Review of Fairy Godmothers Inc by Saranna DeWylde #FairyGodmothersInc #NetGalley

Believe me when I say the blurb gives you no warning as to what exactly this story is about. But that’s okay as it turns out to be a light-hearted, entertaining ride.

First in a magical new series full of edgy and hilarious antics, this is the read you need to finally give your year the fairy-tale ending it deserves! An enchanting story of love, dreams, and second chances—a delightful read for cold winter nights that fans of Christina Lauren, Tessa Bailey, and Kerry Winfrey can’t miss…
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 . . .

Available on Amazon.

I spent the first third of this book trying to figure out what exactly is the ‘tone’. From the book’s description, I expected sweet and cute romance. However, once I met the characters, read their dialogues and read the chemistry between the two main characters, I switched my mind to maybe contemporary romance (with some heat!) But then still there is the fairy tale element… and I don’t mean that in a figurative sense. The godmothers are pretty much the three good fairies from Sleeping Beauty… wings, wands, magic and all. In fact, the whole of Ever After is teeming with fairy tale characters! Yeah… It took a while to understand but once I accepted the various elements, I actually really liked the mix.

The romance: Okay, so once again, you have to accept this is a crazy piece of fiction and suspend belief and just enjoy what comes next. I enjoyed the romance as the two main characters seemed quite well suited to each other. There were jabs expected between former lovers, the friendship built up over years of shared experiences and the angsty love of two people who don’t believe they can have their happily ever after. The only aspect I found a bit overblown was ‘the boy who missed” hullabaloo which was a bit over the top in an already over the top book.

The crazy world building: Ever After, Missouri is the cutest little town and the most perfect place to fall in love. The characters are mostly from fairy tales, complete with talking birds and anthropomorphic mice. The woods are enchanted and the castle is the dreamiest place you could want to be. I think the author does an excellent job in creating a fantastical town many readers will recognise from childhood stories.

There are a couple areas of the plot that I found weren’t fully explained or seemed to need a bit more detail. For example, I think Ransom gets off far to easily in his ‘quest’ whereas Lucky has some very hard choices to make and actions to follow through on. However, there is a depth of emotion that may very well surprise the reader. I found myself completely caught up in Lucky’s feelings. Her despair and disappointment were palpable at times. Additionally, I really wanted to know what would happen next. I felt invested in the characters and the town and couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out in the end.

Overall, though there are some areas that can be better, I certainly enjoyed this story. I found it charming and enchanting… and really, any book that gives me the warm fuzzies, is one I’ll rate well. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. I give Fairy Godmothers Inc. 4/5 magical espresso shots.