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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
Full Moons, Dunes and Macaroons by Erin Johnson is the fifth novel in Spells and Caramels series. Imogen Banks and her fellow bakers from the Water Kingdom have traveled to the Fire Kingdom for the wedding of Prince Harry and Princess Shaday. Imogen keeps telling everyone that she is fine with the wedding, but her baking reveals she is far from okay. Until Imogen can get control of her emotions, Maple bans her from the kitchen. When Imogen hears that Bernhardt Beckham, warden of Carclaustra Prison, was found murdered, she decides to use her time to track down the killer. Beckham’s murder is not the only crime to have taken place in the Fire Kingdom recently. Damavash’s magical armor was stolen from the Royal Artifacts Museum and a reward is being offered for its return. The witnesses to the theft state a lion walked in and stole it, but officials do not know how that is possible since there were magical wards in place to prevent shifters. While Imogen is out in the town, she spots Horace, the leader of the Badlands Army and her brother. Horace makes Imogen an offer that she is very tempted to accept. It would mean a big change and she would miss her friends. But then she learns of a destructive conspiracy that will have lethal consequences for those she loves. What decision will Imogen make?
Full Moons, Dunes and Macaroons is not a standalone novel. You do need to read the other books in the series first (especially book four). I thought the book was well-written and has delightful characters. My favorite being Iggy, the flame. I just love his lines and there is one scene with him laughing that had me in stitches. I like the authors take on magic and the unique worlds she has created. In each book readers get to journey to a different kingdom. The story is lighthearted with just the right touch of humor. There is friendship, family, intrigue, love, fire, monsters, mystery and magic. There are two mysteries in the book, and I like how the author weaved them through the story. The story behind Damavash’s armor is a fascinating tale. I am hoping that Imogen will be wiser in the future regarding Horace, and it is time she learned how to master her magical gift. The ending is just delightful and will leave you smiling. Full Moons, Dunes and Macaroons will have you riveted to see how the group’s latest adventure will play out.
Full Moons, Dunes and Macaroons is not a standalone novel. You do need to read the other books in the series first (especially book four). I thought the book was well-written and has delightful characters. My favorite being Iggy, the flame. I just love his lines and there is one scene with him laughing that had me in stitches. I like the authors take on magic and the unique worlds she has created. In each book readers get to journey to a different kingdom. The story is lighthearted with just the right touch of humor. There is friendship, family, intrigue, love, fire, monsters, mystery and magic. There are two mysteries in the book, and I like how the author weaved them through the story. The story behind Damavash’s armor is a fascinating tale. I am hoping that Imogen will be wiser in the future regarding Horace, and it is time she learned how to master her magical gift. The ending is just delightful and will leave you smiling. Full Moons, Dunes and Macaroons will have you riveted to see how the group’s latest adventure will play out.
hugbandit7's review against another edition
5.0
Another winner in my book! I still have no idea what it is about this series that draws me in and fosters a passion to read the book and forget everything else.
Imogen and the gang are in the Fire Kingdom for Hank and Shaday's wedding. Needless to say, many people are not happy about the wedding including the bride and groom! The Fire kingdom is a bit backwards and treats women as if they are not as smart or strong or capable. I am sure many could understand and relate to what they see in their own lives. There are some intriguing twists about the personal life of Shaday and her hopes and desires for her life. I loved how that story played out in this book.
We also learned more about Imogen's past and how she came to live in the human world vs the magical world through her brother Horace. I could see how Imogen was torn between wanting to know her brother but also doing what was right for the magical world. I am hoping that there might be some redemption for Horace in future books. Plus I'm sure there is more to learn about her past in future books.
Overall a very enjoyable book and I can't wait to read the next book to see what happens next!
Imogen and the gang are in the Fire Kingdom for Hank and Shaday's wedding. Needless to say, many people are not happy about the wedding including the bride and groom! The Fire kingdom is a bit backwards and treats women as if they are not as smart or strong or capable. I am sure many could understand and relate to what they see in their own lives. There are some intriguing twists about the personal life of Shaday and her hopes and desires for her life. I loved how that story played out in this book.
