Hey there!
We have an all-fiction edition! Hooray! They’re also all fantasy novels. Most of them are on the cozier side, which I thought might be needed in the leadup to the US midterms. Don’t forget to vote and then maybe treat yourself to a book for doing your civic duty.
Do you have any recommendations to share? Drop them in the comments!
The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium
This is a cozy fantasy romance debut with an amazing cover. I love designs that communicate a sense of place. I also loved the concept of a magical witness protection program.
A magical witness protection program, a town in need of saving, and a sorceress-in-training . . . oh, and the human woman she’s not supposed to fall for. The Blue Moon Café has a little bit of everything (except, you know, decent coffee).
In the tiny town of Pine Hollow, barista and fledging sorceress Talula Smith runs The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium, aka the worst coffee shop in town. The café’s horrible reputation hides its true providing new identities and safe passage to at-risk magical beings while keeping humans far, far away. That is, except for town local Dahlia. Dahlia’s devastating dimples, addiction to Talula’s cocoa recipe, and keen observation skills keeps the smitten barista scrambling to ensure that her magical abilities (or, lack thereof) stay a secret.
But when big game hunters start preying on magical beings, her powerful sorceress mother is called away to track them down, leaving Talula and her barely-there magic in charge of The Blue Moon. With the impending Samhain festival to organize, magical refugees to help, half of the town turning against her, and her ever-growing feelings for Dahlia, Talula’s magical destiny feels further away than ever. But as the hunters set their sights closer to home, it’ll be up to Talula to master her craft, trust her heart, and bring her magical and human communities together . . . before she loses everything she loves.
Calculated Whisk
C mentioned this one in an October Whatcha Reading and they got their rec for another series of comments in an earlier Whatcha Reading. I love it when recommendations make their way around the community and I wanted to spotlight this one, in case you aren’t involved in the site comments.
The Dragon Bookkeeper Wanted.
After a lifetime as a mercenary and years of war, Rylana seeks a peaceful new career, and this job looks perfect. What could be calmer and more relaxing than crunching numbers while delightful scents waft from a professional kitchen?
There’s just one problem. The Dragon Diner is run by a real dragon, one she shot with an arrow during the war. And, oh yes, he remembers her.
This might not be the relaxing new start to life that Rylana envisioned.
Legends and Lattes: The Graphic Novel
This is mainly for gifting season! If you have a fan of Legends & Lattes in your life, there’s no a lovely graphic novel edition. There’s also a really beautiful deluxe edition.
A stunning graphic novel adaptation of the New York Times bestselling BookTok sensation and beloved cozy fantasy Legends & Lattes
“The modern classic about starting over truly comes to life in this warm adaptation of Baldree’s cozy masterpiece. I wish I could live in every panel.”—Matt Dinniman, New York Times bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl and Operation Bounce House
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword. The battle-weary orc aims to start afresh, opening the city of Thune’s first-ever coffee shop. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success, not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her dreams a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone. After all, the true rewards of an uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether they are drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup―Viv may find something deeper here than she ever imagined…
This full-color graphic novel adaptation brings the high fantasy and low stakes of this beloved story to vibrant life as it’s never been seen before.
Wickhills
This is the only non-cozy rec, but it’s still fantasy! This is a spy thriller but heap on the fantastical. A really great mashup of genres.
In the dangerous magical city of Wickhills, a streetwise secret agent is tasked with protecting a foreign defector from his pursuers… even at the threat of war.
Looking after a defecting scientist should have been Vycol Ferec’s easiest mission. But now he’s on the run from the intelligence agency he works for, dodging a handler who might have gone rogue and relying on a secret patchwork of illicit resources and dodgy contacts. Turns out his defector might be carrying an apocalypse-level magical weapon — and protecting it requires Ferec and his team to go underground, literally. Down here, the rules are very different… and the tense peace between every city in the world will shatter unless Ferec can drag their darkest secrets into the light.
