A cozy magical town. A tiny owl. And tea! Shari L. Tapscott’s newest release (August 22, 2025), Of Owls and Oolong, is a perfect cozy urban fantasy romance.
The main character, Kit, is a summer pixie who inherits her Aunt’s home and tea shop in a magical town. There are three stipulations to the inheritance. First, she must move into her aunt’s home. Second, she must take care of the tea shop for three years to receive the full inheritance. And third, she must take care of the little owl. The owl is a mage whose spell went horribly wrong.
The bulk of the story is Kit’s first few weeks in the town. She’s trying to understand tea. It’s more than dunking a tea bag in a cup of microwaved water. She meets a few of her fellow shopkeepers and the stuck-up councilman. And she tries to free the owl/mage, named Rowan, from his spell.
The councilman is Kit’s love interest in this book, though I confess I don’t fully get the romance. Kit is a summer pixie, which means a few things. She spreads joy wherever she goes, and when she likes someone, she sparkles. Personally, I would have liked it if the author had taken more time to develop the sparkling and pixie magic. I found it hard to understand as Kit sparkles from her first encounter with the councilman. Outside of him being handsome, there is nothing attractive about him. Because of this, the whole relationship seems to be based on attraction. There wasn’t any substance to the blooming couple. The story ends with a romantic cliffhanger, so I won’t spoil it. However, there is a hint that there might be some competition for Kit’s affections. And this one makes more sense, so it’ll be fun to see how Tapscott works it out.
The town, Moss Hollow, is quaint and cozy. I enjoyed reading about it, and it felt like it could be real. The characters were well-developed, and there was a great deal of diversity in their personalities and temperaments. The book was a light read, featuring humor and engaging dialogue. So if you are looking for something fun and quick, I suggest checking it out! It’s available on Amazon in KU and as an ebook.
K. M. Wray 