Book Blurb:
Cottage Checklist:
✔️ Fix the leaking turret
✔️ Find a new home for the pixies
✔️DO NOT fall for the hot handyman
Freshly single and heartbroken, Beatrix Bilberry moves to a tumbledown cottage in the magical village of Little Sparrow.
But her new home comes with unexpected company: gnome infestations, troublesome pixies, a melodramatic ghost haunting the attic, and Barnaby, an adorably sleepy hearth dragon.
Her annoyingly handsome neighbour Angus takes delight in teasing her about the impossible renovation work. Tall, tattooed, and effortlessly charming, Angus has a way with people and animals that makes him far too easy to fall for… to everyone, it seems, except Beatrix, as his careless comments grate on her nerves.
Besides, Beatrix has no time for romance. Winter is approaching fast, and she’s racing to restore the cottage before the first snowfall. She’s promised her family a magical festive season – and she’s determined not to let them down.
Beatrix works around the clock, but with a complete lack of plastering skills and magical creatures constantly undoing her hard work, she soon realizes there’s only one way to fix Spellbound Cottage. She’ll have to swallow her irritation and accept Angus’s help…
But when the meddling cottage keeps locking them in rooms together, Beatrix realizes she’s facing something far more dangerous than rebuilding a home: opening her heart to love again.
Tropes:
*Netgalley ALC *Fantasy *Romance *Magic *Cozy Read *Low Stakes *Fixing up the cottage
*Found family *Magical beings/paranormal *Artist FMC *Farrier MMC *Mystery
*enemies --> more *Small town romance *closed door
Thoughts:
Beatrix (FMC) is dealing with a lot right now her grandmother passed away recently, her relationship from college ended and her father is trying to talk her into taking a job she really isn't interested in working at a tourist shop, but she is determined to pave her own path... what keeps jumping out at her is a cottage for sale in the same place she grew up in, she does have some money now from her inheritance and it would be nice to have a place to call her own.
Once she gets to The Spellbound Cottage she is determined to make it her own she knows it's a fixer upper but she can do this... on her own if possible... only things keep getting in the way of her efforts including a ghost in the attic, pixies in the roof, and other characters like the aquatic creature living in the well. The home came with a hearth dragon but she doesn't know anything about taking care of dragons... and all of these projects are becoming overwhelming quickly.
Another issue she has is she keeps running into Angus the handsome Farrier who works for friend/neighbor nearby, he is honestly helpful and kind (picking on her occasionally like a flirty flirt) but she is stubborn and determined to do everything on her own she isn't a fan of him and considers him a bit of a "Frienemy"... until she finally drops that idea and realizes she could use some help.
Then there is the mystery of what happened to the former owner of the cottage... he just disappeared one day and no one knows what happened... and his girlfriend disappeared the year before? Was it foul play? Or something else involved like Fae?
This was a cute, low stakes, cozy read. The romance elements of the story are more on the back burner and the focus was more on fixing up the cottage and dealing with the situations preventing the fix up from happening.
This had a enemies --> more vibe but I didn't think it was necessary as it was a one sided feeling from Beatrix. I enjoyed the found family (townspeople) vibes and loved the dragons element they were cute like having a cat.
While I don't mind cozy vibes... it was almost too cozy like to the point where there isn't much happening, it was a bit repetitive with Beatrix revamping her to-do list every few chapters, and felt like I was just listening to a home improvement show with magical elements at times.
The narrator did a great job with the characters and I liked the whimsical vibes of the story.
have you read this one? What did you think?
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