Curses & Cold Brew: A cozy sapphic paranormal rom-com (Maple Hollow Book 2)

Yet another story in the universe of Maple Hollow. I was impatiently waiting for this one to come out. I loved the first book in the series and had high hopes for this one, and I wasn’t disappointed. Maple Hollow seems like a wonderful place to be during the autumn season, with its magical atmosphere and Halloween vibes, but being a part of this community feels like a perfect place to belong. The citizens of this city are just like one big family, and families often fight, argue, disagree, judge, comfort and love one another. This book is a good example of that. The mystery part of this story was holding my interest and kept me guessing who was behind the theft of souls. As much as this story is mysterious, it is also sweet, hopeful and heart-warming, and it definitely keeps you sucked in until the end. Iris and Ramona’s unexpected love story (okay, a tiny bit expected - because of a mention in the first book) was wonderful to read about. The way it was evolving felt magical. The chemistry between the main characters felt genuine. However, I do have some questions(or rather hopes) about their future, which maybe the third book, which will come out next year, will answer. Again, the cover is as beautiful as the previous book’s was. I love the color and the vibes I get from looking at it.

Curses and Cold Brew gives you demons, witches, found family, mystery, and shenanigans. We pick back up in Maple Hollow following the ending of Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist, and continue Iris and Romona’s story and their deal (make sure you read PS&P first!) The romantic tension between the two is great and I like the way the relationship develops. It’s slightly instant-love but they have enough going on in the story that it doesn’t feel too sudden. The mystery gets “figured out” pretty early in but it doesn’t actually get resolved until the end. It was not what I expected. But I rather liked it. I loved the interactions and glimpse that we get of all the other Maple Hollow residents. I’m not sure how it would work, but I low key want Agnes to get a story. I also cannot wait for Wyatt and Willow to get their story out! I’ve been dying for it since early on in PS&P and it seems likely we will get them very soon based on this book. In short, i had a great time returning to Maple Hollow, and this is the perfect light, cozy read to get in the mood for Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice!

This was a delightful read filled with cozy fall vibes! The story is fast paced and the characters start the book with a previous history that gets explained slowly. I wish we could have been apart of this backstory, but this is only because I prefer slow-burns. There’s a quite a bit of banter that elicits a good laugh and a picture-perfect small town filled with supernatural creatures. The world building is good for the short length of the book. A few things to note: - it does get a little corny at times but is still enjoyable -the book is very lighthearted and avoids some themes that could have added depth (ex. Body positivity during some spicy scenes)