Review: Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holdberg

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I have purchased an ebook and audio version since publication.  As always all opinions are my own.

This was a really fun cozy fantasy.  It is set in the late 1800's in New England, were some have magic while other's do not.  Merritt is a successful author working on his next book when he is surprised to find he has inherited an estate in Rhode Island.  It is a surprise because he has been estranged from his family for several years.  The home he has inherited has been empty for quite sometime but upon arrival it is in pristine condition.  Merritt would be happy to call it home until the house decides to take his things and not let him leave.  Enter Hulda Larkin, a professional housekeeper from the Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms.  She is well trained to deal with homes like Whimbrel House, and has been sent to aid Merritt in determining how to tame his new abode and make them learn to live in harmony.  Together they discover the source of the home's magic and learn it's quirks.

While learning what Whimbrel House is all about, there is a more sinister force lurking outside of the house that wants to take the spells and powers of the magic users.  Hulda has had a run in with this man before but he is supposed to be either dead or in prison.  As she and Merritt research the house and it's past inhabitants to sort out all of it's intricacies it becomes apparent that there is more going on than they first suspected.  Not only must they protect the house, but themselves from the madman that wants to siphon all the magic that lives on the island.

I really loved this!  This crosses several genres while remaining cozy at the same time.  It has a bit of a fantasy mystery vibe with a sweet romance in a historical setting.  It was really fun and I enjoyed the antics the house played while getting to know all of the characters.  The side characters were a nice addition to the storyline as well as the main characters.  I mainly listened to the audiobook and it was nice to have multiple narrators for Hulda, Merritt, and Silas so you know which person and which part of the story you were in.  This is a series I'll be continuing on with in the near future for sure.

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