Series: Fairy Godmothers, Inc., Book 1
Publisher: Zebra
Genre: Contemporary Romance with Fantasy Elements
Release Date: December 29, 2020
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo
If love is the source of all the magic in the universe, and the town of Ever After, Missouri, is the epicenter of enchantment, then the locals are in dire need of a reboot. At least according to resident fairy godmothers Petunia, Jonquil, and Bluebonnet. Their solution? Blow a bit of fairy dust in the direction of those in need of romance… What could possibly go wrong?
SOME KIND OF AWFUL…
Lucky Fujiki’s first name is a cosmic joke. Her luck is so bad, even the number seven steers clear of her. But when her adorable godmothers ask for a favor, Lucky can’t say no. After all, it’s just a little one—to save the world’s magic. Lucky can already feel the bad juju waiting to strike. And her mission is even worse than she imagined: to promote Ever After as a wedding destination by faking a marriage to her first love and long-time ex, Ransom Payne—he of the Embarrassing Incident that neither of them will ever live down…
OR ALL KINDS OF WONDERFUL?
Ransom Payne has spent years building an impressive new reputation for himself, and now his godmothers want him to pretend to wed the one girl he’d like most to forget? Sure, weddings in Ever After could be a huge boon for his chocolate business, but risking more up-close-and-personal time with Lucky? Considering the stakes, it’s a curse he’ll have to bear, at the risk of being humiliated—or perhaps, bewitched…
Saranna DeWylde puts her own fresh and fun spin on fairytales in Fairy Godmothers, Inc. I desperately wanted to love this fairytale-loving rom com, but the story ended up being a bit of a mixed bag for me. I almost didn’t finish the book because the first half wasn’t my cup of tea at all but I’m glad I stuck with it because the story finished strong and I enjoyed the world DeWylde created.
Lucky’s name feels like a terrible joke. Her luck isn’t your average level of bad – it’s preternaturally awful. But when her beloved godmothers ask for her help, Lucky ventures to Ever After, Missouri, to fake a wedding and put Ever After on the map as a wedding destination. The only problem is the groom is her ex. She and Ransom have a history of things going catastrophically wrong when they try to get together and “The Incident” was the final straw that broke their relationship. Though sparks fly upon their meeting again, other things begin to fly as well...like attacking mutant cherries. The hard part for me is that both Lucky and Ransom are decent people so watching terrible things happen to them isn’t enjoyable or funny. The first part of Fairy Godmothers, Inc. seems to be a series of disasters as Lucky and Ransom reconnect, fall back in love like there was no time apart, and everything felt shallow. If we were given any history besides their failed attempts at sex or the overblown “Incident” perhaps the insta-love when they re-meet would make more sense. This is the point where I almost stopped reading as everything felt unfunny, shallow, and over-the-top.
I’m glad I didn’t stop reading because in the second half of Fairy Godmothers, Inc. the book finds its feet. Lucky and Ransom’s relationship is tested as they have to make themselves vulnerable, face their fears, and take risks. It isn’t easy and the course of true love doesn’t run smooth, but I liked that they had to work for their happily ever after rather than have their fairy godmothers wave their problems away. There’s heart in this part of the book and the characters grow in an organic manner, learning about love, sacrifice, and acceptance; modern fairytale themes for an adult audience.
The town of Ever After is a fairytale world come to life. The titular fairy godmothers, Petunia, Bluebonnet, and Jonquil, are determined to bring love back to Ever After, as love powers the town’s magic and that magic is fading. Love in all its forms is at the heart of Fairy Godmothers, Inc. and that made me smile. DeWylde’s twists on fairytale characters also charmed the heck out of me. I loved exploring Ever After and seeing beloved characters in new forms and I definitely want to explore this adorable town and its endearing residents even further. So while I had mixed feelings about Lucky and Ransom’s story, I cannot wait to see what Petunia, Bluebonnet, and Jonquil have in store for their other charges!
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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