Hiding out in the charmed world has its perks: fae do your laundry, doors can lead to other dimensions, and the dragons are only pigeon-sized. But the downsides to magic are rearing their monstrous heads at Lorelei Fischer. With the deed found and the mysteries around the bewitching bed and breakfast nearly unraveled, Moonlit Shores Manor is finally under new management. But that management has magically-induced amnesia with an expiration date, and when the clouds around his past have cleared, the new boss will be nether-bent on devastation.
Tasked with brewing a potion to destroy the new owner, Lorelei and her coworkers must collect rare components from across the charmed world while maintaining normalcy—whatever that means—for the manor’s guests. But with a lovesick lycan, an uncharacteristically shifty elf, and an enemy turned questionable ally on staff, Lorelei finds juggling her coworkers just as complicated as dealing with the boss who, up until very recently, had been delighted with the thought of killing her.
And Lorelei’s fear of being outed as human has only grown when it comes to Conrad. Her almost romance with the snarky warlock is suspended between her desire to be totally honest and her much deeper desire to just tackle him and get it over with. Every step taken together to save the manor brings them that much closer, but whether it’s to a devastating truth or a fairytale ending, only magic seems to know.
Ashley is an indie author who likes to write silly little stories that hopefully bring readers joy. She likes cats, guacamole, feminism, and the internet.
Great story, from 1-3. I tried not to be so biased about liking heroines with super abilities, because our FL doesn't get any special powers, it's just her and the power of the plot. Many things that seemed reallly obvious to us readers, were not so clear to her, which really indicated that she was oblivious about LOTR. I assumed she just didn't watch the movies or that they didn't exist in this universe. So we got to discover a whole new one. Loved it. The magic and worldbuilding were great!
The low score is because I believe it dragged the "I'm human and he doesn't know, I'm a liar, etc etc" thing for far too long, and at the end it was irrelevant, nothing happened. Also, the cliche about her fiance was unnecessary, and she got rid of that situation really fast. I just wanted more magic! hahaha
Regarding the romance, it was a bit too slow burn for me. Mind you, my favourite stories come from Mariana Zapata's books, if you know what I mean, so I enjoy this type of pacing very much. But here, it was kind of repetitive and more realistic. There were just too many things going on to focus solely on their romantic lives, not to mention, the ML Conrad had a girlfriend for the majority of the first and second book, so...not the only focus of this story. I was surprised on how the author managed to make it pleasant and enjoyable, so don't be too personal about it.
Overall, it is a really cozy story, with a little bit of everything, I really recommend it if you're more into family-friendly content and lots of magic.
Edit: 13-04-2024
TW: I wanted to add a disclaimer regarding the non-consensual and coercive behavior towards the MMC by his supposed girlfriend. It was poorly handled and should be acknowledged by readers, including myself. Such issues should never be taken lightly or overlooked.
I take full responsibility for my initial review, as it glossed over or not fully recognized the seriousness of this, and I sincerely apologize for any oversight on my part, specially if this caused any misleading ideas regarding the story.
It's imperative to acknowledge instances of non-consensual behavior, regardless of whether they occur in fiction or reality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I am just over halfway reading this but I couldn’t wait a moment longer to let everyone know what a cracking spellbinding story this is. Even at this stage I am still glued to the book , but the old eyes are tired. There are some wonderful characters in this enchanting fantasy adventure series.. You can’t help falling in love with Lorelei. It’s such a great read. My goodness. If I thought the first half was good the second is even better. I was so engrossed in the story that I was in that limbo that readers often find themselves I.e. “ I can’t wait to finish, then I don’t want it to end”. It was certainly a rollercoaster ride that I’m glad I shared. I will definitely miss ALL the characters, but most of all Lorelei. Because , after all, I’m only human.
SYNOPSIS - A young & very human woman (Lorelai) ends up employed at a magical B&B after leaving her fiancé at the alter and running away from her mediocre life. There she is swept up in this new world she never knew existed and ends up finding trouble and new friendships along the way.
REVIEW - I really liked this series. The characters were all fun, if not a bit nonsensical at times, but it all worked well for the stories that unfolded. I absolutely have to give kudos to the author for finding a way to take you on this adventure and throw you into all these crazy scenarios that somehow, at least by the end, all serve their purpose and you get the closure you need. I also kind of need to bop the author on the head because her idea of "slow burn" is more a cat & mouse game where she gives you crumbs and then takes it away conveniently every time you finally think you're getting the good stuff. It's like extreme romance edging and I seriously hate it. Thankfully she counters that torture with phenomenal personalities and shenanigans. I love the humor (lots of breaking the fourth wall that earned their chuckles) and this series delivered it opportunely. Some of the concepts that she manages to bring into her stories almost feel wasted because of how much potential they could have (e.g. the possibilities or the meanthyme). My only other complaint would be that I wish the house had gotten a little more attention. Its little temper tantrums and responses; there were so many possibilities. All in all, I really enjoyed the ride.
