Thistle Grove continues to be the small Midwestern town of your diverse, contemporary, witchy romance dreams!

In this latest installment, powerful dark sorceress Isidora (Issa) Avramov has to partner with her nemesis, the disgustingly noble and handsome, I mean… wholesome green magic user Rowan Thorn. They're investigating a decidedly unwholesome hex that badly injured a Beltane festival queen candidate. A hex associated with the Avramov family. A candidate from the Thorn family. With magics and personalities that mix like oil and water, can Issa and Rowan find a way to uncover the truth before the growing danger destroy them, their families, and the safety of Thistle Grove?

This is a fun, moderately steamy read with a main character who is allowed to be a whole complicated, strong, dark, powerful, chaotic, creative, cuddly, sweet person — who is finding her way in the world. Her love interest isn't quite as well developed but feels like a good, solid, trustworthy, swoon-worthy match. The characters are mid-twenties (I think?), but overall it reads like new adult to me — which isn't a criticism, since I think it's definitely a niche that needs filling.

One Sentence Summary: When a Thorn witch is badly hurt by an Avramov curse at the beginning of the town’s Beltane celebrations, wild child Isidora Avramov is teamed up with the achingly good Rowan Thorn to investigate, but their intense attraction to each other could be a stumbling block.

Overall
From Bad to Cursed is the second in the Witches of Thistle Grove series featuring the witches of the four founding witch families of Thistle Grove. It broadens the world and adds to the history of the Midwestern town. This book focuses on Issa Avramov and Rowan Thorn, whose opposite magics sound like they shouldn’t work well together, but these two, who also have a history that made them loathe each other, are just meant to be. Their romance was sweet and fun, but it really speaks to what an amazing person Rowan is. But the mystery didn’t necessarily take a backseat to the romance. It was present throughout and, while not twisty and layered, had a nice progression that had the characters exploring family and town history. The magic, mystery, and romance all worked really well together and I found this to be a fun witchy, non-Halloween read.

Extended Thoughts
Beltane is approaching, and the four witch families of Thistle Grove, a small witchy town in Illinois, are preparing. It starts with a competition to select the May Queen who will lead their events up to Beltane and the town’s Flower Moon Festival. But, when Holly Thorn, because Thorns with their life magic always become the May Queen, is hit by a curse that affects her magic, suspicion automatically falls on the Avramovs and their necromantic magic as the curse was one of theirs.

To find out what happened, Rowan Thorn, scion of the Thorn family, and Isidora Avramov, the wild child in the Avramov family who also has a history with Rowan, are teamed up. With mutual loathing, they agree to set aside their differences to find out who cursed Holly and to keep anyone else from being hurt, but there’s a fine line between love and hate.

From Bad to Cursed is the second in the Witches of Thistle Grove series and is set a few months after the events of the first book, Payback’s a Witch. Where the first book focused on the romance between Emmy Harlowe and Talia Avramov, this one focuses on Issa Avramov, Talia’s younger sister, and Rowan Thorn. Since the first book was light on the revenge and heavy on the romance, I expected this one to be light on the mystery and heavy on the romance. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the elements were very well balanced. The mystery, fantasy, and romance blended together perfectly, none overtaking the story and all somehow contributing to a fascinating story of family and feuds. This was a very fun witchy read that is perfect for spring.

First of all, it was wonderful to get back to Thistle Grove. A small Midwestern town full of witches and no-magical people, called normies, it felt warm and fun, and I loved reading about how the glamour spells all over the place kept the normies and visitors from realizing there’s real magic all around them. It’s such a simple fix for the problem of how to blend magical and non-magical people, and I really enjoyed reading about how it worked as magic is happening all over town right in front of the normies. But I really love that the town embraces all things witchy, from the stores and their offerings to the entertainment provided as well as the very witchy decoration and atmosphere in a certain bar. It was a lot of fun and I love how everyone there just embraces all things magical, even if they don’t know it’s actually real there. It was so nice to explore Thistle Grove again and get to see more of The Bitters, where the Avramovs live, and the Honeycake Orchards, where the Thorns live. Thistle Grove really comes alive in my mind and I really like how homey and fun it feels. But my favorite part was discovering more of the history of Thistle Grove and the founding families. Since the Avramovs are at the center of suspicion, we really get to know more of their family.

