there are a lot of details that need some smoothing. Like, the community is having problems that are rooted in something that happened in the past. We are talking about a small community, and the past is not ancient past; we are talking about a thing that happened between the fathers of two characters. Their fathers, so it's just a generation (maybe one and a half) removed. It's a small community, so everyone should have known what happened because it was a big thing and it wasn't a lot of time ago. And yet, sometimes it seems like everyone knows everything about it, and sometimes it's a new thing. That's not realistic and it's shabby.
And related to that, we learned that one of the families sued the other, but then, when we get to learn what happened in the past, the legal part does not make sense, and they go on like it didn't happen. There is no mention of this part when we get to the resolution of the problem. And again, when we learn what happened, the bad blood between families continues to make sense, but not the suing and involving legal part. It does not make sense, at all. And it's conveniently forgotten.
I could go on and on, but I won't because, frankly, I think it's enough. I will just add one thing. The romance part? Nope. Thank you, but no. Those dialogues?? They are so fake! They seem copied-pasted from some (B-rated) manual for couples therapy or on conflict resolution. They are... bad. Bad. Baaaaaaad. And so booooooooooooring!
And there are a lot of things that don't really make a ton of sense, that should have been explained better, but I think that's this is enough to get the gist of it.
September 26, 2025
As a genre I enjoy LitRPG; it's fantasy adjacent and for a somewhat casual gamer with not enough time to be more serious, it also scratches that itch. I've thoroughly enjoyed Dungeon Crawler Carl, and the Magic 2.0 (Off to Be the Wizard, etc) series, so Finding Harmony in Millbrook, described as a cosy LitRPG, sounded like a good choice for a nice relaxing, enjoyable read.
Alas, not so.
What I read was something more akin to an extended version of an idealised example that you would expect to see in a self-help book on empathy. That includes the style of writing and language used; it's exceptionally clinical and just has no soul. In fact, this is exactly what I would expect to see from an AI engine prompted to write a story about resolving a small village's problems using empathy.
The amount of relevance to LitRPG is so small, that it may as well not exist, and relies on a MacGuffin that is described as magical in the first quarter of the book, and technological after that - with absolutely no reason for the change.
But probably most jarring, was the time frame setting shifts - between the modern world, and a 19th century one, with absolutely no indication of magical or fantasy travel between them. Main character Jordan moves from what sounds like a modern Chicago police force (where they were implicated in a drug selling scandal) to Millbrook, a nearby 19th century village. Millbrook has a village forge, everyone seems to use hand tools and walk everywhere, they rely on a good harvest season to ensure everyone has enough food over winter, and transactions are conducted with silver and copper pieces. And yet the Mayor of the next village over drives to Millbrook near the end of the book! Make it make sense!
I could go on, detailing several other inconsistencies, along with the pushing of some ideology around the value of differing types of work that I felt was both unnecessary and dishonest.
Perhaps most weirdly though, I think the core plot would probably work well as a Hallmark movie.
Thanks to BookSirens for arranging the copy (the 2nd edition according to the copyright notes!) on which this review is based.
Alas, not so.
What I read was something more akin to an extended version of an idealised example that you would expect to see in a self-help book on empathy. That includes the style of writing and language used; it's exceptionally clinical and just has no soul. In fact, this is exactly what I would expect to see from an AI engine prompted to write a story about resolving a small village's problems using empathy.
The amount of relevance to LitRPG is so small, that it may as well not exist, and relies on a MacGuffin that is described as magical in the first quarter of the book, and technological after that - with absolutely no reason for the change.
But probably most jarring, was the time frame setting shifts - between the modern world, and a 19th century one, with absolutely no indication of magical or fantasy travel between them. Main character Jordan moves from what sounds like a modern Chicago police force (where they were implicated in a drug selling scandal) to Millbrook, a nearby 19th century village. Millbrook has a village forge, everyone seems to use hand tools and walk everywhere, they rely on a good harvest season to ensure everyone has enough food over winter, and transactions are conducted with silver and copper pieces. And yet the Mayor of the next village over drives to Millbrook near the end of the book! Make it make sense!
I could go on, detailing several other inconsistencies, along with the pushing of some ideology around the value of differing types of work that I felt was both unnecessary and dishonest.
Perhaps most weirdly though, I think the core plot would probably work well as a Hallmark movie.
Thanks to BookSirens for arranging the copy (the 2nd edition according to the copyright notes!) on which this review is based.
July 31, 2025
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the ARC opportunity.
Firstly, love a game system and this one was unique in plotting out the community links. It has an important message with the impact of community cohesion and support.
However, my major gripe with this story is that everyone is entirely logical about everything. It’s billed as a cozy fantasy so I was expecting the conflict to be gentle or resolved completely, but because of this, all the characters wound up sounding the same. The plot also moves quickly and so it doesn’t linger on events once they’ve been ‘resolved’. There’s strong video game vibes reminding me of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley where neighbour events are part of the gameplay, but the novel has a far wider scope which wound up making me enjoy the story less because of it. If it was just the initial introduction and the first major conflict but taken slowly and in more depth, that would have made a more intriguing story with room for expansion in the future.
