"People shouldn’t take on something to love and expect it to be convenient for them. You have to meet a living creature where they are, and love them for who they are, not who you want them to be."

A++ for healthy and mature communication (after initial meet cute disaster bickering) and great care and kindness. Characters inspired by Benedick and Beatrice of sharp-witted, sharp-tongued Shakespeare fame are always a good idea in my book — bring on the banter that develops into a more in-depth understanding! And fake dating to get revenge on meddlesome friends is the BEST reason for fake dating. Especially in a close-knit group of meddlesome, competitive, regular-game-night, Friendsgiving kind of friends. 

I've been loving the inclusive, contemporary, Millennial-made Witches of Thistle Grove series and was both eager to return to this southern Illinois town and slightly dreading this story. Because Blackmoores. Have we not learned to dislike them? And Nina Blackmoore, the uptight, sharklike attorney of the family? Blech. So, yeah, the Blackmoores aren't a great group, but I actually kind of love what Lana Harper did here — changes are afoot in Thistle Grove as a community as a new generation steps into love and leadership. Huzzah! 

Nina IS an uptight, sharklike attorney, but we get to meet her in context — in a controlling and toxic family, as a supportive sister, struggling with her conscience over what she owes her family and community and trying her best to be an authentic and giving best friend, and after a brutal romantic breakup that has shaken her confidence and sense of self. 

At the encouragement slash well-meaning coercion of her best friend, Nina takes a shot at a fling to help her regain some confidence. Morty has entered the chat. I had to be convinced to give Nina a chance, but I was all in for Morty, a colorful but somewhat mysterious bar owner we've met in previous books. Morty does not disappoint. (Except I wish we could've had more of them in the story.) Opposites may attract, and there's no denying the immediate connection here, but opposites are just as likely to crash and burn when they're on opposite sides of a family/business feud. First date disaster. That initial spark doesn't go away, however. When it becomes a magical bond (for reasons), complete with an empathetic connection, things get a little more complicated (and steamy, in a hot, magically enhanced way). Nina's personal journey, the fate of the town's magic, her relationship with Morty — it's all tangled up. To untangle it, Nina has to look deeply into town lore and deeply into herself. 

Nina and Morty are a fun couple to root for, and I really liked the expanded understanding of the Thistle Grove founders, the magic system, the modern community, and the future direction, There's a good amount of pop culture talk and banter. I'd consider this a good fit for new adult readers, with upper YA and adult appeal.       

Believe it or not, fellow book lovers, but owning a bookstore isn't everyone's dream [cough: Drew] and some people don't even like to read [gasp! Drew!]. With more than a little grief and stubbornness, family drama, career angst, and meddling elders, Drew Young is stuck in a story she never wanted to pick up but can't in good conscience put down. She has a great supportive friend and bookstore help, but she's still feeling stuck and hopeless. Enter hot, swoony romance author Jasper Williams. Can his outlook on life and sizzling romantic attention help Drew get out of her head and into the story she deserves? Can her enthusiastic love for her Colorado mountain town and a life lived outside of books inspire and ground him beyond the scope of his next manuscript? Romance readers know the answers: yes and yes. But not without some third act drama and plot twists along the way.

What sets this love story apart? A beautiful Colorado area that is explored rather than just used as set dressing, a main character who is allowed to be real and complex, fun pop culture references and banter, an incorrigible group of meddling old aunties, spot-on behind-the-scenes bookstore details, steamy chemistry with a sweet-hearted man, and the satisfying awakening of the joy of reading in a self-proclaimed book hater.