A feel good romance with spice and danger, you say? well, say no more!! Oh, it also has DRAGONS! I love dragons in fantasy books so it definitely earned a shining star just for that. This was such a fun and captivating romance between an orc and an elf. The romance and spice between them was electrifying, definitely well done. Slow burn, found family, forced proximity, and soooo much more!

4/5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

This book was simultaneously not what I was expecting and everything I wanted and needed out of a book. I've had some really bad luck with books this year, but I'm so glad that this book broke the curse!

This book is a romance fantasy book with cozy vibes that set in a far-off world of dragons, orcs, elves, demons, and evil ice kings. Our main character, Daella, is an orc mercenary for Isveig, a cruel and ruthless ice king who has enslaved her for years and relies on her help to defeat these seemingly sinister type of magic users named Draugr--people who have bound themselves to dragons in an attempt to steal their magic and use it for their agendas. Daella's family was killed by Draugr long ago, and Isveig is the only familiarity she has left in the world, but try as she might, she can never escape him, as he has embedded her hip with a magical icicle that, with one flick of Isveig's wrist, could kill her.

At the beginning of the story, Daella is sent on a dangerous voyage to the Glass Peaks to carry out a mission for Isveig, and on the way, she gets washed up onto the shore of a distant island, where she comes face-to-face with resident grump, Rivelin, an elven blacksmith with a huge chip on his shoulders. The two become fast enemies, as Daella's reputation of being one of Isveig's most infamous murks travels far and wide. But eventually, they begin to tolerate each other and decide to team up to help Rivelin win the Midsummer Games, a competition that the people of Wyndale host every year to get a wish granted by the island to further improve their quality of life and protection from others outside of the village.

There's many more plotpoints to this novel, and though there was a lot in one 350-odd page book, it was expertly pulled together in a way that surprised and delighted me. Wolfhart is an expert writer; her prose is beautiful without being overbearing, and the characters stayed true to themselves throughout the whole book. A big portion of this novel was about trust, and learning when to let go of past mistakes and prejudices, and I think that everything in this book happened at the right pace and the right time. The stakes were high, but the coziness still felt like a part of the book, if that makes sense. It also didn't feel boring, and there were lots of different characters features that I was curious about. There's definitely potential for expansion into this universe if the author wished!

I also loved the romance. It wasn't forced, it wasn't too quick, and it wasn't too slow. The spice was great, wasn't cringey, and didn't give me the ick, and that's all I can really ask for. I liked the characterization of both of the love interests, and I think that they worked really well together.

The only reason why it isn't a five-star read for me is because there weren't enough DRAGONS!!! I would have liked to see more of them. But other than that, really good book! I look forward to the next installment in this standalone book series.

This was an easy-to-read, heartwarming, enemies-to-lovers fantasy that gave me lots of action and adventure. I adored both main characters: Daella a half-orc with a dangerous side and a quest for vengeance, and Rivelin an elf doing whatever is necessary to protect his home and his secret, give a lot of back-and-forth and banter as they figure out how to live within the same space while slowly understanding each other, revealing the secrets they both carry, and accepting each other for who they are. I greatly enjoyed the plot and diverse creatures/characters of this fantasy, and hope to see more of these characters in future books!

“With you, I would dance until the world ends.”

A very special story.
Thanks to netgalley for the Arc.

It is a stand alone, this story leads us to know this incredible world, which I must admit a book is not enough to understand it and I would have liked to know a thousand other things about this world.

I liked the two protagonists a lot, he was an elf and she was half-orc, a couple that was undoubtedly super interesting and then enemies to lovers, I love.

If I had to find something I didn't like, it was giving too much space to the games, and giving very little space at the end. I felt like there was a lot of speeding up and things happened super fast.

I am not much of a fantasy reader, but I loved this book! Since I am not very well versed in that genre, I did not go in with any lore, but I understood the story just fine. I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved this book.

Thank you so much to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Jenna Wolfhart for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

✨Read this book if you enjoy✨
Cozy fantasy
Enemies to lovers
Dragons
Competitions

SUMMARY
In this book we follow Daella, a half orc, who is desperate to earn her freedom from the emperor. Daella find herself unexpectedly on a new island, one that she can’t seem to leave. And as if that isn’t bad enough, she’s stuck working with Rivelin, who has made it perfectly clear that he despises her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the development of Daella and Rivelin’s relationship. I thought the plot had a lot of promises and I really fell in love with the island and its people. My biggest complaint is that this was too cozy and happy. Issues were resolved too quickly. I prefer lots of angst and turmoil.

