Cursed Cocktails (Tales of Aedrea #1)
written by S.L. Rowland
narrated by Eric Jason Martin
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/m
Blurb:
When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into a stiff drink and stir.After twenty years defending the frozen north against some of the most dangerous threats in the nine kingdoms, Rhoren “Bloodbane” has finally earned his retirement. While the blood mage’s service to the realm may have ended, burning veins and aching joints remain, and Rhoren soon learns that a warmer climate offers relief from his chronic pain.
And a chance at a fresh start.
In the warm and relaxing atmosphere of Eastborne, the umbral elf finds a new purpose and a sense of belonging. He may have left the frozen north behind, but he brings with him the skills and strength gained from a lifetime of defending the realm. Along with his most prized possession—a book of drink recipes inherited from his father.
Spilled cocktails may not carry the same weight as spilled blood, but opening a tavern brings a unique brand of challenges. With the right friends and a little bit of luck, he might just have a recipe for success.
About the Series: Welcome to the enchanting world of Tales of Aedrea, where small-scale stories, low-stakes adventure, and cozy fantasy come to life within an epic, high-fantasy realm.
My Review
I was in the mood for a cozy listen and then remembered this book and decided to start it. This one fit my mood perfectly and I had such a great time listening to Cursed Cocktails. Cursed Cocktails follows the story of an Umbral elf with blood magic, who after years of serving the Northern guard retires and moves south to a warmer climate in hopes that will help heal the chronic pain from using his magic. He finds a home, new friends and a new purpose as he decides to open a tavern serving cocktails.
This was just such a cozy and fun story. I liked following Rhoren’s story as he finds a new home and purpose after retiring from the guard. I liked how we get a feel for his past and what led him to do the work for the guard as well as what he wants from life now. I enjoyed seeing him meet Callum and how the two teamed up to start Cursed Cocktails. The whole journey of how they start the bar is just so fun from finding the right place to gathering the ingredients, the magic cold box and deciding on the menu. The cocktail recipes sprinkled throughout the book were a nice addition too.
I thought Rhoran was an interesting main character. I liked reading about him and seeing what happened to him and how he dealt with it. I thought the way his past was part of his life and influenced his life even now was interesting and I liked learning more about his past as well as seeing what he was doing now. There’s a bit of tension with him hiding he is a blood mage and I was worried that would cause some issues when it came to light, but I actually was quite pleased with how that plot line resolved. And it did make sense why he kept it hidden at first.
There’s a bit of romance, but for most of the book I actually wasn’t quite sure if it would go there. So it’s very light on that aspect. I liked seeing Rhoren and Callum interact. I thought they were sweet together and wouldn’t have minded a few more romantic scenes toward the end. The book has a whole cast of fun side characters that become part of Rhoren’s circle of friends and customers. I really liked the cat Jinx as well as Twilight. There also is a storyline involving the building being cursed and Rhoren trying to figure out what was behind it, I thought it was a fun reveal when he discovers what has been causing everything.
The narrator was a new to me one. I enjoyed this style and his voice fit the cozy vibes of the book. He did the different voices for the characters well. And I just had a great time listening to this one and already picked up the next 2 books in audio as well.
To summarize: This is a lovely cozy fantasy book and I had a great time reading it. It was the perfect fit for my reading mood. I liked Rhoren’s story and seeing how he went from a guard in the frozen north to retiring in the south and opening a tavern serving cocktails. I liked his friendship with Callum that slowly turns to more. There are some great side character throughout the book and I liked reading about them, the cat Jinx was a fun addition as well. I had so much fun hearing how Rhoren and Callum started the tavern, made cocktails and grew closer. The narrator is great and I’ll be continuing the series in audio. I can definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a fun cozy fantasy story.
This sounds something along the lines of the Travis Baldree series I like. I’ll have to add it to my list. 🙂
I haven’t read the Travis Baldree series yet, but I do think this one has a similar vibe from what I heard. It was a good one.