Magically Delicious

Sarim Prince #1

by Jaylee Austin

They’re caught between the fates of two worlds—and saving both realms may mean losing each other.

Moira Naesatra has never felt like her fighting skills are up to par with the rest of her fae clan. Maybe that’s why she runs a bakery in Pasadena, where human customers buy her mouth-watering confections… and receive a dose of positive magic as a bonus. When a dangerous side of her magic surfaces in dreams and premonitions, she has to rely on the angel Uriel to help her find and protect the source of sacred magic for her people.

Even though Moira has never felt drawn to anyone like she is to Uriel, his vast knowledge is unnerving, particularly when it comes to her past and the magical abilities she has yet to unlock. Moira doesn’t know if she can trust him with her heart when they’re on such uneven ground. For now, she has no choice.

Cursed by his celestial father to lose his soul mate centuries ago, Uriel Connor serves as a human lawyer and as a heavenly arbiter between Eden and Hell. He thought he would be alone forever—until he meets Moira, an unwittingly seductive fae whose magic is more powerful than she can know. Moira is the key to possessing a stone sacred to the angels, and Uriel knows he must reclaim this relic from the sidhe, even if it seals their fate.

As they close in on the fairy grimoires Moira seeks, Uriel is torn between his desire to claim Moira and his duty to the otherworld realms. No matter what he chooses, the cost of preventing catastrophe will be higher than either one of them can bear…



MAGICALLY DELICIOUS is a steamy paranormal romance where high stakes, Norse mythology, and magic combine to shape the destiny of the human world.

Genres: Paranormal

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2020

About the author

In a whimsical corner of the universe that echoes the enchanting realms of Wonderland, Jaylee Austin weaves tales that dance between the ethereal and the imaginative. Enthralled by mythology from every dimension—be it the enchanting Celtic goddesses, the vast treks through the nine worlds of the Nordic realms, or the ancient whispers of the Sumerian gods—she crafts modern romantic worlds that shimmer with magical realism.

Her desk, a canvas of creativity, is often interrupted by the playful pounces of her two adorable companions, but none more so than Tilly, her clever pug. A true companion on her literary adventures, Tilly offers sage wisdom as they both ponder the mysterious questions that tug at the hearts of readers.

With a spirited background as a retired high school English and Theater teacher, Jaylee brought wit and warmth to the classroom, inspiring countless students to embrace their own creativity during National Writing Month. Through her enchanting stories, Jaylee invites readers to leap into alternate realities where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and every page is a step further down the rabbit hole.

Reviews

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. This author really knows how to create a world that you can really find yourself getting lost in. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

[Reya (Uncountable Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating:

Story- 3.5 out of 5

Characters- 3.5 out of 5

Writing Style- 2 out of 5

Satisfying Ending- 2.5 out of 5

Performance- 3 out of 5

Overall- 3 out of 5

Format: Audiobook

A Sarim Angle Prince + Sweet and sassy baker with a hidden side = A destiny written in stone.

Plot and World-Building: Magically Delicious is a dual first-person point of view paranormal romance about two individuals overcome a curse and find love to save the earth. While there is a focus on Nordic mythology throughout the story, Jaylee Austin also includes multiple panthea within this universe. As someone with a fascination with and has spent the last three years learning about various myths, I was excited to read about a world in which they coexist. Eventually, though, it became difficult to keep track of everything going on in the story while also trying to remember the characters, their pantheon, and their relations. So I just stopped trying and figured if it were significant, it would be mentioned again. Another issue I found with the use of the multiple panthea was the way some of the terms were used with little to no definition.

Characters: The characters were interesting, but they didn’t resonate with me. During the climax, I didn’t feel the tension of worry or fear for the characters as they fought against the antagonists. I also was entirely on board with the romance between the pair. (I’ve tried writing this without spoilers and failed twice, so instead, I’m just going to tell you what I felt regarding the romance in the book.) Honestly, it felt flat, almost like the romance was there because the plot needed it, and if destiny didn’t say that they needed to join romantically to save the earth, then it probably wouldn’t have happened. The secondary characters were interesting, and a few were memorable, like Brigit and Luc. Still, there were times in the story where the secondary characters would pop back into the story with little to no introduction.

