Reviewed by Ro
TITLE: Magic of Midnight
SERIES: Wishing Tree #3
AUTHOR: RJ Scott
PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books
LENGTH: 290 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 19, 2025
BLURB:
When a cinnamon-roll bookseller meets the coffee shop grouch next door, sparks (and snowflakes) fly in Wishing Tree, Vermont.
In the small town of Wishing Tree, Vermont, Wesley has broken free from the golden cage of his wealthy family’s expectations. Now, he’s hiding away in his beloved bookstore, a cozy haven filled with stories that warm the soul. But his greatest joy? Showing the grumpy coffee shop owner next door that life doesn’t have to be so serious—especially at Christmas.
Hunter never planned to trade lectures on history for steaming lattes and frothy cappuccinos. But when a sudden twist of fate lands him in Vermont, running a coffee shop he inherited, he buries himself in the daily grind, determined to avoid messy emotions—and the annoyingly cheerful bookstore owner who seems intent on dragging him out of his shell.
Wesley’s relentless charm and holiday spirit clash with Hunter’s stubborn pragmatism, sparking irritation, banter, and undeniable chemistry. Underneath the tension, stolen kisses and quiet moments reveal a connection that feels like the season’s magic.
But just as their love begins to bloom, a twist of fate threatens to pull them apart. With Christmas fast approaching, can Wesley and Hunter overcome the odds and find their happily ever after? Or will their story end before the final snowflake falls?
REVIEW:
This is the third in the Wishing Tree series, and reminds me why I want to visit a place like Wishing Tree. They aren’t over the top Christmas but the small town is lovely and warm. Wesley was thrown out by his bigoted, uber-religious, uber-conservative family when he was 18, and he’s ended up here in Wishing Tree, running his beloved bookstore, The Storybook Lantern. The store is struggling a bit (as most independent bookstores are these days), and Wes is doing all he can to keep it going. He has an amazing volunteer/assistant/bestie in Brooke, and she’s helping. The best part of it right now is the very grumpy coffee-shop owner next door, Hunter.
Hunter is carrying baggage of his own, and yes, he is grumpy. Crabby. Cranky. Wes isn’t bothered by this. In fact, he likes it, and his mission is to make Hunter less crabby. For his part, Hunter can’t figure out what it is about Wes. “Attraction, irritation, confusion-all knotted together.” Hunter had a bad breakup, lost out on tenure, and lost his parents all in a short period of time. “I lost my parents, lost the tenure track, found out my trust fund ex was playing me the whole time, then I got a letter telling me I’d inherited a coffee shop in the Christmas capital of Vermont.” He decided to take a step away from that situation, and since the coffee shop came with the stipulation that he had to actually run it for two years, in Wishing Tree he stayed. For a while, until his dream job in LA was available.
Wes’s story with his family is awful. They are disgusting, all but his youngest brother, Rupert. “I never missed my parents, nor my bullying brothers Benedict or Lewis, but my kid brother, Ruper? Yeah. I missed him.” The rest of the family? They continue to be horrid. “I came out at eighteen and they made it clear I was done. No home. No college fund. No family name. Expelled, erased, disowned – the whole scorched earth package.” I loved that Hunter corrects Wes every time he mentions it might be his fault.
We get to see Hunter lose some of the that grumpiness and Wes start to bloom on his own. It’s lovely. “It tastes like…Christmas had a baby with a cuddle.” Yes, indeed it does.
RATING: 
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