Violet is ready for change, but after living life as an infamous villain, is it really so simple?

The evil sorcerer who terrorized the land has fallen, and his right hand witch has been given a second chance. However, starting over while still holding secrets doesn't come as easily for Violet Thistlewaite as she thought it might, and when a terrible blight threatens her new community, she is faced with an impossible choice...

I loved this book. The pacing was quick and the plot was interesting and never stagnated. I'm not always a fan of dual POVs when romance is involved, but it worked well here to show the anxieties and trauma both MCs were dealing with. While the ending was a bit too fast for me and there were a few unresolved points, overall I was so satisfied with how everything came together.

This is a cozy fantasy that deals with heavier topics, but it always keeps the hopeful and reflective vibe so it doesn't feel too dark, and the more violent and tragic moments are balanced by the humourous back and forth and the well meaning villagers.

You can't help but root for Violet when seeing the effort she's putting in. I was hooked from start to finish, and can't wait to see what this author does next!

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore is an absolute delight — whimsical, warm, and full of heart. If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy that feels like a hug in book form, this one’s for you.

Violet, a former villain turned plant witch, is the kind of main character you can’t help but root for. With a heart full of hope and a desire to bring joy, she opens a flower shop in a quiet little town to start anew. Enter Nathaniel, her grumpy alchemist landlord with distractingly sexy arms — and yes, they share a bedroom wall. Cue the swoony tension and delightful banter.

This book is brimming with charm: second chances, found family, emotional healing, romance, and just a touch of magical mystery. It’s cozy and comforting, yet still manages to explore deeper emotional themes with surprising sensitivity. The pacing is gentle, the writing is easy to get lost in, and the characters are impossible not to love.

It reminded me a lot of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches — if you loved that, you’ll adore this too. It’s a perfect feel-good read, especially when you need something uplifting, magical, and full of flowers, love, and just enough chaos.

Finally free from the dark shadow of Shadowfade castle, and its now deceased bad Guy, Violet is out of a job and ready to turn over a new leaf. In the little town of Dragon’s Rest, there’s (half) a building with her name on it. A place for her to make her dreams come true and open her own flower shop.

Only, her new landlord, Nathaniel Marsh (of Marsh’s Apothecary), happens to be the rude, grumpy apothecary who owns the shop next door (and the one she’s renting). Not to mention that the greenhouse in the property listing is actually his, and they’ll have to learn to share pretty quickly.

But then a mysterious blight starts affecting the town, and Violet and Nathaniel need to start working together if they have any chance of saving the town.

Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore is a cosy, lighthearted romance packed with magic, whimsy, community and a murderous pothos. If you’re looking for a feel-good book you can get lost in, that will have you swoon and giggling, then you have found your next read.
Finally free from the dark shadow of Shadowfade castle, and its now deceased bad Guy, Violet is out of a job and ready to turn over a new leaf. In the little town of Dragon’s Rest, there’s (half) a building with her name on it. A place for her to make her dreams come true and open her own flower shop.

Only, her new landlord, Nathaniel Marsh (of Marsh’s Apothecary), happens to be the rude, grumpy apothecary who owns the shop next door (and the one she’s renting). Not to mention that the greenhouse in the property listing is actually his, and they’ll have to learn to share pretty quickly.

But then a mysterious blight starts affecting the town, and Violet and Nathaniel need to start working together if they have any chance of saving the town.

Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore is a cosy, lighthearted romance packed with magic, whimsy, community and a murderous pothos. If you’re looking for a feel-good book you can get lost in, that will have you swoon and giggling, then you have found your next read.

🌿Plant Witch x Apothecary
Sentient (murdery) Pothos
Forced Proximity 💕
Dual POV
Rivals to Lovers
🌸Neighbouring Shops
Mysterious Blight
Only One Greenhouse
Exchanging Notes 📝
Slow Burn

This book is a total treat.
Violet arrives at Dragon's Rest to start over. She rents a shop and lodging from the Marsh twins, who are stuck by the past in their own way. Magic ensues.
I've read loads of romantasy, but less cosy fantasy and this often felt like the perfect alchemy of the two. Emily Krempholtz's debut novel was heartwarming and understated as the stakes were built on the reader's care for the characters, without errant grandstanding and protracted miscommunication.
I can only imagine this is the first in an ongoing series and I for one, can't wait!

Thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book!

Spoilers!

I adore this kind of story - quirky and full of fantasy! I loved a lot of our main characters in this book, especially Violet I just thought she was awesome and really wanting to be a better person even throughout everything that happened.

The chemistry between Violet & Nathaniel was great and their bond seemed believable to me. I hated that he turned on her instantly but glad he saw the error of his ways.

The ending was great although a bit cheesy with some of the language used - I guess ‘thorns and all’ has just been overused for me so took me out of it a bit 😂. But the whole twist with it being Violet’s magic that was causing the blight isn’t one I saw coming and I love that some of the townspeople knew she was part of the castle and still accepted her anyway because they had gone through the same thing.

I guess my not so favourite things would be that I felt it was a little bit too long and it didn’t excite me as much as other books. But still a great story and will be looking out for the sequel if there is one!

