ahhhh ok this review is going to be a little hard to write. i am not amazing at writing reviews of books i didn’t like. but i want to preface this by saying that i’ve seen lots of positive reviews for this book, too. recently, i saw that @kayreadwhat finished & enjoyed this, so if this conceit of the novel sounds up your alley, disregard what i say and give the book a go.

alright, ’small town, big magic’ by hazel beck (a pseudonym for author duo nicole helm & megan crane) follows emerson wilde, bookstore owner & unofficial hype man for her town of st. cyprian, missouri. despite the history of her town & the fact that one of her ancestors was a victim of the salem witch trials, emerson knows the magic doesn’t exist. that is until one night when she’s attacked by a group of paranormal creatures and she defeats them with her own magic?! turns out, emerson comes from a long line of witches but when she failed to pass her magic exam 10 years ago, had her memory wiped. with the help of her group of friends (all of whom are witches), emerson has to learn to use her powers, try and get her memory back, and save the town from the impending danger heading their way.

i just… couldn’t vibe with this book. the description sounds so promising, but it just missed the mark for me. the main issue with the book was emerson as a character — she’s extremely type a, very organized, and often can’t take a joke. her internal monologues were exhausting, and i really wish this book had been third person so i could have a break from her head. the book was also far too long for what it tried to accomplish, and the ending was relatively unsatisfying (only one of the two major plot builds was concluded). i did enjoy the small bits of romance we got between emerson and jacob, though this book is very closed doors and the romance was mostly an afterthought. some of the side characters were interesting, and should a sequel be about one of them, i might consider giving it a go. i think this particular book just wasn’t meant for me.

Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck is the first book in the new romantic fantasy Witchlore series. Now with this series involving romance it seems to follow a romance pattern of switching the main characters in the next book but I’d suggest still reading the series in order as this first book does a lot of introducing the magic on the fantasy side of the tale.

The small town of this series is St. Cyprian, Missouri which happens to be a place that holds magic but town Chamber of Commerce president, Emerson Wilde, thinks of her home as normal as could be. If you asked Emerson about magic she would tell you she is descended from a witch that was hanged during the witch trials but her herself didn’t have a magical bone in her body.

Well, that would be what Emerson thought was true until dark magic comes to St. Cyprian and Emerson regains her memory of just who she really is. Emerson soon finds herself in a much more dangerous battle and with the help of her friend, Jacob North, Emerson must fight the ancient evil that has awakened in St. Cyprian.

Small Town, Big Magic really was a truly fitting title for this opener of the Witchlore series. The story has that small town vibe you will find in a lot of romance series but it sure did make a big jump into the magical world and I was right there for it. I love series that blend genres and found this to be a fun read that drew me into the town right along with the characters quickly and kept the pages turning when the dark side of magic made it’s appearance. Definitely an interesting series that I’ll have to find my way back to for book two.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Witchy RomComs are all the rage these days, and I seem to be gobbling them all up one by one. This one is the start of a series by two authors I've read before, only separately, and I've enjoyed the works of both. That said, the Witchlore series is off to a bit of a rocky start. Emerson is an okay character, but she really needed a filter. What I mean by that is I'm all for feminism, but this was a little over the top. It made it a little hard to relate to Emerson. Nevertheless, the book still has its positives, and plenty of them. The town of St Cyprian is charming - if you like small town settings, you'll like this one. The premise is also promising, and I love the found family trope. What it comes down to is this first in the series wasn't completely my cup of tea, but I like enough about it that I will read the next in the series to see where things go. These authors are talented - I've seen enough proof of that with other books, so I have hopes that they'll turn this one around.

Small Town, Big Magic is an amusing beginning to what I can only assume will be a wildly entertaining series.

Hazel Beck's debut novel takes the reader on a magical adventure into the wild world of small town polictics among a coven of hidden witches involved in an otherworldly power struggle between good and evil. And as any good story needs a hero, ours can be found in the form of Emerson Wilde, secret witch, unstoppable feminist book seller.

