Reviewed by: Sue Eaton
TITLE: The Pushy Pixies Are Going Down (Hopefully)
SERIES: Carry A Faerie #2
AUTHOR: Michele Notaro
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 385 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2025
BLURB:
Are there pixies absolutely everywhere? Unfortunately.
Tiny flying faeries with poisonous dust? Great…
Is Winter calling me his boyfriend all of a sudden? Wait. What?
It’s pixie season, and they’re everywhere. Win and I are wearing so much pixie gear we look like we’re in space suits. It isn’t fun, but getting dusted is worse. Pixies. Ugh. But Chaos and Aeson need our help, so here we are.
To top it off, Winter and I have people showing up from our pasts, demanding our attention and bringing up old hurts. But at least I have him by my side this time—and he has me. Not sure how long it’ll last—even though my heart wants forever and Win’s saying all the right things—but I’m definitely going to hold on to him while I can.
REVIEW:
Miles and Winter are back, still allergic to pixie dust and emotional vulnerability, now with bonus twin chaos. This sequel delivers snark, smooches, and supernatural shenanigans in equal measure while layering in found family, faerie warfare, and romantic confusion like a glitter bomb of feelings.
Miles and Winter are my favorite grumpy sunshine duo who end up deep in the trenches of pixie season, which requires hazmat-level fashion choices. Miles is still delightfully exasperated, and Winter is calling him “boyfriend” like it’s a casual spell he cast and forgot to undo. Miles keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop as it feels too good to be true and he is used to being let down and abandoned.
Their relationship is equal parts banter and bruised hearts, with past traumas surfacing like unwanted magical spam. But the emotional growth between them is epic Miles wants forever but doesn’t think he will get it. He’s used to being the one who gives too much and gets left behind, so his instinct is to push people away before they can hurt him. Winter’s saying all the right things, so he hopes. I was happy that despite their past trauma they are hoping together rather than running for the hills. It would be easy for them to give up on each other through their fear of being hurt in the future.
Miles and Winter both carry emotional baggage that shapes their relationship. Miles has deep-seated fears and abandonment issues. As an empath he has been isolated physically and emotionally by people scared about what he can do. Winter’s abandonment by his family when he went to prison and continued after his release which hurt him deeply and only his best friend standing by him.
Miles is terrified of gnomes not just in a “they’re creepy” way, but in a “they trigger full-blown anxiety attacks” way. His fear is rooted in past encounters that left him emotionally and physically shaken. As an empath, Miles absorbs others’ emotions, which makes him hyper-aware and often overwhelmed. He’s been burned before by people who used his gift without caring about the toll it took.
Winter’s power as a null, someone who can cancel out magical abilities, gives Miles the respite he needs from everyone’s emotions. Despite his chill exterior, Winter’s trauma manifests in emotional restraint. He’s slow to open up, careful with affection, and terrified of being vulnerable. His protectiveness of Miles isn’t just romantic, it’s redemptive. He sees in Miles someone worth fighting for, not just shielding.
Their relationship is a slow burn of mutual healing. Miles learns to trust that Winter won’t leave, and Winter learns that Miles sees him as more than a magical extinguisher. They fumble through intimacy with snark, awkwardness, and genuine care, often using humor to deflect their deeper fears.
The pushy pixies are tiny airborne menaces with toxic dust and zero chill. They’re everywhere, and Miles is so over it. The supernatural threat is real, but it’s mostly a backdrop for emotional revelations and relationship leveling-up.
The arrival of the twins forces them to expand their emotional bandwidth, nudging them toward a found-family dynamic that challenges their old survival instincts. Aeson and Chaos show up needing help, and suddenly Miles and Winter are co-parenting. The twins bring a delightful layer of sibling-style mischief and vulnerability, forcing them to navigate trust, protection, and the terrifying possibility of caring about more people. This dynamic is still forming, but it’s got all the hallmarks of a found-family slow burn: awkward bonding, protective instincts, and the occasional “I will hex anyone who hurts you” moment.
This book is like a glitter grenade lobbed into your heart, messy, sparkly, and surprisingly tender. The romance is evolving, the twin dynamic is promising, and the emotional stakes are rising faster than Miles’ blood pressure when someone says “boyfriend.” If you like your urban fantasy with sass, smooches, and a side of pixie-induced trauma, this one’s for you.
RATING: 
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I loved this book and your review is absolutely perfect. Now I can’t wait for the gnomes!