From her first step onto Canderfey University's campus Joanna Wick, the new librarian-in-training, is overwhelmed by the bustle of people and the wealth of magical information now available to her. Most overwhelming of all, she attracts the attention of three handsome professors. But Aiden King, Callum Pike, and Isaac Metclaffe are a coven waiting to find their fourth and complete their home and Joanna knows she can't be that witch. She's barely magical. When danger crawls onto the campus from the edges of the Hand Woods, and irrepressible feelings crawl into her heart, Joanna Wick must explore her own identity and abilities.
Aiden has been waiting twenty years to complete his coven. Callum doesn't want to disappoint his covenmates by turning down another potential fourth. Isaac has found a home with them both and only wants the best for his lovers. Have they found what they've all been waiting for in the skittish new hire at the university library?
Written by Kathryn Moon is a Reverse Harem Romance and the first book in The Librarian's Coven series.
Kathryn Moon is a country mouse who started dictating stories to her mother at an early age. The fascination with building new worlds and discovering the lives of the characters who grew in her head never faltered, and she graduated college with a fiction writing degree. She loves writing women were are strong in their vulnerability, romances that are as affectionate as they are challenging, and worlds that a reader sinks into and never wants to leave. When her hands aren't busy typing they're probably knitting sweaters or crimping pie crust in Ohio. She definitely believes in magic.
You can reach her on Facebook and at ohkathrynmoon@gmail.com
A librarian witch who has a reverse harem with a coven of witches? This one sounded so good, but with only 200 pages, not a whole lot actually happened. The book has a slow start and continues on with a pretty slow plot for the rest of the book. The romance was very insta-love and I didn't really feel the development of the actual emotions between Joanna and the guys. I was intrigued by the monster that was on campus, but there were very few scenes with the monster that could keep me interested. I'm sad I didn't love this, but I'm definitely interested in reading more from Kathryn Moon.
Love love love Kathryn Moon's writing so I was excited when I saw this whole series on Scribd, but even though I read this first installment in one sitting, I'm not sure if I want to continue with this. For a book that has more plot than smut than I prefer in a fantasy romance, the world was pretty under-explained. The sequel is set up to go somewhere completely new and idk how I feel about it so I'm debating whether or not I'll continue.
But I did like the characters and set-up of this one: a country girl turns city girl when she gets a job at a university library. enter three hot wizard professors who want to court her to be the fourth in their coven, and it was a recipe for success. I just wished the action was better explained, and the main character didn't have so severe of a teenage "why would anyone like me?" complex.
I'm torn on whether I would recommend this because Kathryn has a lot more recent works that I think are fabulous, so maybe start with those first.
This is a really refreshing find and something truly different. What started out as something slow, and something I was unsure about, gathered momentum and grew into a rivetting story. The magical and fantastical elements that are the basis for the atmosphere, the environment, and the backbone of the story, definitely provide innovation and great creativity.
Joanna starts out as a modest and unassuming person, but discoveries continue until she becomes something more, not least of which is the discovery of three very different and bewitching men. It is at this point that I will mention that the reverse harem aspect also includes a bit of, but not overwhelmingly so, man on man action.
It took me a bit to get into this one but once I did I was sucked in hook, line and sinker.
So her magical power that she wasn’t aware of is making missing books appear. No wonder the library wants her. 🤣
I like how the covens are grouped by four (I did grow up with The Craft) and that they’re basically family more than anything.
Huh, I certainly wasn’t expecting him to make the first move. Good going.
Issac is by far my favorite, he’s dominating, charming, quiet, patient and sweet. Plus it doesn’t hurt that he’s an artist, if you know me you know I love an artist.
Although the others aren’t bad; Callum is bumbling, sweet, a little chaotic with a dry sense of humor. Aiden is all charm, charismatic and confident.
Oh wow, guess her magic isn’t just finding books. How very interesting. And now the title makes even more sense. Very clever Ms Moon!
“How does it work?” “Something to do with making a very small space bigger,” (lol Callum is Mary Poppins)
This is filled with a variety of interesting and colorful characters. I’m especially fond of Bryce with their strange animal like protectiveness of Joanna.
This book feels like a warm hug, the perfect cup of coffee and a rainy afternoon. I adore not only Joanna’s coven but Gwen’s as well. I look forward to their future adventures but most of all I can’t wait for more of KM’s carnal delights because she writes the best orgy scenes ever.
This was perfect for the mood I was in. So much of my KU has been left to the DNF graveyard recently so it was nice to actually finish for once!
