Light, bright and utterly charming. This book is a delight to read and will definitely cheer up any dreary day!

Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for the arc of "Healing Magic & Playboys“ by Lauren Connolly.

This is the first book I read by Lauren Connolly but it won’t be the last! I loved Ava and Sammys chemistry and banter. The story was great too. I love a good standalone series and this one definitely delivered.

The third in a light-hearted series of contemporary paranormal romances, Connolly's book is a fun and fluffy romp. I still think this is one of the most creative takes on PNR I've read in awhile -- characters from the two previous books appear but don't distract from the plot if you haven't read them, and (surprise) this one has a domme woman and a submissive man! A really delightful dynamic! This book also explored assumptions that others have about our MCs and what they choose to show to the world.

Ava Bellerose leads a double life as a librarian and a masked performer, using men's admiration to fuel her magic. Her biggest admirer, Sammy Reyes, discovers her secret identity and is determined to win her over. Despite her resistance, Sammy's charm might just break through her barriers. Engaging and magical!

Healing Magic and Playboys by Lauren Connolly

Rating: 4.0 Stars
Spice Level: 4.5

Though this book can be enjoyed as a standalone, I highly recommend starting with the first two installments in the series. I didn't, and I wish I had—characters from the previous books make delightful appearances throughout this charming story. I'm now eagerly diving into book one!

If I didn’t love Ava to the moon and back, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself when it comes to Sammy. At first, Sammy seemed a bit creepy—even Ava might have thought so. But as the story unfolded, he transformed into my latest book boyfriend. Can I order one for myself?

This book is an easy read; I flew through it and couldn't put it down. Some scenes will forever live rent-free in my mind. If I had to describe this book in three words, they would be sexy, cute, and hot. It’s the perfect summer read!

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book that I've read by Lauren Connolly even though I have definitely heard her works talked about. It was sweet and different. I ended up staying up way too late to read this book because I was so intrigued with the magical elements of the storyline. I've read a good bit of magical books and romance books and this is definitely one of the more unique crossovers. It has an average level of spice. I actually expected a little more since Ava is a stripper succubus, but it was much more tasteful than I anticipated which I liked as well. The writing itself felt a little rushed for me, and I would have liked some more deep dives or more intensely emotional scenes, but overall I really enjoyed it and would definitely read more Lauren Connolly books.

I loved this book, it was a nice feel-good book and I really felt like I got sucked into the world!
It's another wonderful book in the series, and I can't wait to see what Lauren comes up with next!

Healing Magic & Playboys by Lauren Connolly is an absolutely delightful, heartwarming story.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fun and entertaining.
HM&P is a perfect, escapist, chemistry-fulled romance with a wonderful cast of characters.
The writing was absolutely superb. I was hanging onto every word.
A quick, feel good read.

Thank You NetGalley and City Owl Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Ava is a masked performer who uses men's attraction to her to charge up her healing magic. Sammy recognizes her and woos her to her dismay.

Love Ava and Sammy. The hate to love relationship works for me. Love their banter and connection. Really enjoy the story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Another excellent book in the Casual Magic series from Lauren Connolly, which I have been just loving! I also really love how much she includes the previous characters, but in such a way you can easily read each one as a standalone.

This book, Healing Magic & Playboys is very aptly titled. We have a lot of elemental abilities in our characters from the previous books, including Sammy who is BFFs with several of the boys. He’s a big time playboy but he’s fallen for one of the dancers at the Jewelry Box, where Red works as a waitress (which is part of book 2). He’s continuing to visit to watch Pearl dance and in his obsession, starts bringing her gifts… which she doesn’t want or appreciate. She has another “real” job, as a college librarian, and only dances to refill her succubus witch magic. Ava is not an elemental, but is a witch.

After being invited to the elemental’s pool party where an incident happened and she has to show her healing abilities, Sammy falls for the real Ava, and she’s in trouble of her two lives crossing, and the fallout is what she’s always feared (she needs the club and the men’s lust to constantly refill her magic to ward off physical illness)… it could be very bad, or potentially very good?

Connolly is a fantastic author and if you haven’t checked out this series yet or her others (I’ve also read her Smartypants Romance contributions and just picked up her Folk Haven series on the incredible audio sale), you are most definitely missing out - she’s brilliant and I absolutely recommend her books, all of them, to everyone! Just the right amount of steam, and such well thought out and creative storytelling, and it’s all perfect! I also must say, as a migraine sufferer myself, I always appreciate whenever an author includes this in a romantic storyline!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and City Owl Press, and this is my honest feedback.

What a witty romance read. I wasn’t sure that I was going to enjoy this book but I was wrong. It was great!

I love a good stand alone series. This was such a fun read. I liked that non of the characters personality were forced or their interactions. I would definitely recommend

This was fun quick read. While I will always love Connolly's Folk Haven the best, this book is making a solid pitch for this series. I have read only one other book in this series, but I think this one is the star. I can't say if Sammy's redemption arc works for the whole series, but he won me over and was a mature partner that I was happy to watch Ava slip-slide into love with. There is emotional growth and depth of character for both Ava and Sammy. And I think the addition of layering in the chronic illness (both Ava's and her mom's) as well as a positive look on sex work gave this book a little extra depth that made this into something extra great to read. Also niche props: as an academic librarian at a conservative university, wow that subplot was uncanny (thankfully not true to my life), but so perfectly captured. Also having only read the first book,