The Charmed Library

By Jennifer Moorman

With her signature blend of magical and heartfelt storytelling, USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Moorman returns with The Charmed Library, a love letter to libraries, favorite childhood stories, and readers who have fallen for fictional heroes.

Like many other public libraries, the one in Blue Sky Valley, North Carolina, is a haven for readers. But it's also unlike any other. In this library, fictional characters step off the page into real life. Assistant librarian Stella Parker has no idea. Still reeling from her father's death and--more recently--a breakup, she hasn't noticed. All she knows is she's stuck in a job she's overqualified for and stumped about what to do with her life.

Everything changes when she burns her beloved journal.

Words matter to Stella. For as long as she can remember, she's seen them. Words appear--in varying colors and fonts--rising from surfaces, bouncing over objects, and even wiggling out of people. Words give her insight into emotions and untold stories. But the words change for Stella after she burns her journal. Suddenly they're demanding, urgent--and painful.

Then Stella stumbles upon strange characters in the library after hours. One is an oddly familiar World War II soldier who introduces himself as Jack--Jack Mathis, the main character from her favorite book. A fictional hero and Stella's first crush. Standing in front of her in the flesh.

Jack tells Stella about the magic hidden in the library. Skeptical, Stella rashly invites a villain to visit, and chaos ensues. As she discovers the importance of protecting the library's secret and gets to know the real Jack, words continue to appear. What are they trying to tell her?

Much too quickly, Stella is faced with the reality that all stories must end, and magic comes at a price. The characters who visit the library can only stay for fourteen days. And Jack's time is almost up.

A cozy, Hallmark-esque rom-com, The Charmed Library invites readers to escape to a world where words come alive and book boyfriends leap off the page.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400343666
• ISBN13: 9781400343669
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Harper Muse
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Clever low fantasy

“He talked about eternity and love as if the two were impossibly entwined.” The author has a beautifully lyrical way of writing that mesmerized me. The poetry interspersed within the narrative was achingly tender and haunting. Stella was funny, introspective, caring and lovable. I really enjoyed the magical component of the story with Stella being able to sense emotion that comes out in written words and fictional characters being brought to life from the library. I loved spending time with these brought-to-life fictional characters, even Captain Hook. And Jack. What a swoon-worthy hero. Full of romance, hard-fought wisdom, wit, tenderness and charm, Jack could write his own book on how to woo a woman. Stella needing to move past her grief and self-pity to find her true self was a strong theme throughout the story and it was lovely how Jack helped her with this life-changing quest. As a side note, this is not Christian fiction and has fade-to-black scenes (just a heads-up for those who read my reviews for Christian fiction). I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Harper Muse via NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive comment.