Review: Must Love Moss and Moonshine by Maisy Magill

Must Love Moss and Moonshine (Moonshine Hollow #0)
by Maisy Magill

My Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
One lonely dryad in denial.
One Sylvan elf with amnesia.
And one sentient forest that absolutely ships them.

Desperate to quit the vagabond life, traveling enchanted jewelry artisan Tansy Foxglove is determined to get to the autumn market in the village of Moonshine Hollow. Nothing will stand in her way… except an ancient forest that has its own plans.

When Tansy sets off for the village, she definitely doesn’t mean to get lost in an enchanted wood. She certainly does not intend to lose her memory. And she wasn’t planning to be irresistibly drawn to the ancient glade’s dryad caretaker.

Kellen’s life is one of solitude. He has no interest in interacting with the outside world. He’s perfectly happy with his solitary life. Right? When a beautiful Sylvan elf who has lost her memory appears in his forest, he has no choice but to take care of her. But when taking care turns to simmering attraction, will this loner change his ways? What happens when her memories return? Will their magical connection survive?

What to expect:
• Grumpy/sunshine romance
• Cinnamon roll gentle giant
• Cheeky, independent heroine
• Memory loss/amnesia
• Found family
• Spice! 🌶️🌶️🌶️
• Super cozy cottagecore & forestcore vibes
• Just one bed
• Touch-starved hero
• Forced proximity
• Magical creatures
• Healing and redemption
• Small-town vibes
• HEA guaranteed

Must Love Moss & Moonshine is the prequel to the enchanting cozy fantasy Moonshine Hollow series, introducing us to the magical town of Moonshine Hollow and its residents.

Each novel in the series can be read as a stand-alone.

Perfect for lovers of steamy fantasy rom-com, romantasy, and cozy fantasy romance with a dash of spice! Fans of Kimberly Lemming, Heather Fawcett, and Cora Crane will devour this super cozy but very passionate tale of magic, romance, and redemption.

My Review

I am really enjoying the cozy fantasy genre and when I stumbled upon this book I thought it would be the perfect fit for my current cozy reading mood so I started it right away. Must Love Moss and Moonshine definitely has the cozy fantasy vibes pat down. It also has a sweet romance with a bit of heat. I really thought I would enjoy this book a lot, but it just left me feeling like something was missing. I can’t even fully pinpoint what it that made this book not grip me as much as I wanted, but it just left me feeling that it was just okay.

This book follows main characters Kellen, who is the lonely guardian of the forest, and Tansy, who is a wanderer tired of traveling and looking for a place to settle down. Both get exactly what they’re looking for when they meet. It almost feels a bit too perfect how well they fit and find what they’re looking for. There also is a fated mates things that explains why they so quickly know the other is perfect for them, which didn’t really work for me here.

I just didn’t fully feel their romance and just wanted something more. Having said that they were cute together. The only thing standing in between them is the fact Tansy loses her memory before she meets him and doesn’t know what her life is like and whether she already has a partner. Once that gets resolved there is a bit more of them figuring things out and then the epilogue.

This is a pretty short read and I would say maybe that’s my problem with the romance, but I’ve read shorter books were I could feel the romance. And there are some very sweet scenes as they spend time together. Maybe it’s just my mood and my stress levels, but it just wasn’t quite working for me.

One thing I did really like about this book was the wonderful setting. Forest settings are one of my favorites to read about and this forest really came alive. Add in the autumn vibes and the small town nearby and the setting was just wonderful. It also really hits those cozy vibes and the whole book felt very cozy. There are also some fun side characters and there is the cozy town of Moonshine Hollow.

To summarize: This is a cozy fantasy romance book that serves as an introduction to this series. I liked the cozy vibes and the forest setting. Sadly the romance didn’t fully work for me, it had a memory loss and fated mates plot line that didn’t quite work for me. And despite some sweet scenes between the two of them, I just didn’t fully feel their romance. I am just sad I didn’t enjoy it more.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.