Book: The Little Shop of Gentle Magics: A witchy cozy fantasy set in a magical Scottish teashop by Jessica Rosenberg
Reviewed by Michelle March
Rating: 4/5
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.
Craving something that makes you feel light and fluffy the way you do after watching a heartwarming Hallmark movie?
If so, this book is for you!
The description had me at “cozy teashop in a tiny Scottish town.” Match that with the word “magic” in the title, and I knew this had to be my pick for my first NetGalley book review.
I didn’t expect my “spooky” read to be so endearing, nor did I expect how much I would relate to our FMC Meg as she finds herself at a crossroads in her life after a nasty divorce.
When Meg MacIntosh decides to take a second chance on love with our MC Art and his darling children, Viv and Merry, I could feel the slightly rocky path ahead. After all, he'd crashed her plans of being happily single and making a life of her own.
But with the help of her ghostly grandmother and the adorable locals who help her navigate this journey, she finds that sometimes the rocky path is the best path.
As I followed her journey, I knew the author put a lot of their heart on the page.
In fiction, I don't think I've seen characters who were so vulnerable with themselves and with each other.
The magic I experienced while reading this book wasn't just supernatural. It was in the relationships themselves.
I want to go on and on about how much I heard myself in Meg's inner dialogue, but the author's words will be better than mine. Here are some of my favorite quotes.
“I was done shielding the men in my life from parts of me they might not like. What was the point of a life with someone who couldn’t embrace all of me?”
“Better to be unapologetically myself on my own than a fragment of what I could be with someone by my side.”
“You can’t constantly censor yourself to spare my feelings without hiding huge chunks of yourself from me.”
So, for any woman who has ever had to start over or felt she had to sacrifice pieces of herself for a relationship, this new little family provides a dose of healing tea, if you will, for the heart.
I really enjoyed this book, and if the author decides to continue their story, I will gladly follow.