Reviews

This was a sweet little cozy sapphic romance. Indie was anxious AF about literally everything, a lovely side effect of having her emotionally abusive mother. Vega was confident and supportive; the dreamy lumbersnack orc all of us need. The two of them were cute together and showed genuine care for one another.
Just remember - fake dating never really stays fake, so if you had plans to do it over the holiday season but don’t secretly adore the other person, maybe don’t.

Spice: 4/5

Triggers: emotional abuse, grief (old), child abandonment (off page), panic attack

dobbyssocks421's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

xxbunnicornxx's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A good lighthearted in-between read. It was a sweet turn around from the types of books I normally read.

mushmaiden's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5⭐️

When I tell you this book had me covering my mouth, kicking my feet, and giggling? I’m being 1000% serious.

This world is unlike anything I’ve read, and the characters are immediately likable. I’m a monster romance lover, but I typically avoid romance novels that feel kitschy or overdone, hallmark types. Because of the creative world building, inclusivity, and representation? This book avoided being that way, and is a new fave of mine!

I can’t wait to see more of Augury University!

lezreadalot's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 stars. This was okay, but I have to admit, I can already feel myself forgetting it. A fantasy Christmas romance, between a half-orc and a half-elf who spend a hot night together, only to find that they're off-limits, because they're new co-workers. It has a classic holiday setup, where Indigo ends up taking Vega homes to spend a bit of the holidays with her overbearing family, and there's fake dating and overcoming insecurities and all the cuteness associated with holiday stuff. And it was all okay? It tried to do a lot in a 200 page novella, and I feel like it just ended up doing a lot of things mediocrely, instead of doing a couple things well. The world-building is kinda interesting, a post-Earth that's been merged with a lot of fantasy worlds and creatures, and now thousands of years later the entire landscape of completely changed. It ended up feeling super clumsy though; we kept getting info-dumpy material about customs and basic information that these characters would obviously already know. The romance was really tropey, which was good, but pretty surface level, which was disappointing. Did Vega and Indigo actually get to know each other? Didn't feel like it. It was hot, so I rounded up, but even the hotness felt a little flat, tbh.

This was just a list of complaints, but the book wasn't bad, really. It's got a really cute cover and a really cute concept. I'm absolutely feral for sapphic size difference, so you couldn't stop me from borrowing this as soon as a heard about it. The book itself though... just kinda meh.

opalescent4026's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this holiday sapphic tale, and I can't wait for more stories in this world! There's such a wonderful blend of forbidden love, holiday vibes, cute dates, and spice. It was a perfect read to begin my holiday season

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