This was my first book by Kathryn Moon and I was pleasantly surprised by how accomplished I found her writing. Really easy to read and her world building is that kind where we are submerged from the beginning. It’s the kind you have to work out for yourself, the FMC isn’t discovering magic for the first time so we don’t get explanations. It’s a world where magic is in everyday life and magic users form covens of 4 members, they are all drawn to each other in a magical bond kind of way.
The FMC is a small town girl with no magic starting as a apprentice librarian. She quickly feels drawn to 3 professors who are all in a coven and waiting for their forth to appear. They’ve been waiting for a long time and all have a relationship with each other already. So when I say this is MMMF I mean MMM + F. And it’s
Those scenes turned this from being something potential boring to something with a little extra spice.
It reminded me a lot of Quintessence, all mature academics, sweet but spicy. And also like Quintessence I also found it hard to keep track of which guy was which at the start. I got confused more than once. It was a nice change to have some Men in their mid thirty’s and an FMC in late 20s
It also has a nice plot in addition to the romance so it really was all round winner
If you’re looking for a kick ass PNR then this isn’t for you. If you want a nice pace, easy read with a bit of heat then it’s happy days for you
Ugh this book was boring, the writing was all over the place and the heroine is mary sue of all the mary sue’s. The guys just looked at her once, one fucking look and they are all giddy and excited to make her a part of their coven...there wasnt even a connection or chemistry between them with the heroine. Oh and the guys were really dull, all they thought was about how they ll make the heroine a part of them and one of them shouldnt fuck up. The three dudes and heroine, all were really insecure about literally everything. The writing was a lazy writing kinda, really boring, the transaction from one scene to another didnt have a flow and at the beginning i couldn’t understand what it was about since all they talked was about books and library. This book felt like wings club (teacher version) but in the 60s since the heroine is a librarian and she gets a job in a magical university library but she didnt know she was a witch, and the 3 dudes are witches looking for their 4th member to comeplete their coven. i dont know which era this book was based on cuz the way they interact didnt seem like 21st century, so that was confusing.
Reread, original review and rating stand. My favorite RH to date are from this author
Spoilers ahead, 3.5*
As always with books like these this review covers all parts and as such contains massive spoilers
So basically The h leaves her small town behind to work in the library of a magical university. She meets the Hs and is drawn to each one. Eventually they ask her to join their coven but she isn't a witch.....or is she? Turns out she's a Scriven, a powerful group of magical folks that have disappeared. Members of her family are eventually found and she learns more about her talent and why her people have been hiding for years. There's some growing pains in the relationship, lots of drama from outside sources until an eventual HEA
******** * I'm new to RH, having only read one other series and From this same author but I enjoyed this one *Each book deals with a different but interconnected threat, there are bumps in the relationship but no breakups
No cheating All non virgins M/M, MFMM, MF Teeny tiny OW drama
This story is really fantastic. I'm so freaking glad to have found this author.
The system of magic is wonderfully unique, and I'm really enjoying it. The characters are great, and don't feel like cardboard cut-out stereotypes (a common problem in RH), and watching the slow unfolding of their relationships is fantastic.
And I love that the other coven isn't antagonistic, which would have been such an easy path. This makes for a much better cast of secondary characters, and I really love them all.
Re-read March 2023 It's a fun book, and the thing I like best about it is the totally unique system of magic. It kept me invested even when the lead female is being ridiculous (I don't know why she's so beaten down, in terms of self-esteem, but it gets tiresome at points).
While I like the premise the characters and execution of the trope left me cold. I think this is my biggest issues with the “reverse haram” version of polyamory (aside from the inherent racism, misogyny, and heteronormativity in the term itself). It’s instalove multiplied, which means it often relies on physical attraction (which reduces all the characters to very thin, white, cis stereotypes of attractiveness) and centers a feminine version of a cishet masculine fantasy that’s reduces romantic and sexual partners to types verses fully fleshed out people. Which I understand is part of the appeal of this subgenre. Getting to have all the sexy leading men archetypes, but sadly that’s all they are.
Then there’s the leading lady who is the pretty stereotypical white woman cypher. Not so much a person as a collection of early 20s anxieties and insecurities shaped into a placeholder for the target audience. While I don’t doubt she’s relatable to a certain type of reader, as a fat brown queer woman I found her woe-is-me self pity obnoxious.
I did like that the men have romantic and sexual relationships with each other, but I felt a certain way about how even their relationships still revolve around her even though they’d been together for years before she arrived. It felt very heteronormative, like it was going through the motions of queerness, performative for the straight female gaze.
