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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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Villains Re-imagined: How to Survive a Fairy Bargain and Kaikeyi

15 Oct

How to Survive a Fairy Bargain
by Laura J. Mayo
How to Survive a Fairy Bargain is the second in the Laura J. Mayo’s Fairies and Familiars series. The first novel, How to Summon a Fairy Godmother, used the story of Cinderella as a springboard which cleverly painted one of the ugly stepsisters, Theodosia, as not being the villain that she was portrayed in the original and the fairy godmother as not being quite as altruistic. This story continues Theo’s adventures and looks more at the world of fairies and their familiars (human servants who each also have an animal form and limited magic). I love that Theo’s form is an adorable hedgehog and that this novel gives a stepsister her own HEA story. Theo has begun trying to settle in to her new life and learning what it means to be a familiar to Cecily when a new adventure begins. There is a bit of romance and an intriguing plot about a missing fairy princesses and an ages old assassination added in to the mix. If you are a fan of stories that build on the lives of side characters then you will want to dive into the intriguing world Mayo has created. Also I have to say the covers for this series are some of my favorites; you might not always be able to judge a book by a cover, but these clever art nouveau-esque covers hold an equally enchanting story.

Kaikeyi
by Vaishnavi Patel
Kaikeyi is a feminist retelling of a the story of a well-known villain from India who in the Ramayana had banished the hero Rama for ten years to the forest. In the novel which focuses on the time before Rama’s banishment, Kaikeyi is seen as a courageous woman who sought to prevent needless blood shed due to war and championed the women of the kingdom. Unlike with Cinderella, I was not familiar with Kaikeyi’s story so I had to do a bit of research to find out how the novel diverged from the original material, a main change is that Kaikeyi has the power to see threads that connect her to other people, which helps her influence them, unlike in the original where her gift is to have a strong iron hand. Besides the main story, sprinkled throughout are other interesting folk-stories from India that Kaikeyi recounts. Whether you are new to Kaikeyi’s story or are looking for a feminist take on a classic you grew up with, Kaikeyi is a fascinating tale of a tragic woman. This is our November pick for Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club, if it sounds interesting to you, please join us for a great discussion.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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