Synopsis:

One curse, seven princes, and a bookshop that you’ll never want to leave…

Princess Tanadelle of the Widdenmar longs to build a life of her own making. During a royal visit to the cosy town of Little Pepperidge, Tandy’s dream comes true when she finds herself cursed to remain in a run-down bookshop until she finds her heart’s desire.

More than a little thrilled, she hires a new assistant, teenage goth Sasha, and settles into life among the stacks. Despite the infuriatingly handsome pirate, Bash, who keeps showing up at the shop with his good looks and his own curse to figure out, Tandy’s new life might just make her happy.

There are just seven, minor, problems. With her royal duties unfulfilled, the frantic King and Queen send the seven princes of the realms to bestow upon Tandy a kiss, each one hoping to break the curse.

After all, what more could a princess want, than a prince?

Review:

Princess Tanadelle of the Widdenmar is growing frustrated with princess life. She’s lonely and kept endlessly busy with duties that keep her constantly travelling. She knows her life is privileged, but all she wants is a little time to herself for once. So when she sneaks away to a bookshop in Little Pepperidge for just a moment and ends up cursed to stay in the shop… Well, I definitely wouldn’t be mad about it either.

Tandy’s curse can only be broken when she figures out her heart’s desire. As in any good fairytale, that must mean a Prince, right? Her parents send seven (yes, seven!) such princes to break her curse. Only, they don’t work. It turns out that desire doesn’t have to equal true love.

I adore Tandy, she’s such a lovely character to follow. I love that she made the best of her situation from the start and got on with making a life for herself, even though it may be temporary, and sure, maybe she has no idea what she’s doing for most of it. Her journey through the book was truly brilliant and I enjoyed seeing her flourish and learn who she actually is underneath her princess mask.

The side characters are great too, and they added a lot of life to the small world of the bookshop and made it feel like a little community. Their interactions genuinely made me laugh out loud at times! There is romance, and it was so natural and very sweet, and it never overtook the main focus of the story, which I really appreciated.

 This book is gentle and oh-so cosy. The plot isn’t vast and complicated, it’s contained and charming, but no less exciting for it. The whole book is vibrant and warm and had enough going on to keep it moving at a nice pace.

I adore Stay for a Spell – it has genuinely snagged the top spot for my favourite cosy fantasy! If you enjoy books such as Legends & Lattes or The Spellshop then I have a feeling you will love this one too.

Thank you SO much to the author for sending me an ARC! I loved it so much that I bought a finished copy too!