It’s not for me and thus I didn’t enjoy it. The writing was good and I liked the concept of the polyamorous coven and the world building was really cool. Just not for me. *shrug*
PS White narrators shouldn’t attempt to do “ethnic accents,” it comes off as racist.
Very forgettable. Magic that is laughably easy for the heroine. Bare bones world building and character development. Insta-love. Yes, this review is very short and to the point, but so was this book.
Um, hello? Why don't more people talk about this book!?
This was a cozy little paranormal light academia reverse harem and I adored it.
The main character is hired as a librarian-in-training at a magical university. Upon arrival she catches the eye of a triad of men, an incomplete coven comprised of three very good looking professors, who are looking for their fourth and final addition to complete their family. There's courting, magical discoveries, and fighting an ominous big-bad thing terrorizing the campus.
I love love love books with casual use of magic! While the world building is sparse, I liked the little tidbits dropped here and there and the magics explained in this.
FMC was alright. I was desperate for her to gain more confidence, but it is what it is. Her hesitation to tell the guys about the thing near the climax was annoying.
The MMCs were quaint. I can't say they were entirely individual from each other, they were basically the same person but with different names aha. Granted they've been together for over a decade so that's understandable. One's an art professor, another a music professor, and the third is a history? professor (I'm not certain but he's very bookish, carries around weapons...I'm gonna go with history).
This could serve as a standalone, since it ends in a HFN. The epilogue does set up for an upcoming conflict though.
Overall, I thought this was a delight. It's a low stakes and mild with Kathryn Moon smut. I loved the setting, the magics, and the vibes. Would recommend as a fall-time read, maybe next to a lit fire and while sipping on a warm, cozy beverage.
Books where the world revolves so much around magic are pretty common. Books where the hero or heroine discover that they are much more magical than they thought they were are also pretty common. This book fits both of those, but still is enchanting because it is written very well. Kathryn Moon is a talented lady.
I really enjoyed the characters and appreciated that they were a little older than what you usually find in this genre. They have magic that is also not the norm for the genre. The baddie isn't too different, but the concept was good. I really liked it and plan to start the next right away.
3.5⭐️ a very cozy paranormal romance! I absolutely loved Joanna’s magic, I thought it was so cool! I simply adore Kathryn Moon, I’m always happy to be reading one of her books and this was no exception ❤️
Super quick read! Thank you Kimberly for gifting me this book! I have enjoyed other books by this author but sadly this wasn’t my favorite one. This is more poly than reverse harem. The magic isn’t explained very well in this world and it’s a tad insta lovey. If was still fun I enjoyed the mystery aspect but I felt like it could have been explored a bit more. Over all I had fun and happy to have finished the first book of 2022!!
I liked the magic system and how it was described for the various characters in the story. That was well done. There's a lot about the story that I enjoyed. The characters, development of their relationships and underling plot line to keep things lively. Great sex scenes and cool little tidbits on character backgrounds. I'll keep my eye for work by this author. I feel that her work may evolve into some great adventures full of passionate characters.
Rough Bits: - Awkward transitions. - Different POVs needed to have more unique spin to keep perspectives different without looking to see who is named at the chapter. - Magic takes more than power and always has consequences. This was the biggest plot hole but annoyed me the most towards the end.
I liked the spooky occult vibes in this witchy reverse harem, but I didn’t love the book. It’s one of Kathryn Moon’s earlier works, and I think her writing has improved a lot since (Lola and the Millionaires is one of my all-time favorites).
Joanna sounded so overwrought all the time (approaching Mrs. Bennet levels), and I couldn’t tell the 3 guys apart, although not sure how much of this was due to the narrators’ performances on the audiobook. I ended up switching to the ebook halfway, but still found it hard to get invested in the characters or their relationships.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the plotline about Joanna discovering her magic and the mysterious evil that had to defeat.
There are 3 more books in this series, but this book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger so I might stop here (for now…).
Y=This has to be the best reverse harem book i have read, for the first time i feel the connection between all the characters rather than the female with each individual male lead, the story and the world was really interesting too, and the different powers the author managed to think up, if the world itself had a little more description and information i think this would have been nearly a 5 star
I liked this book. I liked the characters, the plot, and the relationships. I don't know why it seemed to drag at the end for me. A part of it, I believe, is the whole "I'm not good enough to be part of your group" trope. I have never been a fan of the insecurity and lack of confidence over and over. I get self doubt, I really do, but I just felt the heroine took it too far at times. I'm not good enough for you. I'm not good enough for magic. There's no way you could like me. Ugh, I had enough. Luckily, everything else was great, so I'm hoping that now that she is part of the coven, the self flagellation will stop.