From Bad to Cursed is focused on Issa and Rowan and their unlikely romance. Issa is a thrill seeking, demon summoning sorceress who loves her family’s necromantic magic and is used to being surrounded by shades. She doesn’t take much stock in following the rules, but struggles against the role her family has put her in in their family business. She and her cousin run the haunted house and she’s in charge of designing the costumes and stories, but she would much prefer designing clothes. Then there’s Rowan with his powerful life magic who has a strong empathetic bond with his family and follows the rules as much as Issa is interested in breaking them. They’re complete opposites, but tension hums between them. I really liked that they felt natural together, that I could actually believe their romance. There was a good deal of maturity to their evolving relationship and a great deal of acceptance and understanding of each other as people and as witches with opposite magics. I was surprised by how much I loved them together, and how the romance just didn’t completely overtake the story, but was woven into the mystery really well.

From Bad to Cursed features the mystery of who is targeting the Thorn family, and Issa’s intention of clearing her family from suspicion. As a mystery, it did leave some things to be desired. It felt more linear than twisty and turny as I’ve come to expect mysteries to be. There were definitely a couple of layers put in that Issa and Rowan had to investigate, but, with the Beltane events and the romance woven in alongside it, it wasn’t the sole focus so wasn’t as twisty and layered as it could have been. Still, it was fun to read and to follow along. Issa and Rowan followed the clues, agreeing to interview everyone the case led them to. I liked that it was very present throughout the story, and that Issa and Rowan continued to have to work together even when things got a little awkward between them.

What I loved best about this book was the underlying softness to the whole story. Since Issa is the one telling the story, there’s every opportunity for it to be a little wild and a little prickly. But Issa is just as conflicted as any other young adult and Rowan, being a few years older and more settled, becomes something of an anchor for her. There’s something very calm and soothing about his magic and his family as a whole. It paired perfectly with the spring season, but also offered everything Issa needed. I loved everything about the Thorn family and the gentle love they spread not just within their family but to all who needed it was really lovely. The story ended up having a very soft undertone, one that did have it’s prickly points, but the Thorn family was overall just so lovely that it felt like it bled into all other aspects of the story.

From Bad to Cursed perfectly balanced the magic, the mystery, and the romance for me. I loved how well each element blended with the others, and I really liked how the ending linked back to the first book, so I’m interested to see if anything from this book might make an appearance in the next book. But my favorite part was seeing just how normal Issa is. Just like many young adults, she’s struggling to find her place, struggling to please her mother and family even when her heart is somewhere else. It was fantastic how it was woven in, both being a feature of the story without becoming a main point.

From Bad to Cursed was a really fun read. It felt witchy without feeling like a Halloween read. It really highlighted how magic and witches are for more than just Halloween and fall. Some of the spring events sounded like a lot of fun, and the food all sounded really good as well. I loved that everything in this story felt like it came alive to me and that the characters felt consistent and never acted out of character. It was just well-balanced to me and I adored Issa and Rowan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

(4.5 rounded up to a 5)

From Bad to Cursed is the sophomore entry in The Witches of Thistle Grove paranormal fantasy romance series by Lana Harper. The ebook version is 368 pages. We follow our main character with first-person point-of-view.

We follow Isadora, the wild child demon summoner of the Avramov family and younger sister to family scion Talia, who was one of our main characters in the first book in the series. She works full-time designing costumes and storylines for her family's Arcane Emporium haunted house, but her heart is calling her to become an indie fashion designer and break away from the family business. During preparations for the town's Beltane festival, things keep being sabotaged, and the town elders decide to appoint co-investigators to get to the bottom of things. Isadora is chosen by the Avramov family, as dark magic was used as a hex, and their family is under the greatest suspicion. Her co-investigator is none other than Rowan Thorn, lawful good nature boy, and also Issa's archenemy. Their families also have a complicated history that they have to navigate.

This usually doesn't happen to me with the second book in a series, but I definitely liked this one better than the first entry! Getting to know the Avramov family was a treat, and I would love to read future novels about Issa's siblings. I really enjoy Lana Harper's prose; at this point she's become one of my auto-buy authors. I'll have to check out her YA books, which she writes under the name Lana Popović. Everything is so smoothly written! I'm sure the audiobook version will also be wonderful, since they have the same narrator (Jeremy Carlisle Parker) as the first book who did an amazing job. The covers are also super well done for this series.

In her Acknowledgements, the author notes that she had sensitivity readers for this book, which is something I love to see! At the back of the book, there is a Readers Guide with questions for discussion, which I always personally appreciate because I like thinking deeply about something I've just read. There's also a sneak preview of the the first three chapters of the third book in the series, Back in a Spell.

