~ Book Review: Heir of Uncertain Magic (Whimbrel House #2) (ARC) ~

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

One man is on a journey to unravel his magical lineage in the next novel of the Whimbrel House series.

Thanks to house tamer Hulda Larkin, the mischief infesting Whimbrel House has calmed. But if Hulda’s job is done, what does that mean for Merritt Fernsby, inheritor of the remote Narragansett Bay estate, who’s only now coming to terms with his enchanted place in the world?

Heir of Uncertain Magic is the second novel in the Whimbrel House series following the first novel, Keeper of Enchanted Rooms. While I realized this was part of a series when I first obtained an ARC, my mind went blank when I picked up my Kindle to read it. I was able to catch up easily, however, I would highly recommend that other readers begin with the first novel before beginning this one. I will most likely go back and read the first just so I gain some additional foundation that leads up into the third novel, Boy of Chaotic Making. This story takes place about a week after events in the first novel, so, again, it is recommended not to follow my lead and instead read the series in order.

In this continuation readers follow along with the characters of Whimbrel House, where events have occurred at the end of the last story. In this ensemble cast of characters, readers meet (or become reacquainted with) Merritt Fernsby who is adjusting to his new abilities. The characters are dealing with the aftermath from events involving Silas Hogwood. Since I did not read the first story this part took me a bit to piece together, but it came together nicely.  Merritt and his partner, Hulda, who is trying to figure out what happened to her both, each have their own objectives in this story. There is a heavier focus on friend and boss of Hulda, Myra, in the story that helps drive the plot forward. The plot in this story is lighter than most others in the genre, but it does appear that it is building up to something bigger.

There is an ease and coziness to Holmberg’s writing. As this is the third series of hers that I have read, I love how the style carries through each, so they all feel connected in a way even though they are separate stories. This story has great world-building and, again, it seems like there is more beyond even a third novel, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Since it is not obvious in the writing how long the story will go, this brings a little too much uncertainty for me. Usually in a series you can tell how fast or slow the pacing should be to make sure everything is accomplished by the end. In this one, it seems it could stop at book three or could go longer, so it was difficult to make any judgements or connections. Even so, I still loved the world and characters as they were captivating. Overall, this was a great novel and I look forward to reading more from the series in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, 47North, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**