I gave this series one last chance to redeem itself and none of my expectations were met. I kept waiting for confirmation that Bridgette was physically, mentally or magically coerced by her father into feeding love potions to the MMC for three years and willfully engaging in sexual intimacy while he was drugged. That never happened. We get a flashback of her mother slapping her and sending her to live with her dad but that is it. Bridgette never shows true remorse but yet she is given a redemption arc anyway with zero accountability for her past actions or character growth that isn't the bare minimum.
The FMC invites Bridgette to stay at the manor after her family's assets are seized and uses the MMC leaving to deal with everything he just learned as an excuse. I also want to point out that Bridgette broke the law too but she faces zero repercussions from her actions legally as well. Does the FMC try to hold her accountable? No. Instead she argues in favor of Bridgette when the MMC is understandably upset and feeling betrayed. The FMC reasons that he left and she was scared and Bridgette saved her once so that must make it all okay.
The last straw was the FMC snickering when she thinks of how the MMC has performance anxieties related to how he had never performed certain sexual acts before without being under the influence of a love potion. That is so freaking sickening. Imagine a man laughing at a woman for being self conscious about performing certain sexual acts because she was always drugged the previous times before. I don't know why this was even added to the book, it's not funny, it's sickening and wrong and I wish I could take away all the stars.
It's telling when a book series has more scenes of non con and dub con with OM/OW but a single description of consensual sex between the MCs is not to be seen. I'm smelling the religious trauma. Actually now that I think about it, the FMC makes a comment about another female character's romance book choices and implies she needs God. I should have taken that as the red flag it is.
If I had read this series first, I would have never picked up the Villains & Virtues series and that would have been a real pity. For all of its TWs and darker themes, the Villains & Virtue series managed to do a decent job with consent. It's ironic that this series about a freaking magical B&B ended up being the real villain.
Firstly I just want to thank A.K. Caggiano for continually writing series that I love, I need the warm fuzzies in my brain.
Things I liked:
- The world building was very good, as it always is in this author's books. Things were explained and fleshed out naturally throughout the story, without a ton of exposition.
- The magic/magical creatures were varied and fun.
- I like all of the characters. There's some tropey stuff in there, but throughout the series you get to know them all well and knowing everyone's motivations helps some characters to end up actually being likeable (Bridgette, I'm looking at you. Lorelei still should have been a little bit meaner to you). Some of them very probably should have gone to magic jail (again, Bridgette), but I understand why she's in the story and she at least has a pretty reasonable villain to okay person arc.
- Aly
- Lorelei was small, not my fave trope, but smart and pretty resourceful. I liked her as the main pov character.
- All storylines are resolved by the end of the book, and all of the resolutions are fair and plotted well.
There's nothing that I don't really like, it was just a good read throughout the series.
Well after a slow start with book one i am pleased to say that ive finished all 3 books. It took me 2 full days and im thru. I enjoyed them all. Look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks, Lori
I picked this series up on a whim dye to a Facebook as. Sounded interesting. And it was. I devoured the series. I adore Lorelei and Ziah, Ren,Conrad, and everyone. Very enjoyable
I think I've determined by now that if it's a book by A.K. Caggiano, I'm going to read it, and I am going to have a blast while doing it. I feel like she has such a distinct writing style, and I love how unafraid she is to just write something fun. When I started the first book in this series, I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect and it did seem like a lot of random stuff was happening in the book but by the end of this series I was so in love with the chaos of the story and the characters. This last book was definitely my favorite in the series, and again, there is a lot that happens over the course of the book, but it does have a conclusion to the overarching conflict in the series. I just found myself in love with the characters, and this series has one of the slowest burn romances out of any series I've read. It isn't until almost the very end of the book that Lorelei and Conrad finally get together. I have to say that I do wish they had gotten together sooner, and there are a few things in the book I wasn't the hugest fan of, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I still prefer her Throne In the Dark series over this one, but this series ended up being super fun and unlike any other book series that I've read. Reading this series definitely made me want to read all of the books this author has written, and I can't wait to see what A.K. Caggiano has instore for future works. Her books just bring me so much joy, and I really love how fun they are to read.
Instant favourite. A. K. Caggiano is honestly some kind of goddess creature, like after reading V&V I loved it so much I was like I NEED MORE, I AM OBSESSED so I literally paused my tbr to do it. I inhaled all three of these books in like four days and now I’m considering buying the paperbacks of both trilogies and all three of their spin-offs from Amazon for the trophy(book)case.
