Published: October 3, 2022
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Series: The House Witch #2
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 358 (Kindle)
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Synopsis:
House witch Finlay Ashowan must contend with matters of the heart, hearth, family, and kingdom in the second book of a whimsical and winning fantasy series.
As a wielder of domestic magic, Finlay Ashowan likes to keep his affairs as neat and orderly as his kitchen. But between his work for the King and Queen of Daxaria and a new (secret) relationship with Lady Annika Jenoure, his life is anything but tidy.
For one thing, if Annika and Fin are to continue their romance, they’ll need to sort out the pesky issue of Fin’s being a commoner—before Annika is forced into a political marriage that interferes with her own carefully laid plans.
For another, pressure is mounting as the war with Troivack draws ever closer. When Fin requests time away from the castle to rest, the King agrees but under a very particular condition: Fin must brave the streets of Austice as a spy, sleuthing out the plans of the Troivackian troops allegedly hidden there.
Further complicating things, Fin’s estranged father is on his way to Daxaria, an unexpected and unappreciated arrival that’s bound to wreak even more havoc in his son’s life.
As Fin forges new friendships and alliances—magical and non-magical alike—he becomes even more enmeshed in courtly intrigues, old feuds, and very personal problems. And the more he tries to clean up the various messes in his life, the more apparent it becomes that his troubles are only just beginning . . .
I am literally the worst at keeping notes on books. You know what I have for this one? The title. I apparently started it and got SO hooked that I didn’t put it down long enough to write any notes down in the lil notebook I got specifically for that purpose. So, I suppose that’s a recommendation in its own way.
This continues on with the cozy, heartwarming theme so prominent in the first book but does have some moments that are darker and more stressful. Rest assured though, it’ll be okay. Fin and Lady Jenoure are deciding how best to approach their new relationship, particularly because Fin is a commoner. Also, it’s a secret. And did I mention that Annika may have to marry someone else to forge a stronger political alliance in the coming war against Troivack? While Annika is doing a delicate political balancing act, Fin has been given a vacation from cooking duties and is traipsing around the city “spying” to see what he can discover about Troivack. He gets himself into ridiculous amounts of trouble with the shadier side of the world and somehow manages to unionize a brothel whilst blundering about the criminal underworld.
This installment is equally charming, but also has an extremely emotional section with a difficult child birth. Like, it brought a tear to my eye and I was distraught (SPOILER) even though everything turned out okay. The characters’ emotions were in turmoil and well, I suppose I was too while I read it! Fin also has to finally confront his abusive father and he’s unfortunately forced to deal with him while he’s staying at the castle on a diplomatic visit. I like that this installment delved into some more negative emotions and situations but also remained a hopeful, humorous, cozy story overall.
By the time I got to this one the emotional high from the first book had calmed down a bit, so I feel like I’m able to review this a little more rationally. It was still a delightful story that I would recommend to anyone looking for something heartwarming yet still complex and political. I will say, I didn’t LOVE it to the same fierce extent that I loved the first book – it was pretty close though, hence the 4.5 star rating. I’ve already read the third and final book and can’t wait to share my thoughts on that one with you soon!
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