Seven years ago, mediocre witch Emma Bluewater escaped from the rigid, stifling, power hungry New Orleans witch society when her fiancé and best friend abruptly fled without leaving any explanations. Shy Emma has now found her place thousands of miles away in Chicago where she owns a bar with her two closest friends. She spends her time baking, volunteering at the animal shelter and hanging out with her younger half-sister. Everything in her calm, orderly life suddenly starts to unravel when her erstwhile fiancé Bastian Truenote waltzes back into her life. He desperately needs her assistance and requests that they resume their engagement in order to help cure his sick mother. But these former friends turned enemies are keeping some very big secrets, even as they start to realize they have some more than friendly feelings. Can they learn to trust each other and turn their engagement of convenience into something real or are they doomed to repeat their past mistakes?

This book was sweet, witchy goodness. Low angst, light, fluffy and fun! Emma is painfully shy, partly her nature and partly from years of mental abuse at the hands of her mother. She’s kind, loyal, fiercely protective of those she loves, but extremely distrustful of outsiders. Bastian is outgoing, a little flighty and irresponsible, funny and devoted to his family. Emma and Bastian balance each other out and bring out the best in each other. Morgan really shows how strong their bond once was and why they feel so deeply betrayed by the other. It’s great character development. Watching them change, grow and find their way back was magical. Morgan’s world building is strong and creative. I’d love to see a second book in the series where she can build on the foundations of the first.

Cute witchy romance. Former childhood friends, Emma and Bastian were arranged marriage fiancés until Bastian disappeared withoiut a word and broke her heart. Emma has built a new life for herself far away from witch society (and her controlling mother), until Bastian returns and begs Emma to honor their marriage contract. But both have secrets and trust issues, so it remains to be seen whether the pair can become friends again as Emma agrees to wed Bastian to save his mother from the curse clause activated when the pair didn't wed in time.

I really enjoyed this story, I like friends to lovers - especially when one secretly loves the other. And both leads were likable, even taking into account Bastian's abandonment. I also liked Emma's friends and wouldn't mind seeing another story set in this world.

ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley, this is an unpaid review.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Witch is Back!

This was such a cute, witchy rom-com! The story was so intriguing and unique, and I absolutely devoured it. Emma and Bastian’s relationship was so charming and fun, and the romance was *chefs kiss*. I loved getting to see Emma’s character development throughout the course of the story, and I truly feel like all of the side characters added so much to the story.

This story features so many tropes, so there is definitely something in this book for you! The most note-worthy tropes are childhood-friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage, and second-chance. There’s also some spice!

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun, magical witchy rom-com!

Morgan has created an amazing story that takes place in the worlds of witch high society in New Orleans and everyday humankind in Chicago. The Witch is Back has a supernatural mystery, childhood friends who are trying to figure out their relationship as adults and lots of family drama. Emma and Bastion grew up together and were committed by their parents to an arranged marriage. On the verge of an engagement, Bastion ran away with no explanation. When Bastion returns, Emma has created a new life for herself in Chicago outside the witch community. Both are bitter about the events leading to their separation and are reluctant to trust each other. Because supernatural contracts - including the one for Bastion's and Emma's engagement - are truly binding, they agree to move forward and, as part of the process, to live together. I really enjoyed these childhood best friends rediscovering what they liked about each other and appreciating how they have changed and grown up. Theirs is a true love story - including the need for compromise, loyalty and passion. The book is a page turner; I was unable to put it down until I finished.

I absolutely devoured this book! Read it in basically one sitting. I just couldn't get enough. Witchy rom coms are my soft spot and I thought this one delivered in all the right ways. It was sweet and charming and the characters were so relatable (even though they have magic). I would love for there to be other books following the other characters because I want more of this group of people!

Thank you to Harlequin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Witch is Back by Sophie Morgan!

I loved that this book had so many tropes: friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, second chances, and arranged marriages galore! I love a good witchy story, and this one was great. I loved seeing Bastian be so understanding of Emma and her personality. The world building was great, and the supporting characters added fun commentary, and I hope we can see their stories in the future.

Definitely recommend if you are looking for a fun, cute, steamy witchy read!

