This book is pure paranormal romcom. A grieving woman caring for her late best friend’s teenager, a mysterious small town, and a whole lot of supernatural weirdness collide into something that’s super fun to read. It’s fun and light, but it does absolutely have some pretty dark themes in it. Which makes the tone a little hard to pin down.
Selene’s guardian arc is endearing, and I loved how the story mixed humor with genuine heart. And the romance has a nice balance of supernatural intrigue and romantic tension. Fen definitely brings that dark, brooding energy that fits the genre so well.
But there were a few things that didn’t quite click for me. There was a romance between a werewolf and a teenager. Josh being an “adult” from the 1930s but still acting like a modern teen threw me off. That choice made his romance with Selene’s teenage ward awkward in a way that didn’t sit right. Why not just make him a teenager? He acted like one. And the age gap just made things uncomfortable. The pack rules didn’t help because why would a teenager respect those?
And while the romance between Selene and Fen was cute, it happened fast, with little emotional buildup. Fen’s controlling tendencies didn’t help either. I was confused with so many of the choices in this. It clearly wanted that romcom feel, but also to tell a deeper story with far more complex themes and that almost seemed to stretch the story between two opposite vibes. Part was fun and part was uncomfortable, which is a weird place for a romcom to sit.
That said, it’s charming, funny, and very easy to binge. I absolutely had a good time, as long as I could ignore some things that made me quite uncomfortable… which wasn’t that successful. It’s a great pick if you’re in the mood for something supernatural and steamy, but maybe don’t look too hard at the areas in which things become more complex.
Thanks so much to the author, Montlake publishing, and Luna Blooms PA for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.