By Charlie N. Holmberg
Publication Date: April 11, 2023
300 Pages
Hulda and Merritt are back in Book 2 of the Whimbrel House series and unlike many series that I never get back to after Book 1, I adored this offering as much as Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (see that review here).
I’m throwing out a spoiler alert early for anyone who hasn’t read the first book. Even though this could possibly stand alone, I highly recommend reading Keeper of Enchanted Rooms first – you’ll follow the plot more easily and it’s just too good to miss. And it’s on KU, so if you have that subscription, there’s no excuse not to pick it up.
With Silas Hogwood dead (we presume), Hulda and Merritt should be able to retire to Whimbrel House, get on with their romance, and sort out Merritt’s new-found magical abilities. But Myra Haigh, BIKER’s director, disappeared in the aftermath of the psychotic wizard’s attempt to capture Owein’s magic, and Hulda is busy trying to sort out what happened to her boss. Then officials from LIKER (the London Institute for Keepers of Enchanted Rooms) arrive to audit BIKER and appoint a new Director. When Hulda’s maid is suddenly reassigned to Canada, she knows something is amiss with the British contingent. But without being able to contact Myra, how can she figure out what they’re looking for?
As always, there’s a lot more going on than what I can cover in a quick synopsis. We have chapters from Owein’s point of view and considering he’s a twelve-year-old inhabiting a dog’s body, they’re a lot of fun. Baptiste also gets more ink in this one. Merritt is torn between helping Hulda, figuring out his own magical abilities, and reuniting with his estranged family. So everyone is a little busy.
Frazzled or not, the characters are as lovable and warm as ever. Again, I have to compare this series to TJ Klune’s The House on the Cerulean Sea for pure lovability factor, except there’s no overriding social message in this book. The Whimbrel House series is just sweet and fun.
Amazon has this listed as Book 2 of 2 in the series, but there’s a lot of strings left hanging at the end so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Book 3. I seriously hope there is. I’d be sad to see this one end here, even though the author does tend to wrap up most of her series after two books.
4.5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐+
Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for providing the ARC ebook. I’ve left my review honestly and voluntarily.
Until next time, thank you for visiting.
Ann Dudzinski 