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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Bargains with Benefits by Jillian Witt
5.0
A struggling innkeeper and an aspiring journalist strike a bargain to better both of their careers in this cozy fantasy series started set in an intriguing magical world.
Luna Pierce is a half-fae who is trying to reconcile with her estranged father and finally run the inn of her dreams, Cliff House Inn. There is one major problem though—the inn hasn't had guests in a long time. That doesn't get Luna down though: she is determined to do whatever it takes to save the inn, even if that means striking a bargain with the devilishly handsome, yet annoying fae journalist, Vincent Andiveron. Vincent wants nothing more than to get the chance to write a featured article in the newspaper, but he needs help following a lead on Darius Pierce. If Luna can get him into Pierce House, Vincent agrees to write a piece about Cliff House Inn in his column. The two may be opposites, but the more they work in tandem, they begin to learn just how magical love can feel.
I'm still pretty new to the cozy fantasy genre, but this book is exactly what I want in one! It has an intriguing magic system, an elaborate political system, relatable characters, witty banter, great chemistry between our love interests, and super cozy occupations like journalism and innkeeping.
I'll kick this off by talking about Luna and Vincent. Individually, I love them both. When their together? I couldn't keep myself from giggling from their constant teasing and swooning at their chemistry. These two are so cute together; I completely adore them as a couple! Luna is a colorful half-fae who isn't willing to let her voice be silenced. She's spunky, she isn't afraid to take what she wants, and she's willing to reach for the stars despite the adverse events of her childhood. Vincent, on the other hand, is a noble fae with an ancient lineage that has him acting quite proper and a tad arrogant at times. When he's with Luna though, he is such a goofball. I truly can't get enough of Vincent's antics. Luna truly brings out the best in Vincent. The way that Vincent's wind magic acts as its own character and adds to these two's relationship is also really wholesome; the wind gust is also quite a flirt, which is really fun to read.
The magic system and the politics in this world drew me in from the very beginning. The realm is split into four sections and is mapped by the points of a compass. Norden (north) is home to the water fae, Suden (south) houses the earth fae, the fire fae reside in Vesten (west), and the wind fae hail from Osten (west). The lore behind this is established more in the author's first series, "Compass Points," which I will definitely have to look into in the future.
This world certainly has some prejudices between humans and fae, and even between faes of different elements and heritage. Luna is half-fae so she is constantly experiencing the feeling of living on the border between two worlds. I personally love when author's explore identity in magical worlds; many people can relate to such experiences even though they obviously aren't half-fae, half-human themselves. Vincent hails from an old fae family that is very proud of their pure bloodlines. The Andiveron household often looks down on other families and frowns upon those who would dilute their lineage with human blood. Luna and Vincent meeting has both of them questioning their prejudicial thoughts and revaluating things that they took as fact their entire lives.
The bargain aspect of this book made for a really fun time. Luna and Vincent constantly utilize their deal as a chance to hang out with one another and try to use it as a way to avoid their feelings for one another. This ploy doesn't stand for long and the two quickly realize that they are falling in love faster than they could have ever expected. Watching Vincent and Luna learn to care about one another so tenderly and unconditionally was so sweet and honestly inspiring.
Seeing Luna deal with both of her parent's was touching and heartbreaking. She has always been distant from her father, Darius, so it was super sweet seeing them grow closer to each other throughout the course of this book. Luna and her deceased mother had always been close, so it was crushing to learn about all the secrets she was hiding from her beloved daughter. It would break me to learn all that Luna discovered about her mother, but sometimes the truth needs to come to life.
I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the spice in this book. There are a couple of open door scenes, but I actually found them to be done quite masterfully. I could really feel Luna and Vincent's love for one another in their intimate moments. I am pleased to report that both of their main concern in bed was pleasing the other and I could hear the dialog between the two despite the sparse amount of conversation happening. And Vincent's wind buddy made for some exciting new instances that you don't see terribly often.
This is the first book in a series of stand alone cozy fantasy romances. I seriously hope that future books explore Ambrose and Evelyn's story as well as Skye's happily ever after. I enjoyed my time with all of the side characters, so I will definitely be checking out the rest of the books in this series.
Overall, "Bargains with Benefits" was an amazing cozy fantasy romance. I enjoyed meeting Luna and Vincent; watching them fall in love was a journey I would definitely repeat again. I am super intrigued by the world and the politics, so I very much want to check out Witt's "Compass Points" series, too. I loved the relentless teasing, the swoony moments, and everything else that this romance entailed. I'll be looking forward to reading the next book in this series as soon as I am able to do so!