Bridgette-style Side Note: As with V&V it’s a Romantasy with Pratchett-level-humour written by a woman (and you can tell because it’s better and girls just do things better) and slow burn, but don’t expect spice because it’s not even necessary, to the point where you won’t even notice because the story itself and the characters are SO well written that it doesn’t require spice to be epic, like its not even a thing ykwim? Also I keep looking at my cat and thinking thank the gods he doesn’t have wings.
I loved this story and I didn't want it to end. It was so sweet. And I highly recommend this series. It is a great series if you would like to test out urban fantasy or paranormal romance.
Lorelie- I loved her as a lead and how she was thrown into this situations but still came out on top and while being so positive. She loves the Manor so much and her new found family.
Conrad is so broody and so lovable. I loved his protectiveness of Lorelie. He cares so much about everything (yep, I'm being vague) and he pours himself into everything he does.
The side characters were amazing. Each one had a special role and were amazing to read. Bridgette was so fun to read. And I loved Jax and Rob. Ziah- her confidence. Ren- his guidance. Hanna- her optimism and cheer. Grier - his loyalty.
Can I somehow get my own Aly? Because I really really want one.
I love how everything is connected and came full circle and was wrapped up in nice little bows at the end. All my burning questions were answered. Some tears were shred. But I loved the ending.
Oh, man. I am not ready to say goodbye. Luckily, in most of Caggiano's books there are hints and easter eggs of her other books. I especially loved it when one of the books that one of the characters picks up to read the blurb was very similar to The Association. LOVED spotting the easter eggs and hidden gems of the Caggianoverse (yep, it's a thing now).
I read the blurbed on the first book in the the series and thought “what the heck, let’s give it a go” And I got sucked in and lost my weekend.
I summary the series is about a woman- a human- getting placed in the magical world, surviving and finding love.
But it’s more then that- finding love of the people she met and the place she found. The characters are truly relatable and you get drawn in. I laughed. I was worried, relieved, etc- Al the feels. The world building is clever- so much is happening and the magic rules are different then typical witch novels. It’s is explained well so you don’t get lost. I truly enjoyed this series and was sad that it ended.
This is such a fun delightful fantastical series. These characters are so cozy and quirky. I really just love all of them, including the sentient manor. I did think as the final book it dragged a bit, and the secret human aspect was a bit drawn out. I did wish for a little more romance focus based around Conrad and Lore. I just loved their dynamic. But otherwise I enjoyed per usual. I just really love Caggiano’s writing. And Quay is lovely to listen too. I definitely recommend this series for entertainment, especially the audio version.
Absolutely ZERO spice, which was devastating, but it was cute and I enjoyed it all the same.
My only complaints are the things I usually complain about with this author: bad commas, synonym swaps (role/roll was a standout), and a plot that keeps me too enthralled to care about the editing misses.
This was such a beautifully executed ending to the series. It's incredible that the books got even better as you progressed through the series. I loved how things were revealed to us and connected to events in the first two books. I really enjoyed the villains and virtues series, and surprised myself by liking this one even more. I can't recommend this series enough.
A.K. Caggiano is the queen of dialogue. These books are very conversation heavy but everything felt so organic. The love between each of the characters felt so real. I am distraught that there’s no more books in this series? 😂😭
The most whimsical, wonderful, cozy fantasy books I’ve ever read. Will be reading everything A.K. writes from now until forever 💕
Yes! This book did bring me joy. I have been reading some great books but this one is the first one in a long time I wanted to leave a place so I could go home and just read.
Thank you for writing it. Please let us hear more from Loralie.
I am not ready to be done with this series. The last book had me locked reading as quickly as I could. As always, Caggiano wraps everything up beautifully, but I am so in love with these characters I need to know more. Maybe one day there will be more.
Sooo this was a little longer than I think it needed be. There’s so little of Conrad and Lore and yeah, its a slow burn, but this was the final book so it shouldn’t have take them so long.
The story felt a little unfinished for me (for such a big book) but I liked the series.
Lovely finish. This was a very cosy series. I preferred it over villains and virtues for cosy value and definitely no steam lol. It did meander a bit and the final showdown for Lorelei's "truth" was a bit obvious as oblivious as she was but overall very nice
I read these 3 books all at once so it is hard to separate them in my mind. I felt there were some slower parts when I wanted more action and I no feelings (positive or negative) about the love interest. Hes just kinda there to take up the space. Other than that I enjoyed these books! Now to read everything Caggiano has ever written!
The ending of this series was satisfying. I enjoyed this last book the most out of the three. There was lots of action and more supernatural occurrences. Lorelie and Conrad finally make progress. Most of the characters have satisfying conclusions to their stories. The whole plot does satisfactorily come to completion. I was somewhat annoyed that Bridgette is just sort of forgiven when the things she did were so bad. It's fine not to hold a grudge, but it was too quick for me. I needed more processing time. The entire series was enjoyable but I don't know if I will ever re-read.