Emily Henry, Funny Story
Daphne moves to the small lakeside town of Waning Bay, Michigan, to be with her fiancé, Peter. So when Peter dumps her for his longtime best friend, Petra, Daphne feels rootless and doesn’t know what to do. In the meantime, she’s living in the spare room of Miles, Petra’s ex, and plotting her escape from Waning Bay. Daphne and Miles have nothing in common—aside from being treated badly by their exes—but as they spend more time together, they forge a surprising connection. I’m a fan of Emily Henry’s writing and enjoyed this book, though Miles wasn’t particularly appealing to me in the beginning. He’s a chaotic free spirit, while Daphne is more structured and buttoned-up, so they had a fun opposites-attract dynamic. Overall, though, I find myself a bit lukewarm on this one; I did enjoy it, but I’m not particularly enthusiastic about it. Glad I got it from the library instead of purchasing.
Carol Berg, The Spirit Lens
Portier de Savin-Duplais has always longed to become a sorcerer, but despite several years of study at the Collegia Magica, he can’t actually do any magic and is living a vaguely dissatisfied life as the Collegia’s librarian. Opportunity knocks, however, when his distant cousin, the king of Sabria, entrusts him with a special mission. Someone recently tried to assassinate the king using very dark (and very illegal) magic, and Portier—along with foppish courtier Ilario and mysterious mage Dante—must discover who’s responsible before the would-be assassin strikes again. This book is an interesting mixture of fantasy and mystery with a hint of buddy comedy, but I think it focuses a little too much on the mystery; Portier’s investigation moves slowly and feels like a dull police procedural at times. By contrast, the fantasy world gets short shrift (though I enjoyed the quasi-Renaissance vibes), and I found some magical aspects of the plot confusing. I do really like the main characters, though, and will certainly continue with the trilogy since I own the remaining books.
India Holton, The League of Gentlewomen Witches
Charlotte Pettifer is an exceedingly proper young Victorian lady, and also a witch who’s destined to become the head of the Wickan League. So when an amulet belonging to Black Beryl, the league’s founder, is discovered, Charlotte knows she must steal it. Unfortunately, those vulgar pirates of the Wisteria Society are also after the amulet—not to mention the infuriatingly handsome Captain Alex O’Riley. When circumstances throw Charlotte and Alex together in their quest for the amulet, they quickly give in to their mutual attraction; but since pirates and witches are mortal enemies, obviously they can’t fall in love. Like its predecessor, this book is a fun pseudo-historical romp, and the plentiful Austen references are a fun bonus. This installment focuses a lot on the romance, which I’d have been fine with except that it feels very similar to the romance in the first book. Still, if you liked book #1, you’ll like this one too—and the peek at the hero and heroine of book #3 has me intrigued to complete the series!