Small Town Big Magic is going in my stack of witchy reads that everyone should get into this October. With charming wit and a soul finding romance, this book cannot be missed by anyone who enjoys a light hearted epic tale.

I will say that some of the reviews online talk a lot about Ermerson's self confidence, how it borders on naive arrogance to the point of annoying some readers. I have a lot of thoughts on this and whole heartedly disagree.

Yes Emerson is overly self confident and self reliant, to the detriment of herself and those around her, except I believe that is exactly Hazel Beck's point. So often, we get great female heroes who are at best reluctant or even unwillingly to take their place as savior. Emerson believes she can do anything and doesn't shy away from her discovered fate. She is a hero who wants to be a hero and can be. She knows she has the power to do what is necessary and doesn't need to shroud herself in self doubt with a constant feeling of imposter syndrome. While this may be off putting for some, I think it's the feminist witch we need.

Further, given that this is the beginning of the series, Emerson has many lessons to learn about needing and accepting help. Lessons she is sure to learn quickly within her newly formed coven. We all need others. Just because we can do something on our own doesn't mean we should. By the end of Small Town, Big Magic, I could glimpse the character growth we are going to see in her, and that journey is the true heart of this story.

A tenacious witch who sells books, saves the day, and gets the boy in the end, what more could a bookworm ask for?

“𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.” ~ 𝙴𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚎

After an unexpected attack at a cemetery, Emerson discovers she’s a witch and that her powers have been kept hidden from her. Her closest friends along with the rest of the residents in St. Cyprian have been keeping it secret from her. St. Cyprian is a witch center with the Joywood serving as the governing body with far-reaching authority and influence. Relearning her powers and her family’s history, interpreting a prophecy, a looming threat, fighting back against the Joywood without the strength of a full coven…there’s a lot happening that has her and her friends scrambling hard for solutions.

I loved the concept and I'm sad that it didn't completely work for me. Partly because it took the length of the book to set up before the action at the end. Then there's Emerson who could be tedious and a steamroller. She was so mired in St. Cyprian and her role with the chamber of commerce that that’s all her character was about. She fell flat. I also not a fan of keeping information away from people. It got me antsy when her friends weren’t explaining things better to her, but then Emerson was bad at listening to their advice. The romance was good, though the spice level low. The rest of her friends who are all quirky individuals each bring their unique gift to their incomplete but growing coven.

𝙎𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙏𝙤𝙬𝙣, 𝘽𝙞𝙜 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 is perfectly set up for a sequel, and it'd be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Thank you @Netgalley and @htpbooks for my ARC. This is my honest review.

The first in a new series, Small Town, Big Magic features local indie bookstore owner, Emerson, as she begins to see unusual things in her small Missourian town. Learning that she's a witch whose memories had been erased years before, she slowly comes back into her own magic as she finds the truth about the witches in the town. Banding together with her fellow magical friends, they fight to root out the evil in the town. Themes of trust, love and hope abound as we learn it's WHO you are, not WHAT you are that matters. It's witchy wonderful!

This was such a great debut!! Found family, small midwestern town charm, a spunky, independent FMC and lots of witchy vibes for spooky season!! Fans of books like The ex hex, In the shadow garden or The Fix-it witches series will fall in love with Emerson Wilde as she discovers the last ten years of her life have been a lie and she and her friends are in fact witches. Her town of St. Cyprian is actually a haven for witches but there's an evil lurking that Emerson will have to fight with the help her friends. Lots of action plus a great second chance romance, I can't wait to see where this series goes! Also what a STUNNING cover! I was immediately attracted for the cover alone and the book did not disappoint! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Possibly even a 4.5 ⭐️

You can read the synopsis for yourself but, as the title implies, this is a story about a small town that happens to be the centre of magical power in the world. It’s told through the POV of Emerson, who had her memory of magic wiped at the tender age of 18 in very sketchy circumstances. When a dark force awakens in the town and her powers start to come back on their own, her group of friends are forced to admit that they’ve known the truth all along and together they have to try and save the town. All in a day’s work for the Chamber of a commerce president.