Great, well-written fantasy story! Emma is a shy witch with weak skills. Her mother is a mean bully. Bastion is the charming, magically powerful son of a socially desirable witch family. Their parents entered into a magically binding marriage contract for Emma and Bastion when they were young. Bastion later left their community suddenly with no explanation, leaving Emma to face the resulting gossip. Jumping forward, Emma escaped her mother and now lives in the human world. She owns a bar with two friends. Emma chose the location of the bar in order to develop a relationship with her secret half-sister. Bastion is eventually forced to return. Emma and Bastion agree to honor the marriage contract, to avoid the consequences of breaking it. Both of them keep secrets to themselves, as they rediscover their friendship and eventually fall in love. All of the plot lines weave together beautifully. The book has romance, magic, witchy politics, adult heat, family dynamics, cute animal familiars, some surprising plot twists and more. Highly recommended! I received an advance copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was excited about reading this book because I've been into witchy or paranormal romance books. The problem is that this book didn't have enough witch or paranormal elements for me. I felt like the magic components were a secondary part of the story. If the magical element was taken it, this could have been a story about an arranged marriage between two families. I really wanted more about magic, but it was really lacking.


I was really put off by the character of Emma's mom. I think that there should have been a warning about the abuse that her mom put on her. It was really difficult to read about how her mom locked her away and kept her from food when she was younger and she also constantly criticized everything about her. The mother's words were deeply upsetting. I also think that Bastian wasn't very kind to Emma. He called her stupid, more than once, and I couldn't get over that.

I couldn't see the connection between Emma and Bastian. It felt forced, and I wasn't really rooting for them. I wish that there was more of the side characters. Overall, I would have liked more romance, magic, and witch elements.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC of this book.

This one surprised me - I’m not a huge sappy romance fan. I do like the addition of magic and also the bad mother premise. This one may seem very romance-y on the outside but it goes very deep into a relationship that has flaws but is worth exploring and understanding. Two people who have to look at their lives and the choices they have made. For me to keep reading and finishing this says a lot to the great writing. It is well worth it!

I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for a review.
This book took me a bit to get really get into, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

Emma is a witch living away from her family, running a bar with her witch bff, and a human, enjoying getting to know the secret half sister she found out about after her father died, and trying to avoid her family and high witch society.

Until her contracted fiancé returns. Bastian left when Emma turned 21 leaving a note saying he couldn’t marry her, despite him being her best friend growing up and her humongous crush on him. Now he’s back and wants to fulfill the marriage contract. What is Emma going to do?

Well, the happy ever after definitely happens for Emma and Bastian, but not without a lot of bumps along the way, including a silence hex, Emma’s extremely horrible mother, and some humans who shouldn’t know about witches. I really enjoyed the minor characters in the book, and am hoping that there’s more in this universe so I can learn more about them. My only major complaint is that I felt Emma’s mother deserved worse.

Thank you to the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book.

This is my second ‘witch’ book- just shows me more that these stories are not my thing. Can’t get into the writing, or characters ect. Not for me.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I mostly enjoyed this book. The premise was fun and Emma and Bas made good MCs. I liked the dual POV, too. I liked the magical tattoo thing, which was a fun bit of the magic system. I also loved Chester, the familiar. Sometimes the characters were a little frustrating, but mostly I liked them very much. I’d def read more from this author, because obv we need Kole & Leah’s story, and Tia’s!

🌸 I love romcoms and this book hit all the right notes for me. Start with a friends to lovers trope, mix in a fake dating premise, sprinkle in some magic and it is *chef’s kiss*. The characters were well written, the story was well paced and the storyline flowed nicely. I felt like both Emma and Bastian grew as characters throughout the book and even though they were hard headed and annoying at times, I was still cheering for them in the end. If you’re looking for a spice factor, I’d give it a mild on the salsa scale.

I would definitely recommend keeping this on your radar for when it releases in August! It would be a great witchy read to start off the fall season

A huge thank you to Sophie H, Morgan, Harlequin, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The Witch is Back comes out August 15, 2023!

Childhood sweethearts, Emma and Bastian, have been in a magical engagement contract for years and everyone was expecting a wedding date announcement. That is until Bastian left with only a one sentence note that he left with his parents. Seven years later Emma is doing great, she has mostly escaped from under her strict mother and is now running a bar with her two best friends. So yes everything is going great until Bastian walks through her bar's doors and pretend to act like nothing happened. After a welcome home party that turns into an engagement party, Emma finds out that is order to save Bastian's mother they have to fulfill the magical contract and get married. Will the two be able to work through their pasts to work towards a bright and magical future.

