Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
Length: 330 pages
Author: Melanie Jacobson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 16th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The last thing she needs is another off-limits work romance. He’s fine playing the friendly flirt . . . until he falls for real.

Embarrassing breakups at work cost you promotions. Phoebe learned that the hard way. So when a patron’s will names her as the director of a new museum in Serendipity Springs, she jumps at the chance to prove her professionalism.

Her new plan: focus on work. Ignore distractions. Definitely ignore men. Easy peasy.

But then the mailbox in Phoebe’s quirky apartment building starts delivering a series of old love letters written between strangers…sixty years ago.

She can’t afford the distraction, but she also can’t ignore the letters, so she enlists the help of Jay, the flirty heir to her benefactor’s fortune, to help her solve the mystery of who they belong to.

Jay is exactly the history pro she needs, but he’s also the kind of handsome charmer Phoebe always falls for, and since he’s on the museum board, she’s not about to risk her recovering reputation. Despite their sizzling chemistry, she quickly sends Jay to the friend zone.

Until the mysterious letters from the past lead them to surprising discoveries in the present, and serendipity steps in with an irresistible nudge and a memorable, magical kiss.

HERE’S THE LET DOWN.

This is the first book in this Only Magic in the Building series that I have struggled with. My positives were that many of the romance based scenes were sweet. I do think that Jay and Phoebe had chemistry. They cared about each other and that was evident. And some of the museum content was fine too.

What bugged me were some of the dialogue choices. Things like Hot Prof, hottie with a body, and more are just not my cup of tea. And I found the whimsy aspect with the letters dry. I didn’t want to read another letter and then hash out all of these details. Combine that with the ever present presentations Phoebe was trying to get through and this felt work/life balance was skewed.

It’s a sweet story, just not one that I loved.

Overall audience notes:

• Contemporary Romance + Magical Realism
• Language: none
• Romance: kisses

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