Phew!

Second Star to the Left is a 100% adult-only Neverland retelling with swashbuckling adventures, amazing sarcasm and enough steam to fill a sauna!

Tinker Bell is trapped in the world of humans, desperately trying to find her way home. The Queen of the Mermaids has the means to help her but first Tink needs to prove she is trustworthy by stealing a certain treasure from a dashing hook-wielding pirate Captain!

Once Tink and Hook's worlds collide they find themselves entangled in an intense, fast-paced quest, fighting against curses, pirates and their own growing infatuation.


I'm not sure how Van Dyke manages it but her characters are simultaneously those from our childhood and, at the same time, sexy as hell! Think more Hook from Once Upon a Time rather than the ponytail animated maniac!

The romance between Hook and Tink was perfect in my opinion, it wasn't insta love at all and was initially pure attraction. Yes, the enemies to lover trope is everywhere right now but I am never going to complain about that! And the fact that he fell first? I'm 100% here for that!

I also loved how the story, the POVs and the whole focus of the novel was on Tink and Hook: sure, Peter and the lost boys feature but I Peter doesn't take over the story at all. Smee, however, I LOVED Smee- we need a Smee spin off for sure!


Second Star to the Left rivals Serena Valentino when it comes to humanising Disney villains. Beware though, this is no kids story- the steam and tension between Pixie and Pirate is palpable.


Thank you to Netgalley and Megan Van Dyke for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was my first fairy tale retelling book, so wasn’t sure what to expect but it did not disappoint! (Safe to say I’ll be reading more after this)

Loved that the focus was Hook & Tinker Bell instead of Peter Pan. Meant it didn’t make me feel too weird about the spicy scenes in a story that I loved as a kid haha!

Really enjoyed some of the details - like Tinker Bell’s name meaning & Hook’s back story.
I will say that I did manage to guess at a few of the ‘twists’ but still enjoyed them.

A fun and quick paced read 👍🏻

I’ll definitely be looking into the authors other planned books in this series!

Really enjoyed this one!
It's set in Neverland where Tinkerbell was exiled from her homeland for selling pixie dust and she end up having a run in with Captain Hook while on a mission to help restore her only way of returning home.
Loved the twists and turns and how pirates cam actually be nice people (reminds me of the quote: "just because we are bad guys doesn't mean we have to be bad guys" from wreck it Ralph 😅)
Didn't expect the amount of spice though! 😅
And was able to figure out a few things before they happened. Love how Peter turns up but isn't the main focus, like in other books (as he often ends up taking over the story I found!)
Enjoyable throughout and recommend for Peter Pan or Tink fans!

I loved this awesome take on a classic fairy tale! I never would have thought to put Tink and Hook together but it was incredibly intriguing. It’s engrossing and quick to read but I feel like it lacked some depth? I wanted more of Tink and Hook’s backstory. Though, I believe this is to be a series, so maybe there’s more to come? Overall, I really appreciated the characters and the magical world of Neverland that was reimagined in such an enjoyable way for adults!

Thank you for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! 3.5/5 Stars!

I loved this book! I read it in one day. I have always loved Tink. Once Upon A Time made me love Hook. This was perfect! I couldn't put it down. It is a beautiful story of what Home really is!
Thank you Netgalley

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

~4.5~

"Home isn't just a place, it's a people, and I could never be truly home without you."

I am a sucker for retellings and a new adult retelling of Captain Hook and Tinkerbell was right up my alley. This dual POV book about a pirate searching to break a curse (or two) placed on him and a pixie on a treasure hunt to go home end up crossing paths and the rest you can read for yourself. I loved this book, the characters didn't make dumb decisions going from their hearts, and they survived.

*spoilers*

I love the fact that he was just 'cursed' by his memory of Tink. The 'he fell first' trope is one of my favorites and James was SUCH a likable character, good man for being a pirate, and his bond with his crew just made him such a good character. Tink trying to go home, but not fighting her attraction and giving in to what she wants, the life she wants with Tink was just so satisfying because characters who ignore what they want to try and follow through with their initial objective that has changed frustrate me.
All in all, this was a good book, and exactly the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump. I really recommend for fans of retellings because while using the characters and being a more mature content book, the fantasy element was there as well. Such a good and enjoyable read for sure!

