Emmy is a Harlow, the least powerful family in Thistle Grove – and after nine years away, she has come home to arbitrate a magical competition, thumb her nose at her ex, and… possibly get revenge?
I picked up this book because one of the Popsugar challenges says to read a book blurbed by your favorite author, and my absolute deity Jacqueline Carey blurbed this.
It was certainly an enjoyable romp of a read. The town of Thistle Grove is vividly alive – I really enjoyed acquainting myself with it throughout the story. The relationships between Emmy and her friends and family are satisfying cozy, especially her friendship with Linden. You can really feel how deeply rooted Emmy is in the town.
Also Talia is an utter dreamboat. This cannot be stressed enough.
On the other hand, I didn’t love the impetus of Gareth drawing the three women together, especially as I could not see why Emmy was hurt so soul-deep by him after nine years. Perhaps it would have worked better had more stress been laid upon how she felt embarrassed of being a Harlow. The romance between Emmy and Talia was really enjoyable too, but I didn’t get a sense of what drew them together beyond physical attraction.
Overall an enjoyable read with easy fantasy elements, but I am unsure if I will return to Thistle Grove.
