Tag: Older/Mature

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter | Heather Fawcett

Posted 03/06/2026 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter | Heather FawcettAgnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 1 Flames
Published by Del Rey on 02/17/2026
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, Historical Romance, Romantasy, Time Travel Romance
Format: Kindle (356 Pages) 📖 Purchased
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Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.

Now it’s the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world’s most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.

Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world...and may now be trying to steal her heart.

Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn’t need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats...



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Left of Forever | Tarah DeWitt

Posted 06/13/2025 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Left of Forever | Tarah DeWitt
Star Rating: 4.5 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Series: Spunes #2
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on 05/20/2025
Format: Kindle (323 Pages) 📖 Purchased
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Tarah DeWitt never disappoints. This masterpiece was everything I wanted it to be, and more. I laughed, I cried, I laughed harder, I cried a little more, and then I outright SOBBED. At the end of the book, I was ugly crying while simultaneously smiling from ear to ear and laughing through my tears. I have but 3 thoughts (while I’m still sobbing): (Spoiler: I absolutely squealed with delight.)🪿

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank | Megan Bannen

Posted 05/03/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank | Megan Bannen
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Spice Level: 3 Flames
All-Time Favorite
Series: Hart and Mercy #2
Published by Orbit on 07/02/2024
Format: DRC (464 Pages) 📖 NetGalley
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Did I drop everything to read this book the second I was approved for the ARC? Yes, yes, I did. Did I lose countless hours of sleep finishing it faster than I should? Also, yes. Did I enjoy every single second of this story? 100% YES!  The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was hands down my favorite read of 2023. Hart and Mercy destroyed my heart, put the shattered pieces back together better than before, and then lovingly wrapped me in the softest blanket while handing me a mug of hot cocoa. When I saw ‘The Undermining of […]

Lips Like Sugar | Jess K. Hardy

Posted 04/22/2024 by Hilarye in ARC Review, Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Lips Like Sugar | Jess K. Hardy
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 4 Flames
Series: Bluebird Basin #2
Published by Pinkity Publishing on 03/28/2024
Format: DRC (364 Pages) 📖 NetGalley
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Jess K. Hardy has done something miraculous. She made me love Cole Sanderson more than I already loved Matthew Madigan. I was sure it couldn’t be done, but alas, here we are. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I want to live in Red Falls. It has small-town energy, beautiful scenery, a delicious bakery, a fantastic bar named Jimmy O’Callaghan’s Irish Public House (with a jukebox), and insanely hot 50-some-odd-year-old rockstars. What’s not to love?  Cole Sanderson is the epitome of the ‘golden retriever’ MMC, and I’m pretty sure my heart grew three sizes while reading […]

Come As You Are | Jess K. Hardy

Posted 04/19/2024 by Hilarye in Book Reviews / 0 Comments
Come As You Are | Jess K. Hardy
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Spice Level: 3.5 Flames
Series: Bluebird Basin #1
Published by Pinkity Publishing on 11/01/2022
Format: Kindle (318 Pages) 📖 Purchased
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Were you a 90s alternative kid? Do you like small-town feels, 90s grunge, flannel, a good mixed tape, one hell of an epic love story, and adorable St. Bernard puppies? How about a sexy 53-year-old guitar player with tattoos or a badass 46-year-old divorcee who owns a ski resort? No? Well then, we can’t be friends. An ex-rockstar and recovering addict—who now runs a sober living home—helps a divorced, single mom save her beloved ski resort from being bought by her asshole ex-husband.  That simple synopsis does NOT do this book justice. Because Jess Hardy created a relationship […]