Old Flames and New Fortunes

A fake-dating scheme combines with a second-chance romance in Hogle’s (Just Like Magic) series starter. It’s set in the quaint, magical, fictional town of Moonville, Ohio, where the three Tempest sisters, Luna, Zelda, and Romina, run their family’s shop, The Magick Happens. Romina is a flora fortunist who uses the language of plants to create magical charms via flowers and plants. She’s hoping to expand the business and concocts a fake-dating scheme with her friend Trevor to secure a loan from his financier father. Then her old high school sweetheart Alex comes back into the picture, and things get interesting. Voice actor and musician, writer, producer, and director Valerie Rose Lohman provides the narration for this second chance at first love; her pleasant reading style provides an enjoyable listening experience, although listeners may occasionally struggle to distinguish the characters’ voices. Though the story takes some time to gain momentum, fans of slow-burn romances should be charmed.