In general, I’m not a fan of the chosen one trope. I find it boring and annoying and usually the “chosen one” in these situations is lame af. Emerson Wilde is not your typical chosen one protagonist. She’s not meek, or insecure, or in doubt about her abilities, and that’s going to piss off the Carols of the world who think women (specifically female main characters) should be soft and weak and in need external validation. Emerson faces everything with a “of course it’s me, I’m super competent and I work really hard” mindset, which is very refreshing. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have solid character development throughout, as she learns that she shouldn’t try to go it alone and actually trust in her friends, it just means that development isn’t the usual “has no confidence —> confidently beats bad guy” arc. So let me just outright say that if you’re looking for a Bella Swan, this book is not going to be your cup of tea.

I would also say that this book is, at most, romcom-adjacent. The romance plays an important role but most of it does not happen on-page, if that makes sense.

This book would have been a 5 star read for me but for two things:

1. It was a little heavy-handed with the feminist preaching. I didn’t disagree with anything that was said, it just kind of pulled me out of the story.

2. The ending was kind of unsatisfying. Two things are dealt with (but their origins not explained) and we’re left literally at the beginning of the resolution of the third. My ereader told me I only had 1 min left, otherwise I would have found the cut to black even more shocking.

Finally, I haven’t read the blurb for book two but I’m really hoping for a Georgie/Nicholas pairing because you all know I’m here for the dark haired, morally gray character 👀

EDIT: it looks like book 2 will be Rebekah/Nicholas, which I am also here for.

If you enjoy magical stories that are full of twists,
With great characters and a community that's not to be missed
Along with danger, discoveries as well as romance
I highly recommend you give this book a chance!

Emerson Wilde doesn't believe in witches and any spell
She's a business owner and prominent in St Cyprian as well.
She's lived there for all of her life and has close friends
But one day she discovers so much of her life is pretends!

Discovering you're a witch with magical powers
Will take getting used to in more than a few hours.
When it seems all your friends are magical, too,
What is a young woman meant to do?

A story of coming into your powers at a time
When everything else seems to be out of line.
With mysteries to solve and a community to protect
Whilst learning how to use magic to good effect!

A fascinating story that had me turning the pages
Not wanting to be disturbed for ages and ages.
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

P.S. I can't wait to read the sequel!!

This is a fun read about witches and another perfect read for halloween.

A town full of witches, with powerful coven rule everything and there's evil darkness lurking. Oh yeah it's all about witches and their power and how they keep their power hidden from human to avoid Salem Witch Trials. Lots of rituals, spells and magic. Lots heartwarming moments from the friendship, sisterhood and love, even though it's cheesy but love does conquers all. Love the familiars side, love the connection between the witches an their animal companion. It's cute, fun and entertaining, lots of repetition that kinda bothering me and I don't know if there will be a sequel but the ending feels like there's more and I want more because I want that battle between these two powerful covens.
As for characters, I admire Emerson, she's a doer, overconfidence, will do everything to save everyone, a bit reckless but I wish I have her confidence. I also love everyone in Emerson's coven, the friendship is so heartwarming and I adore the relationship between Jacob and Emerson, they're just meant to be, so perfect together.

Fun witches story with wonderful characters and unique animal companion, definitely recommended.

The first thing that drew me into this book was the small town setting. I immediately liked Emerson's attitude but she does change over time and not just for the better. I felt that this was a good introduction to a series and the foundation was pretty well constructed. There were certainly aspects of the book that were a little detracting for me, some things were a little too convenient or without consequences. I did really like the witch lore and the way all of that was set up so I would probably read the next book when it comes out to see what happens, especially with the way this one ended.

Once upon a time (mostly in the 1980s and 1990s) there were a whole lot of books telling stories about people (usually young women) who discovered that the mundane world all around them hid secret places and even more secretive people filled with magic – and danger. And that the protagonist of those stories either belonged in those magical places or discovered them or had to save them.

