I could not get into this at all. I've read other Sarah Hogle books and the description for this one sounded great, but unfortunately this one is not for me.

My major issues with this book were how just scattered and all over the place it was. It reads like ADD on the page and it's just like long descriptions of magic, then Zelda's book, the town, some weird stuff going on, their family, more back and forth rinse and repeat. I haven't read the first book in the series and maybe that would have been helpful but yeah on it's own I struggled and eventually gave up. The writing was very pedantic.

There was absolutely no buy in with the couple from me after the first few chapters. I feel like this book is a "blink and you'll miss it romance" at first and unfortunately the romance came too late and I just wasn't rooting for these characters to be together. I mean there were moments the characters say they don't speak for weeks or a month. It was wild to me because this isn't a second chance romance.

I think maybe this will charm some readers or if you read the other book in the series you may enjoy but it's a pass from me.

Folklore of Forever was one of the first ARCs I was approved for, so I was genuinely excited to dive in. I didn’t realize it was the second in a series when I requested it, so I went back and read the first book beforehand… and unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy it. That left me hesitant going into this one, and sadly, it didn’t work for me either.

Right from the beginning, I was confused. There’s a scene involving a guy watching the FMC through a window, and instead of feeling intrigued, I just felt creeped out. A potential love interest shows up early on, and I thought, maybe the story would take a turn I could get behind, but nope. The MMC didn’t win me over at all. I found his motivations frustrating, and it was hard to root for him.

I also struggled to connect with the female main character. Her treatment of her family, especially her niece, came off as unnecessarily harsh. Being skeptical is one thing, but the way she expressed it felt needlessly rude.

As for the story itself, the plot felt chaotic, the writing style didn’t click with me, and the romantic elements were minimal. The focus was more on the magical aspects, but even that felt muddled and hard to follow. Overall, this just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Confusing
This is book 2 of the series Moonville and I am sorry to say that I never connected with this book. I struggled with it from the beginning. Our main female character Zelda Tempest is one of three sisters and both of her sisters can do magic. But not Zelda who pushes the fact that she is a skeptic. The main male character is Morgan Angelopoulos, a man who wants to be magical so much that he hunts ghosts hoping
to find that they are magical. The story itself is scattered and just confusing. Neither main character caught my interest, and I’m sorry to say I couldn’t finish it. I have read other books by the author and all have been solid 4 stars. I’m sure some readers will enjoy the story and characters but not me.

this makes me so sad...

2.5 ★

simply put, the folklore of forever was a chaotic mess — too many ideas, too little romance, resulting in a struggle to keep up as the narration and focus shifted so suddenly. there would be full pages where my brain couldn't process the words on the page, a situation I don't encounter offer. that difficulty told me all I needed to know about my invested in this couple and their story.

after the first 25% failed to impress, I anticipated this read would be a DNF, but wished to stick it out since sarah has been a favorite author in the past. her signature brand of banter and quirk were present here but dialed up far too high and with no real direction. so much about this story needed to be edited or scaled back to make space for the important elements to shine. but because there was so much going on at all times, seeing through the muck to make sense of what actually mattered proved difficult.

having said this, I do credit sarah for her continued effort to craft unique tales for her readers, full of charm and wit. though the folklore of forever didn't work for me, I appreciate the risks she took here. this experience certainly won't deter me from picking up any of her future titles.

thanks to sarah hogle and g.p. putnam's sons for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must-read book I don't want to give any spoilers, but you won't regret getting this book, you won't put it down till you're done reading the whole this.

ARC read
Pub date: 4/1/25

The only reason I’m giving this 2 stars instead of 1 is that I’m gonna give this book the benefit of the doubt, and concede that I may have enjoyed literally ANY of these characters more if I had read the first book in the series. I wasn’t aware until I started reading that it was part of a series…oops😬

As it is, I felt nothing for any of these characters, even Zelda or Morgan. I mean Zelda was fine I guess, but Morgan was just plain obnoxious and immature. I didn’t feel any chemistry between them and their whole dynamic was just so odd from the beginning. And describing this book as enemies to lovers is VERY generous. Enemies where??? This whole story was so ridiculous and chaotic, and not in a way I personally found charming or enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy to read and review.

I wanted to love this book but it fell kind of flat for me. I felt like the pace was too slow for my personal liking, and just kept wanting it to pick up more.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy.