Luna Pierce is a half-fae who is trying to reconcile with her estranged father and finally run the inn of her dreams, Cliff House Inn. There is one major problem though—the inn hasn't had guests in a long time. That doesn't get Luna down though: she is determined to do whatever it takes to save the inn, even if that means striking a bargain with the devilishly handsome, yet annoying fae journalist, Vincent Andiveron. Vincent wants nothing more than to get the chance to write a featured article in the newspaper, but he needs help following a lead on Darius Pierce. If Luna can get him into Pierce House, Vincent agrees to write a piece about Cliff House Inn in his column. The two may be opposites, but the more they work in tandem, they begin to learn just how magical love can feel.
I'm still pretty new to the cozy fantasy genre, but this book is exactly what I want in one! It has an intriguing magic system, an elaborate political system, relatable characters, witty banter, great chemistry between our love interests, and super cozy occupations like journalism and innkeeping.
I'll kick this off by talking about Luna and Vincent. Individually, I love them both. When their together? I couldn't keep myself from giggling from their constant teasing and swooning at their chemistry. These two are so cute together; I completely adore them as a couple! Luna is a colorful half-fae who isn't willing to let her voice be silenced. She's spunky, she isn't afraid to take what she wants, and she's willing to reach for the stars despite the adverse events of her childhood. Vincent, on the other hand, is a noble fae with an ancient lineage that has him acting quite proper and a tad arrogant at times. When he's with Luna though, he is such a goofball. I truly can't get enough of Vincent's antics. Luna truly brings out the best in Vincent. The way that Vincent's wind magic acts as its own character and adds to these two's relationship is also really wholesome; the wind gust is also quite a flirt, which is really fun to read.
The magic system and the politics in this world drew me in from the very beginning. The realm is split into four sections and is mapped by the points of a compass. Norden (north) is home to the water fae, Suden (south) houses the earth fae, the fire fae reside in Vesten (west), and the wind fae hail from Osten (west). The lore behind this is established more in the author's first series, "Compass Points," which I will definitely have to look into in the future.
This world certainly has some prejudices between humans and fae, and even between faes of different elements and heritage. Luna is half-fae so she is constantly experiencing the feeling of living on the border between two worlds. I personally love when author's explore identity in magical worlds; many people can relate to such experiences even though they obviously aren't half-fae, half-human themselves. Vincent hails from an old fae family that is very proud of their pure bloodlines. The Andiveron household often looks down on other families and frowns upon those who would dilute their lineage with human blood. Luna and Vincent meeting has both of them questioning their prejudicial thoughts and revaluating things that they took as fact their entire lives.
The bargain aspect of this book made for a really fun time. Luna and Vincent constantly utilize their deal as a chance to hang out with one another and try to use it as a way to avoid their feelings for one another. This ploy doesn't stand for long and the two quickly realize that they are falling in love faster than they could have ever expected. Watching Vincent and Luna learn to care about one another so tenderly and unconditionally was so sweet and honestly inspiring.
Seeing Luna deal with both of her parent's was touching and heartbreaking. She has always been distant from her father, Darius, so it was super sweet seeing them grow closer to each other throughout the course of this book. Luna and her deceased mother had always been close, so it was crushing to learn about all the secrets she was hiding from her beloved daughter. It would break me to learn all that Luna discovered about her mother, but sometimes the truth needs to come to life.
I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the spice in this book. There are a couple of open door scenes, but I actually found them to be done quite masterfully. I could really feel Luna and Vincent's love for one another in their intimate moments. I am pleased to report that both of their main concern in bed was pleasing the other and I could hear the dialog between the two despite the sparse amount of conversation happening. And Vincent's wind buddy made for some exciting new instances that you don't see terribly often.
This is the first book in a series of stand alone cozy fantasy romances. I seriously hope that future books explore Ambrose and Evelyn's story as well as Skye's happily ever after. I enjoyed my time with all of the side characters, so I will definitely be checking out the rest of the books in this series.
Overall, "Bargains with Benefits" was an amazing cozy fantasy romance. I enjoyed meeting Luna and Vincent; watching them fall in love was a journey I would definitely repeat again. I am super intrigued by the world and the politics, so I very much want to check out Witt's "Compass Points" series, too. I loved the relentless teasing, the swoony moments, and everything else that this romance entailed. I'll be looking forward to reading the next book in this series as soon as I am able to do so!