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

This is the fantasy/cozy/romanticy that I and everyone else need. It was so freaking good!!! This is book is going to on my keeper shelf! I was absolutely hooked from the very beginning! I have to read book two like right now!!! 6 stars if I could.
I just reviewed Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart. #ForgedbyMagic #NetGalley
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Forged by magic is a cute short and sweet romance book which lived up to it's cozy promise. I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed Legends & Lattes but are looking for some spice.

When Daella washes up on the shore of a foreign island she smells dragons. How can that be when all the dragons are dead and those who use dragon magic burn up and die? She was sent off by her cruel ice giant king to hunt down any remining dragons and dragon magic wielders. If she does not return within 8 weeks, the ice shard within her hip will freeze and she will die.



Rivelin is the protector of the island and has vowed to keep the ice giant and all his mercenaries from coming to the gorgeous Isles of Fable. He is a grumpy blacksmith who has been tasked with showing Daella how beautiful the Isles are and why she should not return to the ice giant with all the Island’s secrets.



Will Rivelin succeed in bringing Daella around to the Islands way of life and the beauty of the Islands? What will happen when Rivelin sees behind Daella’s fake smile? Will he fall for the real Daella? Will Daella be the perfect opposite to Rivelin?



The author starts with setting the tone of the book, letting the reader know that this is a softer novel, and I loved it! I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more. The spice was wonderful. It really felt a little like a Disney movie because no-one dies! Wonderful to read between heavy fantasy novels.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Victory editing coop and Jenna Wolfheart for this ARC

Ever since her homeland was conquered by Frost Giants, Daella has been kept on leash by their king. When she is sent to hunt down his enemies and is instead lost in a storm at sea, Daella washes up on shore at the foot of a grumpy elven blacksmith in a peaceful town more beautiful than she has ever dreamed. Can Daella learn to trust Rivelin and this peaceful town that is so different than anything she knows?

I love the setting of this story. The mythology is both familiar and new. Both Daella and Rivelin are interesting characters with full backstories, clear motivation and foibles of their own. My only disappointment was that the overall threat was dealt with off page. If you like fantasy romance with a bit of spice - anvils are the new countertop - this book is for you.

It's no mystery that a pretty cover easily sways me away. The exciting blurb was just the cherry on top that definitely made me request an ARC for this book.

I liked this low-stake fantasy novel with grumpy MCs, a hint of magic, some dragons, and cosy (yet spicy!) vibes. However, it didn't blow me away.

What I felt somewhat lacking from the book was:
1) the worldbuilding, which was pretty surface-level;
2) the not-so-sweet romance: the sensual tension and the chemistry between Rivelin and Daella were palpable (and I absolutely enjoyed that!), but I was expecting the romance to be sweeter (not necessarily less passionate, just more attuned with the overall feel-good vibes).

Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was well-written and sweet and I loved the magical cozy vibes. The world building was a bit of an info dump right at the beginning, but it wasn’t too intense. This would have been a really solid 4 stars for me (maybe even 4.5) but this was marketed as COZY fantasy and the whole time I was so stressed about her dying from the ice shard with the 2 month timeline she was given that it took some of the joy/coziness out of reading. I think a less intense motivator would have served the story better! 3.5 rounded up.

This book was amazing I loved this book it was so good I can't wait to read the next book this author is a must read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I am hoping that this is a series because I am totally hooked - as advertised this is a feel-good fantasy with a bit of spice and not too much drama. It was exactly what I was in the mood for.

The writing is concise and still descriptive - there were just no wasted words. I felt that, even with this quick read, I was able to understand Daella and the world she lived in, as well as what compelled her. The same with Rivelen, who was the grumpy to Daella's (fake sunshine).

I absolutely want more of this world. Sign me up!

A half-orc is sent on a voyage very likely to kill her, but instead she ends washed ashore in a quaint village full of folks trying to keep their island safe and harmonious. A grumpy blacksmith elf begrudgingly enlists the orc to help him in the town’s summer tournament, and they find love along the way.

Such a cozy romance! Low stakes fantasy, just perfect! Loving the increase of this genre and this one’s a hit - thanks to NetGalley for giving an arc in exchange for my review.

An excellent fantasy romance! In the author’s note Wolfhart says while ‘Forged by Magic’ isn’t a cozy fantasy due to certain very real situations but it still has the feel of one—and I think that’s a great way to describe this book. Cozy enough, action and drama-y enough, with a great romance. I really enjoyed it, I’ve never read any from this author and I’ll be correcting that soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I literally couldn’t put this down. I saw a review that says this was like a small town romance but with Elves and Orcs, and DRAGONS, and that’s exactly right. This story had such an endearing cast of side characters, a little bit of mystery, and some great spice. I loved this book with my whole heart. I need to get my hands on the next one ASAP!!

A grumpy blacksmith , dragons a badass female main character and a competition in a magical island!

This was insanely good, so freaking cozy and there was so much I loved in this story.
~Enemies to Lovers
~Forced Proximity
~Found Home
~Dual POV
~Grumpy vs Sunshine
~Magic

I loved all of the feel good vibes, the village and the smell of fresh baked bread Daella kept talking about I would honestly kill to have one of Mabel’s mushroom pastries.

The story was action packed there wasn’t a dull moment, THE TENSION AND STEAM (literally).

Rivelin was definitely Swoon worthy! 😍

“He was an angry, grumpy bastard, but he was also inexplicably kind, courageous, and protective of his people.”

And OMG was the spice good, i mean “hold on top the anvil” had me wheezing, i was unwell in the best way possible. Lol

Trust me you definitely have to read this book, I am so excited to see what comes next. I would love to read more about Lilia and the Traveling Tavern 👀🫶

A fantastic cozy romantasy! I've been reading a lot of high angst books lately, and this was such a sweet palate cleanser. I love the half-orc heroine and grumpy blacksmith hero. This book has adventure, spice, found family, dragons, and a competition, but with relatively low stakes. This book is predictable, but honestly, I wanted it to be. The writing could be a BIT better, but overall I loved this book.

This was a very cozy fantasy romance novel! I loved every moment of it. The characters fall into the trap of miscommunication time and time again, but they always work through it. The character depth and development are great for the length of the book. If you want a cozy yet slightly spicy romance/fantasy book, this is the one! Also dragons!

Four and a half for this surprising story
This book certainly delivers on its promises with a smidge of danger, a heroine to care about, characters to get behind and obviously a deliciously, grumpy Elven blacksmith ! Daelle is finally hoping to escape the Ice King and has one more mission but when she lands up in Hearthaven and kind of falls foul of its inhabitants she finds herself not just a prisoner but also a competitor in a game to get the sentient Island grant a wish !
This as they say " does what it says on the tin " and was an easy, fun fantasy read with romance and a medley of diverse magical creatures. I found that the plot devise of using her Orc heritage to make her allergic to water was an incredibly genius way to make this feel unique. I don't think Rivelin was particularly grumpy just a male who valued solace and yes I can report it's a happy ending !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This was also the vibes I wanted and more! I adored this one and was so thrilled to get an early copy. Everything felt so natural and I barely noticed the world-building was happening around me. I was so wrapped up in it the whole way through. This is a low stakes adventure and I cannot wait to see what Wolfhart does next.