** Received a copy for review.**
I love good fairytale reimagining. I always felt like Tinker bell got a bad rap and maybe Peter was not the hero in that story.
I really liked how all these characters were depicted in this story. Smee being the hottie was awesome!
Really looking forward to reading more in this series.

Ahhhh! This was so freaking good. I am such a sucker for retellings & Megan hit this one out of the park. I am so excited for the rest of the books she has planned for this series. But this one definitely delivered in adventure, twists & turns, romance, spice, and story telling! I loved how it focused on Hook & Tinker Bell. They each had their own issues but were able to understand each other and work together throughout their quest. The spice was 🔥 and i loved the little details she put into the book like the pixie dust, how tinker bell got her name, and other the characters in the book. Absolutely loved this & going to recommend it to everyone!!

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 shiny, pixie-dust filled stars for this retelling! (and 3 spicy peppers!)

Everyone knows Tinker Bell. Everyone know Captain Hook. But what if what you knew about them, wasn't exactly the real story? What if there was more to them?

This book aims to retell the story of Tink and Hook. Tinker Bell finds herself needing a to repay a favor to the mermaid queen in order to have a shot at getting back home. And to do so, she needs the help of one very insufferable pirate: Captain Hook.

Let's just say the end up getting a lot more than they bargained for.

A lovely fantasy, with a dash of enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity and a whole lot of adventure!

I loved this book. I had a great time with it. The only thing I could have wanted was just a bit more spice to the sexy times.

I really enjoyed this, it was such a fun read! This was an exciting reimagining of Peter Pan that focused on Tink and Captain Hook. It was witty, had adventure, and a steamy enemies to lovers romance, all of my favorite things. My only wish is it didn’t have to end, it was so good and I wasn’t ready to let of the beautiful world and it’s characters!

I’ve made no secret of my general hesitancy and dislike of rewrites and adaptations as a whole as I don’t find them necessary, but there Ed something intriguing about this. Maybe because it focussed more on Tinkerbell than on Peter Pan so it’s not a direct reboot.

This is Neverland like you’ve never seen it. It’s adult and risqué and definitely not suitable for Kids.

The writing is good and the story inventive but no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t accept Tink and Hook in intimate situations. The characters scream ‘childhood’ to me so I was beginning to get a bit too comfortable with it.

I went into this book with an open mind, and really was ready to love it since I'm such a fan of the original story of Peter Pan. Sadly this just fell a bit flat for me, and I ended up skim reading the second half of the book.
I quite liked the premise- Tink being exiled from her home and needing to team up with Captain Hook in order to have a chance of returning was fun and original, but I felt the execution was lacking. I think the problem for me was the insta-love. I never enjoy it in books, and this was no exception. I could never really understand why Tink and Hook were so in love with each other, beside the fact they were both physically attracted to each other. There was nothing deeper than that and no real exploration of feelings. Perhaps the main thing I hated was every time Hook called Tink 'love'. It grated after about the second time he said it. I really didn't like it at all, and if it was supposed to be banter then it was uninspired and repetitive.

Another thing I found slightly weird was Hook continually calling Blackbeard either 'the croc' or a 'crocodile'. Now I'm not stupid, I understand the reference to the original story, I just don't understand why it had to be Blackbeard- a pirate who is already well-known in stories and history. Furthermore, Blackbeard is already a nickname, so for him to have another one on top that only Hook used was weird. I saw no reason why Blackbeard's character couldn't have been an original character called the Croc.

Overall this sadly wasn't the book for me. It lacked world-building, and I didn't particularly like the characters or the romance. I do think though that if you're a fan of this genre you might enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book started off pretty nice, and we got some well-written descriptions that made the world easy to imagine. However, the more I read, the less world building there was, and I began to feel like I was reading dialogue mixed with some unnecessarily steamy romance. Almost as if I was just reading someone’s diary. The writing just felt way too simplistic.

