Member Reviews

If you love witchy romances check this one out! It's got some banter, spice, and lots of magic.
The characters are likeable and have depth.
Emma is shy. She has had a difficult life. She was raised by a cruel mother and has been ostracized in witch society. Her relationship with outgoing and confident Bastion who comes from a powerful family is an interesting dynamic.
It's a little bit of opposites attract, friends to lovers, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and second chance.
This was a fun read. I enjoyed it.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I sadly ended up not finishing this book as I just could not connect with the characters, despite my love for witchy romance. I just couldn't feel the connection between the main characters; the swoon didn't happen for me. I know that many other readers have enjoyed it immensely, so I would still recommend trying it if you're into witchy contemporary stories.

Was this review helpful?

This was cute with a fun cast of characters. Emma and Bastian have a second chance at love and embrace the witches they are today instead of just all those years ago. Clarissa was a piece of work but made the story more interesting. This has a good ending. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

Was this review helpful?

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Was this review helpful?

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.
Pretty good I guess, but not my favorite book lately. It's like it needed a prequel to explain everything that had gone on before this book happened. I enjoyed it, the characters were pretty good, but I just feel like I would have enjoyed it more if there was more backstory. It needed a little bit more world building.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Summary: Love is a hex of a thing. Former childhood sweethearts fake a relationship in this charming, witchy romcom.

3.5/5 stars
Emma has made a life for herself after the heartbreak of Bastian leaving and breaking their arranged engagement...then he strides back in. The plot was complicated and sometimes clunky which threw off pacing. Some character development wasn't smooth, but the ending was spot on.

Was this review helpful?

Emma is a shy witch who was left by her fiancé and best friend right before they were to wed. She has happily rebuilt her life away from witch society and is happily living amongst humans…until Bastian walks back into her life.

This book was so sweet and earnest. It’s a story about trust and love and how we manage those things when we’ve been hurt so many times before. The story in this book was wonderful and I loved the back and forth with Bastian and Emma. It’s sweet and cute with a little spice thrown in. A friends to enemies to lovers slow burn that will leave you wanting more!

Was this review helpful?

We all know from the gig that fantasy requires a huge helping of "just go with it," but I was a little disturbed in the first few pages when the characters shrug off with a joke the suggestion that one just wipe the memory of a performer who had come to do their job, but oops, the person hiring forgot to pay them. Maybe I'm too old, but I found that not funny at all.

Shortly after that, the hero turns up after dumping the heroine years ago, no explanation, when they were engaged. Does she act like an adult and ask for an explanation before going on? Nope. Yearns and burns, and he goes home and years and burns, and my eyes were rolling so hard that they clanged against the back of my skull.

There was a lot of fun with some of the magic, and I liked some of the characters, but for me this one never quite got past that jolting beginning. And there was more. Anyone think roofies are fun? Even magical?

Yeah, readers who don't find any of that a turnoff should really enjoy an otherwise sprightly, witchy romance.

Was this review helpful?

If you liked “The Ex Hex” this is for you! Second chance romance and a really cute animal familiar. Emma and Bastian overcome an emotional history to become friends then lovers in the present day. I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was an adorable witchy read featuring the second chance romance trope.

This book has:
-A shy introverted heroine and an extroverted sunshine hero
-The friends to lovers trope with (seemingly) unrequited love from one of the parties
-Forced proximity and the marriage of convenience trope
-An “it’s always been you” scene
-Betrayal trope in the third act

If you’re looking for a steamy supernatural romance with intriguing family dynamics and an opposites attract couple, this is the book for you!

Thank you to Harlequin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
I enjoy a good paranormal romance, and this one touched on many familiar tropes- friends to enemies back to friends, introverted heroine, arranged marriage, and secrets. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and see the potential for spin-off works focusing on them.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this second chance romance with a little bit of magic thrown in. I'm kind of a sucker for a paranormal rom com.

Was this review helpful?

Emma is a witch who, after being abandoned by her fiancee several years ago, keeps her distance from witch society in an effort to carve out some independence. But when her ex-fiancee Bastien rolls into town with the aim of getting Emma to agree to a marriage of convenience, she has to work hard to keep up her walls!

This is a sweet and sassy romance with a fantasy twist. Really enjoyed it!

Was this review helpful?

I devoured this in a day and I'm in love. Sometimes with romance novels you just have to forget about being critical and just enjoy the ride. This one is an amazing example. We start of with a character who is just living her life years after she's spent years away from the society she grew up in and out of nowhere the man she was engaged to pops up pretending that he didn't run away from her and completely destroyed her world. And we spend the book following them as they fake date and fall in love and it is so wholesome and beautiful. This one is very much for the wattpad girlies and wattpad girlies is ME!!!

Was this review helpful?

Rounded up.

Dragged a little in the middle and the angst was a bit much for me, however, I found the topic of choice timely.

A warlock's and a witch's parents have had an arranged marriage for them from childhood. However, Bastian disappeared without a word to Emmaline, when she came of age. Emma has since left witch society and grown a backbone. Due to a condition in the magical contract Bastian is forced to walk into her bar and try and win her back seven years later.

Was this review helpful?

Cute romance with the perfect amount of fantasy hiding among the real world! I like the way magic works in this world. Different people have different strengths and levels of ability. My favorite magical aspect was the description of how familiars work. I liked how they help the witches with both magical and emotional issues and their bond allows for communication of feelings or needs. I was definitely laughing at her dog’s interruptions. I enjoyed getting to know both Emma and Bastian and I liked the support of her friends and good family members and even the bad family worked for moving plot along. I like the fake-fiance trope and felt their relationship developed at a good rate. However, I'm not a fan of forced miscommunication and secrets being kept. I get it is there for character reasons but it is no fun to watch. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Was this review helpful?

If you combined Bewitched with the movie Sabrina, you would have The Witch is Back by Sophie H. Morgan. This book is my favorite type of romance: full of magic and chemistry. The banter between Emma and Bastian is electric. In addition to the steamy romance, I kept rooting for Emma to finally find her courage and her voice. Despite being witches, the characters were very realistic and relatable. I hope that this book is just the first in a series because this world was delightful. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Was this review helpful?

When warlock Bastian Truenote abandoned his witch fiancé Emmaline Bluewater seven years ago, wallflower Emmaline was crushed. Now living in Chicago and owning a bar, “Emma” is shocked when he unexpectedly shows up at the bar, ready to finally follow through with the engagement contract signed when they were children. Despite the binding nature of the contract, Emma-hurt and confused-is not prepared to trust Bastian with her heart, but she is willing to get married to help save Bastian’s sick mother, whose illness is tied to their failure to get married. With secrets about hidden clauses in the contract being kept by both parties, Bastian and Emma embark on a renewal of their relationship, with an understanding that they will be friends with benefits until after the marriage when Bastian can once again vanish from the scene. However, as Bastian and Emma grow closer, they realize their secrets must be revealed before it is too late for them to find happiness. Although the plot is filled with somewhat predictable misunderstandings of the genre, this is a quick and easy read for those interested in romance and all things witchy.

Was this review helpful?

Fun enemies to lovers romance. Especially good for readers who enjoy a magical vibe. I especially enjoy when a protagonist grows a backbone and stands up to someone who has been bullying them for years, which is the case with Emmaline.

Was this review helpful?

Loved the cover and the title! The story was really cute and I enjoyed the characters and their development.

Was this review helpful?