Synopsis:
When Jacob Bright strikes out on his own and moves to a new island, he quite unexpectedly finds himself the owner of a failing, capybara-themed pub named Mrs. Covington’s. He quickly learns that he’s going to have to make new friends and innovate if it’s going to succeed. But when he learns that a neighboring Faun food restaurant, run by his kindhearted new friend, might have to close its doors, his priorities change.
Years ago, a reclusive wealthy woman lived on the island, and she wrote a clue in poem form which leads to a mysterious buried treasure. The treasure may be just the thing they need to save the restaurant, but they aren’t the only people seeking it.
Review:
A young entrepreneur, an island pub, a treasure hunt, friendships, and capybaras… What more could you ask for in a cozy fantasy story?
This was a really fun read, with all the heartwarming vibes you’d expect of a cozy tale. The main character is Jacob, a young man trying to find his own place in the world. He comes from a wealthy merchant family, but doesn’t agree with his father’s somewhat cutthroat business practices, so he leaves to make something of himself alone. With the small amount of money he has, he acquires Mrs. Covington’s, a struggling pub named for the capybara who also resides there.
Part of his purchase includes a vague poem regarding a treasure that was supposedly buried on the island years ago. (If you know of Forest Fenn’s treasure hunt, this had very similar vibes. I suspect the author was making a nod to it, as the fictional poem was written by a Mrs. Fenton.) Jacob doesn’t immediately get caught up in the hunt, but when he befriends the owner of the restaurant next to his pub and learns it might be shut down, he decides to start searching to help her save her business. Of course, he’s not the only one looking for the buried stash, and some of his opponents aren’t as kind-hearted as Jacob is.
In order to solve the clues, Jacob discovers he must rely on the knowledge of others—his neighbor, who is a Faun, his business partners, one of which is ciguapa (a fictional species with purple/blue coloration and a talent for magic), and orcs. Without cooperation, they’ll never find the treasure.
Ultimately, it was a story about finding friends in sometimes unlikely places, being true to yourself, and banding together to overcome obstacles (there were a few.) While it was low-stakes, it was a lot of fun and left me with a smile on my face.
If you’re a fan of books like Legends and Lattes, Mrs. Covington’s should be added to your TBR.
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