Magic in the Margins

Bookmarks and Broomsticks #2

by D.K. Bolton

She came to Thornbroom Hollow for a reset.
She stayed because the bookshop chose her.

When a few too many meaningful coincidences start circling Fable’s quiet corner of town, she realizes Thornbroom Hollow may not be as sleepy as it seems. And she still has a big decision to make about what she found waiting for her that few seem to know about.

Balancing midlife reinvention with magical responsibility wasn’t exactly in her five-year plan. Neither was a talking axolotl who prefers mystery novels, a white cat who may know more than she does, or a certain observant police chief who keeps appearing at suspiciously inconvenient moments.

But magic in Thornbroom doesn’t rush.
It nudges.
It waits.
And it expects its Keeper to listen.

As old alliances stir and new questions rise, Fable must decide whether she’s ready to step fully into the role the shop seems determined to give her.

Because in Thornbroom Hollow, magic doesn’t shout.
It settles in.
And once it does… it rarely leaves.

436 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2026

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rounding up from a 3.5. The pretty frustrating lack of information in book 1 does ease up a bit in this one. Not that a lot of information is provided, just that some of Fable's questions are answered, a little. This one starts smack in the middle of the last sentences at the end of book 1. Basically, I felt like I needed to read the last couple chapters of that one again to figure out what was going on. Fable and Scarla are in the Murk (Vampire) Inn trying to get the Tome back - this was part of the quest they needed to accomplish - and all things go sideways. There is a lot of by-the-seat-of-their-pants occurrences since Fable has nothing and no one to give her any direction. Sometimes it seems to work out but it's not all golden roses. Also, all of the characters introduced in book 1 are brought back into this one without any reference so I really struggled trying to remember which of the women she met did what, with whom. There is a lot of verbiage without a lot of real meaning behind it. The dialogue seemed less in this one but I didn't really find that helpful either. The team overall seems closer. Scarla takes a solid secondary position in the storyline. A few surprises as the search for answers continues. I do plan to read book 3.

[Barbara Aymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gets you hooked!

This book is kind of low key then you realize that you are hooked and cannot wait for the rest of the story but at the same time you want to stretch it out so that it doesn’t end anytime soon! This is an enjoyable story!

[Starr Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fable Pierce is now running Bookmarks & Broomsticks after aunt Twila passes the store on to her niece and Twila has gone walkabout, to refresh herself or perhaps on vacation.

Fable as new owner has to figure out her new witch status, how her magic works and everything about the magical store. She is struggling and fumbling, but she isn’t a quitter. Thankfully she has supernatural busybody friends that help and guide her, and Fable has more than a passing interest in handsome police chief Elliott Pike, which is quite mutual.

Fascinating look into a new magical world and Fables deepening role, supported by Scarla, her new helper, Klobbit, Nibs, Swish, Lulu and dozens of other new friends that as a charmingly eclectic group make this an absolutely worthwhile read