Name: Keeper of Enchanted Rooms
Author: Charlie N Holmberg

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms and Heir of Uncertain Magic are the charming romantic historical cosy fantasy novels that begin Charlie N Holmberg’s Whimbrel House Series. Read my reviews and some of my favourite quotes.

Charlie N Holmberg's Keeper of Enchanted Rooms & Heir of Uncertain Magic Book Reviews

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms Publisher Synopsis

Whimbrel House, Book 1

A house of haunted history and ill temper. Make yourself at home in this beguiling novel of love, magic, and danger by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charlie N. Holmberg.

Rhode Island, 1846. Estranged from his family, writer Merritt Fernsby is surprised when he inherits a remote estate in the Narragansett Bay. Though the property has been uninhabited for more than a century, Merritt is ready to call it home—until he realizes he has no choice. With its doors slamming shut and locking behind him, Whimbrel House is not about to let Merritt leave. Ever.

Hulda Larkin of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms has been trained in taming such structures in order to preserve their historical and magical significance. She understands the dangers of bespelled homes given to tantrums. She advises that it’s in Merritt’s best interest to make Whimbrel House their ally. To do that, she’ll need to move in, too.

Prepared as she is with augury, a set of magic tools, and a new staff trained in the uncanny, Hulda’s work still proves unexpectedly difficult. She and Merritt grow closer as the investigation progresses, but the house’s secrets run deeper than they anticipated. And the sentient walls aren’t their only concern—something outside is coming for the enchantments of Whimbrel House, and it could be more dangerous than what rattles within.

Publication: 47North, November 2022

Genre: Cosy Fantasy, Romance, Historical, Mystery

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My Review

Charlie Holmberg’s Keeper of Enchanted Rooms has been on my TBR list since it first released. The promise of cosy urban fantasy into a historical setting, with a slow-burn romance woven through, struck all the right notes for me. And in the end, it delivered on my expectations.

At the heart of the story is the unlikely pairing of ‘enchanted house’ keeper Hulda, buttoned-up but capable and outwardly self-assured, and Merritt, the hapless, heart-on-his-sleeve writer who inherits a house with a mind of its own.

Approaching the door, heavy tool bag hanging off her shoulder, she took up the brass knocker and rapped four times. Loudly. Hulda preferred not to repeat herself. For a moment, all was silent. Then she heard the sound of something thick crashing onto the floor—several somethings—followed by a brief shriek.

Personality-wise they are ostensibly polar opposites. But Holmberg lets their connection build gently, and it’s genuinely charming watching two guarded people slowly reveal that they’ve both been wronged before, and are more alike beneath the surface than either expects.

Beauty is just like a book. Some will not bother to look beyond the cover; others will find the entire tome utterly captivating.

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Holmberg’s charming narrative is peppered with bookish quotes that will delight booklovers, and I found the relatively light-touch historical urban fantasy world-building refreshing – the magical genealogy a clever framework to underpin a cosy romance series. And, the house’s mischief-making is played up for good-natured, farcical comedic effect.

“It was kind of cute, when I thought I was dealing with a half-sentient kitchen or armoire. It is utterly horrid that there is an actual walking spirit from the grave floating around, watching me dress, breathing down my neck, and dropping me into pits!

But Holmberg isn’t afraid to let the magic turn serious too; a few applications of it land as genuinely confronting. This gave the story more heft than I’d originally expected from something billed as cosy. The romance element though is exactly as advertised: sweet and unhurried.

She smelled like rosewater and rosemary . . . and wore roses on her dress. He wondered if she realized what a lovely metaphor she presented.

Just as lovely is the found family Holmberg assembles around Hulda and Merritt — a cast of endearing secondary characters whose loyalty to one another gives the book real warmth and sincerity.

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Much of the novel simmers rather than boils, with Holmberg saving most of her sucker punches for the thrilling, action-packed conclusion. On reflection it struck me how remarkably well the author balances deceptively dark elements with the light and comedic.

Hers was a story he didn’t want to end. But how many pages would she let him turn? What was her ending—their ending—going to be like?

I enjoyed this character pairing so much that I ordered this Whimbrel House Series’ Book 2 Heir of Uncertain Magic immediately.

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms - Charlie N. Holmberg

My Rating

Story 4.25 / 5 ; The Writing 4.5 / 5 — Overall 4.3

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Heir of Uncertain Magic Charlie N. Holmberg Holmberg's Keeper of Enchanted Rooms & Heir of Uncertain Magic

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Review of Book 2, Heir of Uncertain Magic

Heir of Uncertain Magic picks up straight where the Keeper of Enchanted Rooms left off, and while the house itself has lost some of its former magic, Merritt and Hulda’s story hasn’t lost any of its charm. The romance deepens rather than resets, which I appreciated, and the found family dynamic gets even richer thanks to more time spent with Owein, whose perspective is a genuine delight.

Both leads also reconnect with family of their own this time round, and those threads add welcome emotional complexity without ever crowding out the central relationship. While slightly sluggish in the centre, Heir of Uncertain Magic‘s mystery plot is more often front and centre, with more foreboding and higher stakes than Book 1.

Merritt, and we alongside him, come to better understand the intricacies of the magic system, as new branches and consequences of the magic are unpacked. Heir of Uncertain Magic is another engaging and confidently written narrative from my new favourite cosy fantasy author Charlie N Holmberg. I am confident I will soon find myself returning to this Whimbrel House series, to spend more time with its charming characters.