I honestly expected more from this book especially since it’s a retelling of a very famous fairy tale. I wish there was more world building, more description, and more gripping situations. It was pretty action packed and something was always going on, but it wasn’t enticing enough to be eager to find out what happens next.

When working with a retelling, I believe there’s so much potential and so much that can be done in terms of world-building, story telling, adventure, etc. to really do the fairy tale justice, but we really got the bare minimum of that. This is the author’s debut, so I hope there’ll be greater things in the future.

Way to go Megan! This book was amazing! I loved this from beginning to end. This retelling is definitely one of my favorites and I’ve read a lot of Peter Pan retellings! Hook is smoking in this and Tink is fiery and full of her usual spunk. The angst and spice way delicious! I need to Smee book though! I highly recommend to anyone who loves fairytale retellings! The world building and creativity was amazing! Five stars for sure!

I'm not going to lie I squaled out loud when I saw that I got to read this book. I love anything to do with Peter Pan (I mean anything) and so any retellings that come out are always way up there on my covet list. When I saw this was a retelling and more than that, that the protagonists were both Captain Hook and Tinkerbell and they were romantically linked,my heart actually jumped for joy.
Was it the most believeable romance in history - no, but was I there for every steamy, instantaneous and lust filled moment - you bet.
There were so many things that made this book in my opinion, not just that it was a steamy retelllng of Pan, but that also the book was full of twists that I didnt see coming and that added an extra layer to the story.
This was a quick, easy and fun read that made me very happy.

This is a steamy retelling of Peter Pan with Captain Hook and Tinker Bell as its main characters and romance.

I really loved the premise of Tink selling her pixie dust and the adventure plot with all its twists and reveals was well-woven. This doubles as a new origin story for the character of Peter Pan as well, which I though was really fun.

The found family aspect between Hook and his crew was enjoyable, and I liked joining them with Tink for the adventure.

The romance between Hook and Tink was steamy, albeit a little insta-lovey for me. We didn’t really go very deep into their characters which meant that I didn’t really understand their attraction to each other. But I did love the disability rep in this (Hook obviously is missing a hand) and how Tink really loved Hook just the way he was.

The strongest part of this novel were its twists which I felt were really satisfying.

(Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Van Dyke and City Owl Press for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

I'm blown away with this debut, a steamy retelling of Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. You're thrown into a mystical world of pirates and a pixie who caught the infamous Captain's eye. I love their backstory, the world building, and the adventure. There were unexpected twists and lots of heat between Tink and Hook. I love this retelling and looking forward to reading more from Megan.

Thank you Owl City Press and NetGalley for the eARC. My opinions are my own.

“What do you want?”He leaned closer, his forehead nearly touching hers.
She stared at him. His gaze caught hers, savoring the desire simmering there, the sheen of lust looming just beyond the ale-induced blur. Would she taste like the drink he’d chugged or the sweet, floral honey he tasted the first time he’d claimed her lips?
“You.”

_________________________

This book was an absolute delight to read. Light, fun, sexy, and magical it ticks all the boxes and give us a swashbuckling, forced proximity, found family twist to the beloved world of Neverland.

Tink is a fairy who has been banished from her home in Sylvanna Vale and trapped in the world of humans. Having committed an unforgivable sin by selling her pixie dust in order to save her cousin, she lost her ability to travel home and will do whatever it takes to gain that passage back. Anything including making a naive deal with the mermaid Queen to find her a relic in exchange for the pearl that will grant her that wish. The relic, however, is a necklace in the hands of a filthy pirate. Or should I say HAND.

Captain Hook is gaining his reputation of being the fiercest pirate on the seas, even surpassing his greatest enemy Captain Blackbeard. However after one ale fueled night in Tortuga and being swindled by a thieving pixie he now finds himself cursed both on the sea and in his own mind. After weeks and another chance run in with Tink, he captures her and delivers her to the mermaid Queen to have his curse broken. However the Queen has other plans. Both the Captain and Tink must work together to bring her the scale of Leviathan. Only if they succeed will she give Tink the pearl she needs to return to her home in the Vale and remove the curse on Captain Hook that is causing the seas to rage against him and his crew aboard the Jolly Roger. There just isn’t anything she can do about the curse plaguing his mind both in his ever waking moment and in his dreams…the curse that is consuming him mind, body, and soul, driving him to reject all other treasures and crave just one single thing: Tinker Bell.

