The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂☺️😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
This audiobook blends cozy magical town charm with high-stakes supernatural suspense, anchored by a heroine whose journey is equal parts healing and hell-raising.
We begin in New Orleans, where Willow inherits her Pop-pop’s enchanted shop—a legacy steeped in love, loss, and sacrifice. Her grandfather didn’t just leave her a business; he gave his life to free her from an abusive marriage, using his final magic to sever the bond. Willow’s grief is tangled with guilt, and just as she’s beginning to reclaim her life, her monstrous ex-husband—a cop with a badge and a vendetta—returns. That confrontation triggers the awakening of Willow’s own latent magic, which she accidentally uses to crack open a portal to the literal pits of hell.
But Pop-pop didn’t leave her defenseless. Among the magical keys he bequeathed, one unlocks a hidden town that welcomes her like family. Another unleashes Kael—a fallen archangel cursed into gargoyle form, bound to protect the bearer of his key.
Kael’s backstory adds emotional weight and mythic tragedy. He once loved a woman he was sworn to protect, but her abusive husband held Kael’s key, rendering him powerless to intervene. That failure haunts him, and when Willow arrives with the rightful key, it’s not just a second chance—it’s a reckoning. Their bond simmers slowly, layered with trauma, trust, and the kind of chemistry that builds like a storm.
The plot escalates with hellhounds on the loose, a mafia boss with dark intentions, and a magical town that feels like a balm for Willow’s battered soul. The pacing leans toward slow burn, but the payoff is worth it—romance, redemption, and a heroine who learns to wield her power without apology.
Narration is split between Ada Sinclair and Connor Brown, offering dual POVs that deepen the emotional resonance. Sinclair brings warmth and vulnerability to Willow’s voice, occasionally tipping into melodrama but mostly landing with heart. Brown’s performance is stoic and grounded, perfectly capturing Kael’s stone-bound restraint and quiet intensity.
Overall, this audiobook delivers a satisfying blend of magic, danger, and emotional healing. It’s a story about reclaiming agency, finding unexpected allies, and learning that sometimes the monsters we summon are the ones we need to face to truly be free.