Petals & Portals Is Here!
It’s release day!
Petals & Portals is officially out in the world, and I am so excited to finally invite you into Hickory Hollow.
This book has flowers, portals, monsters, small-town secrets, a magical highway, inherited destiny, and a childhood friend who has been quietly, stubbornly in love for years.
So basically: cozy fantasy romance with a little bit of danger under the petals.
My favorite kind.
Welcome to Hickory Hollow
Piper Wakefield hasn’t set foot in Hickory Hollow in a decade.
She left home. Built a life somewhere else. Tried very hard to become a person who did not have to deal with old grief, old memories, or old magic.
Then her Aunt Alice dies.
Piper comes home expecting an inheritance, some paperwork, and probably a few awkward conversations with people who still remember who she used to be.
Instead, she inherits a house, a flower shop, and a destiny she absolutely did not ask for.
Because Alice wasn’t just Hickory Hollow’s beloved florist.
She was the Guardian of the Crossroads—the person responsible for keeping monsters from slipping through the veil.
And now that job belongs to Piper.
Surprise!
A person really should get a manual before inheriting a supernatural responsibility.
Magic, Monsters, and One Very Patient Hero
Luckily—or inconveniently, depending on Piper’s mood—she isn’t completely alone.
Owen McAllister is still in Hickory Hollow.
Her childhood friend. Her longtime admirer. The man who knows more about the town’s magic than he probably should. And the one person determined to show Piper that coming home might not be the worst thing that ever happened to her.
Owen is steady, kind, capable, and very much the kind of man who has been quietly in love for years while trying to be normal about it.
Bless him.
But Hickory Hollow’s charm is hiding darker secrets.
The magical highway is stirring. The gates are weakening. Something dangerous is trying to break through.
And Piper has to decide whether she’s going to run from the destiny she inherited—or stand her ground and become the Guardian Hickory Hollow needs.
Why I Loved Writing This Book
I had so much fun writing this story.
Petals & Portals let me play with so many things I love: magical small towns, family legacy, old secrets, portals, protective magic, second chances, inherited responsibility, and romance rooted in friendship.
I also loved writing a heroine who does not immediately embrace her destiny with graceful composure.
Piper is grieving. Overwhelmed. Skeptical. Annoyed. And honestly? Fair.
She didn’t ask for monsters.
She didn’t ask for gates.
She didn’t ask to become the Guardian of anything.
But destiny has a way of blooming whether you’re ready or not.
And that’s one of the emotional threads I loved most in this book: the idea that coming home doesn’t mean going backward.
Sometimes coming home means discovering the person you were always meant to become.
If You Love…
You might love Petals & Portals if you enjoy:
- magical small towns
- cozy fantasy romance
- childhood friends to lovers
- flower shops
- portals and hidden realms
- reluctant heroines
- protective heroes
- family secrets
- inherited destiny
- cozy charm with real stakes
- and just enough monster trouble to keep things interesting
This is the first book in Enchanted Realms: Crossroads, a modern-day spin-off connected to my Enchanted Realms universe.
You don’t have to read the other Enchanted Realms books first. You can step right into Hickory Hollow here.
Though, obviously, I will never discourage anyone from reading more magical romance.
I’m helpful that way.
Petals & Portals Is Available Now
I’m so thrilled this book is finally in your hands.
Whether you’re here for Piper, Owen, the flower shop, the portals, the magical highway, or the cozy small-town chaos, I hope you love your visit to Hickory Hollow.
Just be careful near the Crossroads.
You never know what might come through.
Petals & Portals is available now! Grab your copy today and step into Hickory Hollow.