We also learned more about Imogen's past and how she came to live in the human world vs the magical world through her brother Horace. I could see how Imogen was torn between wanting to know her brother but also doing what was right for the magical world. I am hoping that there might be some redemption for Horace in future books. Plus I'm sure there is more to learn about her past in future books.
Overall a very enjoyable book and I can't wait to read the next book to see what happens next!
socorrobaptista's review against another edition
4.0
Uma narrativa em que tradicionais papeis de gênero são postos em cheque, e crimes misteriosos são resolvidos, ao mesmo tempo em que a protagonista se vê dividida entre a família e o amor de sua vida.
mpr2000's review against another edition
4.0
This is a new chapter in Imogen's life, a witch that was raised in the humans world and now is enjoying her life as a chef of the Royalty... apart from a few problems, nothing important... her brother is the most wanted person in all the Kingdoms, her boyfriend will marry in 48 hours with her fiancée and everything she is trying to cook is sour! So be prepared for another funny adventure of this lovely witch.
This is the fifth book of the Spells & Caramels series, and it will make a closure of some open plots we had open in the last books, so I will not recommend starting the series on this one, simply start from the first ones, they are worth it! ;)
This had been a very quick read, maybe because I was eager to discover more about Imogen's family and secret brother, whom in every book I've read I am starting to hate him more... Is he really protecting Imogen or he has a secret agenda?
This book story is mainly centred on Imogen feelings toward Hank, her boyfriend and King, that will marry her fiancée in the next 48 hours... of course I wouldn't be on Imogen skin, it has to be really difficult! And what is worse, Shaday, Hank's fiancée is a very nice woman that is simply obeying her parents decision, she didn't want to get married neither!
Between all this tragic-love story, there will be a murder, one that Imogen will use to disconnect from all her personal tragedies and that in the end will make the story fit on their own place...
I really loved this story, it was time to see some closure in Imogen's love life and discovering a little bit more about her brother, be prepared for a few twists!
Ready for a Royal Wedding?
This is the fifth book of the Spells & Caramels series, and it will make a closure of some open plots we had open in the last books, so I will not recommend starting the series on this one, simply start from the first ones, they are worth it! ;)
This had been a very quick read, maybe because I was eager to discover more about Imogen's family and secret brother, whom in every book I've read I am starting to hate him more... Is he really protecting Imogen or he has a secret agenda?
This book story is mainly centred on Imogen feelings toward Hank, her boyfriend and King, that will marry her fiancée in the next 48 hours... of course I wouldn't be on Imogen skin, it has to be really difficult! And what is worse, Shaday, Hank's fiancée is a very nice woman that is simply obeying her parents decision, she didn't want to get married neither!
Between all this tragic-love story, there will be a murder, one that Imogen will use to disconnect from all her personal tragedies and that in the end will make the story fit on their own place...
I really loved this story, it was time to see some closure in Imogen's love life and discovering a little bit more about her brother, be prepared for a few twists!
Ready for a Royal Wedding?
lolasreviews's review against another edition
4.0
I can't believe it's been so long since I read the previous book in this series. I missed this world and as I was in the mood for paranormal cozy mysteries, this seemed like the perfect moment to get back to Imogen, Iggy and the rest of her friends. Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons was such a fun read, like I've come to expect from this series. There's a mystery, twists and ofcourse spending time with the familiar characters.
In Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons Imogen and her friends travel to the fire kingdom, Prince Hank and princess Shaday are going to get married. But it's mostly a political marriage as Hank is secretly in love with Imogen and Shaday has her own secret lover too. Imogen isn't in a good place as she has to help prepare the wedding cake for a wedding she doesn't want to take place. And once she messes up a bake, she gets banned form the kitchen and lands herself into the middle of a mystery.
I liked how this book builds further on the big twist from the last book and for a long time I wasn't quite sure which side it would go and only toward the end you find out. There are some interesting twists and directions the plot takes. There were a few things I predicted, some pretty early and other only shortly before Imogen did. But there were also things I hadn't guessed and I was thinking in the wrong direction for the mystery.
