I was super excited for this book. I have been wanting more cozy fantasy novels with a central romance, since that’s what I write. The author includes a note that explains that she doesn’t consider the book cozy because of the hint of danger and the explicit love scenes, but in my mind those don’t prevent it from being a cozy fantasy. I know different people define the genre different ways, though!

I thought it was cute! It has an evil emperor who exerts control over the heroine, but almost the entire story is set on an island that is magically protected from him, to some extent. The action involves the main characters entering a non-threatening local competition that will enable them to protect the island, with a lot of trust issues between them. My favorite part was how charming the village and villagers were. I’m looking forward to more in this series. ( )

Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart is book one of the Falling by Fables series, which will be standalone novels set in the same world. FMC Daella is a half-orc woman that is trapped in a tower by the King. This time, the King promises Daella her freedom if the mission is completed. A brutal storm forces her onto an island and with no money & no way to leave, she is forced to accept blacksmith Rivelin’s offer of shelter in exchange for her assistance. But, there are multiple mysteries on the island, some that scare Daella.

The Lovely: I was impressed by the plot and tension of this book. Fitting everything (world building, characters, plot) into a single book is hard to do, and hard to do well. In this case, it was written well and the tension kept me reading. So much so I finished the book in one evening.

The Mundane: The world building is focused on the dragons and dragon/orc lore as compared to magic. This isn’t a bad thing, because I really like the dragon storyline/concept in this book, but I found it unexpected given the title of the book. I’m thinking the dragon part is considered to be magic?

The Dreadful: While I felt Daella as a character was fleshed out and develops during the book, Rivelin comes across as not as developed. Basically, he is grumpy and a loner because of his past. He does develop some during the book but is quick to suspect Daella when something bad happens.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Recommendation: After reading a five book dark romantic series that was gut-wrenching I needed something a bit gentler. I wouldn’t quite label this “cozy fantasy” (like Legends and Lattes) because there is mystery and tension. But it’s more like a small town cozy mystery than epic/high fantasy. This was a great read and if you’re in the mood for something more cheerful fantasy, you’ll love this. Tropes included enemies to lovers, banter, tending to injuries and includes explicit spice. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. Instantly, I was transported into this story and world that author, Jenna Wolfhart created. It was as if I was Daella. Which is not a bad thing as Daella is a strong female. It is nice to see a strong female in a male dominated world. I could feel the chemistry building between Daella and Rivelin. Yet, it was a slow burn type of romance. Luckily, there is some humor spread throughout this book to keep the pacing moving along.

There is something about Rivelin that I really liked. While he was cautious of Daella, he is kind. I thought that he and Daella worked well together. Overall, this was a quick read for me. I look forward to reading the next book. ( )