Writing: The book was just generally confusing; I wasn’t sure what was happening when, where, how, or why. In some instances, it felt like things were important because we’re told that it is important. I really wanted to know more about the purpose of the things they do and why it had to be done that way and everything else that came to the magical and supernatural part of this story. What I really didn’t need was an entire chapter of Moira baking and cooking diner for Uriel, followed by the actual dinner where they discuss things that have already happened in the story that the reader knows about. Maybe I’m just annoyed because the chapter came after a more momentous and interesting scene and did very little for me in regards to propelling the story forward.

Ending: The ending was satisfying but was foreordained.

Audio Performance: While the narrator has a pleasing voice the narration is probably one of my least favorite things about this book for three reasons 1) almost everything was read dramatically 2) it wasn’t always clear whose point of view I was reading from 3) at one point all the characters just kind of blended together. I feel like this book would have worked better if it was narrated by a woman and a man due to the multitude of character seen throughout the story.

Throughout the story, I balanced on a line of whether I wanted to know more or if I wanted to know less, and even as I write this review, I still don’t know.

Would I recommend this book? Unfortunately, no, that being said, I would more than likely read another book from Jaylee Austin.

[Storied Conversation · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so much. I hadn’t read a good paranormal romance in a while and I felt like this one could be it. However, there was a lot going on here. To the point that I kept having to go back because I thought I missed something at times.

The world creation was great but for me personally I would have liked a little less information. As always that doesn’t mean that this won’t be the book for you. I always suggest that y’all give it a try. You just never know.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This review was originally posted on Storied Conversation

[wonderfullyweird88 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb for this book sounded great but the story itself is overly complicated and hard to follow. While the blurb specifies Nordic Mythology there is heavy reference to Greek, Irish and Christian mythology. I just couldn't keep it all straight.

I don't like when dual POV is done in first person. It can be very hard to follow who's POV it is and when the story is already complicated it just leaves me frustrated.

I read to escape and this book just had me lost. It's a miss for me.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really wanted to like this. This is the start of a new series about all kinds of magical characters. You have Angels, demons, gods and goddesses. My major problem with this was I felt like a needed a dictionary. The author throughs out all kinds of terms and it makes it super hard to follow at times. It had a decent story just was not in love it with it.

[LiteratiGlitterati · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another DNF. Overwritten, waaaaaayyyy too many things crammed in at once, just name dropping and info dumping at every turn, literally there was one page where every sentence was a new person referenced in passing with seemingly no connection to the actual scene at hand — and the info dumping wasn’t even explaining any of the info??? Also the word “bonking” was unnecessarily and not comedically used to refer to sex — gross, no thank you.

[Elisha Noe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hard to follow at times. The love story of Moira and Uriel was strong, interesting, and kept me reading. However, the action and story surrounding it was hard to follow at times. The character names and places were difficult. Some of the action seemed sudden, and I tended to get lost from time to time.

[Aisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited by the premise of this story, however it didn't deliver in the way that I'd hoped. I think there was a lot of potential here, however I think the editing needs to be tightened up and potentially some chapters reworked as some parts felt under developed.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed the world the story was set in, but it was a little slow to start. But I stuck with it and Moira is an interesting character. I like that she works in a bakery and what her treats and creations do for the humans that come in to eat them. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next in this series.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it.
This is a DNF for me, I stopped at 8%. I couldn't get into the story, it was so confusing. Name and information dropping at times where it wasn't necessary.
There were sentences with missing words, typos...
Unfortunately, the story was unreadable.

[The TBR Pile *Book review site* · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters were really well rounded. I liked both Uriel and Moira. Their romantic chemistry and the way they fight the attraction was entertaining. I think this story had so much potential but it needs a strict editor to really tighten things up.

[Mik Wasiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion.
It a good book with a story it’s Slow burn magic romance the felt a little too slow but was a interesting read