My first book blog for Tea Leaves and Reads! What an honour. I was chuffed when Katy found my bookstagram account (Keighley_reads) and asked me to read a few books to review and write a blog on.
So, on a cold January Saturday, I popped along to the book shop (Weyhill Fairground) to find some books to cosy up with during the weekend – the first being this one – Homegrown magic.
Written by two authors I had not heard of previously, the back of the book grabbed my attention straight away; ‘A delightful queer cottagecore romantic fantasy full of friends-to-lovers chemistry, found family and cozy garden magic’. Sounded just my type of book.
I really enjoyed this book; it was an easy read and kept me gripped throughout. The book flowed perfectly, and I enjoyed reading both characters stories. Reading the relationship between Yael (they/them) and Margot (she/her) develop was entertaining.
A little spicy in parts, it didn’t detract from the story, and I did find myself skip over parts but didn’t feel like I had missed the jist.
Overall, this book is perfect for those who like a little bit of light fantasy, a hint of magic, some romance and a warming family story at the heart.
About the Book
A delightful queer cottagecore romantasy full of friends-to-lovers romance, found family, rival family drama, and cozy garden magic.
Yael Clauneck might be an indifferent warlock, but they are also the only scion of an obscenely wealthy banking family with its fingers in every pie in the realm. On the precipice of a predetermined life, a loveless political marriage, and eventually, children who’ll be raised exactly as they were, they flee during their own graduation party, in search of the chance to feel like life can still be a grand adventure.
Margot Greenwillow — talented plant witch, tea lover, and stressed greenhouse owner — has never felt further from adventure in her life. After her grandmother died and her parents lost the family fortune, she’s been on her own, desperately trying to keep what remains of the family business afloat. So when her childhood friend — and former crush — gallops back into her life, she’s shocked, to say the least. But when Yael confesses they’ve fled home with no possessions and no plan, Margot, lonely and in need of help, offers Yael a job in the greenhouses. Yael is delighted to accept.
They lay low for a while, harvesting strawberries for heartbreak jam, and flirting with Margot while they figure out what to do next. What Yael doesn’t know is that Margot’s been forming a plan of her own — reforge alliances, entice investors, and take back everything that was stolen from her own family by the Clauneck Company.
But plans are notoriously unreliable things, unlikely to survive a swiftly-blooming mutual attraction, not to mention the machinations of a set of parents determined to get their heir back — no matter the cost.
About The Authors
Jamie Pacton (she/her) is an award-nominated Young Adult and Middle Grade author who lives in Wisconsin with her family. Her YA contemporary books include the forthcoming Furious, Lucky Girl and The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly. Her YA fantasy novels include The Absinthe Underground and The Vermilion Emporium. When she’s not writing, reading, baking, or playing D&D, she teaches English at the college level.
Rebecca Podos is an American author of young adult fiction and a literary agent, best known for her Lambda Literary Award-winning novel Like Water.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box.
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