There is a lot going on in this book besides the mystery, the preparation for the wedding, baking, the mystery, Maple's romance and Imogen's interactions with another character. But even with everything going on the mystery was great too. I wasn't sure how it tied in with the rest of the plot, but I love how it tied together at the end. I actually wasn't sure who the murderer was and also didn't focus as much on trying to figure it out and a possible suspects I had turned out to be completely wrong, lol.
I really enjoy reading about Imogen and her friends. And Iggy! Iggy is probably my favorite side character in this series, he's awesome. I am happy Imogen took Iggy with her most times, after the first investigation scene in this book where she left him in the palace. I like how Imogen is curious and wants to solve the mystery, although at times she does take some big risks. I also like how even 5 books in, she still doesn't fully have the hang of her magic and there's this fun scene where she can't think of a spell in a stressful situation, that was so Imogen. It feels realistic it takes her time to get better at magic and she does improve in each book.
I was happy with how this book wraps things up, it all felt like a very solid ending that wrapped up some plot lines, but also many more that are still open and that will continue in later books. I liked how things in the Fire Kingdom got resolved and I like Shaday even more after this book. I am really curious how the whole plot line surrounding Horace will continue with what happened in this book.
It also was great how in this book we got to visit the Fire Kingdom. I don't think it actually was mentioned in the book where the fire kingdom was and how it was hidden. Which is a big thing with the water kingdom, so I wish it had been here as well. On the author's Facebook page I found that the kingdom is in Morocco apparently. The culture was very different from the water kingdom and it was interesting to see the differences.
To summarize: another fun read. I am glad I picked up this book as it was the perfect read for my current mood. I had fun following Imogen, Iggy and her friends as they visit to the fire kingdom and solve another mystery. There is a lot going on in this book with the wedding, the mystery, some side characters plot lines and the plot line surrounding Horace and the badlands. The mystery was well done, I wasn't quite sure who the suspect was, but it all made sense and nicely tied into some other plot lines too. I like reading about Imogen and how she handled herself and Iggy is still my favorite side character, he's awesome. The world building gets expanded a bit as they visit the Fire Kingdom in this book and it's interesting to see the differences between the kingdoms. All in all this was a great read and I hope to read the next book soon.
In Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons Imogen and her friends travel to the fire kingdom, Prince Hank and princess Shaday are going to get married. But it's mostly a political marriage as Hank is secretly in love with Imogen and Shaday has her own secret lover too. Imogen isn't in a good place as she has to help prepare the wedding cake for a wedding she doesn't want to take place. And once she messes up a bake, she gets banned form the kitchen and lands herself into the middle of a mystery.
I liked how this book builds further on the big twist from the last book and for a long time I wasn't quite sure which side it would go and only toward the end you find out. There are some interesting twists and directions the plot takes. There were a few things I predicted, some pretty early and other only shortly before Imogen did. But there were also things I hadn't guessed and I was thinking in the wrong direction for the mystery.
There is a lot going on in this book besides the mystery, the preparation for the wedding, baking, the mystery, Maple's romance and Imogen's interactions with another character. But even with everything going on the mystery was great too. I wasn't sure how it tied in with the rest of the plot, but I love how it tied together at the end. I actually wasn't sure who the murderer was and also didn't focus as much on trying to figure it out and a possible suspects I had turned out to be completely wrong, lol.
I really enjoy reading about Imogen and her friends. And Iggy! Iggy is probably my favorite side character in this series, he's awesome. I am happy Imogen took Iggy with her most times, after the first investigation scene in this book where she left him in the palace. I like how Imogen is curious and wants to solve the mystery, although at times she does take some big risks. I also like how even 5 books in, she still doesn't fully have the hang of her magic and there's this fun scene where she can't think of a spell in a stressful situation, that was so Imogen. It feels realistic it takes her time to get better at magic and she does improve in each book.
I was happy with how this book wraps things up, it all felt like a very solid ending that wrapped up some plot lines, but also many more that are still open and that will continue in later books. I liked how things in the Fire Kingdom got resolved and I like Shaday even more after this book. I am really curious how the whole plot line surrounding Horace will continue with what happened in this book.