3.75 Stars! This was so whimsy and cozy and adventurous. I loved the slow burn in this! Very fun and cute read!

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC! Zelda Tempest doesn't believe in magic or the paranormal, no matter the odd happenings of her family and surroundings or the fact that she writes paranormal mysteries. But everything changes after a not-so-great date with her hunky neighbor, Morgan. Soon the two are embroiled in a quest to find the witch responsible for the magic going wild in Moonville and Tempest discovers that she just might believe in magic afterall. This is book two of the Moonville series and is a cute and fun romcom.

What a fun quirky read! I love this author so I was excited to get to read a new series from her. I haven't read the first book in this series, but they seem to work as standalones. I love the witchy, spooky, small town paranormal vibes! Super fun, a little quirky and a little spooky and overall enjoyed!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't understand how a book with magical animals (but also not magical animals?) could be so boring. It took me a while to get into this book and I still had to kind of force myself to even pick the book up and read it. I got more invested in the book once the two main characters have their forest adventure.

Morgan is a whole lot of chaos and is a thin line between being a lot of fun to read or just being way too much. I found Zelda to be a little bit of a buzzkill for the first half of the book.

I enjoyed the first book in this series and I'll hold out hope for the last book in this series and still give that one a chance.

I have been so excited to read Zelda’s book since meeting her in Old Flames and New Fortunes. I love how she’s prickly but with an ooey gooey cinnamon roll center who will fiercely defend those she holds most dear from lions, tigers, and bears… oh my!

Hogle’s writing is like getting lost in a fever dream, anything goes and you should prepare to expect the unexpected. I was positively charmed and giggled my way through this cozy, mysterious, and positively charming story.

I really love how Zelda was never questioned about her choice to be child free and LOVE that Morgan was also of the same mind. It is so wonderful to see more romances that don’t end in marriage and a baby. Huzzah!

I absolutely loved Morgen and Zelda! Their banter was charming, even if it occasionally went a bit over the top. At times, both characters felt a little exaggerated in their quirks, but it was fun. Though I think this one wasn't as good as book one, overall, this was a cute and magical story—I really enjoyed most of the fantastical elements, and the ending was especially sweet.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Are you looking for a cute, small town, slow burn romance series with some magic sprinkled in? Then you should be reading the Moonville series by Sarah Hogle. If you love Sarah Hawley's Glimmer Falls series (which I ADORED), you will enjoy these stories and characters. While you don't need to read the first book in the series to read this one, I definitely found this one more enjoyable because I knew the side characters. I highly recommend reading them in order but if you don't mind knowing some outcomes for the other characters, then pick this one up and dive in!
I will say, this one had much more magic than the first book did. I wasn't expecting the level of magic to be ramped up so much but I loved it for that reason so much more.
After many disastrous moves and an inability to write anything new for her publisher, Zelda Tempest moves home to live with her sisters in the hopes creativity will spark. What she wasn't expecting was Morgan Angelopoulos to get in her way. And she certainly wasn't expecting the foretelling of her and her sister's love lives to take shape and become true!
I really liked Zelda. She was quirky and creative and a lot of fun to get to know. I also loved that Hogle included some mental health representation with her character. Someone who could not keep herself together but learned that medication and talking about her issues helps. She questions everything, including the witchiness of her sisters and niece. She's a skeptic and doesn't want to give into her base being of magic. But holding it back just makes her more confused. Once she accepts who she is, she blossoms so much.
Morgan is an interesting character. To be honest, he was hard to figure out. He's a bit eccentric and unusual not only in his personality but in his dress and the way he presents himself. I didn't get much of a read on him when I read the first book, just that he was a journalist who had taken up residence in their store. I enjoyed getting to know him more in this book.
I loved the idea of the enemies to lovers trope in this book. Though I'm not sure they were so much enemies as they were forced to be in each other's proximity. And Zelda gave off the grumpy vibes while Morgan was definitely more sunshine. Their chemistry was a bit unusual. One moment Zelda is saying she knows she needs to find her true love but it's not Morgan and the next she's kissing him. There's a lot of push and pull on her end. Morgan, on the other hand, has his mind made up from the start; he knows he wants Zelda but he is patient enough to wait for her until she realizes what they have.
It was fun seeing all the characters from the first book. Especially Zelda's sisters, Romina and Luna. And I love Zelda's niece Aisling. It would be fun for her to have a book, though she's a little young for such romance yet!
One thing I will say is that Hogle does a lot of jumping around in this book. At some points, I was rather confused with what was happening and had to read scenes a few times to have the plot click. Other times, I felt like a chapter ended and then jumped somewhere else, but the previous plot point was not wrapped up. I feel like the magic sometimes got in the way of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, though not as much as the first. I'd love to pick up some of the other titles this author has written. And I'm looking foward to Luna's story because I know it's going to be a doozy!

