This was fine. I feel like a lot of it was just the same thing over again, but fortunately this is already a pretty short book. I didn't care about the romance very much as it was very zero to 100, but if there was a spinoff about Telen and Maerryl, I'd eat that up.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Read Forever Publishing, and Kristen Vale for the gifted E-arc of A Tale of Mirth and Magic.

Okay first and foremost The way Kristen Vale described the food in this book kept making me want a snack while reading! I'm craving a slice of lemon cake just thinking about it.

The spice was on point in this book, I loved the chemistry between Elikki and Barra. She absolutely knows what's she wants and how to get it, and he's used to being looked over and unwanted, or just a temporary need. The banter between these two had me absolutely cracking up the entire time!

This was a very fun light-hearted read with a perfect example of a will they/won't they and stubborn attitudes. They always play so well together. It was a lot of fun watching their relationship grow from casual to love, and watching them fight it the whole way lol.

If you want high heat, friends with benefits to Lovers, light Romantasy with size inclusivity and a badass plus size FMC and an adorable cinnamon roll of a MMC this is absolutely the book for you!

Favorite Highlights/Quotes:

"Well. That was fucking adorable. Be still, my cl*t."

“Now,” he said. “I’m going to lay you down and lick something else until every animal in this forest hears you screaming my name."

”What is more important, in the search for love, than that feeling of connection? However imperfect, however fleeting—it’s what we all long for. I reminded myself that I wasn’t searching for love anymore. I had given that up. But here and now, it felt like a pointless lie."

Cute, fun, bantery monster romance. If you liked How I Got Drunk and Accidentally Saved a Demon, you're going to love this one. It's got romance and spice and humor and fantasy elements.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate it!

Many thanks to Forever for the review copy. Now, let's get into the details!

A Tale of Mirth & Magic Synopsis

In A Tale of Mirth & Magic, Elikki is a wandering merchant who uses magic to infuse her metalwork. When she runs into trouble with a difficult customer, she finds herself on the run with a mysterious and handsome half-giant who got tangled up in things. As Elikki and Barra get to know one another, their physical attraction is clear... but can they evade the bounty hunters and figure out their feelings before it's too late?

A Tale of Mirth & Magic Review

Friends, if I ordered this book at a restaurant with one of those spice scales, I would fully admit to overestimating my abilities. If you like on the page, open door spice scenes, A Tale of Mirth & Magic has them early and often. They're a lot of fun and are a great example of plus-size rep where it's not all about her insecurities. However, my personal preference is for more of a slow burn on the physical stuff with a nice, banter-filled emotional lead-up. So, for me, this wasn't quite a fit in that regard.

That said, I did appreciate the magic and worldbuilding that is present in this one. The fantasy world feels real and lived in, and I especially appreciated how queer couples and people were just seamlessly integrated into the story, as it should be. I liked learning about Elikki's magic and how it differs from what's typical, and wish this was a bit more explored throughout the story.

I also liked how Barra's family and upbringing were a nice contrast to what you might expect from a half-giant, which was a nice change from typical fantasy tropes. Though he still struggles with feeling out of place due to size, it's never because his adoptive family didn't support and care for him.

There is some emotional growth and character development for both Barra and Elikki, though it's not as much of a focus as I might have liked. Each of them has their own baggage from life and love prior to when they meet, and I enjoyed seeing each of them struggle with and overcome those issues on the road to happily-ever-after.

In all, I think this would be a fun read for someone looking for a spicy romance in a fantasy setting. For someone like me who wants a solid fantasy plot with a slow burn, it's a bit less of a fit, but still an enjoyable read overall.

This is a steamy and often humorous story with an Elf and a half Giant. The tangled tale takes a few crazy turns but is full of heart. Naming a huge horse "Pebble" made me smile.

An easy to read cozy fantasy. Heavier on spice, lighter on plot. Easily breezed through it in a morning.

I like the strong IDGAF FMC. She’s a very atypical elf. I also like the timid, sweet MMC. A purple gentle, half-giant. It was a refreshing role reversal.

Insta-lust where the spice comes out of absolutely nowhere. My thoughts while reading “woah, we’re there already! Ok”. And then just kind of meh from there.

Worth a read if in the mood for a quickie!

We love the cozy vibes. We love romantasy, of course. We love inclusion, especially with a plus-sized MC. This seemed like the perfect book for me but it just did not land. The instalust was rough for me. I need more time for that to develop.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC; all opinions are my own.**

2.5 ⭐️
2 🌶

I....don't have much to say. I really wanted to like this one, but nothing worked for me. The FMC was very unlikeable, and there were parts that just made me...not happy. I thought the premise was really intriguing and I liked the first couple of chapters...but then it all went downhill after they were on the run. I just...this was me the entire time: 😐.

If youre a fan of:
☆ cozy romantasy
☆ spice
☆ hardcore miscommunication
☆ happy endings
This one could be for you.

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟🌟
OMG! If you're wanting a cozy fantasy with little to no drama, but with plenty of spicy scenes, this book is highly recommended. It's also a quick and easy read.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

A Tale of Mirth and Magic was a fantastic, quick read! Charming and cozy, and had a fair amount of great spice. Barra was adorably sexy, and while Elikki was incredibly stubborn to the point of frustration sometimes, I found myself relating to her more than I thought I would. The banter was great, Elikki teasing and Barra being so sweet and shy. I loved this and it helped pull me out of a bit of a reading funk!