What follows is a magical treasure hunt through Neverland complete with mermaids, fellow pirates, witches, and even a lost boy or four. All along the way the banter and the steam between Hook and Tink will keep you entertained and seeking your own water in order to cool yourself off.

This iteration of Captain Hook and his origin story as James holds absolutely no villain aspect which I loved. We see little to no retellings with Hook as anything but a villain or at the very least morally gray, so it was refreshing to get to love him as an almost Robin Hood of the seas type character.

Tink was a spitfire. Keeping with the little characteristics we all know and love about Tinker Bell (her quick anger, red creeping up her face, and her being a tinker fairy), we are also treated to depth and personality beyond the “character”. One part in particular as she tries to explain to Hook what she seeks the pearl for she asks him “what if I am broken” and you truly see the selflessness she has and what she has given up in order to find herself where she is in life. It’s a far cry from the tiny animated pixie who is selfish and jealous beyond reason and I LOVED her for it!!

The side characters were amazing. I loved the crew of the Jolly Roger…Smee being a slightly dim but dashingly attractive ladies man was hilarious and adorable, and the female pirates were SO GOOD!! Meeting all of their families and getting to see their back stories and gain depth to each member of the crew was a simple thing but one that made the story so special. Plus the cameo made by a character named Peter was sweet and a fun little nod!

This book was unexpectedly spicy too!! We’re treated to a tad bit of voyeurism because, well, pirates and brothels…and half naked merpeople…but nothing too hot and heavy until you get to Tink and James. There is enough teasing and toying between them that I wouldn’t really classify it as a slow burn, but regardless of labels their interactions were HOT and made this little stand alone a one stop shop for all of your fantasy romance desires.

I loved this book!! It would make an amazing palate cleanser between heavier books or a great vacation read (for me it was the perfect quarantine read!!). It’s made for anyone looking for a new take on favorite lore with good solid characters, sexy romance, and a good dose of adventure without the weight of the darker romances that tend to dominate the fantasy genre.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Victory Editing for sending me a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review.

It is no secret that I love Peter Pan and fairytale retellings, so when I saw this one on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. I adore books about pirates and books about fae/pixies, so even if this wasn’t a retelling, I think i would have loved it still!

‘Once your wings start to glow, the dust is sure to follow.’

Tink has been banished from fairyland after selling pixie dust to save her cousin from the clutches of Blackbeard and his crew. In order to get home, she makes a deal with the mer queen to bring her jewels to show she is trustworthy. The jewel in question is owned by Hook, Captain of the Jolly Roger. After getting close with Hook and being taken back to his cabin, Tink laces her kiss with pixie dust, sending Hook into a deep sleep. Hook wakes up to find Tink gone and his crew and ship cursed.

Flash forward a few months and Hook is determined to find the sneaky pixie that has cursed his boat. He also believes he is cursed as he cannot get Tink out of his head. He takes Tink to the mermaid queen, who offers a solution for the both of them; find the Leviathan scale, hidden on the Shrouded Isles.

‘In removing the curse she’d unwittingly placed upon them, in saving his ship and crew, he’d lose the one thing he’d come to prize.’

The romance and the tension between these two characters was insane! It was steamy and I loved the dual perspectice that let us see into both of their heads. This is an enemies-to-lovers romance but I would say it is not a slow burn. Tink and Hook are attracted to each other from the get-go, but aren’t sure whether to let their guards down. But once they do, it is so clear how they feel about each other.

‘Home isn’t a place, it’s a people, and I could never be truly home without you.’

This was such an addictive retelling and Peter Pan and the lost boys do feature! I loved the relationships between Hook and his crew, and of course Tink and Hook! I definitely recommend if you love pirates, fairytale retellings and Neverland!