Series: Fairy Godmothers, Inc., Book 3
Publisher: Zebra
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Release Date: December 28, 2021
Source: Publisher
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CAN YOU SKIP THE STORYBOOK BEGINNING…
Novelist Juniper Blossom has romance down to a science in her bestselling books. But she’s not about to settle for just any man—a happy ending looks different for everyone, and she needs to find the guy whose idea of forever matches her own. Try telling that to her adorable, meddling grandmothers, though. If she doesn’t find a man soon, they’re going to find one for her. Which is why Juniper has prepared for a trip home to Ever After by fibbing that her sexy, smart, sweet best friend Tomas is her fiancé! He doesn’t believe in love at all, but that doesn’t matter if they’re just pretending…
ON THE WAY TO THE HAPPY ENDING?
Divorce attorney Tomas Rivera is as proud of Juniper’s authorial success as she is, but that doesn’t mean he buys into her books’ premise. His career is proof enough that true love is the real fairy tale—and everyone knows fairy tales aren’t real. But he can never say no to gorgeous Juniper, and an “engagement” might move him one legal brief closer to partner at his old-fashioned firm. Yet playing the part suddenly starts to mean feeling it, especially when a kiss just for show turns up the heat between them. Is happily ever after possible for two people who aren’t on the same page when it comes to love?
It Happened One Midnight is a best-friends to lovers story with a magical touch. Saranna DeWylde’s third Fairy Godmothers, Inc. book has all the sugar and love-powered magic and mayhem I’ve come to expect from the series, but this is one novel that might have worked better as a novella.
Juniper and Tomas have been best friends since childhood. Everything about how they act screams couple, and they acknowledge they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together, but they’re not in love. Except with a little help from interfering…well, everybody…Tomas and Juniper start seeing each other in a new light. And once they recognize their mutual attraction it becomes a push-pull between giving into desire and standing firm on what they want. Juniper and Tomas’s problem is they want two different things. Juniper is a romance novelist who believes in love and happily ever after. Tomas is a divorce lawyer who doesn’t believe in true love or the aforementioned happily ever after. He doesn’t want he and Juniper to become like the broken couples he works with every day. Tomas doesn’t want to get married and Juniper does; both are valid. But everyone in their lives is pushing he and Juniper down the aisle; his bosses are even dangling a promotion in front of him if he gets married. The problem with this being a full-length novel is the longer things went on, the more it felt like Tomas was being bullied into love and marriage. Not wanting those things is perfectly valid and the pressure on him was so immense (especially when it came to his job) that it was uncomfortable. Yes, it’s clear he and Juniper are meant to be, and yes, he needed to come around to see all that she is to him, but it isn’t fun to see someone forced into it. The one saving grace was Juniper never pushed him to be other than he was. She was firm on what she believes and stood up for herself, but she also showed Tomas the respect of not invalidating what he believes.
As a couple, Juniper and Tomas work well and are easy to root for. They have good chemistry, their love for one another is clear. They just needed a push to go to the next step – the push being mostly bringing their lustful feelings to the forefront. It’s easy to like Juniper and Tomas, though again, I felt bad for the latter because even the town (not the residents – the town itself) of Ever After seemed to go after him because he doesn’t believe in romantic love. The obstacles are drawn out and got a bit repetitive. However, I liked the main characters and ultimately Juniper and Tomas had a satisfying happily ever after that did feel like it worked for both characters.
It Happened One Midnight is the third Fairy Godmothers, Inc. book and it can easily be read as a standalone. Juniper’s grandmothers, Petunia, Bluebonnet, and Jonquil, are as sugar-fueled and ready to interfere as ever. They’re a bit much for me at times, are a bit heavy-handed with the exposition, and their zaniness is just not my cup of tea, but that’s personal preference. Aside from the town wildlife targeting Tomas, the magical town of Ever After was as adorable as ever. I enjoy DeWylde’s spin on fairytales and it was fun to see all the popular romance tropes appear with characters who know and acknowledge those tropes.
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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