I recieved a copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I did enjoy the book there where moments that had me intrigued and wanting to read on and know more but took a while to get to that point. The only thing that made me grade it a star lower is how long it took for me to get into the book and be captivated by it. I really started to enjoy the book more as it got further on to the end, so who knows what is next in store for rosemary and Athena. Would I read next in the series ? Yes I would as I would like to see what the adventures hold next for rosemary and Athena

This is a book about magic however the writing style is more inline with MC Beaton (Agatha Raisin) than it is with Alice Hoffman. Accidental Magic is a charming light-hearted story that encompasses a murder mystery as well as magical happenings.. The characters, though larger than life in some ways, are fun and engaging: the single mother who discovers she is a witch, the typically defiant teenage daughter and a host of village characters who each have their own magic powers. As such, it fills a gap which has been left by the passing of MC Beaton which can only be a good thing. .I enjoyed trying to guess the culprit and getting to know characters who are likely to recur in later books. As this one ends on an epilogue that creates a bit of a cliffhanger, I am looking forward to the next in the series.

I DNF'd this one at 15%

I liked the idea of the story and the set-up, but I didn't like the main character and her dynamic with her daughter. Half of the time the daughter felt like the adult with how she kept her mom on track and the dialogue just felt off to me. It wasn't grabbing me so I am DNF'ing this one for now.

I was lucky enough to score an early copy of this book (thank you to NetGalley and Te Rā Aroha Press for providing me with the eARC!) and I have to say the first thing that drew me in was the gorgeous cover.

Also, I like the premise - an eight book series where a woman returns to her family home with her teenage daughter in tow to uncover secrets and save things in the process? Yes please! I like the fact the main character is older, and I liked that she was a bit scatterbrained - I’m intrigued to see how it will play out. I also enjoy the dynamic between the mother and daughter characters, and their banter is so sweet!

Sometimes the action feels a bit slow but I find most first books are like that - their main job is setting the scene which means introducing us to the world, the characters, the Big Bad, the overarching story line, etc. It’s a lot of stuff, but I think Accidental Magic carries it off well - although sometimes it was slow, I didn’t feel like it dragged and I wasn’t bored. By the end, I felt I had a good grasp on the world, where the story was heading, and who the main players were which I think are super important heading into the next part of the series when all the action really starts kicking off.

I also thought the epilogue was inspired - when I first read the epilogue title in the table of contents I thought it was unusual, but it made so much sense when I got to it and was not what I was expecting at all! The perfect hook to get me coming back for book #2!

I have to say I was not a fan of Rosemary Thorn, she just seemed too irresponsible and clutzy. She was the only annoyance in this book. I loved the word building. The rest of the characters were great. I especially liked Athena. She more than made up for her mother.

This book had plenty of everything I Love in a good book. A creepy magical house, oddball characters, and mysterious magic and mystery. A perfect combination. I will definitely be reading the next in the series

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

What a gem of a book! It sounded like a good read and it was, with humour, strength, beasties going bump in the night, magical happenings, danger and the slightest tinge of romance.
I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely. Looking forward to the next title in the series.

Just an OK read for me. I did not like the whimpy character of Rosemary nor her relationship with her daughter whose take charge attitude was more down right rudeness to me. I also found the elements in the story weren't consistent. Characters would be smart and brave then not so smart and running out into the rain. The whole thing just needed more development for me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The mystery part of the story held my attention as did the great setting. There are also some great characters in the book but unfortunately the protagonist (Rosemary) is not one of them. The book spends too much time trying to convince me how miserable Rosemary's situation is. I got it the first time so I didn’t need to be reminded frequently. I also found Rosemary to be irritating and the banter between Rosemary and her daughter to be uncreative and lacking cleverness or humor. The book also lacked the “I can’t put it down” factor. And while I liked how the story was resolved, I felt it was a little deus ex machina. Overall though, it was a pleasant enough read. Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advance reader copy.

Accidental Magic is a supernatural who don it mystery. The mother/daughter relationship is a fun new take on supernatural mystery that will have readers enjoying every page. The story moves quickly and with some simple editing this will be the perfect beach read for anyone who loves a fun who done it mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of Iris Beaglehole Accidental Magic
3 1\2 star

I received Accidental Magic, the first book in the Myrtlewood Mysteries series, as an advanced copy, prior to public release. I was excited to get my hands on this author’s debut novel, especially one centered around fantasy, magic, and family. This book is a sweet, short read, appealing to middle grade/young adult readers. Iris, the creator of Myrtlewood, does little to describe the scenes and leaves out extraneous details in favor of the readers using their imagination instead. She chooses to focus on the relationship of a mother and daughter scraping by through life together, and develops that bond throughout the book. I enjoyed this approach, as it allowed me the freedom to picture the settings and characters to my liking, while focusing on the newfound trust and dependence of our main characters. The author also leaves many questions unanswered—the location of key characters, the current state of magic, the future of the town—leaving me excited to get a copy of the sequel and learn more about this mysterious town and family. There is opportunity for this series to expand and evolve in the future from the foundation laid within this book.