What a gorgeous debut novel! I'm often quite selective with cosy fantasy as sometimes things just feel too sweet for me (as a personal preference). While this follows the same pattern of cosy fantasy, I enjoyed the rougher edges that the characters had and that their backstories weren't quickly shed once they fell in love.
The ending felt a little rushed but overall I loved this sweet town and the characters in it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an absolutely delightful cosy fantasy romance that I enjoyed every minute of! The banter and chemistry between the leads is wonderful, and Violet in particular is such a wonderfully relatable character. Sure, we haven't all been villainous plant witches, but I think everyone can connect with the urge to start over and build something fresh, and that arc is so beautifully, tenderly dealt with - I'm not even someone who highlights quotes in books, but the paragraph about change being like a seed is one that's going to resonate with me for a long time. I'm definitely going to be picking up a paperback as soon as it comes out, and this will probably end up being one of my favourite books of the year!

Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore — Emily Krempholtz ★★★★½☆
I absolutely adored this. It’s got that cozy, small-town feel but with just enough magic to make it sparkle. Violet’s second-chance arc was heartwarming without feeling overly sweet, and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic made the romance pop. The side characters felt like real people you’d want to spend time with, and I appreciated the humour sprinkled throughout. Honestly, I didn’t want it to end — I’d happily read more stories set in this world.

Your next cozy fantasy obsession. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a book where I’ve slowed down to just enjoy the world and characters more.

Emily Krempholtz debut novel a cozy fantasy romance with stakes (and trauma) and so many twists and turns I genuinely was surprised by most reveals. I loved the world, I loved the concept. Our FMC, the titular Violet Thistlewaite, is the former Thornwitch of Guy Shadowfade: your typical BBEG of a DnD campaign or fantasy setting and recently deceased. Violet comes down from his tower to the town of Dragon’s Rest to start a new life, renting out a shop space from our MMC Nathanial Marsh.

Instantly they clash, and the bread and butter of this novel becomes their banter and especially the warring street signs (I love we got pictures of them to see the puns in full glory). Outside of this, a mysterious case of Blight is affecting local produce, another of Shadowfade’s crew has come to town, a mysterious ancient artifact and rock goblins galore make up this wonderful world that I adored all the way through.

This shines with mainly its characters, Violet and Nathanial’s relationship does make up the heart of the novel with a happily ever after at the end. Their banter and puns had me chuckling and grinning like I was crazy at my kindle. The smut we do have between them also following the same banter and tone which is refreshing that they don’t suddenly change to different characters in these scenes.

Overall, I loved this. I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a slowish paced, cozy fantasy romance about shop owners, flowers and evil wizards. Specific, I know, but worth every second.

Thank you NetGalley and Sphere for the ARC. The above review is my own honest opinion.

Absolutely adored this book. It was such a lovely cozy fantasy book.

I really liked the world building and all the bit with the plants. This is a really sweet book which gives you all the feels in the world.

500000000 stars /5 stars.

Cosy, whimsical, but with some spice; this was a great read.

The redemption ARC of the FMC was perfectly done. The self doubt, thinking that they were just inherently bad, and how it progressed felt very natural, and not at all rushed.

Whilst this is cosy, it has darker bits in it - FMCs past, some trauma, betrayal etc. There is a HEA, but it’s a ride to get there!

This is an absolutely solid debut, and I’d happily read more set in this universe

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

3.75 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for this arc.

I struggled at the start of this book to be fully invested in the characters and the plot, the first half felt like it was dragging a bit for me. There were also quite a few puns so be ready for that.

Overall though this was a sweet read with magic, redemption and learning to lean on those around you. I loved the inclusions of the animal/sentient being side characters as well as the townsfolk.

This has very quickly become my favourite read of the year! I loved everything about it, the cosy vibes, the fantasy elements, the love story. I just love Nathaniel and Violet together and think that the banter between them is so cute! But I also love how the novel explores what it means to be good and whether we can leave out bad choices behind us. I just love this!!!

3.75/5

Usually i find ‘cosy fantasy’ to be disappointing mid-tier books. But i finally found one that scratched the itch i’ve had since legends & lattes. Hallelujah!

This is exactly what cosy fantasy should be! I loved the FMC, Violet. I was so glad she was an actual villain who had killed people and done bad things, not just a misunderstood girl who was never actually a villain. (I hate when authors catfish you like that). Violet was a nuanced character that, despite her villainous past, you could really sympathise with and root for. It was a charming story about redemption and regrowth after a toxic relationship.
(Fans of Jinx and Silco’s relationship from Arcane will love Violet’s relationship with her super villain adoptive father). I also love love loved her sidekicks - a homicidal plant with a penchant for sharp things and a sentient rock.

The romance was cute but honestly was the part of the book i cared the least about. The MMC, Nathaniel, was nice but did sometimes get on my nerves. I was glad his sister and the town’s people called him out on his BS! I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a wholesome story of rebuilding and redemption.

I only gave it a 3.75 because i’m nitpicky. I would’ve loved if we saw Violet and the townspeople bond more to really drive home a moment at the end of the book and make it all the more impactful. This book is also slightly guilty of the romance trope of turning the quiet, slightly anxious MMC in a Christian Grey during spicy scenes. Although not to a horrible degree.

This was such a sweet cozy book with a former villain with plant magic trying to redeem herself as a florist in a small town.

In the beginning Violet is such a flawed, lost individual who recognises her past mistakes and actively tries to better herself throughout the book. Such a good character arc.

Such a whimsical heartwarming romance with found family, dogs and rock goblins that turn into a stone dragon!