Definitely a 5 star read. I really enjoyed every aspect of this book, from the well written, detailed characters to the excellent storyline. The main character, Grace, was work funny and her chemistry with Dario was scorching hot and oh so sexy. I really loved her aunt and the stories she shared about her experiences. This book had me laughing out loud - a lot. What a great read!

I tried to get into this book but didn't read much of it. It was not something that gripped me and I didn't feel the need to force myself to read it.

There wasn't anything in particular that I found bad about this book, it was just not one that was for me.

I would recommend you try it out of you find the synopsis interesting because I might be a one off!

This book was not for me. I did not particularly like it and ended up DNFing it thus won't be able to provide a detailed review.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop introduces us to Grace O'Leary, a young woman working on completing her Ph.D. in Chemistry. Befitting her name, Grace is a buxom redhead, with towering height, and a penchant for reciting the periodic table when she's overwhelmed.

After an incident at school, in which she is accused of helping students cheat on their tests, Grace accepts a moment to step away to take care of her Aunt Lucy. Author Abigail Drake takes no time in unleashing the plethora of characters into this charming book. Meeting so many people in such little time, it often begs the question of what they all mean to our protagonist.

As is to be expected from a flirtatious fantasy romance, the leading man catapulted into the fray. Handsome, athletic, and taller than our leading lady, Dario Fontana is everything Grace has been trying to avoid. Of course, this jock isn't like all the others, and eventually, Grace lets down her guard.

Everything about a paranormal romance novel is as expected, lightning-fast pace, charming men, and a reluctant heroine. The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop offers delightful magic, a hint of mystery, and tons of tightly woven female bonds.

This is most definitely a romcom with a difference! I actually think I’d call it a romp-com as it’s a romp of a book with lots of fun and sparkle!
It’s not always easy to mix magic with cozy mystery because fans of one might object to the inclusion of the other element but it works really well here. The author herself is magic as she writes in a wonderful, light and light-hearted way. Her style is friendly and welcoming and it makes it so hard to put the book down!
The characters are all slightly eccentric, which makes them that much more fascinating and delightful – apart from the baddies, of course. They’re just fascinating.
The plot is ingeniously original and fresh. A super book.

An engaging new mystery with a supernatural element that I found hard to put down, an enjoyable story and interesting characters i highly recommend

With all the high praises and 5-star ratings, I was sure this book would be great. So, without reading anything from Abigail Drake, I just jumped right into The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop. Even the title was cool, so what could go wrong? Three months later, I'm still not sure. Usually I read a book in a week (maximum). But when a book gets a bit longwinded or I get sidetracked, a book usually ends up on the bottom of my To Read Pile and then it will take more than a week for me to pick it up again.
Same with this one. Although the story isn't bad, it actually is very funny, but I feel like Abigail tried to incorporate three stories into one. Which resulted in a very big story with so many twists, turns and sidetracks that everything just kind of dragged on and on. Grace is a chemist, working on her thesis to become a professor. When she is accused of helping a student pass his exam by providing the answers beforehand, everybody thinks she is guilty. So she flees her home to her aunt Lucy to regain her rest and rethink her life. Her aunt Lucy owns the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop, but she is getting a bit too old to run the shop. Therefore, Grace decides to help her aunt out. But when Lucy is claiming that her dead husband is showing up in her shop, it seems that something strange is going on. When Dario Fontana starts showing up, to find out what is going on, Grace needs to get a grip on everything. But easier said than done, when the chemistry between her and Dario is off the charts.
Even while writing this review, all the different storylines keep crossing my mind and jumbling all over each other. In all, a good read, but if you don't like spaghetti, stay clear of this one. Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I loved it!
Magical.
Paranormal.
Mystical.
Easy read.
Humorous at times.
Just for me...and you!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a pretty good supernatural romance.
Grace loses her chance at earning her Phd when she is falsely accused of cheating. She decides to visit her sick aunt who owns a magical store. There she meets Dario, a reporter whom she instantly feels an attraction to. Together they solve the mystery of who wants to take her aunt's magical powers while discovering her own. The story is magical and the romance sweet. Loved that Grace is smart, independent and loyal. Her scientific mind and quirks made the story fun to read.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and the story clipped along nicely. The back and forth between Grace and Dario got just a little bit old and it felt a little bit like two high school kids deciding whether to break up or not. But overall it had an interesting story and enough of a mystery to keep me reading. I wasn't thrilled with the ending and it felt a little rushed to tie up the loose ends. I would read another in the series just because I liked the characters. In some way it reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series.