This was a very light fantasy. I feel like this would be a perfect intro to fantasy for someone new to the genre. For me, the world building was a little spotty and I found myself not very invested in the characters. Unfortunately, this one just didn't hit home for me but I'm sure it will for others.

Thank you to the author and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Forged by Magic is the perfect cozy-but-not-too-cozy fantasy that I did not know I needed and is easily one of my top reads of the year! While this is my first book by Jenna Wolfhar,t, it definitely won't be my last!

Magic is a light-hearted romantasy adventure with a few twists and some steam - I said it's not TOO cozy! I was hooked from the first chapter as the author masterfully started spinning up my adoration for both the world she built and Daella. And then she introduces grumpy, broody Rivelin and his village and I was hooked. I couldn't put this book down, yet also did not want it to end. I so desperately wanted everything to work out for everyone in the village AND Daella because it they all deserved a happy ending. The romance wrapped me up and hugged me like I was in my favorite blanket - it was definitely my favorite part of the entire book. Although I loved all of it so that points to most things being my fave in other ways :D

I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough - it's full 5 stars from me and I can't wait to add it to my bookshelf! Also = just look at the amazing cover! It's such good character are and really brings life to Daella and Rivelin!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a quick and fun, cozy fantasy. I enjoyed the story and it was pretty low stakes. It felt very *lite* - the plot was very simple, the world building was minimal, the magic was easy to follow, etc. It was exactly what I was looking for. I liked Rivelin and Daella, I wouldn't say I loved them, but their relationship was entertaining and a 2/5 on the spice scale.

I'd recommend Forged by Magic if you want a fantasy romance that's entertaining and easy! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

5 Blown Away ✨'s

I absolutely loved every second of reading this book!!! I literally had to pace myself so I didn't finish it too fast. It had plot, development, world-building, steam, lovable characters, and lots of cute and cozy moments. The story follows Daella, a half-orc who has been locked away and used as a mercenary for a tyrant emperor. When he sends her on a death mission across the sea; her ship capsizes and she wakes up alone on a beach near a small village where she is taken in by Rivelin, a grumpy elf blacksmith. He agrees to let her stay with him if she becomes his assistant for the midsummer games; a contest the village holds every year where the winner will have one wish granted. While Rivelin and Daella compete to win the games, the two forge a bond that quickly turns to more; however, when interferences in the game arise, Daella and Rivelin are forced to take a step back and examine their relationship and trust in each other.

Rivelin and Daella were so sweet and charming together, I loved exploring their world and how they slowly formed a bond after a not-so-great start to their relationship. The surrounding characters and settings just made the story that much more cozy and enjoyable; anyone wanting to read a fun and lighthearted romantasy should give this story a go. Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate that cover 🙌.

This cover and synopsis caught my attention. I'm always on the lookout for fantasy romance/monster romance/alien romance where the female main character isn't human. I really enjoyed this story. I liked both the characters and their grumpy sunshine dynamic. I thought they had good chemistry and the smut was decent without being overdone. Riv's dirty talking was hot. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the cozy fantasy vibes. The dragons and all the magical creatures were so well done. I didn't love the 3rd act conflict because of their lack of trust and communication. I also thought the trials were pretty useless because of the low stakes. However I really enjoyed this and will be continuing the series. I give this book 4.5 stars.

Honestly, this book has everything you could want in a cozy-ish fantasy with a huge dose of romance. I love the vibes of this book. It has great world building and even better characters. I loved it the whole way through and was sad for it to end. I consider
It cozy-ish because of some elements of danger and spice but I have absolutely no problem with that and I think it added to the story in the best way.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Such a wonderful romance! I absolutely loved the coziness and the fluff of it all. It felt like a warm hug with a nice cup of tea. I didn’t want to leave this world or the characters it was absolutely wonderful

4.5 stars
Forged by Magic first interested me because of that cover. I don't see books with orcs in them as much as I should so that alone grabbed my attention. Now a female orc falling for an elf? No one could have stopped me from getting this.

The story is super easy to get into, and the pace is crazy fast. This was both a good thing and a bad thing, and I'm a bit conflicted on that. But I think it was more a good thing than a bad thing.
The worldbuilding was really good without being overcomplicated.

