A wonderfully magical romance. Our heroine uses the magic of flowers to open people's hearts to love. She knows her true love is out there, but she's getting tired of looking for him. When her good friend and boss wants her to pose as his fiancée, she agrees, only to discover the guy that broke her heart is going to be his stepbrother.
Hilarity ensues and so does romance.
Excellent book!

This romance follows Romina and Alex and their second chance romance. I am not super well-versed in this trope, so I can’t say for certain whether I usually like them or not, however, I will in fact say that I loveeeddd You Deserve Each Other (a second chance romance by the same author. Because of my love for that book, I thought I would love this one too, but unfortunately I just didn’t.

Now, with that said, this wasn’t a bad book. I feel like the reader is given lots of insight into Romina as an individual and I very much appreciated that. Also, the last 40% or so of this book was so fun! The sex scenes were hot and seeing Romina and Alex come back together and make a relationship work again was really cute. I also enjoyed the inclusions of Romina’s sisters and friends. Although everyone in this book is a little too eccentric to seem completely real, the side characters weren’t under-developed and I cared a decent amount about their own plot lines.

My real issues with this one lie in the first 60% of it. I was having the hardest time reading because it was simply not enjoyable throughout the entire first half. Romina and Alex’s antagonistic relationship in the beginning felt strange and immature and kind of annoying honestly. Speaking of the immaturity OH MY GOODNESS these characters were immature!! Running (literally) away from your problems? Making each other jealous after like a decade of not being together? Inconveniencing a bride-to-be just to get on someone’s nerves a little longer? It was so so so unnecessary.

I also didn’t love the inclusion of gardening and magic talk and business plans, but that’s personal preference really (I’m a hater.) I just wish the miscommunication was resolved sooner and that these two adults could have acted like adults. That would have made this story much, much better. If you’re into witchy quirky heroines this might be for you, I just don’t think it’s for me.

An unconventional and mature story, with the whimsy of Sarah Hogle!!

My life motto is that whatever Sarah Hogle publishes, I will read. She plays my emotions like a harp, and this book was no different.

This is one of the most unique contemporary romances I've read in a long time, and it was a real palette cleanser. I understand why other people had a harder time with this one because it's certainly not told in the traditional romance format. The first half is a romp with tons of banter, and the second is a heart wrenching story about first loves and second chances. If you go into this book without expectations of how the story will progress, I think you'll enjoy it like I did. It certainly got me out of a reading slump!

My favorite part about this book was Romina, the FMC. She's both passionate and compassionate, and it's nice to see heroines that struggle with confidence as I so often do. She's someone who feels her emotions so deeply, and that includes love.

The MMC Alex was hard to connect with at first, since we only ever view him through Romina's perspective. However, throughout the story, I really gained an appreciation for him and the solid guy he was. While he isn't particularly flashy, I don't think there was a doubt for me by the end of the book that the two main characters were meant for each other, and I think that's what a romance book should accomplish!

It's not the most swoonworthy Hogle or my personal favorite, but a refreshing addition to the genre and her catalog! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sarah Hogle for providing me an advanced reader's copy of this story!!

3.5/5

This book wasn’t my cup of tea! I didn’t think the magic worked great with the book and at 60% the romance was still way too awkward for me!

I wish I could have loved this one! I do love the authors other books though and will try them again

I really struggled with this one! I ended up DNFing at 50%.

The first half of the story felt really chaotic, as you’re trying to figure out what is going on between the magic shop, the large supporting cast of characters, and figure out what is going on, and went on in the past between Romina and Alex. It’s clear that there are some hurt feelings about what happened 10 years ago.

My biggest issue was that I felt like Alex was completely insufferable and condescending, and so I just couldn’t connect to these characters. I wished I did because I loved the element of the magic store, and Romina’s gift!

Thanks to Netgalley + G.P. Putnams Son’s for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this introduction into this world and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I just so thoroughly enjoyed meeting these new characters and getting to go on their journey. I will most definitely be reading more wonderful books from this author.

This was a fun atmospheric, witchy book and sounds like it's the start of a brand new series. It's set in a charming town that is small and means gossip spreads quickly. Romina and her sisters are trying to figure out how to get back the money for a neighboring lot that will help their magic shop handle their inventory. A blast from the past finds Romina in an interesting position to hopefully save her store and right some wrongs. This is funny, has witty banter, and explores a relationship. It's not just a meet-cute, there's fully developed relationships. I loved the sisters relationship and can't wait to see that explored as well.

I feel like this book has the cozy, cottagecore witch vibes that will appeal to a lot of readers. I loved the magic system with the flowers, and how it and other forms of magic felt grounded in some traditional old folk ways.