I liked it. The fmc’s power was amazing and I liked the unity between the guys. Multiple POV, nice introduction. Joanne is painfully insecure so will be interesting to see where the story goes. Looking forward to the next one. Favourite character was Bryce.
Review copy kindly provided by the author in exchange for a honest review With reverse harem being popular as it is right now. It’s offered the opportunity for many new authors to join the ranks and unleash their creativity. Moon is one of those authors and has joined the ranks of my favourite reverse harem authors in a heartbeat. I must admit, libraries have a special place in my heart. I spent countless hours in libraries and my love for reading was encouraged .This book didn’t appeal on just a reading level. It appeal to my personal memories and from the get go I was invested with this story. As who doesn’t love a librarian heroine and she was quite a teeat Written has older heroine then what I expected given which I loved as I think there needs to be a variety given that readers are from all walks of life. As it worked with Joanna being older as it made more sense for her men to be searching for a coven member closer to their age. Given their wants and needs, it was the best outcome and did help they were all very wise beyond their years. They were going that knowledge. As poor Joanna, she felt an outsider and wanted a simple life she thought was the best for her. I loved that Moon coached to realise her own self worth on her own time. It was quite a journey and I loved the concept behind this journey. It took a while but it was a sweet outcome and I can’t wait to see what is next for this coven. It ended on a note that leaves plenty of satisfaction yet craving more. I do love the guys and Joanna so I hope the author doesn’t torture us too much with the next book.
I’ve never been disappointed by a Kathryn moon book before but,,, oh boy. Boring characters, boring plot. Supreme lust at first sight. No emotional connections. Boring smut.
I love all things magic. I loved the magic in this book. Joanna, the star of the show, was someone I can relate to. I would love nothing more than to be surrounded by books all day. Her magic though....well, for me, it's something new. I've heard of it but I've never had a main character have this particular brand of magic. So that was something I was pleasantly surprised about.
The men...the men, yummy. I can't wait to learn more about them. We have the bare necessities but now I want more details! I want to see how the relationship will grow. There is M/M in this book. Some may not like it....I love it.
The world-building. Gosh, I wish I could live in this world. Magic makes everything easier. I would like to know more about this whole world. I have a feeling that maybe it will come in book 2? We only learn so much in this book since it's based within one city.
The secondary characters are important and I like them! I want to read more about them too.
Like I said, I love magic. That includes all the legends surrounding magic. This book won my heart because of that! If you want to know what I mean, read the book.
I can't wait to read the next one!
Overall: 4.5/5
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Now excuse me while I re-read this ;)
Written is about a woman named Joanna who is a librarian-in-training who just got hired to Canderfey University. There she meets professors Isaac, Callum, and Aiden who are apart of a coven and seeking their fourth. Joanna never thought she was a witch but as it turns out, she's always used magic. As a threat is unleashed on the library, Joanna gets closer to the men as they try to protect her and fight back.
For the good: I loved the coven dynamic. This is a reverse harem but I liked how the guys were also really into each other. Add to that, they were all so sweet and I liked their chemistry. But unfortunately it was so insta-love. They literally see her and then instantly are like yes I love her pls join our coven. There wasn't much development. They went from zero to a hundred.
The world building and setting was... confusing as hell. I have no idea what time period this is and it was all mashed potatoes. Modern I guess? But also no one acted or dressed that way so I was even more confused. Then they never really left the library or their house so I was like uhhh okay. The scene transitions were such a mess too and very jarring to read.
But it was fineee, I had fun and I liked the magic.
I really enjoyed this paranormal fantasy romance. It’s very well written with plenty of magic, action and suspense along with quite a bit of humour. It’s also a sweet romance with several steamy M/M, M/F, and ménage scenes. This coven concept is a welcome change and one I wasn’t expecting. The fantasy world is remarkably built with well-defined and in some cases unusual characters with uncommon magical talents. I enjoyed Joanna’s coming-of-age as she realizes her true magical abilities in spite of her many insecurities regarding her worth and skills. Despite an overprotective tendency, her professor suitors are charming, sexy and oh-so determined to make her the fourth in their coven. Lucky girl! I found the malevolent entity that attacks the campus to be a unique and worthy adversary and the suspenseful buildup to the battle-royale to be spot on. I look forward to reading other stories in this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.