Grace O'Leary has been dedicated to her dissertation, and her goal is within sight when she gets caught up in a cheating scandal and forced to leave the university in disgrace. When her boyfriend, also a chemistry doctorate candidate distances himself from her, she has nothing left to lose. When her aunt injures herself, it allows Grace to escape from her situation and help out her aunt with her shop. 

When she discovers a magic potion book in her aunt's failing shop Grace decides to give some of the spells a try, she never expected anything to work, but when the love potions quickly sell out, she discovers there may be more to the book than she thought. 

When a sexy reporter comes sniffing around for a story, Grace tries to hide her secrets while growing closer to him. 

This book was the perfect blend of romance mystery with just a dash of magic to make it more interesting.  The characters are interesting, and the plot develops at a good pace. This book seems to be part of a series, and I will definitely be reading more. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s pretty obvious that I adore magic, but it’s a lesser known fact that I an a chemistry nerd, so this book immediately ticked SO many boxes for me.

I was hooked from page 1 when Grace got kicked out of uni and I simply couldn’t put it down.

This book is great for teens, young adults and adults alike. Drake weaves an incredible tale of love, family and obviously magic that anyone is bound to fall in love with.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this magical book of fiction! There was a really good mix of nerdy stuff (chemistry), magic, social issues, and love scenes. It also kept you guessing on who the “bad guys” truly were until the end. My favorite quote from the book is “The best kind of happiness, the best kind of magic, and the best kind of future is the kind you create for yourself.”

Grace is uber smart and on her way to earning her PHD. But things fell apart. Fortunately, her fave Aunt Luncinda had an accident and needed help so Grace packed up and left the university and her problems there to regroup. And runs into Dario and a host of problems in South Side. And discovers more about herself and her place in the world. While saving the community, her aunt's business and finding her one love. No biggie.

Just like the previous novel, this book was a fun read! Grace and Dario are real people, fully developed characters. Love that Dario gets her...always. And that he's smart too. And I want to be Grace's friend. Hehehe. And the supporting cast are great too! Ivan, hmm, that one needs a story...as well as Anthony and Tommy. And Cat. And maybe Aggie, though I'm still not sure about her.

It was hard putting this book down for real life, and I looked forward to when I could dive back into it. It's not a hard core mystery novel, and it's not quite a cozy mystery. Not sure how to classify this really. But I can honestly say I enjoyed this book and I'm looking to the next book in this series.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for a copy of this book.

A mix of chemistry, mystery, romance and magic...this book was such a good read.
A tall, geeky red head, Grace doesn’t believe in magic, she believes in science. But while she is helping to look after her aunt’s magic shop, things happen that science can’t explain.
An easy book to read, with a nice flow to it and characters that are well described so you could create a lovely menagerie of images of them all in your mind. I really engaged with the characters and didn’t want the story to end as I was enjoying it so much.
I would definitely recommend this book, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Backlit PR for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book had it all - a great mystery, a fun cast of characters, a little romance and some magic too! I really liked that instead of your traditional chapter headings, each chapter started with a chemistry sentance/quote. I believe this is the secod book in a series and will be buying "The Enchanted Garden Cafe" to visit this world again. This is a fun story and I can't wait to read more by this author.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake is a wonderful paranormal romance. Great book that I could not put down. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: While I generally liked this book and would ultimately recommend it to others, there are a few things I would caution future readers about. This is a loooooong book (450+ pages!) and I found some of the material to be repetitive and/or extraneous. One more good edit could and would eliminate some of the extra and/or repetitive bits making this a more streamlined, efficient, and enjoyable read. Now for the positive: Grace is lovely, her grandmother is a riot, the magic shop is a wonderful setting, the spirit of community within the neighborhood is delightful, and the plot is interesting. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot and how the community as a whole came together to support and help one another through such a dangerous and scary time. There are a lot of big personalities in this book and most of them came shining through as wonderful individuals with their own cares, worries, and concerns. I truly believe if some of the “extras” were taken out of this book, I would have most certainly been able to assign a far higher star rating.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a great book , I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend to everyone.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop was a fun and entertaining read with a well-written plot and interesting characters. I loved the dynamics between several of the characters and the fact that each chapter started with a chemistry sentence/quote. Another bonus was the Grace's nerdiness.