Review: Of Owls and Oolong (Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances, Book One) by Shari L. Tapscott

Rating: 3.5⭐️

Of Owls and Oolong, the first in the Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances series by Shari L. Tapscott, is an enjoyable fantasy tale. Tapscott’s story encapsulates everything from cozy mysteries, fantastical creatures and mythical places, to slow burn romances with elements of magic and darkness.

I be honest, I don’t understand book descriptions that I feel misrepresent the story. Nothing about this story reads “rom-com”. Sad, poignant, hopeful, and new beginnings. But rom-com? I don’t see it.

Kit is a summer Pixie who inherited her great aunt’s old cottage and tea shop in a magical tourist town across the country from her home and family in Washington state.

Moss Hollow, Vermont caters to the human tourist industry while hiding the fact that it’s a paranormal community that exists along side them. No cars inside the township, just carriages and buggies pulled by animals. Part of the charm during the many festivals.

The author builds a believable small town dynamic with all the various kinds of shops and shopkeepers of differing species, each with their own backstories.

It’s Kit, Rowan the Owl who’s not an owl she inherits along with the house and shop, along with Ash, her reserved neighbor and Council member, that’s the most of the main focus here.

I appreciate the world building, and the way Tapscott wove some of the darker elements of Kit’s background into the story. But that also works against it as well, because it’s so tragic and threatening that to have that aspect of the story be a part of the bigger plot at this point feels like it doesn’t have any foundation laid out for it.

The relationships between Kit and Ash, or Kit and Rowen aren’t really there yet. It’s a beginning but not established. So the ending feels rushed.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of the characters and series to see how the author develops them.

No spice, mystery, and fantasy.

Entertaining and very enjoyable.

Love that cover!

Cover Design by Covers by Juan

Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances:

Of Owls and Oolong #1

Of Pixies and Pekoe #2 – Jan 2,2026

Buy link

Book 1 of 2: Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances

Blurb

The author of A Vampire’s Guide to Gardening and Obsidian Queen brings you a lighthearted fantasy full of humor and romance, set in a cozy contemporary fae town. Welcome to Moss Hollow.

There are three things you need to know about my great aunt—she’s eccentric, she’s rich, and she’s dead. No, make that four things. She also named me as the sole beneficiary of her fortune. There are, however, a few stipulations.

1. I must move into her cottage in Moss Hollow, Vermont—a magical community that values tradition and tourists.

2. I must keep her beloved tea shop open and running for at least three years.

3. I must take care of her tiny owl, a prickly creature by the name of Rowan. He’s moody, opinionated, and he used to be a mage.

He doesn’t like me, he doesn’t like my dog, and he really doesn’t like the handsome fae councilman who starts hanging around as soon as I arrive in town.

But for a small fortune, Rowan and I are going to learn to coexist long enough for me to figure out how to turn him back into his normal self with my “cute and worthless” pixie magic—preferably before he ruins my dating life or drives me insane.

Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances is a rom-com style contemporary fantasy. The perfect lighthearted escape, this story is sure to delight readers who enjoy cozy magic and humor.

The books in this series feature smoldering-but-sweet, closed-door romance. (Passionate kisses and some innuendo, but no spicy scenes.)

Publication date: August 22, 2025
Language: English
Print length: 270 pages
Book 1 of 2: Owls, Tea Shops, and Other Magical Nuisances

Review: THE SNOW QUEEN: THE COMPLETE SAGA by K. M. Shea

Rating: 4.5✨⭐️

I love being able to read completely through an entire series without stopping, binging to my heart’s content, in these series collections.

K.M. Shea is a must read author for me, especially any series in her Magiford Supernatural City Universe. Those are favorites of mine.

The Snow Queen is a wonderful series, one that is considered YA in its appeal and approach to storytelling. It’s sweeping, epic fantasy reading, the heroine is a magical snow princess who’s been locked away in a tower for most of her life, regarded as a monster simply because of her powers.

Yet, she finds a way to forgive, learn to accept and love her people as well as her powers. And she ends up saving them all. While fighting and finding a HEA love.

No spice. A kiss on the cheek or forehead. Terrific battle scenes with magical powers. It’s also found family and an absolutely wonderful enemies to lovers innocent relationship.

As an adult, it’s harder for me to accept the premise that the years of isolation and lack of contact, let alone the constant abuse and hostility didn’t make more of a emotional impact on her. That seems unlikely.

But as YA fantasy fiction? Its great because Shea doesn’t craft a character that’s one dimensional. She’s lacking in the ability to read social interactions and is reserved around others. That gives her credibility. And makes her relatable.