Tropes in this book include: enemies to lovers, queer side characters, nonbinary side characters, interracial romance

CW: description of panic attacks, talk about racism/classism/other -isms, ghost possession

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

The following review was posted today, Sunday, May 15th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and the publication date (Tuesday, May 17th), but the review has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to pre-order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.


Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions graphic injuries, violence, and panic attacks.

“From Bad to Cursed” is the second book in the The Witches of Thistle Grove series, but it does not follow the narrator from the first book, Emmy Harlow. This time around, we’ll be following Isidora—Issa—Avramov, a demon-summoning witch who’s part of the (current) strongest Thistle Grove founding family. After someone tries to sabotage the Beltane Festival with dark magic, people suspect it was her family’s magic at work right away. That’s why she’s appointed to search for the culprit alongside Rowan Thorn, a noble and ethical member of another of the founding families—and who’s most definitely her archnemisis and has been for years now. Forced to work together, will their loathing turn to different types of tension? You’ll have to grab this book and see.

I understand that this book is sold as part of a series, but I honestly feel like it could work well as a stand-alone. Like it wouldn’t really matter the order in which you read these books, you’d be able to appreciate both stories no matter which you’ve read first. But trust me, as soon as you read one, you’ll want to read the other. Thistle Grove is such a cozy, warm setting. I personally wouldn’t mind living there—or reading 10 more stories set in it either. I gave this book a higher rating than the first installment in the series because I liked this plot so much better.

I loved Issa’s ambition, as she wants to divert from her family’s business and open up her own fashion store. I loved Rowan’s consistency throughout the book. I loved how we got a sneak peek of the romance pretty early on, before we were 40% through the book. Sadly, “From Bad to Cursed” does not have the LGBTQIA+ aspect that the previous book had going for it, but I must say the romance aspect of this second installment is still heartwarming and fun.

I would recommend this book to fans of the close-proximity troupe and for all who enjoyed the character dynamics and setting of the first book in this series: “Payback’s a Witch”. And get ready, because this isn’t the last we’ll see of Thistle Grove, as a third book is announced in the end of this one. I am beyond excited.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
-
The second installment in Lana’s Thistle Grove series is here! From Bad to Cursed brings us back to Issa and Rowan’s story, which we got a taste of in the first book. Issa is the baby of the Avramov family whereas Rowan is the scion of the Thorne family and… well.. they have history. Their paths become even more intertwined when a curse that belongs to the Avramov family hits one of Rowan’s cousins during a spring celebration, and Issa and Rowan are selected by their respective families to get to the bottom of it & find who cast the curse.
-
Things I loved: Issa and Rowan’s banter, the scenery (especially the heart tree at the Thorne estate), the enemies to lovers plot, and getting to see Talia and Emmy again. I appreciated the growth that Issa had to show, especially from hating Rowan to falling for him and realizing that a lot of the depth of their feud was on her own end.
-
I found this book to be heavier on the world building and did have to re-read certain scenes to keep track of all of the events, new characters, and new vocabulary. I also struggled with believing that any 20-something would talk or communicate the way that they do, but it’s kind of endearing.
-
All in all, I loved this one! I’m so excited for the next installment and love getting to enjoy witchy stories year-round.
-
Thank you to Berkley Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I very much enjoyed the return to Thistle Grove and its witch families. Not only did Lana Harper offer some steamy sweet romantic feels in FROM BAD TO CURSED, but also some strikingly original and genuinely horrific moments as well.

I tore through this book. The main characters, Rowan Thorn and Isidora "Izzy" Avramov are well-developed and both show some growth over the course of the story. Izzy more so because we are in her first-person point of view but we do see some changes in the oh, so handsome Rowan as well. I wish we had gotten a little bit more time to see the relationship between them grow from antagonism to love and the end of the mystery seemed fast but I really liked this book and can't wait for the next one in the series.
The Avramov family are the local necromancers. It seems obvious that they might have some friction with the Thorns whose magic has an affinty for growing and healing. It doesn't completely explain why Rowan Thorn was so against Izzy working in the local animal adoption center. It does, however, explain all eyes looking to the Avromov family when a thorn is hexed at the local festival. Based on the witch governmental rulings, a representative from each family is allowed to investigate. As the scion of the Thorn family, Rowan is chosen. Izzy's sister is the Avramov scian but she is connected to the arbitrator so Izzy becomes the stand-in. Working together gives them time to talk and to work through old hurts and also solve the problem of who would like to hurt the Thorn family.