It also was great how in this book we got to visit the Fire Kingdom. I don't think it actually was mentioned in the book where the fire kingdom was and how it was hidden. Which is a big thing with the water kingdom, so I wish it had been here as well. On the author's Facebook page I found that the kingdom is in Morocco apparently. The culture was very different from the water kingdom and it was interesting to see the differences.
To summarize: another fun read. I am glad I picked up this book as it was the perfect read for my current mood. I had fun following Imogen, Iggy and her friends as they visit to the fire kingdom and solve another mystery. There is a lot going on in this book with the wedding, the mystery, some side characters plot lines and the plot line surrounding Horace and the badlands. The mystery was well done, I wasn't quite sure who the suspect was, but it all made sense and nicely tied into some other plot lines too. I like reading about Imogen and how she handled herself and Iggy is still my favorite side character, he's awesome. The world building gets expanded a bit as they visit the Fire Kingdom in this book and it's interesting to see the differences between the kingdoms. All in all this was a great read and I hope to read the next book soon.
shelbyleannblacker's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
5.0
What could go wrong at the royal wedding?
Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons by Erin Johnson takes us into February with Hank/Prince Harry’s wedding to Shaday at the Fire Kingdom’s palace in the desert. Imogen is trying to play it off that she’s fine when she really isn’t.
What I like about this book:
• That despite everything that is going on Imogen is trying to be happy even though she really isn’t.
• I like how Horace is such a complicated character. By that I mean he can be good to his sister and be evil not only to his sister but to everyone else.
• Maple finally picked the one she really likes in this book. I’m so excited about that.
• I like that we get a happy ending for all of the characters that were put into this situation for Prince Harry and Shaday being forced to marry each other because of a political alliance.
What I didn’t like about this book:
What I didn’t like in this one was how Hank’s father is not all that happy with Hank or Imogen. That is mostly because he is prejudice to the fact that they are swallows. Another thing I disliked was how horrible Horace is with Imogen at times and that Horace doesn’t get with how she could go against him.
What I am curious about:
• How much will this change Imogen’s life?
Five Stars
Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons by Erin Johnson is another great book that I couldn’t put down at all. A lot has happened in this book and all of it is good stuff for Imogen to learn from. It really helps that she has the back-up of some people in the book that helped her learn a few things. Despite all the warnings that she got from the other characters. We did get a happy ending though in this book for a lot of characters which is good and I’m glad that they got their happy ending.
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by
Baroness’ Book Trove.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you would like to read more reviews like this one please go to baronessbooktrove.com
Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons by Erin Johnson takes us into February with Hank/Prince Harry’s wedding to Shaday at the Fire Kingdom’s palace in the desert. Imogen is trying to play it off that she’s fine when she really isn’t.
What I like about this book:
• That despite everything that is going on Imogen is trying to be happy even though she really isn’t.
• I like how Horace is such a complicated character. By that I mean he can be good to his sister and be evil not only to his sister but to everyone else.
• Maple finally picked the one she really likes in this book. I’m so excited about that.
• I like that we get a happy ending for all of the characters that were put into this situation for Prince Harry and Shaday being forced to marry each other because of a political alliance.
What I didn’t like about this book:
What I didn’t like in this one was how Hank’s father is not all that happy with Hank or Imogen. That is mostly because he is prejudice to the fact that they are swallows. Another thing I disliked was how horrible Horace is with Imogen at times and that Horace doesn’t get with how she could go against him.
What I am curious about:
• How much will this change Imogen’s life?
Five Stars
Full Moons, Dunes & Macaroons by Erin Johnson is another great book that I couldn’t put down at all. A lot has happened in this book and all of it is good stuff for Imogen to learn from. It really helps that she has the back-up of some people in the book that helped her learn a few things. Despite all the warnings that she got from the other characters. We did get a happy ending though in this book for a lot of characters which is good and I’m glad that they got their happy ending.
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by
Baroness’ Book Trove.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you would like to read more reviews like this one please go to baronessbooktrove.com
laileanah's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
1.0
This was light, fun, and easy going.
Unfortunately, this contained another racial slur commonly used to disparage Roma peoples.
Sigh.
Unfortunately, this contained another racial slur commonly used to disparage Roma peoples.
Sigh.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs