The Spellshop – by Sarah Beth Durst
Book 1 in The Spellshop series

A secret library in flames.
A stolen cache of magic.
And one shy librarian who just wants to make jam... and maybe fall in love.

Kiela prefers books to people—and for good reason. As a librarian in the Great Library of Alyssium, she’s spent ten peaceful years cataloguing enchanted tomes with her only companion, Caz, a sentient spider plant with plenty of opinions. But when rebellion sets the empire ablaze, Kiela is forced to flee with a stolen satchel of spellbooks and take refuge on the remote island she once called home.

Her plan? Stay quiet. Stay hidden. Survive.
Her reality? A charmingly persistent neighbor who insists on helping, a garden that refuses to behave, and a small act of rebellion that soon turns into something far more magical—a secret spellshop.

As Kiela’s enchanted jams and whispered spells bring warmth back to the island, she’ll have to decide whether she’s willing to risk her safety—and her heart—for a life that’s finally her own.

✨ Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, small-town magic, cozy fantasy, found family, slow-burn romance, secret identity
✨ For fans of: Legends & Lattes, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
✨ Features: a sentient houseplant sidekick, a cottage full of forbidden spellbooks, enchanted jam-making, and a gentle romance blooming among ruins and raspberry vines
✨ A warm, whimsical romantasy about quiet rebellion, second chances, and the simple magic of choosing joy.

"Sometimes the sweetest spells are the ones we make for ourselves"