Oscar Wilde said ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.’, and this kind of feels the case a little in this book, though mediocrity might be a bit unfair but this book owes so much to Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree that it feels slightly impossible to view it purely on its own worth. It also suffers, and this is probably not the authors fault, as a marketer myself I 100% believe this may have come from the marketing department – but it is wrongly described as a cozy fantasy. While the stakes are relatively low, they are higher than what one might expect from a cozy fantasy novel.
Whilst I enjoyed following Reyna and Kianthe as they embarked on a new life together in a charming, close-knit village, far from their former obligations. It was impossible not to compare it to Legends and Lattes and I just didn’t find their personalities as well created or compelling. Their journey to finally be together, while not without its risks, was fun and I liked watching the two women forge friendships and bring people together as they settled into their new home. I found that some of the risks that they encountered took me out of the cozy vibe I was expecting.
I feel that had I read this before Legends and Lattes I might have enjoyed it more, though whilst the characters were pleasant none of them dragged me in. I didn’t find I was rooting for the happily ever after. I listened to the audiobook of this and have to say I felt Jessica Threet was a good narrator and supplied different voices for the characters which were recognisable without feeling they were OTT. It may seem this is a negative review but it’s not that it was bad., it just didn’t grab me, and I can see that it might well grab others, it’s certainly not badly written rather badly sold as cozy fantasy and if you go in expecting that you might find that you are more disappointed than the book deserves. Scenes set in a book shop or coffee/tea shop are not enough to make something cozy, it’s about the rest of the story, the stakes and the vibe, and this is the bit that didn’t fit for me. If you enjoyed Legends and Lattes you might enjoy this but you also might, like me, find it impossible to compare the two, though that could just be my failing. If you enjoy the genre it’s worth a look, though not sure I will look out for the second book as I’m not sure it’s for me!