A Tale of Mirth and Magic is a deliciously fun and spicy cozy fantasy that I absolutely devoured! I adored the plus-sized FMC—confident, relatable, and refreshingly real—and the MMC was a total golden retriever type: sweet, loyal, and absolutely swoon-worthy. Their romance was so charming, with just the right balance of sweetness and heat. The spice was chef’s kiss—steamy but never overpowering the story.

The side characters were a delight (some of their bickering had me laughing out loud), and the villain was compelling and well-written. I especially loved the emotional journey the main couple goes through—learning to be vulnerable and work through their flaws felt so genuine and added depth to the story.

Also, fair warning: the food descriptions are next-level. I was craving gourmet meals and lemon cake the entire time!

If you love cozy fantasy with heart, humor, heat, and great character development—don’t miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fun - cute and charming!

Elekki is a wonderful character - she's curvy, she's a bit sassy, and talent - a special talent for making jewlry! So she does and she travels around selling what she makes, unitl one day she comes across a bit of an ass and he makes her mad - so mad that she accidentally breaks his wrist. A giant watches all of this unfold and breaks the mans other wrist. A bit funny and deserving - but turns out the guy with 2 broken wrists in a nobleman and he goes rogue - setting a bounty on their heads. They travel together and come to know each other quite well.

It wraps up really cute and fun as well and I found myself just really relating to and enjoying Elekki and Barra!

A Tale of Mirth and Magic is a solid debut cozy, open-door romantic fantasy. (Are there enough adjectives in that sentence?). It is a solid 3-star read for me with issues that never kept me from staying immersed or continuing on. While the main characters were neither my cups of tea, they were well-written and their arcs—separately and together—made sense. Vale has a good understanding of romantic plotting and characters, which shines through. The world the author built wasn’t my favourite; it’s a D&D inspired world with little added on. Not the worst, but knowing the game certainly helps to understand some things about Vale’s world. The sexual content is present and definitely on the explicit side, which I appreciated in theory, but was jarringly written in reality. Another pass by an editor to smooth the transitions to and from these scenes felt needed.

All in all, I think I would gladly read more by Vale, especially as she gains more experience and smooths out some of the above mentioned issues. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ebook ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a quick and fun read! Plus sized elf, lavender half-giant, both bi/pan/queer? Amazing!! This was both very unserious and semi-serious at the same time lol. Elikki and Barra both have issues they needed to work through (and need to continuously work through) but ya know what, they made it in the end. Also Barra is such a golden retriever angel baby (7’8 half-giant) I just adored him, what a sweetheart. And Elikki is a fucking badass, love her.

An Incredibly cozy and spicy fantasy romance! I was bursting out laughing every few paragraphs. The romance and humour is very reminiscent of Kimberly Lemming's work and I absolutely love it. The magic and fantastical lore of the characters and world is so expertly woven with the almost modern day dialogue. I can't wait to read more from this author!

An Incredibly cozy and spicy fantasy romance! I was bursting out laughing every few paragraphs. The romance and humour is very reminiscent of Kimberly Lemming's work and I absolutely love it. The magic and fantastical lore of the characters and world is so expertly woven with the almost modern day dialogue. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I truly enjoyed reading A Tale of Mirth & Magic. I love that the FMC is a self-assured plus-sized elf with a charismatic personality. The MMC is a purple giant, who's an absolute sweetheart. It was a quick read, and while the world-building wasn't overly intricate, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. As a debut novel, it's pretty good, and I'm interested in what the author writes next.

2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy. You can pick up A Tale of Mirth & Magic on August 5, 2025.

I love a good cozy romantasy (especially one with plus-sized rep), and it seemed right up my alley at first glance. While it does have some charming characters, creatures, and scenes, unfortunately, A Tale of Mirth & Magic ultimately fell flat for me.

My main issue was the breakneck speed of the "relationship" and how shallow it felt. Within the first 20%, things are getting spicy -- and there's nothing wrong with that, especially when you pick up a book expecting that insta-lust dynamic. But it felt a bit out of left field in this case, especially with how quickly emotions developed soon after that.

The individual character arcs actually felt well-executed. Barra in particular felt well-rounded, and his fears about starting a physical relationship with Elikki when he knew it likely wouldn't go further made sense. Which is why her actions were frustrating and icky at times, especially when she pushed for more physical intimacy. There were times when Barra literally wanted to communicate and have an adult conversation, but Elikki would try to shift it into something physical or run away without talking/listening.

I don't mind a romance-driven storyline, but when the main plot is trying to convince someone to have a casual relationship who is decidedly NOT casual, that's a no from me. Others might enjoy the story, though, and the spicy scenes.

Special thanks to NetGalley and to the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✨Thoughts ✨
I really enjoyed this! It was sweet, it was hilarious and it was spicy and I really liked the dynamic between the love interests!! My only gripe with the book was the pacing. It's kind of slow in the beginning and then everything just kind of happens and there's just a bunch of "lulls" and then it picks up again and then slows down again.

I wanted this to be for me but it just wasn’t. It was definitely cozy, which was great but I felt like I was forcing myself to read it every time I picked it up. I could have just read it at the wrong time though! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.