Jordan is an interesting protagonist to follow, I enjoyed reading from their perspective as they learnt more about their community. Maya as well provided a different viewpoint into the community, however I was confused on how long she’d been there as she says five years but has in-depth knowledge of previous exchanges behind what she would logically know.
It was an educational read but not quite what I was expecting going in.
Firstly, love a game system and this one was unique in plotting out the community links. It has an important message with the impact of community cohesion and support.
However, my major gripe with this story is that everyone is entirely logical about everything. It’s billed as a cozy fantasy so I was expecting the conflict to be gentle or resolved completely, but because of this, all the characters wound up sounding the same. The plot also moves quickly and so it doesn’t linger on events once they’ve been ‘resolved’. There’s strong video game vibes reminding me of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley where neighbour events are part of the gameplay, but the novel has a far wider scope which wound up making me enjoy the story less because of it. If it was just the initial introduction and the first major conflict but taken slowly and in more depth, that would have made a more intriguing story with room for expansion in the future.
Jordan is an interesting protagonist to follow, I enjoyed reading from their perspective as they learnt more about their community. Maya as well provided a different viewpoint into the community, however I was confused on how long she’d been there as she says five years but has in-depth knowledge of previous exchanges behind what she would logically know.
It was an educational read but not quite what I was expecting going in.
July 22, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a nice read, however I am torn as I didn't love everything about it. It is a very low-stakes story with kind characters and healthy relationships.
Although I find LitRPG can be very overburdened with information on how the system works, this one does not have enough. We have one magical item, and I feel like that does not make for a LitRPG. It's just a story with a magical item.
I was confused on the world we are in. Our MC talks about living in Chicago as a cop and sleeping in their car(they bring it up often), however we're in a fantasy town that does not come from the same world. I think this tidbit either needed more clarification on how they co-exisit, or it could have been taken out completely and would have felt less disjointed
The healthy relationships almost go too far in this one. That feels silly to say, but it seems like a how-to on conflict solving and relationship building. Although the discussions are thoughtful and what people say is very intentional, they don't feel real as that's not how people talk. I can see how this could be comforting and refreshing to some people, but I wanted it to be a little more realistic.
Still this was an easy, comfy read and I think some readers are looking for something like this!
This was a nice read, however I am torn as I didn't love everything about it. It is a very low-stakes story with kind characters and healthy relationships.
Although I find LitRPG can be very overburdened with information on how the system works, this one does not have enough. We have one magical item, and I feel like that does not make for a LitRPG. It's just a story with a magical item.
I was confused on the world we are in. Our MC talks about living in Chicago as a cop and sleeping in their car(they bring it up often), however we're in a fantasy town that does not come from the same world. I think this tidbit either needed more clarification on how they co-exisit, or it could have been taken out completely and would have felt less disjointed
The healthy relationships almost go too far in this one. That feels silly to say, but it seems like a how-to on conflict solving and relationship building. Although the discussions are thoughtful and what people say is very intentional, they don't feel real as that's not how people talk. I can see how this could be comforting and refreshing to some people, but I wanted it to be a little more realistic.
Still this was an easy, comfy read and I think some readers are looking for something like this!
October 27, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really wanted to love this book - the premise had so much potential!
It’s labeled as cozy, but honestly? It felt a bit too clinical for that. The LitRPG element is definitely there, and I could totally see this as a “Village Caring Simulator” something that would be fun as a game. But as a story? I struggled to connect.
The biggest issue for me was the emotional distance. I just couldn’t care about the people in the book, no matter how hard I tried. It’s like the analytical tone was constantly clashing with what the story wanted to be - a tale about empathy and human connection.
This could’ve been a fantastic YA story about learning empathy and communication skills if it had been written with more heart and warmth instead of cold precision.
📖 ARC provided by BookSirens.
I really wanted to love this book - the premise had so much potential!
It’s labeled as cozy, but honestly? It felt a bit too clinical for that. The LitRPG element is definitely there, and I could totally see this as a “Village Caring Simulator” something that would be fun as a game. But as a story? I struggled to connect.
The biggest issue for me was the emotional distance. I just couldn’t care about the people in the book, no matter how hard I tried. It’s like the analytical tone was constantly clashing with what the story wanted to be - a tale about empathy and human connection.
This could’ve been a fantastic YA story about learning empathy and communication skills if it had been written with more heart and warmth instead of cold precision.
📖 ARC provided by BookSirens.
August 18, 2025
Received a free copy from Booksirens for an ARC. I am leaving this review at my own free will.
I do really enjoy a cozy book. But there was so much fighting against me with this book. Firstly the comparison to a police officer in Chicago to being in this sort of tiny place with no association feels super awkward. There are several grammatical errors that yank me out of the enjoyment.
And the incessant use of “personal and professional” repeating itself at the end was the final straw for me. This needs to be edited and fixed because there is just so much repetition for such a short book.
I do really enjoy a cozy book. But there was so much fighting against me with this book. Firstly the comparison to a police officer in Chicago to being in this sort of tiny place with no association feels super awkward. There are several grammatical errors that yank me out of the enjoyment.
And the incessant use of “personal and professional” repeating itself at the end was the final straw for me. This needs to be edited and fixed because there is just so much repetition for such a short book.
July 23, 2025
What did I just try and read? Nothing cozy about this.
October 9, 2025
Is this AI written?!?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews