Grace's academic life is turned upside down when she becomes the subject of a cheating scandal. She is suspended from school until she can have a meeting with the board which will not be for six weeks. She is sure she can clear her name but hates the way everyone is looking at her, like she would actually cheat. Even her boyfriend, now ex, thought so little of her and felt that she could do such a thing. He didn't want to be around her in fear of hurting his budding academic career. When Grace learns that her Aunt has fallen and needs someone to stay with her for a while she jumps at the chance of getting away for a while and hopefully figuring things out. When Grace gets to her Aunts shop she realizes how bad of shape things have become. She dives in immediately to help clean things up and get her Aunts store back on track. While cleaning Grace finds a spell book and thinks it would be funny to give one of the spells a try, little did she know that it would actually work. Grace soon learns that there is more to her than just being a scientist but will she let the other side of herself be free. She struggles with who she is as a person and how she sees things in life. Can she change a be the great person that she knows she is, can she open her heart to the impossible? Follow along as Grace takes on a journey of self discovery and helps out her much beloved Aunt along the way. I fell in love with the characters, setting, and the way the authors words spoke to me as I read each new page. I hope that she will travel back to this town and these people and write another book, because I would truly love to visit with them again!!!

I love when a story mixes mystery with a bit of romance and a pinch of magic. We follow Grace, a scientist, as her quest for her PhD gets derailed and she comes to the aid of her aunt who has been hurt. Grace makes new friends and meets the handsome Dario as she is tasked with keeping the magic shop afloat amid threats on the surrounding community. This was a great mystery with everything included. I will for sure be looking into more books by this author. I loved the community of people that she created and the flow of the story. Thank you #Netgalley for the adv copy. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop
by Abigail Drake 

Paperback, 476 pages
Published April 24th 2019 by Independently Published



Goodreads synopsis:
When chemist Grace O'Leary finds a book of magic spells hidden in her Aunt Lucy's run-down magic shop, the scientist in her itches to try them out. She mixes up a batch of love potions as a joke, and has to face the consequences when they actually seem to work.Her dream of becoming a professor is in peril, and time is running out to finish research for her dissertation. She can't handle any more distractions, but the magic shop is on the verge of closing, her aunt has become forgetful and confused, and a handsome reporter named Dario Fontana keeps sniffing around for a story. The last thing she needs is for him to find out about the love potions and expose her as fraud, but she begins to trust him, and the sizzling chemistry between them is soon too powerful to deny. With her personal and professional life in chaos, and her budding relationship with Dario in jeopardy, Grace is faced with a difficult choice. Fixing what is broken means going against every logical bone in her body. Can Grace learn to silence her scientific brain long enough to accept the truth about magic...and also about herself?

***

5 Stars

I have to say that Abigail Drake has my number. I have read two of her books in the last month and gave them both 5 stars.

This book is about a chemistry teaching assistant at a college. She gets forced out of the university by her mentor when he is brought evidence she gave a grading key to a student. Of course, she didn’t do this. Then when she gets home to talk to her boyfriend, another TA in the chem dept., he doesn’t give her the time of day and walks out on her without a backward glance.

I can imagine that crushing feeling. And Drake does an excellent job of portraying this betrayal. No one stood up for her. She went from being the chemistry TA student on the rise to a piranha.

She leaves campus with her tale between her legs and goes to tend to her Aunt Lucy who fell down the stairs at her business, the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop.

This is a story about love, trust, family and of course, magic. Grace learns how important these things are to her in this book. I don’t want to give too much away but I was as conflicted by reading it as Grace was living it. I was right with her the entire way. I had no clue who could be doing all these horrible things to Grace and the community on the south side.

The entire book intrigued me. I almost wish this were a series so I could visit this cast again. They are certainly worth writing another book for. I can see this as a tv series or at least a tv movie standalone show.

This book is perfect for both adults and teen readers. I was hooked from page one when Grace got kicked out of the university through no fault of her own. It could have been any of us in a similar situation and Drake does a great job of making us see the fragility and unknown personal power in all of us.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced digital copy!

This was such a lighthearted and fun book. Initially, I wanted to read the book solely based on the cover. Magic, spells, and hocus pocus...sign me up! When I found out there was romance in it, I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t too intrigued anymore since I am not typically a fan of romance books. HOWEVER, this book did it in a great way and I didn’t feel as if I was reading solely a romance.

This was a comfy-cozy read. I read this over several days of cuddling up in bed and various armchairs with tea or coffee and enjoyed.

All of the characters were so likable and personable. I felt like these were everyday people I would meet on the street, which is what Abigail Drake must have been going for since this takes place in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

I also found out after reading this book that it is (technically) the second book in the South Side Stories series. This does not feel like a sequel. If I’m not mistaken, the other book deals with different characters and they overlap. The characters were well-rounded and I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything by not reading the other book. However, now I want to read the other book.

The only thing about this book that I found myself not liking was the length. With this type of book, I feel like it should be a 1-2 sitting book. Easy, light, and quick. This book felt too long for what it was.

Overall, I think the story and characters were so fun to experience and can’t wait to see what else Abigail Drake has in store.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dr. Lewis, head of the chemistry department at the University of Pennsylvania, sat stiffly at his large, imposing desk.

Grace O'Leary is a PhD candidate in Chemistry just weeks away from defending her thesis when she is accused of cheating in the classes she covers as a TA. Even her live=in boyfriend believes the charge and leaves her. A call from home reveals that her Great Aunt Lucy has fallen and needs assistance in her shop in Pittsburgh. Grace is anxious to go help Lucy in any way possible. She is quite shocked to see that the shop is not being properly maintained. To add to the confusion, Lucy insists that her late husband's ghost pushed her down the stairs. Grace meets Dario Fontana as she is trying to clean the shop. Sparks fly between the two and so the story begins.

A group of people are trying to shut down the more eclectic shops on the South Side. The Party Ark has taken over the old candy store. The employees spout the stores mottos almost like Stepford Wives.

Lucy discovers a bit of magic within herself and creates a love potion that has customers flocking to the store. She and Dario have a on and off relationship that really makes for interesting reading. I will never look at Tiramisu the same way again.

We meet loots of interesting characters that live and work in the neighborhood. All of the characters are well written and you feel at home with them. I was not aware that this was a second book in the series until I finished it. Everyone is introduced in such a way that you immediately know what is going on.

There are two mysteries going on here. Grace's dismissal from university and the search for a family antiquity. Add in quirky characters, a Wiccan celebration and lots of chemistry for a most enjoyable read.

I loved the little quips that started each chapter beginning with: "Never trust an atom. They makeup everything."

I look forward to going back to read the first book and discover the twists and turns of Fiona's story.

I recommend this book for a delightful read.

This is the second book of the South Side series. You do not have to read the first one to enjoy this one. Grace is a brilliant chemist that is in the middle of her doctoral thesis. A couple of people accuse her of cheating so she is suspended pending a review. While sitting at home wondering how she is going to salvage her academic career her mother calls telling her that her elderly Aunt Lucy fell and broke her leg. Aunt Lucy is in need of someone to help her out and run The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop, Grace goes and helps her aunt reopen her store and solve a mystery. She also meets Dario and boy do the sparks fly. I really enjoyed this book although Grace comes off as a little snobby and her and Dario aggravated me at times. I will go back and read the first one and look forward to the next one.

Grace O'Leary is almost finished with her thesis to obtain a doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a TA (Teaching Assistant) at Penn. Disaster strikes as she is accused of cheating and is dismissed from the university and placed on probabtion until the review board hears her case. Then her longtime boyfriend packs up and leaves her. When she gets a call from her mother telling her that her Aunt Lucy has fallen down the steps and needs some assistance for a while Grace offers to help and heads off to Pittsburgh. Grace decides that her aunt's shop, The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop needs some renovations and revitalization. She has fond memories of the shop from her childhood visits so she is gung-ho to make The Magic Shop great again. But strange things are happening. What is going on around the South Side?

