I have a “thing” about marketing books with tropes (I should write about that actually) but when this book was labeled “enemies to brothers” I was immediately into it.
Not to mention, this is the third in the series and I have already read the other two and enjoyed them immensely.
The High Court of the Coffee Bean returns with a battle of wills and wit as two sworn enemies find themselves facing their worst nightmare—each other.
In this “enemies-to-brothers” humorous fantasy, two dangerous fae who hate each other sign a contract to share an apartment without realizing who their new roommate will be. One is Dranian Evelry, former assassin of the Brotherhood of Assassins. The other is Luc Zelsor, a deadly nine tailed fox more powerful than nearly any fae from the Dark Corner of Ever.
With several binding rules in their roommate contract such as, “No loud noises” (which means they’ll have difficulty trying to kill each other) and “No large messes” (which means once one finds a way to kill the other, they’ll need to discreetly dispose of the body) the two enemies find themselves trapped in a close quarters situation with only one to try and live together until the three-month agreement runs out, unless one of them can force the other to break the contract and be kicked out of the apartment for good by management.
Thus a battle of wills begins as two fae on opposite sides of the fairy wars try to make the living accommodations unbearable for the other.
But Dranian has another problem, one he must hide from his new roommate. Whenever he falls asleep, his nights become haunted by a voice of his past, belonging to a girl who was never given a name. As she enters his nightmares and gets closer and closer to taking control of his dreams for good, Dranian is forced to remember key things about the North Corner forest village he grew up in - a place he swore never to think about again - and the girl he once gave everything for who has now returned to haunt him forever.
Dranian knows there's only one solution to keeping the girl with no name out of his Never fall asleep again.
A Roommate Who Isn't Evil is book 3 of the High Court of the Coffee Bean series, a four-book tale that follows a band of fairy assassins who enter the human world and try to live among them, hardly blending in at all. This BookTok-inspired series is for readers who will enjoy a mashup of books like The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and the comical TV show New Girl. It's 'cozy with a dallop of darkness', loaded with cookies and ice cream, and sprinkled with a few epic deathmatches.Summary from Goodreads
My Review
I’ve been getting up early in the morning, having coffee, and reading a bit before work. With my morning reading, I would prefer something light, happy, and perhaps even funny.
Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn’t Evil fits that bill perfectly.
Coming off of the second book, the character Luc is a certified enemy of the High Court of the Coffee Bean. Which is why it’s incredibly funny that he ends up the roommate of the most quietest member, Dranian.
Shenanigans ensue, which is really my favorite type of book chaos. The ever looming threat of the North Corners is still very present, which gives the action. The fairies general confusion about how the human realm works is doubled as these two charming idiots stumble through life.
I genuinely laughed out loud while reading this book. I’ve written this before about the series, but it gives off Coffee Shop AU fanfiction vibes in a way that delights my soul. This book kept the same type of humor, fantasy action, and sweet relationships that have been in the series from the beginning.
In this particular installment, there’s no romance, but a burgeoning “bromance” which I think is a great way to prevent the series from becoming rote or have repeated themes. While there was a blossoming romance hinted at otherwise, the focus was on the friendship of Luc and Dranian and how two, damaged, somewhat lonely fairies could find companionship in the most unlikely places.
The writing is full of humor and flows easily through the story. I did notice some missed corrections that needed to happen, but it did not dim my enjoyment of the book. There are lines here and there that are beautifully descriptive, and you can tell that the author is very familiar with Toronto (as far as my knowledge goes). The continual mishaps the fairies go through as they navigate the human world often serve to highlight what is efficient, or ridiculous, or even absurd about our world.
If you’re looking for something to lift your spirits, I would highly recommend this series. It’s lighthearted, funny, the romances in the two first books are very sweet, and overall the characters are delightful.
I already have the fourth book, which I was very pleased to see was already published, so look for that review as I continue my journey to finish 100 books before the end of the year.
100: And the Pressure of It All
I started this year off writing about how I don’t want to do New Year’s Resolutions (here) and immediately made a Goodreads reading challenge to read one hundred books this year.
If you’ve read this book, let me know what you thought in the comments! Do you have a similar series or book to recommend? Please let me know! I’m actively looking for more books that fit this criteria.