Something Brewed This Way Comes: a Cozy Monster Romance With Curses, Coffee, and One Very Hot Forest Guardian. Hollow Hearth

I just wanted to make espresso and vibe. Now I’m soulbonded to a cursed, grumpy forest guardian with antlers. (For fans of autumn magic, monster boyfriends, and gnomes who won’t mind their business.)I run a coffee and curio shop at the edge of a cursed forest.My muffins spark personal revelations. My espresso might be enchanted.And the emotional support gnomes under my floorboards won’t stop matchmaking me with the guy who just walked out of the woods.Antlers. Growly voice. Eyes like golden ruin.His name is Thorn—and according to my accidentally sentient pet Mumblefluff, he’s cursed, dangerous, and 100% my problem now.Turns out I’m part of some ancient soulbonding ritual no one warned me about.I thought I was just a barista with good instincts.But the flamefox picked me. The forest knows my name.And the monster?He wants more than coffee.TROPES YOU’LL FIND INSIDE: Grumpy forest monster x sunshine baristaForced proximity (soulbonded by accident, oops)Small town with big magical secretsEmotional support gnomes (and one sentient Mumblefluff)He falls first (and hard, and silently)Witchy cottagecore cozy vibesFound family (tiny, scarf-knitting kind)She thinks she’s ordinary… she’s notAutumn aesthetic so vivid you can smell the cinnamonLow-stakes fantasy with high-stakes emotional damageMonster smooch tension that will ruin you gentlySpicy monster lovin’Book One of The Hollow Hearth Series by Tansy Applewood:For fans of cozy fantasy, slow-burn spice, enchanted pastries, and emotionally repressed monsters who fall in love with the barista.