There’s times when I wish it read less “told to” and more direct interactions. But it’s a wonderful story and I read it right through.

A younger reader will be captivated. And it’s a great introduction to this marvelous writer. A real winner.

Contains the following stories:

👁️‍🗨️Heart of Ice

👁️‍🗨️Sacrifice

👁️‍🗨️Snowflakes: A collection of Snow Queen short stories

Cover Art by Deranged Doctor Design

Buy link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Snow Queen: The Complete Saga: Books 1-3: Heart of Ice, Sacrifice, Snowflakes eBook

Blurb

Rakel is a princess who should have been queen.

Instead, as a despised magic user she has spent most of her life exiled on a barren mountain, alone in her ice-castle. But her empty life is shattered when an army of magic users invades her home country, bringing cruelty and darkness in their wake.

Rakel refuses to watch as the people who’ve scorned her are attacked, imprisoned, and even killed by the invading army. Swallowing her fear, she joins forces with her jailers and uses her magic in a way she never anticipated: on the battlefield.

But one of the invading colonels is different.

When enemy Colonel Farrin Graydim meets Rakel he is immediately intrigued by her. Her harsh rejection of an offer to join their cause only deepens his interest. He admires her unflinching strength, but his bloody past makes him utterly unworthy to stand beside the purity of her ice and snow.

Can Rakel defeat the invasion and free not only her people, but Farrin as well? For if her magic cannot defend her homeland, all is lost.

THE SNOW QUEEN series is an Epic Fantasy Romance filled with magic, unexpected friendships, and fights for survival. If you love strong female leads, captivating magic, and humorous stories, you’ll love The Snow Queen series. Buy the complete series today in this special collection!

Publication date: November 18, 2018
Language: English
Print length: 660 pages
Grade level: 7 – 12
Reading age: 13 – 18 years

An Aurora YA Review: Of Dreams of Fire and Gods – Gods by James Erich –

Rating: I give this book 5 out of 5 stars:

A Harmony Ink YA Novel

Dreams of Fire and Gods: Book Three

Long ago, two factions of gods, the Stronni and the Taaweh, nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Dasak in a great war. The Taaweh vanished when their queen was imprisoned, and the Stronni declared victory. A thousand years later, a young nobleman named Sael and his lover Koreh have rescued the Taaweh queen. In the process Koreh was killed, and now an injured Sael struggles to heal from both injuries and grief. Unknown to him, Koreh embarks on a journey across the land of the dead, trying to make his way back to Sael—and to life. But time moves differently in the underworld, and decades pass while Koreh travels.

In the living world, tensions between the emperor and Sael’s father, Vek Worlen, who is regent of the eastern kingdom, have soured beyond repair. Worlen conspires with the assassin Donegh to break into the imperial palace and challenge the emperor to a duel to the death. But the goddess Imen has chosen a young priest named Gonim as her champion. Through him she discovers the Taaweh have returned, and her enraged king threatens to destroy Dasak and all its human inhabitants. Sael must save his world, must confront the gods and persuade them not to destroy humankind. But it seems hopeless. If only Koreh were at his side…

First, I would like to say that I loved this book! Often times, epic books aren’t exactly my cup of tea, and I tend to prefer shorter, more modern-fantasy type stories, but I had an amazing time reading this book, regardless. The only difference between this book and any of my favorite books was that it took me a little while longer to read, but once I’d finished it, and as I was reading it, it was a great experience.

There was great depiction of bigger things while still keeping the characters and problems ‘real’, which is what I loved so much about it and what kept me interested. The author also did a great job of keeping things from getting too confusing while still being on a big scale. I know that this book is one of a series and I haven’t read the others so there are probably some things that I didn’t necessarily appreciate that I could have, but even only reading this book out of them all, I didn’t find myself ever scratching my head and being drawn out of the story.

I would definitely read this again, and I plan to read the rest of the series, and I would recommend it even to people like me who usually reach for shorter books, because it is worth it.

Cover Artist: James Erich. I think this cover is beautiful, and it’s one of the few times I would actually probably favor a photo-edited cover over the exact same premise, but drawn, because it just seems more realistic, and is able to have more details. Because it’s simple, I think it works really well.

Sales Links: Harmony Ink Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published October 17th 2013 by Harmony Ink Press (first published October 16th 2013)
ISBN 1627983783 (ISBN13: 9781627983785)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
seriesDreams of Fire and Gods #3

Books in the series include:

Dreams (Dreams of Fire and Gods, #1)
Fire (Dreams of Fire and Gods, #2)
Gods (Dreams of Fire and Gods, #3)

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