Archive | October, 2025

Charming Romances: Seas and Greetings & The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

29 Oct

Seas and Greetings
by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
Seas and Greetings is part of the Christmas Notch in July Novella series, a spin off from Murphy and Simone’s holiday series, that takes place during the Summer Months and features romance for some of the secondary characters in the main line novel. I had previously reviewed their first book, A Merry Little Meet Cute. Addison Hayes is a former singer/child star who dreams of business success; the first step is a cruise featuring a Twilight Musical. Addison hires a former stunt woman, Krysta Morton to be her body guard on board. At first things seem a bit chilly on Krysta’s side, but they soon heat up on the tropical cruise. Addison is keeping a secret about a stalker though and time is ticking down for her to come clean to Krysta before it kills her budding relationship and possibly her. A lot is packed into this short piece that is only a little over 100 pages; perfect for someone looking for some spicy fun without a huge time commitment.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
by Sangu Mandanna
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is the sweet cozy fantasy romance we picked for our October, annual Halloween read, for our Hoboken Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion. Mika Moon is an orphan like all witches. She has stuck to the rules her foster mom, another powerful witch, has taught her over the years which has been to keep to herself and only rarely spend time with other witches. But what she thinks will be a harmless online videos of “pretending” to be a witch draws the attention of a found family with three young witches desperately in need of a magical tutor; her lonely life might finally be over, especially if she can thaw the heart of the young witches’ father figure, a grumpy librarian, with his own secrets. This a book satisfying from beginning to end and should be a hit with fans of TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. You can also check out Mandanna’s latest novel A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping. Next month the group will be reading Vaishnavi Patel’s Kaikeyi.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager


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New Urban Fantasies Perfect for Halloween: Slayers of Old and The Devil She Knows

22 Oct

Slayers of Old
by Jim C. Hines
What happens if “chosen ones” don’t die young, but live to Old Age? Hines has created a funny, charming fantasy that follows three retired heroes who open a bookshop and gift store in Salem, MA only to find that something unexpected is lurking in town. Temple is an aging wizard who derives power from his family’s ancestral home. Jenny is a former slayer in the Buffy vain, who got fed up with being used and decided to chose a different path for herself. Anette is a former PI, half succubus/half human grandmother. The three represent standard urban fantasy tropes, but with hot flashes and c-pap machines. I think it is nice to see a trend where fantasy focuses on the older generation entering the next life phase now as well as young adults, just beginning their journeys. I’ve read several high fantasy books with this focus, but it was enjoyable to see an urban fantasy spin. Slayers of Old will be a fun read for any generation, but if you’re middle age or older it will especially hit hard. You can listen to a variety of Hine’s other works on Hoopla as digital audiobooks.

The Devil She Knows
by Alexandria Bellefleur
When Samantha Cooper’s girlfriend, Hannah, rejects her proposal, she is both dumped and left homeless; it seems like things couldn’t get any worse. Then Samantha is accosted by Daphne, a beautiful blond with a penchant for pink, in an elevator with a devil’s bargain to get Hannah back. She can have 6 wishes if she just signs over her soul. It is a deal that Samantha should, but of course doesn’t refuse. The twists lead to some funny and also disastrous results for Samantha who must come to terms with whether Hannah was truly her soulmate and if a nightmare demon might actually be her dream girl. The Devil She Knows is a fun romantic romp that also is a good read for those in the process of breaking up with it’s focus on evaluation of one’s own self-worth and finding a love who can appreciate a person for who they truly are. I also enjoyed and would recommend Bellefleur’s debut novel Written in the Stars, a 2021 Lambda Literary Award Winner, which is available from Hoopla along with her other previous novels in ebook and audiobook.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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