Or all of the above.

Emerson Wilde used to read all of those books, tucked inside the safe and comforting shelves of her beloved grandmother’s bookstore, Confluence Books. But her grandmother has passed, and left the store, her quirky Victorian house, and her legacy to Emerson.

Even if Emerson doesn’t remember the full extent of that legacy or her family’s place in St. Cyprian Missouri, a beautiful little town that sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

Emerson thinks of St. Cyprian as a magical little town, one she’s proud to be a part of as a small business owner and president of its Chamber of Commerce. She doesn’t know the half of it.

But she’s about to find out.

Escape Rating B: Just like Emerson, I read all those books too, which meant that I sorta/kinda knew how this one was going to go. If you took a selection of those books and threw them in a blender with A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske, Witch Please by Ann Aguirre, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson and just a bit of Manipulative Dumbledore-style Harry Potter fanfiction you’d get something a lot like Small Town, Big Magic.

Not that that’s a bad thing, as each of those antecedents has plenty to recommend it. And if you like any of them you’ll probably like at least some parts of this first book in the Witchlore series.

But as much as I loved the premise – or most of the premises – that make up this story, there were a few things that drove me utterly bananas.

Many of those original urban fantasy-type stories focus on a relatively young protagonist who has their world view overturned when they learn that magic is real, all around them, and that they have at least some of it.

Emerson’s “unbusheling” as it’s called in A Marvelous Light isn’t like that at all. Because she did know about magic until she was 18 – and that’s where the Harry Potter fanfiction reference comes in. Emerson’s memory of magic was wiped because she failed a test of power – and that whole scenario is suspicious in a way that does not get resolved at the end of this first book in the series.

Second, she is an adult when her memories come back after an attack by a magical creature. The tragedy of this story is that her closest friends have all stayed with her, stayed her besties, for the decade or so that her memory has been gone. And they’ve all retained their magic, their complete memories, and have kept the secret. The thought of that compromise is kind of hellish, that they all loved her enough to stick by her – and that they all feared the witchy powers-that-be enough to keep her utterly in the dark about the truth of their world.

So when Emerson’s powers start coming back, her friends are equal parts scared and thrilled. Thrilled they can finally be their full selves around her. Scared that the powerful witch council will learn that she’s broken the memory block and that they’ve all told her all the things they promised not to tell under threat of their own memory wipes – or worse.

And they are collectively even more frightened because Emerson’s powers must have returned for a reason. A reason that is likely to be even bigger and more threatening than whatever that council will do to them.

What kept making me crazy was that in the midst of all this her friends were just as over-protective and condescending as any of the adults assisting a young first-time magic user are in any of those stories from the 80s and 90s. The situation frustrated the hell out of Emerson, and I was right there with her.

I also think it made her learning curve drag out a bit more than the story needed.

But there’s something else, and it looms even larger now that I’ve finished the book. There are two antagonists in this story. The first, and the largest by nature, is, quite literally, nature. An evil menace is filtering into the confluence of the rivers that sustain the magic of not just St. Cyprian, but the entire magical world. Emerson’s powers have emerged because it is her task to lead the coven that can stop it – even if she has to sacrifice herself in the stopping.

Howsomever, the focus through the entire story is on the other big bad – that leader of the local council who memory-wiped Emerson, exiled her sister Rebekah, drove her parents out of St. Cyprian and has generally been manipulating the entire town through her coven/council for some reason that has not yet been revealed.

And isn’t revealed by the end of the story. So everything ends on a ginormous freaking cliffhanger. The evil menace in the waters seems to have been dealt with – at least for now. But the council has just arrived to deliver what their leader believes is a well-deserved smackdown for saving everyone’s asses.

Literally just arrived as the book doesn’t so much end as come to a temporary and frustrating halt in mid-looming threat.

