Book: Smoke, Mirrors, & Misdemeanours by Enola M. Douglas
Reviewed by Suzy Wickedly Good Reads
Rating: 4/5
Enola Douglas is a new-to-me author, and I so enjoyed this story! This was such a sweet, cozy romantasy filled with magic, found family, and two genuinely good people who are willing to fight for the people they care about.
Cassia is a kitchen witch who owns a bakery and helps manage an orphanage that has become home to a group of children she absolutely adores. When she learns the property is at risk of being sold and the children could potentially be split up, Cassia is ready to roll up her sleeves and fight to keep their little family together. While trying to persuade the owner to reconsider the sale, she crosses paths with Ark.
Ark is immediately impressed by Cassia's determination, and it turns out he has a problem of his own. His prestigious family is pressuring him to marry and fulfill his responsibilities to the family name. His solution? A fake fiancée. Ark asks Cassia to pretend to be his intended, and in exchange, he'll help her save the orphanage. What could possibly go wrong? 😏
I absolutely loved Cassia and Ark. They're both generous and selfless characters, and watching their relationship slowly grow from an arrangement into something genuine was incredibly sweet. This isn't a story that rushes straight into the spice. The romance gets time to breathe, allowing their friendship, trust, attraction, and feelings to build along the way. And, of course, give me a good found family , and I'm happy.
Ark also has a rather special talent, and he and his best friends have found some very interesting ways to put their particular gifts to use (sometimes to help others and sometimes to make a little profit while they're at it. 😉) The side characters were wonderful, and there are SO many possibilities for future stories here. I finished this one already hoping we're going to get more of them!
This isn't a majorly spicy romance. Instead, expect a sweeter slow burn with genuine relationship growth wrapped inside a cozy magical story. And apparently I enjoyed it enough that I've already preordered the physical copy. 😂 It releases October 1, which feels like absolutely perfect timing for curling up with a cozy romantasy like this one.
New-to-me author = officially on my radar. ✨