Four stars
This book comes out May 13, 2022
Follows Payback's a Witch
ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Lana Harper knows how to draw readers into a story with one sentence. From Bad to Cursed is the second book in The Witches of Thistle Grove series. It meshes bits of several subgenres including paranormal romantic comedy, supernatural suspense, and a mystery. Isidora (Issa) Avramov is a member of one of the four witch families that founded Thistle Grove, Illinois. Her family’s specialty is necromancy. When someone starts sabotaging town celebrations using a strong necromantic curse and a member of the Thorn family gets hurt, Issa and her nemesis Rowan Thorn are selected to serve as co-investigators.

Issa chases thrills, is pragmatic, stubborn, and bold; she’s the artistic director for the family’s haunted house, and secretly wants to design her own clothing line. However, guilt and fear are holding her back. Rowan is a by-the book type of person and has a low opinion of Issa after she volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary seven years ago while he was a veterinarian intern there. Both experience growth as their investigation unfolds, but I wanted to see a more profound change in him. The other characters are racially and lifestyle diverse and had an appropriate amount of depth for their roles.

The writing is terrific and flows so well the pages flew by. The plot is solid, absorbing, and intriguing with a storyline that definitely packed a punch. The diverse characterization and great world-building details provide insight into the town’s inhabitants and their differences. With the brisk pace, readers can feel the angst of the two main characters as they try to make sense of the circumstances they find themselves in, with perplexing clues and surprising feelings. The ending has some surprises that will likely astound some readers. A small quibble was the immaturity of the two main characters, especially during the first half of the book. They didn’t act as if they were in their mid-to-late 20’s. Themes include hatred, family, family dynamics, romance, friendship, envy, misunderstandings, family obligations versus personal desires, anxiety, and much more.

Overall, this tense and engaging novel unleashes wit, suspense, action, and romance that make it a powerful page-turner. If you enjoy excellent paranormal romances with a mystery, then I recommend that you check out this one. I am looking forward to finding out what happens next in Thistle Grove. This novel works as a standalone novel, but readers will get more background if they start with book one.

Berkley Publishing Group and Lana Harper provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 17, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

I will never say No to an enemies to lovers! This one was so cute! I really enjoyed every single second of it. I will say that I probably should have read the first in the series before getting to this one, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it! Issa and Rowan are so cute together! Thank you for the e-ARC!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of this book. Review contains my own thoughts and opinions.

From Bad to Cursed was a delightfully fun, witchy romance with a good dosage of emotion, too. Isidora Avramov and Rowan Thorn are tasked with investigating after Rowan’s cousin is hit with powerful magic during a town celebration - and Issa’s family is suspected due to the type of magic involved. Their chemistry and banter was fantastic - especially since they started out as enemies.

Some of my favorite parts were the little nicknames Issa called Rowan in her head - like Rowan Thorn, (Wasteyface) Wildlife Hero, and Rowan Thorn, Wildlife Hero (and Utmost Gentleman). I was chuckling inside at how they changed with time.

Lana Harper does a fantastic job of setting the scene of Thistle Grove. I could visualize the town and it’s many parts, the outfits, the way that magic looks and feels to the characters - it felt like I was right there with them.

While this is a second in the series, it works well as a standalone. Recommend this book to those that love witchy/fantasy romances with modern times, enemies-to-more, and lots of great chemistry and banter between the leads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: racism

This is the second book in the series but can be read entirely as a standalone

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f frenemies to lovers
-major denial
-forced proximity
-paranormal romance
-rival families
-opposites attract
-forbidden romance elements
-what happens in the magical forest stays in the magical forest
-small town vibes

Gosh what a perfect followup. I loved the first book in the series, a return to home book, and now we are fully immersed in this witchy town and the founding families and this was such a fun romance, with a bit of an adventure/mystery plot that was perfectly balanced.

The sexual chemistry was immediately brewing between Issa and Rowan, both committed to their families. Issa's chaotic vibes against Rowan's calmer stoicism. With bad vibes from growing up, these two are forced together and not enjoying it at first but they can't fight it and that first kiss was electric. The way the chemistry and feelings was written in this book was just gorgeous. I could not get over the gorgeous prose, the feelings and just how thrown into this world I was. Fully immersed, needing to know what was going on with the curse, and even more what was going to happen next between Issa and Rowan.

I adored how these two protected each other, understood each other, talked through their misunderstandings and used their magic. And I'm so ready for book 3 after that preview. This series just keeps getting better and better.

Steam: 3

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley, and Ms. Harper for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I really did not realize that this was the second book in a series. I don't think you need to have read the first book to follow along here, as there was plenty of context to understand the characters and setting.