I really like the two main characters. They were interesting and layered and had a very good chemistry. I also liked the development of their romance, since it wasn't love at first sight, we see their feelings evolve and we get all the angst and love and sweetness that comes from that.

I liked the plot of the trials and how we get to see them overcome each to win the competition. It was a good setting for them to get to know each other and show their skills. I also wasn't expecting the dragons to be such an important part of the story and of course I absolutely loved that. They were one of my favorite parts of this book.

I do feel a bit conflicted with the final part of the story. It felt like the angst and conflict between the characters came out of nowhere or too fast without enough reason or development/justification on that front, and then everything was solved way too quickly. The same goes for the bigger, broader plot involving the King and the conquest of the islands... it was a bit disappointing that we didn't get any of that, but understandable due to the pace of the story.

I did find the ending leaves you satisfied and happy with the story and the author. I am definitely happy I read this.

3.5 ⭐️
2 🌶

Forged by Magic is another fantasy romance with cozy vibes book and let me tell you I am here for it!

This book is a completed stand-alone by Jenna Wolfhart, set in the Falling For Fables world, and has all the tropes and stuff that we love:

✔️ enemies-to-lovers
✔️grumpy x sunshine
✔️ Dragons (& Dragon magic)
✔️ forced proximity (ONE RAFT! 😏)
✔️ Competition
✔️ Found home/Found family
✔️ whimsical sentient island
✔️ SPICE!!
✔️ dual POV

Forged by Magic is fast-paced, action-packed, and has tons of heartfelt moments and steamy scenes just brimming with delicious sexual tension.

“Turn around and hold onto the anvil.”

Jenna gifts us with an amazing grumpyXsunshine duo for our two main characters: a hot grumpy elven blacksmith and a badass half-orc heroine. Every single character you meet (except a fair unsavory few... You know who you are 😡), is lovable (the dragons too!), and you can't help adoring them for how fiercely protective of each other and their whimsical sentient island (which feels like it's own character).

If you are looking for a charming, cozy, and all-around feel-good fantasy romance that is easy to read, filled with tons of action, a chimerical world you wish you could escape to, has dragons and all-around lovable characters, and is also equal parts sweet AND spicy, then this book is definitely for you!

Thank you, NetGalley, Jenna Wolfhart, and publishers for a copy of this eARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t obsessed with the characters that’s why I only have 4 instead of 5 stars. I had a lot going on personally so that could have impacted my overall ability to immerse myself in this book. But overall I enjoyed the plot, characters and overall development!

This was my first “cozy fantasy” and I am SO happy I picked up this read! Reading forged by magic felt like a warm hug 😂 it’s the perfect palate cleanser read , and gives you all the feels while reading !!

Cozy fantasy romance with a heap of romance and tinge of spice.

Though it took me a bit to get into the book, I did enjoy it. It's cozy and low stakes, but not slow paced. The competition was interesting, however a lot fell flat for me, and the spice was...meh. It's a short-ish book, which made the romance feel a bit rushed. A lot of the moments leading up to the first spice scene felt rushed, awkward, and out of nowhere, and though it's initially enemies to lovers, it quickly goes to insta-love. The "twist" at the end, including the revelation of the antagonist, was extremely rushed, which took a full star away from my rating.

Lots of favorite romance tropes within the predictable story plot. Still enjoyable. If you liked "That time I got drunk and saved a demon", you'll like this as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed the world building in this fantasy romance, and the island itself was really fun.
Daella was a bit of a wet rag - I kind of wanted her to be sunshine or a complete badass but she was neither, and the romance was very quick to develop, I would have liked a bit more slow burn.

Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart
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Daella has been kept in a tower by the ruler who conquered her home. Now he is sending her on a mission: to hunt down the deadly dragon magic users. But what she finds is a grumpy elf who is determined to keep his quaint village safe from her.
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I am not ashamed to admit that I requested this book based on the cover alone. It is stunning, kudos to the designer.
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This book was easy to love. Daella was an easy character to root for. From chapter one I was on her side and ready to take on the world with her.
And who doesn’t love a grumpy male lead character? Rivelin was the best grumpy elf.
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For a standalone, the plot was excellent. There was a competition to win, a village of people to befriend, a romance, dragons, and yet it didn’t feel like too much was going on. It was woven together just right, IMO.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great for both fantasy fans and those who are wanting to dip their toes into the genre. Posted on instagram to handle @staciathebookworm on 7/22/23