Possibly my favorite romance of 2021! I am excited that there will be more tales of the Witches of Thistle Grove, but also was very satisfied by the story of Emmy's return to her home town and the ways in which she embraces both a better understanding of her family and their role in its unique magical culture, and also the super hot sexy romance between her and the bewitching Talia Avramov.

I received an eARC of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

This is the story of Emmy Harlow who grows up in the town of Thistle Grove. This is a place where 4 families of witches look over the town and keep it safe. There is a yearly competition where 3 of the 4 family's compete for the silver wreath and Emmys family oversees the event. winning this challenge will allow you to oversee the town business kind of like a mayor would. Emmy is heartbroken as a teenager when Gareth Blackwell dumps her. Emmy leaves thistle grove to find life away from anything that has to do with Thistle Grove. Several years later she is contacted by her family to be the arbitrator. Emily must go home and confront all her demons and face her family, friends and all that she left behind.

I loved this story. There is heartbreak, suspense and a good old witch competition. Emmy is snarky and funny. I love how she grows up when she comes home and has to face all that she ran away from. She finds love and is conflicted with how she feels about it. The competition was exciting to read about and I loved the ingenuity that Lana Harper came up with during the contests. This book is great for anyone who loves to laugh and loves a great spell casting witch. I give this book 5 stars.

I don't know who thought comping this book to The L Word was a good idea but my guess is that person is straight. This book is nothing like the L Word and that is a good thing! This book is fun and has a great underlying plot of the competition between the wizarding families of the town as a backdrop for the romance between Emmy and Talia.
I liked the themes about coming home vs running away and making your own way in the world and I think that will appeal to other folks as well.