However, I wasn’t a fan of how the characters were portrayed. It sometimes felt like they changed personalities within the span of a few sentences, and it would change back after another paragraph or two. It took my out of the world of the story, and I would have a hard time getting back into it. I’m absolutely sure there will be an audience for this book, it just isn’t my cup of tea.

I adore Sara Hogle, and her first entry in the fantasy genre was a new favorite! This magical realism romance focuses on Romina, a witch focusing on floral magic to spread love and joy. I loved Romina and her sisters - their bond felt so real. The side characters and town were fun and well-developed. The romance with Alex was a second-chance high school sweetheart which surprisingly took a backseat to the other relationships in the book. I didn't love Alex, and didn't understand his motivations, his attitude and the BIG secret reveal - def read spoiler tags if a secret in books bothers you.

This was the first time reading this author and I enjoyed the ride. It was easy to connect with the character and the chaos of day to day life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One thing I love about Sarah Hogle's books is that it will always feel like a warm hug. Old Flames and New Fortunes was so comfy and cozy. It was the perfect combination of whimsy and magical yet also grounding and centered on the love story. One criticism I have is that I wished we had a few more flashbacks to further establish the relationship between Romina and Alex. The bridge between back then and present day feels incomplete because we don't ~feel~ exactly where they ended things. Another criticism is that the side characters felt very two-dimensional and not fully fleshed out as characters. If Hogle is setting up this world the way I believe she intends to—different books for each sisters' love stories—I hope in the future books, the supporting characters are given more depth and lore. Nevertheless, this book was enjoyable and fun to read. Alex was a great love interest because his only personality was yearning for Romina—great for my campaign to bring back real yearners. 3.5/5 stars!

I start with a thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for gifting me a copy of OLD FLAMES AND NEW FORTUNES in exchange for my honest review.

Sisters Romina, Zelda, and Luna operate The Magick Happens--a shop specializing in candle magic, fantasy and paranormal books, and flora fortunes, flower arrangements using the language of flowers to influence one's heart's wish. The sister love their work and their lives in (and out of, in Zelda's case) their small Ohio hometown. But one serious problem looms large: money.

Their dreams of opening a magical night market and expanding Romina's garden hang on the need for more funds. When their business partner's father is unexpectedly in town, Luna and Romina prepare to make a pitch for financial support. But before they can get a word out, Romina is pulled into a fake romantic relationship with her business partner, Trevor, and is face-to-face with Alex--the man who broke her heart.

OLD FLAMES AND NEW FORTUNES is a delightful romantic comedy. I really enjoyed the banter between Romina and Alex and how the humor and connection they share blossom into a deeply rooted and emotional partnership. I am a huge fan of magical realism, and this book fed that appreciation even more. Sweet, smart, and satisfying. In a word, sensational!

Book bonuses:
>A playlist!
>Flower meanings
>Swoon-worthy scenes to give you that stomach-swooshy feeling

I had such a hard time getting into this book. The cover is so whimsical and beautiful and the story was really intriguing. However, I didn't find the characters all that likeable and the banter felt very stilted.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I loved the plot, but the writing was a little too cutesy, a little on the cheesey end for me.

Fake dating, second chance, florist, and weddings…this book felt very familiar to a title I read last year, so I wasn’t so much a fan. While the small town magic / magical realism brings a change to the story, ultimately I just didn’t love it, and definitely didn’t connect with the characters

This was a cute, feel good book. I like the second-chance romance aspect. I think my favorite part may have been the descriptions of the flower arrangements, and the meanings of each of the flowers.

“Old Flames and New Fortunes” is a charming second-chance romance perfect for springtime. I loved learning about the flowers and their meanings and how they played a role in the plot. All of the side characters and the wedding festivities added to the fun. The deeper themes were unique and I enjoyed seeing the character growth throughout the story.

For those who love:
🌸 Flower Magic
🌸 Fake Dating the wrong guy
🌸 Scavenger Hunts
🌸 Second Chance Romance
🌸 Small Town
🌸 Forced Proximity

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, feel good, read. Characters are warm and inviting. Storyline is spot on. Leaves you wanting more. Feel there are more books to come in the future to complete the picture. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

If we don't get books for Luna and Zelda, I'm coming for you, Sarah Hogle.

This was an incredibly swoon-worthy second chance romance with a touch of fake dating to make an ex jealous. I read most of it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!

Witchy vibes, cozy small town, a male love interest who actually voices his emotions... what more could you possibly want?? I absolutely recommend this read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

Tw: loss of a child, emotional abuse in a relationship

This was absolutely excellent. The cozy soft fantasy vibes of it all, how down bad Romina and Alex are for each other, paired with Sarah's signature wit and writing style makes for this to be immediately one of my top reads of the year already.