⭐⭐⭐¾
Potions & Peculiarities
By Gloria Bottelman
Release date: November 18, 2025
Preorder here
Alora Pennigrim is an interior decorator who gets roped into a mysterious project at an enchanted mansion. Quickly, she learns that things at the mansion are not as they seem, and neither are the attractive potion shop owner or the captain of a mysterious band of criminals.
While her initial goal is to finish her project and be done, Alora soon decides to investigate the mysterious, cult-like place and its connection to instances of severe memory loss in town.
So.. being truly honest, I didn’t like the book at the beginning. The prose is very flowery, whimsical, and confusing. It began to grow on me, as I imagined a sort of Alice in Wonderland setting for the story.
Once the love interests were introduced, I had to know what might happen, and more about both dark men’s pasts. Truly the most predictable thing about this book was its unpredictability, and I appreciate that in a world of tropes and happy endings.
I did predict one major twist, but the rest of the story had me waiting to find out what would happen next.
Alora herself is an interesting character, flip flopping between naive and shy to seductive and manipulative or completely unafraid and very bold. I believe this is done intentionally, to point out her masking in a society where she has always felt she must shrink herself to fit in. I think a lot of women can relate to that.
I enjoyed the love interest but really was hoping for more about potions 😉
⭐⭐⭐¾
Thank you to Gloria Bottelman for the Advance Readers Copy.
Potions & Peculiarities is available on Kindle Unlimited or to purchase here
The Midnight Review 