I found this to be a light, fun, paranormal rom-com that occasionally got a little heavy-handed with woke statements that didn't add much to the plot other than establishing the author's feelings on certain subjects. Some of the dialogue was also a little heavy on the ultramodern slang; some of it felt like reading a teenager's texts or reddit comments. Perhaps I'm old? but reading that someone is a 'softboi' takes me out of the story a little. I don't call all the women I meet "sis", either (not even my actual sister); I really only see that in internet-speak, although that's not to say no one does it. I would have liked Rowan to be a little more fleshed-out character-wise. For example, Isidora repeatedly refers to him in her head as Rowan Thorn, Wildlife Hero, and that (other than the fact that he's hot and squabbles with Isidora and has great locs, apparently) is pretty much all there is to him.

I would say on the positive side that I thought Isidora's mental health issues and panic/anxiety attacks felt very honestly and realistically depicted. I'm not a reader who checks representation boxes in books (ex: mental health rep? ✅ lgbtqia rep? ✅ diverse racial rep? ✅) but it is nice WHEN I come across issues like that for them to be accurately portrayed, and I felt like it was here.

I really related to Isidora's anxiety about disappointing her mom with her life choices and career goals, and I thought that that conflict was resolved well. However, I had guessed the "who" and "why" behind the main conflict about halfway through, and I was a teeny bit disappointed that it was that easy.

If you really liked book #1, you'll probably like this one. If you like a lite romcom featuring witches, you'll probably like this. I'm not sure it was my cup of tea but I'd recommend it to readers looking for this sort of story, especially if they like their dialogue a little extra.

For readers who love rom-coms with a light touch of fantasy, this book will be the absolutely perfect recommendation. Fun story with great characters.

From Bad to Cursed is the second book in The Witches of Thistle Grove series by Lana Harper. A paranormal fantasy full of mystery and intrigue that is sure to take you away to another place, another time. The enemies-to-lovers trope was perfectly thrown into the equation, and the sexy chemistry between two all-time nemeses was fiery and intense! I can't wait to read the next book in The Witches of Thistle Grove series.

Return to the magical town of Thistle Grove in the sequel to Lana Harper's "Payback's a Witch" This time we follow Isidora Avramov, after she steps up to represent the Aramov family after a spell gone wrong and suspicion has been thrown at their doorstep. The catch, she has to work with her archenemy and prestigious do gooder Rowan Thorn. If you love enemies to lovers stories, but also wish there was some magic involved, this book is for you!

Thoroughly enjoyed this one! I'm not sure if romantasy is at it's peak right now, but I'm looking forward to more!

On the fence with this one. If you read the first in the series, yes - read it. If you like the description, read the first one before this. I hadn't read the first in the series and the whole book seemed a bit off to me. I felt that the trend to add little politically correct things that really don't add anything to the story but publishers must feel are important was present. So I find it's confusing.

I received an ARC from Netgalley to help me prepare my honest review.

I ended up only reading to 10%. I didnt realize this was the second in a series and I really want to read the first one first, so I'll be doing that and either coming to this or purchasing it.

Thank you!

Reviewed for Shelf Awareness Readers newsletter. Review will run on or around release date. Content may change slightly during editing.
***

Lana Harper follows Payback's a Witch with From Bad to Cursed, another paranormal rom-com in the charming, witchy small town of Thistle Grove. Until one family took over, Thistle Grove's four founding families lived mostly in harmony, each focused on a different branch of magic and building their businesses accordingly. Isadora Avramov family works with death magic--necromancy, speaking to spirits, summoning demons--so when a witch from another family is hexed in public, the town immediately suspects them. Veterinarian Rowan Thorn and Isadora have been at odds ever since he fired her from her volunteer gig at the local animal shelter, but now that someone tried to kill his cousin, they must work together to bring the culprit to justice.
In pairing a Thorn and an Avramov, Lana Harper draws a parallel to the enemies to lovers or opposites attract dynamic: Rowan's magic is that of life, growth and nature while Isadora's is death. The strongest scenes are those in which the main characters experience each other's gifts and learn to appreciate both the magic and the person. The romance itself develops gradually and Harper again dedicates much of the book to relationships between women and family. Still, the two of them face the dramatic climactic battle together, each half necessary for peace and community.
Harper cuts the sweetness with just the right amount of spooky, resulting in a paranormal-lite romance that can be enjoyed all year round.

A nice light read. I enjoyed returning to Thistle Grove. I loved Isidora. Strong, confident and decisive woman. Rowan was fun counterpart to her. What I did enjoy was them playing detective to solve The Who did the hex part. Them getting to know each other’s worlds more intimately. I look forward to book 3.