Published By: Titan Books
Pages: 384
Released On: 03/02/2026
Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, if mundane, life in small-town Alabama with her pet cockatoo, Doris. But when her estranged grandmother dies, leaving everything to her—including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried—she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear never to set foot in. When she plans to turn the defunct video store she’s also inherited into a bookstore, Rhea’s lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help—and more than easy on the eyes. It’s just too bad he’s the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn rival in witchcraft.
Yet as Rhea makes plans for the bookstore of her dreams, she learns that her grandmother made a terrible choice, one that could ruin her own chance at happiness. As she gets ever closer to solving the mystery of what exactly is happening, each clue points to Arcadia Falls’ magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright and harness her newfound powers… before it’s too late.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This sounded so like my kind of book and I was drawn in by the cover.
It is her debut novel under the name Isla Jewell, Delilah S Dawson, but I haven’t read any and so I had no expectations going into this.
It reminded me a bit of Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbour series but with more magic, it has that small town kind of vibe, romance, all in a feel-good, fun story.
I had read a few disappointing books before this and I was so desperate for something to enjoy, and this nearly hit the mark. Okay, so it’s not the best written book, it’s not the prize-winning literary type, but I didn’t really care. It is fun, funny, and adventurous, and magical and I really enjoyed it. It was a bit of light relief and I zoomed through it, although it wasn’t without its flaws.
It is a bit repetitive and gets bogged down in the middle which makes it quite sluggish, but overall it’s very easy and quick to read.
I was on the fence when it comes to Rhea. She annoyed me to begin with but for reasons I can’t quite specify. I did enjoy her journey of self-discovery and self-confidence, but she felt a bit whiny at times. Hunter is our second protagonist and he is a predictable, traditional love interest who was very one dimensional. I can’t explain it but it was like he was written as a caricature of what a love interest in a small town should be, but without the heart and depth it needed. The bird is also a main character and she is sooooooo irritating. I think she is meant to be this cute, funny sidekick but I could have done without her.
The main issue I had is that it’s very frivolous and light-hearted and fun, but it takes itself too seriously and so it jars somewhat.
It is very cliché, very predictable, small-town-romance, and that’s fine if that’s what you want. If you just want fun and kitsch with no real concentration needed then this is for you, but don’t expect anything overly deep.
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