A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I needed a change of pace as fall approached. I wanted something light and cozy and luckily I my audiobook hold came in from the library for A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping.  Having never read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches or any of her middle grade books, this was my first Sangu Mandanna read.

Sera Swan runs a magical inn after being outcast from witch society by her former mentor due to performing a forbidden spell that has left her with just a sliver of her power left. Now along with her resurrected aunt she runs an enchanted inn in need of repair. When she hears word of spell that can restore her powers, she'll do what it takes to gather the ingredients. When Luke Larsen stumbles upon the inn with his little sister Posey, he finds himself drawn to this magical place. It's the first place in their world where his autistic sister feels safe. Which is why he agrees to help Sera in her quest to go against the guild and get her magic back. 

Audiobook narration is decent enough though I wish the publisher would've gotten someone who matches the ethnicity of the character. Ironically while the book does touch on race it's at a very general level. Sera is half Indian and half white. Neither of her parents are British which is a factor in the very white wealthy British witches' guild. But at the same time she's not particularly in touch with either of her cultures and has a non existent relationship with her parents. Her love interest is also a white man described as having super pale skin and icy blue eyes. The preference for what a guild member should look like but that's not really brought up when it comes to discussion of him.

While having cozy touches this book still has a plot to follow with stakes so it doesn't suffer from wandering aimlessly even when it slows down. And slow down for a little it did. It does loose a little moment for a bit towards the end before gaining it back again in the last couple of chapters.

The romance has a slow build too it with an easy friendship between Sera and Luke. Tonally the attempt at being a little "spicy" didn't really fit and could've been left out.

Overall this is an enjoyable read for someone who wants vibes but a little bit of a plot as well. And for those looking for vibes this is a good option for a late fall/early winter read. 

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

Welcome Back, Booklovers! It's been a minute and I'm playing catch up on writing reviews. I've read a few Jackie Lau books in that past and I have a few more on my shelf. Donut Fall in Love was gifted to me by Berkley a few years ago and I finally got around to reading it. So keep reading for my thoughts.

Actor Ryan Kwok is hot off a press run for a rom-com that's been flopping hard. Still reeling from the death of his mother a few months earlier, Ryan is hoping to spend some time with his family. With their mother having been the glue that binds them all together they feel like strangers. His sister just had a baby and he's unsure how to support her. His father recently joined Twitter and does a lot of making jokes at his expense but in person they struggle to say more than a few words to each other.

Lindsay is a baker and Ryan has her give him private baking lessons to help him prepare for a celebrity reality baking show. It's a show he and his mother enjoyed watching together and he wants to appear on it in her honor. But he also doesn't want to make a complete fool of himself so he decides a little experience will help. They start to become friends and bond during the experience and of course the bonding leads to a little romance. 

Lau does a great job building a slowburn relationship that deals with the realities of life. Death happens, grief is ever present and it isn't even however old you are. Lindsay is dealing with her mother dating for the first time after her father passed and even more surprisingly her mother is dating an Asian man while Lindsay's father was white. Something that would normally be skirted around as not to make anyone uncomfortable was addressed head on with real conversations about feeling disconnected from culture. 

The ending did feel a tad rushed with drama thrown in that wasn't present for the majority of the book. Suddenly Lindsay was self-conscious about dating a celebrity even though it didn't bother her before and Ryan isn't exactly a mega-star.