There’s magic in a book …

Max always felt too ordinary for the magical village of Lampton. No place more so than her mum’s bookshop, where the recommendations are more than just a matter of taste – they’re magic.

When Max’s mum dies suddenly, she leaves her daughter Lamplight Books and makes one last wish: that Max would spend a year working in the bookshop before she sells it.

Max has no desire to uproot her busy city life to return to a place that always made her feel inadequate, but she can’t ignore her mum’s last request. So she decides on a trial run of two weeks – if she can’t even last that long, then a year would be impossible…

Titles in The Tiny Magic series include:  The Tiny Magic Bookshop ~ The Tiny Magic Bakery ~

This is a no-spice romance, paranormal cozy mystery-style story with just a hint of romance.

Title:  The Tiny Magic Bookshop
Series:  The Tiny Magic #1
Author:  August Bloom
Published:  June 4, 2026
Publisher:  HQ Digital/HarperCollins
My Rating:  4 stars

The Tiny Magic Bookshop begins The Tiny Magic series.  Max’s story is one that I’m extremely torn on.  I liked the overall story and loved this tiny magical village where humans and the supernatural co-exist with minor troubles.  I just couldn’t connect with Max for most of her story; stars above, I wanted to like/connect with her, but I just couldn’t get there for the majority of her story… and it is totally her story, with an introduction to the cast and crew of this ongoing series yet to come.  I loved the premise, the town, and the secondary characters—so that’s there for a future return to this series.  But I, frankly, had to push through to find a Max I could identify with, one who wasn’t basically a mean girl who believes she never was worthy of fitting into her hometown… so she escaped as quickly as she could, and hardly ever looked back.  Left behind once devoted friends and a mother who always held out hope that her daughter would return… she just never figured it would happen because of a stupid accident that took her mother’s life.

I grew to understand Max better, and even began to like her by the story’s end (with the hope that it’s the newer Max we run into in future books).  This is why I don’t easily give up on books or characters; sometimes they do surprise me.  One very entitled owl will play a huge part in Max’s journey.  I adored Cam, who isn’t afraid to tell her former best friend the truths she needs to hear, and I loved the magical creatures we encounter here.

Overall, The Tiny Magic Bookshop is a good book that grew on me; it’s well-written, so emotional, and full of magic, and about finally seeing one’s own worth, not those false beliefs that were self-inflicted damage over the years.  I’ll return for Cam’s story in The Tiny Magic Bakery for the next adventure.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.  I am so grateful to the authors who put their work into KU.  Frankly, my book budget only stretches so far, and KU lets me access so many series to dive into.

This title is available on Amazon