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake is the second book in her South Side series but is easily read as a standalone. This book has a complex storyline with many surprises. The characters are very likeable and fun. What I especially liked about this story is that it is set in the South Side of Pittsburgh. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, very close to the South Side so I loved reading about so many familiar places. It is not often a book is set in Pittsburgh. I am very glad I discovered this author and her South Side series. Readers who enjoy mysteries and magic will totally enjoy this book!

This was a fun read and an engrossing book. I loved the plot, the setting and the well written cast of characters.
I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book was really cute. I love a story with a paranormal twist, and this one definitely met my expectations. Author Abigail Drake did a great job of setting up a story with a little something for everyone. There were breakups and controversies, family themes and community, it was a great reflection on relationships. Drake did a great job of creating characters who were dynamic and quirky.

My only complaint in the story is that some pieces started to feel redundant, and that made the story feel like it could have shaved off some of its length. It was a fun story, but sometimes lighter themed novels do well a little shorter.

Regardless, definitely a book worth picking up and settling into. A great beach read that keeps you on your toes!

In the beginning I was on the fence, mostly because I didn't understand why everyone would so easily believe the worst of Grace. She's introduced as such a great upstanding woman, and yet the first time she's accused of cheating, the entire school seems to be against her. It made no sense. However, the fast paced setting of the South Side, and the wild assortment of characters make it easy to forgive this odd plot point. Grace really grows into her own person, and it's fun reading her struggle through being an awkward geek in wool skirts to the sultry firecracker she is by the end.


The only real negative I could find is with Sally. I wish there was more development there, since she's never fully defined. She mostly reads as transgender, but there are a few lines that suggest she's a drag queen, unless I just read it wrong. Either way, there is representation, I just wish there was more of Sally, and a better definition of what she identified as within the community.


Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who loves quirky characters, witches, magic, Halloween, and/or smart characters in cutesy romances.

A combination romance and cozy mystery managing to have the best of both genres while avoiding the worst of both.

I really enjoyed this hybrid book! Sometimes I find cozy mysteries get a little annoying / silly, especially when the protagonist is dashing into murder scenes, alienating friends by asking too many questions, and doing really stupid things as part of the denouncement. Same with romances - sometimes, they get annoying - too many weird details in sex scenes, too many unbelievable reasons for doing things, and too much jumping back and forth between characters. This book managed to avoid both of those. I especially liked how the protagonist managed to end up at the magic shop and how everything was told from her point of view only. The mystery was a little thin, but no worse than other pure cozy mysteries I've read.

Altogether, highly recommended. I'm adding the other book from this series to my TBR pile.

I received a free reader's copy of this book from NetGalley.com and voluntarily chose to review.

This is my first book by Abigail Drake and I will definitely be reading more! The main character, Grace, is a chemist who discovers magic. The hard process of applying her logical mind to the unpredictability of magic is completely believable and I found myself relating to her struggle of letting go what she knows in order to see what is possible. We also see her try to apply logic to love; Dario is a love interest you can cheer for! Since the story is told entirely from Grace's perspective, I don't feel as connected to Dario as I may have. This does not hinder my enjoyment of the story, though. The connection with Grace is a strong one.

This novel is completely unpredictable with many twists and turns in the overlapping plots - I did not see the ending coming at all! As an avid reader, it's hard to surprise me, and this book does it well. I found the story flowed through those twists and turns effortlessly. Ms. Drake knows how to write a good story and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Each chapter has a nerdy pun or quote under the chapter number. I really enjoy this little feature and shared many with others! This is a quirky way to make Grace's nerdiness shine that really works.

Loved this book. The author is new to me but I quickly fell into the story, writing and characters and didn't want to leave. The story is well written and leaves you wanting more. I can't wait for more in the series.