I have so many things to say first -

1. How can I change my name & become part of the Tempest family?
2. I have found a few favorite author
3. This book truly feels like it was meant for me.

A huge heartfelt thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC ❤️. An even bigger heartfelt sincere thank you to Sarah Hogle for writing this book - I feel so seen and inspired and amazed.

In this whimsical & witty story, we follow Zelda Tempest as she navigates life after moving back home. Her sisters and her niece are convinced they're witches, her neighbor Morgan is hot but annoying, and on top of all that she has writers block before her deadline. Throughout the story, we follow Zelda as she comes into her own and her brazen assuredness inspires is to come back home to ourselves too.

The one spoiler I will include here is: I am so incredibly grateful for the PMDD representation 😭. I didn't think I could love a witchy romcom anymore, but then Hogle includes Zelda telling Morgan about her premenstrual dysphoric disorder experience and it feels so freeing and validating to know I'm not alone. Zelda also has a beautiful thought-monologue about writing that has sparked my writing motivation flame alight.

Everyone please read this magical and amazing book 📖❤️

"From the acclaimed author of Old Flames and New Fortunes comes a steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy about a paranormal skeptic who is roped into a ghost hunting romp by the charming boy next door...who might just show her what real fantasies are made of.

Paranormal skeptic Zelda Tempest is hoping for a much-needed creativity boost for a new paranormal mystery novel. But despite the alleged magic of her hometown, Moonville, Ohio, she's as stuck as ever.

With two witch sisters, not believing in magic is strange for a Tempest, but no one is more disappointed than Morgan Angelopoulos, the charming man next door. So, to cure her of her writer's block and her disbelief in magic, Morgan ropes her into a ghost-hunting romp, only for Zelda to discover something else entirely: bizarre, never-before-seen creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else.

Curious about what else might be lurking in Moonville's woods, Zelda and Morgan embark on a quest to uncover the true magic that lies in their midsts...and perhaps, just maybe, they will find that the magic they're searching for has been with them all along."

But but, how can you be a nonbeliever when you have magic literally in the family!?!

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audjo for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

I really loved the first book in the series, but if I’m being honest I’m not sure what to make of this one. I loved the chemistry and banter between Zelda and Morgan. The time they spent in the forest though seemed a little all over the place. I understand they were looking for magic and under a potion at one point, but it seemed a little disjointed.

Overall I’m enjoying this series and will still read anything Sarah Hogle writes.

This was okay. I enjoyed the supernatural parts of this book but the romance wasn’t working for me. The characters are okay but not the biggest fan of MMC. Quick and easy read but not at the top of the list for best reads.

3.5 STARS! 🌟 Huge thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC via NetGalley! 💌

Okay, so let’s talk about Morgan… because what in the ADHD gremlin hell was that man doing for the first chunk of this book??? I was ready to throw hands. He had zero chill, maximum chaos and major red flag energy at times. The man was a MENACE—but the annoying, lovable, idiot kind. Did I want to strangle him? Yes. Did he grow on me anyway? ALSO YES. 😭

Zelda, our FMC, is the ultimate "I don't believe in magic" skeptic… despite literally living in Moonville, Ohio, the magical capital of weirdness. Girl, be so serious. But once she gets roped into ghost-hunting shenanigans with Morgan, things get WAY weirder than expected. There are mystical creatures, questionable potions, and enough hijinks to make you question reality.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room—the first 20%? A STRUGGLE. I genuinely thought I was going to hate this. The tone was all over the place, and Morgan was giving "needs therapy and a nap" energy. But somehow this book reeled me back in! Once the story committed to its magical chaos, I was having so much fun.

By the end? I was charmed. The banter was hilarious, the magical elements were so creative, and despite all my early frustrations, I actually loved Zelda and Morgan together. Do I think this was a perfect romance? No. But do I think it was a ridiculously fun, messy, magical ride? Absolutely.

Would I let Morgan gaslight, gatekeep, and girlboss his way into my life? Probably not.
Would I read about him doing it to someone else? Oh, for sure.

Final thoughts: If you love Sarah Hogle’s brand of hilarious, unhinged romcom energy, this one will probably work for you! Just prepare to suffer a little first.

Now… Luna’s book when?! 👀✨

I normally love Sarah Hogle’s books, but this just didn’t land for me unfortunately. I enjoyed the first book in this series but the tonal shift and MMC didn’t work for me.