gnome

Basic summary: In a Gaslamp-lit world where hags and ogres lurk in thick pine forests, three magical queens form an uneasy alliance to protect their lands from invasion…and love turns their world upside down.

My thoughts: I believe I heard about this from someone on here (here maybe), otherwise I wouldn't have picked it up on my own, so thanks! I'm really starting to think I need to sit down and find more stories like this for listening at work, they really help uplift my mood. So far I've read:

Nettle & Bone
Legends & Lattes
The Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Wooing the Witch Queen

These all have some level of darkness or angst but nothing too dark for me. I do plan on reading this author's Scales & Sensibility. I'm think about cozy mystery and cozy horror (like 'How to Survive Camping'. Anyway---

Saskia's parents were murdered by her uncle but she later rose up and took back the throne. Now she lives with ogres, goblins and her bats and crows spending her days doing experiments to protect her kingdom. She is a bit impulsive with her feelings.

Felix was married off to his childhood friend but her father enslaved him and used his name to enact crusades. Felix eventually escapes, heading to Saskia's kingdom to seek asylum.

However, in her haste to get back to her work and used to dealing with tiresome dark wizards, she assumes he's the dark wizard she was looking to hire to fix up her library which has long been in disarray since her uncle messed it up.

Felix's kind and gentle nature quickly wins over one of Saskia's familiar crows, Oscar, which is just the start of Saskia's heart softening towards him.

This has themes of found family, suffering and healing from abuse, being true to oneself, simp!male lead POV and a more dominant female lead.

I'm not a fan of lust first stories but it wasn't too extreme here. They're attracted sexually first but nothing happens until later when they've already caught feelings.

I was a little ehh about the narration at times but overall liked it.

I won't be reading the sequels because I couldn't stand Lorelei which is the focus of the second book and I'm not that interested in seeing an Alana romance though I'm curious who could win her heart.

My favorite aspect was definitely Felix simping over Saskia and being happy to let her take the reigns. And his relationship with the crow Oscar, that was lovely! Oh, forgot to mention, Saskia is bisexual! I loved the housekeeper and Saskia's sort of 'second in command', I kinda wished there had been more of them/their backstory but it wasn't bad what we got at all. The Winter celebration with all the gift-giving was so lovely. Oh, here's another review I thought was great.

CWs:

-Saskia has moments of grief where she remembers her parents murder (she heard it happen)
-Both Saskia and Felix were abused as children and young adults, it doesn't go into too much detail but their trauma is brought up at times
-Felix's wife had a terminal illness and died, it doesn't come up too much
-Lorelei comes across as a sex pest to me though she doesn't outright lay her hands on Felix I don't think (I kinda blocked those parts out in annoyance), but in the preview for the next book she kidnaps someone and makes him her 'boy toy' though I hear he becomes willing