Read my reviews of the previous books in the Magi Accounts series:

Notaro has developed a wonderful storytelling pattern with this series by including “slice of life” novellas between the main installments from the point of view of the second romantic lead, lion shifter Cosmo. Both stories have acted as lovely vehicles for readers to get to know Cos from his perspective and also to develop “smaller” storylines both at work and at home that might not have as large an impact on the main plot but are still relevant to the world.

We already know that Madeo is fairly overwhelmed by his life as an official part of the Ono-Nai pride, but it’s nice to see that Cos isn’t quite the perfect leader he comes across as. He also has to adapt to the new lifestyle and responsibilities that come along with suddenly having younger members in his pride to be responsible for, even if he wouldn’t have it any other way. Additionally, having scenes from his perspective allows Notaro to show that shifter society is not as unified as it might be to Madeo, an outsider with a very subjective viewpoint. I appreciate how, in a world so delineated by “species,” the Ono-Nai pride might also be set apart due to its inclusion of more than one variety of shifter. So, while Logan’s experience when he needs medical attention in this story went about the way I’d already come to expect from this particular fantasy world, Haiden’s encounter is just as heart-wrenching despite the lack of overt violence.

But the more things are different in Notaro’s urban fantasy world, the more things stay the same. The heart of this story revolves around how Cos just wants to take his boyfriend out on a nice date, but their responsibilities to their extended family keep getting in the way. This is a familiar conflict no matter how much magic the world includes, and Cos finds a solution that is sweetly romantic and also possible in the mundane world. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick visit to one of my favorite book series and it made me look forward to the next full-length installment even more.

Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.