Grace is a aspiring chemist when her Aunt Lucy falls and needs help in her shop so when things go wrong at her job she jumps at the chance to get away from her life for awhile to help and quickly finds herself involved in much more.

I really liked this book. It's an unusual story and I love all the characters. It's well written and just flows easily. I hope there's a sequel. #TheHocusPocusMagicShop #NetGalley

Grace O’Leary is a dedicated brilliant chemist who is close to finishing her PhD when she is accused of wrongdoing shattering her world. She is called to care for her aunt Lucy who has had an accident and needs help running the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop. Grace seizes the chance to escape and finds goings on in the South Side to be even more puzzling and distressing than her current predicament. Great story with a wide cast of unusual characters found myself pondering the clues and trying to work out how everything was going to be resolved. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I have never read anything by this author before reading this book
I was originally drawn to the cover which was bright and colourful
The book is well written and descriptive and tells the story well of Grace who is a phd student in chemistry but situations arise and she takes a break running her aunts magic shop
The story line was imaginative and made very pleasing reading running along side the main plot is a sweet love story which again read really well
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend and will definitely be checking out more by this author

A cute Magic Mystery romance story.
Liked the characters,Grace,Aunt Lucy,Dorio and all the rest.
A little mystery,twists,suspense magic and romance.
Magic and Chemistry comes together.
Enjoyed this cute story.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Poor Grace O’Leary. Someone in the department of her grad school is trying to frame her to get her kicked out of the program. Her steady beau turns out to be a real dud. And, to make matters worse, her aunt Lucy, who owns and runs the Hocus Pokus Magic Shop, has taken a tumble down the stairs and is unable to work in her store. Grace volunteers to help out, since her life in grad school seems to be in a hiatus. Once settled, Grace quickly takes stock. There’s a delicious news reporter, Dario Fontana, to whom Grace is very attracted, who keeps turning up everywhere. There appears to be some sinister person or persons whose aim is to get the “undesirables” out of the southside neighborhood. Grace’s aunt’s store is part of this group, as is a vintage clothing store owner, a bookstore, and a few others who own businesses in the area. Grace falls right into the plot this group or person is setting once she begins helping out her aunt at the store. Of course, Dario is interested, and so are his countless relatives (one of who is the cop investigating all events and incidents related) and her aunt’s many friends. Grace and her group end up experiencing a series of near disasters, as the group or person continues his/her quest to get rid of them. There are a lot of eccentric characters within the story, who liven things up. There is also the love interest with Dario. There is the magic everyone seems to be involved in and enjoy. Finally, there is the mystery of just what is going on with this group or person who wants them out of the southside.

This is a rather interesting, cute book. I enjoyed reading about the many trials and tribulations that went on during Grace’s stay at her aunt’s store. The love interest with Dario only spiced things up a bit. The characters were definitely quirky and fascinating to watch as they went about their daily lives and interacted. I appreciated the way they all seemed to stick together as a community. One thing the author threw in, but which did not play as big a part as I had expected, was the mysterious red dragon box someone seemed to want and kept trying to get, as well as the strange mysteries it contained. It was sort of important but did not play as big a role as I had expected (perhaps a missed opportunity?). This is a fast paced, easy read book that will delight most readers if they are at all interested in magic and/or the paranormal or witches. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I enjoyed the supernatural aspects of this book, pretty much all the characters. Was easy to figure out. At times I couldn't stand Grace I found for a supposed chemist she jumped to a lot of conclusions without the proof.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

3.5 stars

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop is a frothy, light and good-humored read. Doctoral candidate Grace O'Leary gets shunted out of grad school and framed in a cheating scandal. She decides to regroup by moving in with her Aunt Lucy, who runs a magic shop and is recuperating from a mysterious fall. Soon a series of unexplainable and odd events occurs that even logical scientist Grace can't explain.

Lots of humor and romance with a dash of the supernatural. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.