And we still don’t know what the root cause of that conflict even is. The ending isn’t satisfying. I need to know why the leader seems to have had it in for Emerson and her entire family long before the events of this book. The evil in the water, as much as it needed to be eliminated, wasn’t personal – at least as far as we know. It needed to be resolved but it’s difficult to get invested in. I’m invested in seeing that manipulative witch get exactly what’s coming to her. And I didn’t even get a hint.

Hopefully the answers – or at least some of them – will be revealed in the second book in the series, Big Little Spells. Because I’m salivating for some just desserts to be served.

It was just okay for me. I liked the idea of the story especially the small town, Gilmore Girls vibe but I unfortunately couldn't really connect to the main character

Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck was an amazing story that really made me think and wonder if this story could be true. A theme that ran through this story is that the right friends will always be there for you no matter what, as well as with the right friends and even family you can get through anything. Emerson Wilde’s life is devoted to improving St. Cyprian, the small town her family’s lived in for generations. The bane of her existence since childhood is Skip, the town’s mayor. Emerson discovers that there’s more to St. Cyprian, Skip, and herself than she realized. The magic is real. Emerson loves her town, fighting for what she believes in: making her town a better place. It’s hard to argue with her passion; especially she unexpectedly lands in the middle of something bigger than she can possibly comprehend. Emerson has a very close group of friends who are incredibly supportive and loving. Georgie and Ellowyn and Jacob and Zander are each different, unique, wonderful, and united in their efforts to take care of Emerson; despite her not wanting it. Do not miss the rivers, the magic embedded into the town itself, the familiars, as well as the awe Emerson has for her magic.

This new series by Hazel Beck shines with humor, romance, and surprising gothic danger, it had me hooked from the first page and kept me turning pages. Emerson Wilde is confident, organized and a small town businesswoman with big plans; that is until they all unravel as she discovers her town isn't quite what it appears to be, and for that matter, neither is she. A fun opening into the Witchlore series, Hazel Beck gives us a cast of characters to cheer and love and enough magic and suspense to keep the pages turning. I highly recommend Small Town, Big Magic to other readers and cannot wait for the next story in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I was very happy when I discovered this is part of a series as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's compelling, funny, and kept me hooked.
It was an entertaining read and I liked the well developed world building and the fleshed out characters.
The storytelling and the pace are well done and the story kept my attention.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Graydon House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Emerson is a witch whose powers were taken from her and she was labeled a dim witch. But something unexpected happens, her powers start awakening on the cusp of a festival in St. Cyprian, where she operates a bookshop named Confluence Books. 

Her closest friends have been her protectors for years, and they still need to be in order to keep her secret from the head of the witches, and especially her son who seems to have sold his soul to the dark side. After fending off strange creatures and saving Jacob's life, there's no going back.

With the help of her circle of closest friends, and one unexpected town member, Emerson discovers the depth of her witch powers and uses them to save the town. 

This is a wonderful witchy book which sucks you in from the beginning. I loved it so hard and can't wait for the next in the Witchlore series.

2.5

I didn't love this. I found the characters one-dimensional and pretty off-putting. I wanted to love it but I just didn't! It's definitely not a bad book, it just wasn't for me.

With themes of found family and female empowerment, Beck’s debut is delightful. Emerson by turn drove me crazy and made me cheer for her success, which made her all the more relatable. If are a fan of Charmed or Practical Magic, this is the perfect fall read.
4.5 stars

Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck is a wonderful story about a hometown that isn’t quite what it seems. I love that this is the first in the series because I can’t wait to see what happens next. I was also shocked that this was a debut with how well written and descriptive everything was. Emerson is smart, strong and witty, the perfect main character!

I really loved this book! I wasn’t sure at first, but once it go going, I couldn’t stop reading. I loved the small town feel mixed with witchy fun. Emerson is a very confident heroine, but I this about her. There are a lot of heroines that are weak from the start. I love this change up. She’s also tough and a quick study. Sometimes she’s a bit over confident, but that’s just a part of her character growth! This book was very well written with great conflict and a likable friend group. I can not wait for more!!! Huge thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!