I read two other books in this series and I didn't like them all that much. I assume this one will also feel like a YA fantasy instead of an Adult romance and that's just not the kind of thing I like to read anymore.

I liked the MM romance. I prefer a little darker aspects even in my fantasy reads but this was cute.

This was cute. The earlier books have been on my TBR, but I have yet to read them, so I know I'm missing some context but I didn't feel particularly lost. I'm sure the world would be richer with the full context of the earlier books. "Woodland Stranger" is sweet, cozy, and low-stakes for the most part, although Burne does have some *stuff* in his past. He definitely has anxiety brought on by bullying. He's a sweetie and a himbo, and I read him as being autistic-coded, although that's definitely my (biased) interpretation. This was a cozy peppers read--cozy with a bit of spice--and it's fairly straightforward. I did find the prose to be pretty simplistic, and I'm not sure why Burne kept feeling like he was running out of time after knowing Gray for, like, a day. The writing is closer to what I'd expect from a middle grade book, but then zesty scenes were happening, so that threw me off at times and is the reason I'm giving it a slightly lower than average-for-me star rating. Still it's a harsh world out there, and sometimes we need a low-stakes fairytale romance between a hot otherworldly gardener who can turn into a giant squirrel and a soft, soup-cooking himbo who lives in the woods. I won this as an ARC from LibraryThing, which has not impacted my honest review of the book.

I wanted to like the book. But it's just problematic in ways I couldn't ignore. A young teenager being seduced by a much older fairie didn't sit well with me. Also there was no romance between the pair, no chemistry. ( )

Wholesome, sweet *and* flirty. I found the world and lore intriguing enough that I'd consider going back and reading earlier books from the series, but the writing style and language fell a bit flat and awkward for me at times, so I don't know if I will.

That said, loved the afterword from Buehler explaining how she found she simply HAD to give Gray his own story. Love how authors find their characters driving the writing.

Again, this was a sweet, relaxing read. The worldbuilding and structure just didn't fully hook me.
I received this book as a part of LT's Early Reviewers.