Peasreads- Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst

Coming July 28, 2026, from Macmillan / Tor / Bramble

Sarah Beth Durst's Spellshop novels are becoming must-reads for me. Sea of Charms is a magical read. It's cozy fantasy that is paced well. The story was interesting, the love story cozy. Marin, the main character, is a supply runner. She loves the sea and her parents took out a loan to gift her with her vessel. Her only goal is to run her supply business well and pay the loan for the ship or she will lose it.  She has deadlines she needs to meet. She loves what she does. She is focused and keeps people at arm's length. Then the revolution happens, and revolutions are messy. During the revolution, people are fleeing the capital and trying to protect what is important to them. Marin learns to open her heart, take risks, and she does what she knows is right in her heart, even if she has to put aside important goals. This book is a five star read for me.

Description
DELUXE EDITION—a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring beautiful cerulean blue sprayed edges!
Sarah Beth Durst brings cozy fantasy romance to the high seas in Sea of Charms, the third magical adventure in the New York Times bestselling Spellshop series!
Marin has always belonged on the great blue sea.
Betrayed by love, Marin lives and works as a supply runner, sailing from island to island, delivering an array of goods with Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub as her crew.
On one of her routine trips to the capital, Alyssium, Marin finds a revolution underway—and her friend Dax in the line of fire.
What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a member of her crew if he pretends to be her boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.
But against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile—and realizes that perhaps she isn’t saving him. Maybe it’s the other way around.
Sea of Charms is a cozy fantasy romance about finding your crew, your family, and moreover, finding yourself.
Expect:
Standalone romance
Friends to lovers
Magical creatures
Swimming lessons
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Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan / Tor / Bramble for this galley. I was under no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are my own. 

Peasreads- How to Find a Guy in Five Weddings by Cynthia Timoti

How to Find a Guy in Five Weddings

by Cynthia Timoti

 Pub Date: May 12 2026  

Great storyline, good pace, and relatable problems. 3.5 stars. FMC Kimiko is looking for a guy to date to inherit her late grandmother's yarn store. She was raised by her grandparents and loves them very much. They gave her a wonderful childhood. It is important to Kim to keep her grandmother's legacy. Her Grandfather is a wonderful man who is kind and loving. Kim has been abandoned and betrayed by people, and she doesn't believe in happy endings. Kim is encouraged by friends to try apps for dating. The dates she had were pretty over-the-top bad. Almost unbelievable. Granted, I have no experience. Kim can be a bit annoying but no one is perfect.

The dates are so bad that Rob, a friend who does believe in soul mates and happy endings, decides to help her. I am not sure of the history between the two. It is mentioned that they had a date, and Rob never showed up. Nothing else was mentioned after that. Rob is just an all-around good guy. Or maybe the bar is in hell because, honestly, he's just kind and thoughtful. 

All in all this was a fun read. 

Description

It’s 27 Dresses meets Sonya Lalli’s The Matchmaker’s List in this delightful romcom where she doesn’t believe in love…he’s determined to prove her wrong -- by being her matchmaker!

Kimiko Halim thinks happy endings only exist in fairy tales. But her late grandmother’s will specifies settling down as a condition to inherit her yarn store, and the family’s legacy is the only thing that matters. Kim’s plan is simple: find a guy, date him until the store is hers, then gently uncouple from the poor, unsuspecting victim.

But the clock is ticking, and her dates have been more frogs than princes. When Rob Carmichael, a perpetual groomsman and self-proclaimed proponent of happily-ever-afters, overhears Kim’s cynical view of love, he’s baffled. Having been surrounded by happy relationships all his life, Rob convinces her that he can find her a soulmate in one of the next five weddings he’s going to.

What can possibly go wrong?

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Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble, for this galley. I was under no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are my own. 

Peasread- Kill the Beast by Serra Swift

 

I wanted to love this book so much.  The whole premise, the story, the world the author built, those were amazing. Side characters were great.  Alderic was great. I'm torn, there is so much that could have been so amazing.  If you can read it without having to like the main character and still enjoy the story, then yes. It's a good read.

 Trigger warnings: Suicidal ideation, self-harm and harm to a pet are fairly big factors in the story.

This book is not wholesome or cozy, which I have seen people describe it as. 

I had an issue with  Lyssa, the main character. I understand that her circumstances were bad. Being abandoned by her dad. Bad. Trauma bad. Seeing her brother murdered by the Beast as a child. Very Bad. Loads of trauma is bad. I understand the anger. However, her default was rage and violence. Physical harm to anyone and everyone present, even the innocent.  After 10 years, or 13, that was still the default. There was no growth. No regret later. She just couldn't seem to think beyond that violence. I could like and root for a character who was growing through rage, violence, and loss. I could understand deep grieving.  Despite having those by her side who gave her the opportunity for growth. She simply dug her heels in and continued. I am not saying she should forgive the people who caused trauma in her life or stop grieving.  There was no maturity.  No thought to her killing- just rage. She was a flat, one-dimensional character until we met Alderic, when we find out that she's also mean and hateful. She makes fun of how he dresses and his hobbies. Even when he reveals his character to her throughout the story, she doesn't grow. 

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I received this egalley from NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books I was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are my own.