From the first sentence of The Witch is Back I could not put it down, let's just say I stayed up way to late reading it. The writing was fast-paced, humorous, angsty and romantic. Emma was a shy and strong main female character, who goes through quite a bit of emotional and character development. Bastian was a very layer character who thought he was betrayed by his best friend but stepped up when his mom was sick. Were both characters flawed in their own special ways, absolutely. That being said even when faced with circumstances and odds that weren't great they did what she thought she had to do to defend the people they cared about. I really enjoyed watching work through their past, and there were really great soft moments that made their romance so believable. Honestly if you love second-chance romances that involve freaking witches, The Witch is Back is for sure the book for you.

I didn't like this one. I felt like the author was working way too hard to write a fantasy/witch book and you could tell. Also, the characters were unlikeable and don't even get me started on the misogyny.

This book was amazing and I couldn't get enough. When you read a book and you are able to feel in your gut how the character feels, you know it's a good book. The characters are incredible and their story elaborate. Their romance was really believable and the spice was 🥵 really hot. The telekinesis part was awesome.
The side characters were fun, lovable and really well written. I hope they're gonna be another book with Leah or Tia point of view.
Thanks for letting me read this book in advance. It was really a fun read and I enjoyed it really much.

Instagram review : I would have read this book in one setting if I didn't have so much responsibilities. This book is a must romance/paranormal book to read. I was hooked from page one. The chemistry between the main characters are fire and the side characters are elaborate and I loved them with all my heart. I don't want to say more to not spoiled anything but I promise you, when this book get out, RUN and read it. You won't be disappointed. Clearly, this book has a spell on it because I was clearly bewitched.

Synopsis

Emmaline Bluewater was born into witch society but she always was a wallflower and knew she could never fit in. Her only friend while growing up was Bastian Truenote, the one she had to marry at twenty-one. He left her just before marrying her without explanations or a note.

She left to Chicago and opened a bar with her two friends until, one day, Bastian burst through her life and ask her back.

If you are a fan of former child sweetheart, second chance romance, fake relationships, this book is for you.

The witch is back cover is deceptive. This book has it all and make you feel all the feels. There is sass, flirty banter, heartbreak, family defiance and amazing bestfriends. The secrets and miscommunication in this books will make you want to scream and it sealed me with the doggy. I could definitely go back to this world in a trilogy with Tia and Leah as main characters.

A super easy read and fun rom-com! It has amazing romance and humor with a paranormal twist! Bastian and Emma get a second chance after Bastian comes back into Emma’s life needing some help. They are both really likable characters with great chemistry. This is a fun read with a cute story and great characters! Definitely recommend. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

The Witch is Back is such a relatable book with a paranormal twist. Emma, formerly known as Emmaline, has been on her own in Chicago with her witch bestie and a human, owning a bar. 7 years prior, her best friend and unrequited love, Bastian, left. Their parents drew up a marriage contract when they were younger, to be fulfilled between the ages 21 and 25.
Leaving nothing but a note with his parents, Bastian fled, breaking Emma's heart. 7 years later, he comes back insisting on their marriage to help save his dying mother--who was afflicted from a clause in the wedding contract that Emma's mom put in. Emma has to fight hard to keep her heart out of it, while Bastian finds the best thing he could ever have was always right in front of him.
I honestly loved this book! Everything about Emma is me, so I related a lot. She's shy, but opens up to her friends and is fiercely loyal. She dreams of being untethered and wild, and Bastian is just the person to help her.
Honestly, Bastian is boyfriend goals for sure. The way he understands her shyness and awkwardness and doesn't condemn her for it. They way they push each other to be better. It was beautiful.
My one and only gripe, which wasn't that bad, was this whole book was kind of a miscommunication trope. Bastian is silenced with a hex, so not really his fault. But, Emma decided to keep hiding things that would have solved everything a lot sooner. Sometimes you want to scream at her "JUST SAY IT!!!!" But she has her reasons, too.
If you like:
*Witches and Witch High Society that reminds me of Bridgerton
*Second Chance Love (kind of? For emma?)
*Friends to lovers
*Miscommunication
*Soulmates
*Great World Building

Then this book is for you!

I enjoy a good witchy romance, but this fell flat for me. It took me a long time to believe there was even a worthwhile attraction between the main characters. But the biggest drawback for me was the stated (even if occasionally jokingly) lack of ethics among witches: leeching magic from another witch, messing about with another person's mind, and slipping a truth potion (a witchy "roofie") into another's drink -- so many ways of acting without another's consent. Granted, some of this was pointed out to be wrong, but there was too much blurring the lines of what was acceptable. Just... NO. I shouldn't have to spend so much time cringing through a romance novel.

Thank you, Harlequin and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.