Hopelessly Teavoted

A Novel

After the deaths of his parents, a witch returns to his spooky family manor and joins forces with his former crush when his parents’ spirits warn them of a sinister threat in this witty and lyrically unique rom-com in the vein of The Crescent Moon Tearoom andThe Ex Hex.

Azrael Ashmedai Hart must be cursed. He’s a witch twice named for the devil. He’s making his way back to his family manor in Hallowcross after a failed screenwriting career. He’s adopted a cat he’s allergic to, and if all of that is not enough, he’s also forced to come face-to-face with his childhood best friend and former crush.

Victoria Starnberger, the bubbly girl-next-door Az lost touch with after an awkward incident in college, has just been disowned by her parents for quitting business school and buying Azrael’s late parents’ Hopelessly Teavoted tea shop against their wishes. Being cut off financially is one thing. But, now Vickie also owes a lesser devil for the souls her parents promised him in exchange for her gift to summon the dead by touching something they treasured in life, destroying the object in the process.

When spirits all over town, including Az’s parents, keeping warning her about a sinister threat, Vickie and Az are forced to combine their powers to save the Hallowcross. But to do so, they must prevent her magic from immolating him after Vickie’s devil places a curse on them to keep them from touching until she repays her debt. As they race against the clock to find clever ways around their curse, they find it increasingly harder to deny that they’ve been hopelessly devoted to each other all along.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Narrators Kelsey Navarro Foster and Tim Paige have strong chemistry in this fun paranormal romance. Witches Azrael and Victoria, childhood friends, run into each other after Victoria investigates buying a tea shop that Azrael’s parents used to own. During their exchange, they accidentally summon undead spirits and must find a way to save their town before a devil consumes it. While the story has some action-packed moments, the true heart of Foster’s and Paige’s performances is in the story’s cozy yet steamy romance. Both narrators approach their characters with well-paced cadences and similar humor. Intimate moments are also delivered with alluring yet somewhat comedic dialogue to give Azrael and Victoria’s budding relationship the arc of a friends-to-lovers romance."

Solid 4 star

All in all, this is a 4 star for me... it was teetering between 3 because of how much miscommunication there was (just seemed a little overdone) but I enjoyed the other aspects that I went with a 4. I loved the push and pull between Azrael and Victoria, but it started to feel repetitive halfway through the story. If you're not one for third act breakups I wouldn't pick this one up as it seemed more like that then second chance romance. I was a little baffled as they clearly outlined how they felt for each other, yet none of it seemed to clear the air. It was so much doubt and back tracking that I really just wanted them to finally communicate through.

Now for things I enjoyed, the writing style was well done, with the world clearly laid out, and it was easy to fall into the book and the characters within it. All the representation in the book was great, there was a lot of LGBTQ, grief and anxiety representation. For a debut, there's definite potential! If you like sweet paranormal romance, some mystery and intrigue, and a lot of miscommunication and angst, this one is for you!