Tag: high court of the coffee bean

Book Review: Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil (High Court of the Coffee Bean #3) by Jennifer Kropf

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy
Length: 280 pages
Author: Jennifer Kropf
Publisher: Winter Publishing House
Release Date: October 16th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The High Court of the Coffee Bean returns with a battle of wills and wit as two sworn enemies find themselves facing their worst nightmare—each other.

In this “enemies-to-brothers” humorous fantasy, two dangerous fae who hate each other sign a contract to share an apartment without realizing who their new roommate will be. One is Dranian Evelry, former assassin of the Brotherhood of Assassins. The other is Luc Zelsor, a deadly nine tailed fox more powerful than nearly any fae from the Dark Corner of Ever.

With several binding rules in their roommate contract such as, “No loud noises” (which means they’ll have difficulty trying to kill each other) and “No large messes” (which means once one finds a way to kill the other, they’ll need to discreetly dispose of the body) the two enemies find themselves trapped in a close quarters situation with only one to try and live together until the three-month agreement runs out, unless one of them can force the other to break the contract and be kicked out of the apartment for good by management.

Thus a battle of wills begins as two fae on opposite sides of the fairy wars try to make the living accommodations unbearable for the other.

But Dranian has another problem, one he must hide from his new roommate. Whenever he falls asleep, his nights become haunted by a voice of his past, belonging to a girl who was never given a name. As she enters his nightmares and gets closer and closer to taking control of his dreams for good, Dranian is forced to remember key things about the North Corner forest village he grew up in – a place he swore never to think about again – and the girl he once gave everything for who has now returned to haunt him forever.

Dranian knows there’s only one solution to keeping the girl with no name out of his Never fall asleep again.

Thank you to the author and Book of Matches Media for the gifted copy.

A GOOD SET-UP.

This was a very short read (230ish pages) and felt like a nice filler book before book four. I loved seeing the beginnings of Dranian and Shayne’s future romances and all the things that are happening in their lives. It was great having their POV’s including Luc’s!! I love a villain arc and seeing how a character has a whole different dynamic than you expected.

There’s the same quality that have been in the previous two books that have me utterly charmed. I love the urban fantasy and how quirky all of the fae are about all the earth things. It makes me chuckle every time and the writing is just so fun.

Not upset I took a chance on this series and can’t wait to continue it with the next book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: not really any but hints at future
  • Violence: low – moderate
  • Content Warnings: anxiety attacks

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ARC Book Review: Sincerely, Secretary of Doom (High Court of the Coffee Bean #2) by Jennifer Kropf

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy + Romance
Length: 410 pages
Author: Jennifer Kropf
Publisher: Winter Publishing House
Release Date: May 29th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The High Court of the Coffee Bean returns with a sassy, wicked streak.

Months after the deadly assassins-turned-baristas left the Four Corners of Ever behind for good, Doom comes knocking at Mor Trisencor’s door. And it’s wearing stilettos.

When the Fairy Post gets an unexpected, grand following in the human realm for its vintage feel and whimsical words, Mor gets busier than ever typing out articles, following up on leads of fairy mischief, and everything else that goes along with being a faeborn reporter. But his heavy workload comes to a screeching halt when he spots someone in the human realm that shouldn’t be there—an old foe of his. One he thought he would never see again. One he’d prayed to the sky deities that he wouldn’t cross paths with after the day Mor abandoned the Shadow Army, leaving a trail of flames and destruction in his wake. For the first time since the Fairy Post was published, the newspaper gets put on hold and Mor goes hunting.

Mor can think of nothing else but stopping this foe before ripples of doom begin to stir up the human realm.

Violet Miller is a journalist with a mysterious past her amnesia forbids her from remembering. But when she gets let go from her job at the most prestigious news station in the city, her unexplained past becomes the least of her problems. She thinks it’s all over for her as a journalist, until she sees a job posting for a secretary position at a niche, laughable “old school style” newspaper called the Fairy Post.

The day Violet shows up at Mor’s house—or, creepy, dark cathedral is more like it—is the day that everything changes for her. Before Violet even has a chance to ask about the job, she’s mistakenly marked as Mor’s lover by his “enemies” and she finds herself in the crosshairs of a battle of inhuman creatures who’d rather “stab first and ask questions later.”

This marks the beginning of a love-hate relationship (mostly hate) between a fae assassin born of the Shadows, and a lipstick-wearing, mascara wielding human born to be in the spotlight.

While reading this second installment of the High Court of the Coffee Bean series, you may find yourself craving macaroons, listening to the wind for signs of fairy magic, and wishing you had a “creepy, dark, creaking, abandoned cathedral” of your own to call home.

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Jennifer Kropf for the gifted copy.

A DELIGHT.

I think this series is so much fun. I love how unique it is in the urban fantasy sphere and the cozy vibes really play well into the story. I love this entire group of fae and they crack me up with the antics and shenanigans.

I’m not usually one to read an amnesia book, but this is definitely an exception to the rule. I loved how it played out and how the flashback chapters wove into the present timeline. There’s a good amount of backstory that makes so many things make sense as you go along.

The romance was sweet and I liked how it unfolded. I think I would have loved just a bit more romance, but I digress. I loved all of the banter and sass and even the nine-tailed fox.

I’m definitely looking forward to book three!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Cozy Urban Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low-moderate

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