Overall, I’ve given this book 3/5 stars. It was a cozy, magical read and ultimately tells the Cinderella story we all secretly hope will happen to us. I’m eager to find out what more Iris has in store for her readers, whether that be in picturesque Myrtlewood, or a new imagining all together. She’s definitely one to watch for!

Note to the editor. There is a description of what Rosemary and Athena are wearing in chapter 1 which is copied and pasted into chapter 2. Also stationery is spelled with an e not an a

This is my review

This is genuinely funny as well as being engrossing. The mother daughter relationship is believable, the setting interesting and the use of magic well-described. I don’t read many fantasy books, but this one seems to be the beginning of a series that will grow and develop. Even the minor characters are well rounded, although that might not be the best way to describe them. Read it and see…

I love Cozy Mysteries, and this book hits the spot. Mother and Daughter head back to Myrtlewood to meet with a lawyer regarding her grandmother's estate. Only to find out they've inherited a small fortune and a house that mysteriously cleans itself. Unfortunately, they are also suspects in an ongoing investigation around the grandmother's death. The town is full of quirky characters, and the girls try to find the person responsible for themselves. It's rather unfortunate that everyone looks like a suspect, and Rosemary has no idea what to do with the magic she has or how to release the family magic that has been bound. The mother-daughter duo is quirky. I think we were going for Gilmore Girl vibes. I did find it rather obnoxious how the daughter always spoke down to her mother. And the mother was rather irresponsible and had a weird dependency on her daughter. I hope the next book fixes this a bit with the character development. Overall it was great.
I am looking forward to the next book!

This is a fun women's paranormal romance in which Rosemary comes to Myrtlewood for the reading of her grandmother's will. While she is deemed heir to the family mansion and fortune, she must wait for the clearing of her name, as her grandmother died mysteriously. Also, her cousins are contesting the will. Her teenage daughter, who often seems the more mature, has mixed feelings about the unusual town. The town, the residents and the history is magical and enjoyable to visit. I read this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, quick, easy and cute read that I sped through. It was well writen with well developed and adorable characters and a good storyline that left me wanting more. I really liked it.

I absolutely adore paranormal cozies, and that is what this is a little bit more than anything else. Rosemary and Athena are such a cute mother/daughter duo with Rosemary a little ditzy and Athena more grown-up. We learn this might have to do with Dain (her ex), but that is a thread left for the next book I suspect. There was very little blood or swearing (so little I don’t even remember it), and of course with the magic in the title, there are a little bit of…well, magical-type things going on. This book wasn’t perfect, but I just love how the author dropped little things in that are unexplained (like Dain’s hold over Rosemary and Rosemary’s ditziness) that will probably be explained in later books. They are like little seeds waiting to grow. All in all, this was a fun book, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next! Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are quirky and interesting. The story is unusual. I would love to have a sequel. #AccidentalMagic #NetGalley

Rosemary and her daughter, Athena, had trouble attending the reading of Granny's will. A small fire. The attorney's other office is--coincidentally?--in the town Granny lived in. It's a 4 hour drive, but what can they do?

The result? You guessed it! They get Granny's house et al.! And Granny left a note; (basically) you're witches but couldn't use your powers before; sorry, you have to fix it (because I was murdered). But in a cheerful, apologetic way. Some of that was implied.

So, unusual place where they do town-wide rituals each season dedicated to a goddess, a few friends, maybe, a lot of suspected killers, an odd house, and the sheriff has decided they are guilty, guilty, guilty! Apparently there is no shortage of idiot lawmen who don't watch or read mysteries (or anything, really), so evidence is less a suggestion and more of a passing comment. The rituals are confusing and creepy, and don't jibe with the rest of the story.

There are some clever and fun elements in this story, but the insistence that Rosemary is a careless, mildly irresponsible mother in some ways and struggling with "letting go" in others doesn't ring true. (Athena has to urge Rosemary repeatedly to practice magic skills their lives depend on.) And naturally, they accept the idea of vampires and shapeshifters as boring hobbies of their neighbors.

I would have liked a more consistent view of Rosemary's magical binding and how it affected her personality. It is tossed around but not really discussed. And in this reality, mixing potions takes no magical ability? Strange.

I can't recommend this book because of the swearing and creepy rituals. Magic is fine, but this story was confusing and fragmented throughout.

Caution: Swearing.

3/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free preview of this ebook. The review is voluntary.

#AccidentalMagic #NetGalley

Reviews will be posted upon publication where available with booksellers: Barnes & Noble, BookBub, Rakuten kobo, with Goodreads, and Twitter via NetGalley 2/20/22. Links to reviews are on NetGalley.

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Favorite Quote:
“Granny said pastels were what happened when colours gave up the will to live.”

I believe this is the first book of an 8 book series. This is a delightful light hearted paranormal book and I will be looking for more books in this series. It is full of magic and humor