I was provided an ARC on behalf of the publisher, all thoughts are my own.

Celestine Martin is one of my favorite romance witchy writers, and Kiss and Spell hit all the warm and cozy feelings that I wanted. It gave me a princess-in-the-frog type of vibe with the need to find "the one" to kiss, and I enjoyed seeing the two main characters fall in love. The patience, listening, and understanding melted my heart. Ursula of course, bothered me in the first book, but after reading her story, I completely understand why. This is a part of the series of Elemental Love set in Grove City, and although you don't necessarily need to read the first one to understand, you should check it out as its another great witchy story. Kiss and Spell's slow pace gives you the fall vibes as things start to slow down. This is the perfect witchy romance for the spooky reason, and I am SO EXCITED for what is coming next from Celestine. Please do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Set in Freya Grove, this is the second book in the Elemental series by Celestine Martin. It would help to read her other book, Witchful Thinking, first as that's where the world building and character development/intros occur. There is no recap at the beginning of Kiss and Spell like there sometimes is in this genre of cozy fantasy.

Ursula, a witch, who is down on her luck after being left at the alter a year ago, has made a boss babe list for herself, including no HEA or fairy tales.

Xavier, a fae prince, has been banished by the queen to teach him a lesson. He is staying with his faery godmother in Freya Grove during Smitten, the town's love festival.

The two have an accidental meeting and the rest is history - with some drama and tension, of course!
Super cute and a little spicy, this one is a perfect fall read.

Kiss and Spell was the perfect cozy fantasy for when you have a Legends and Lattes hangover. I fell in love with the world this novel built. I love books that have magic woven into real towns. Like who wouldn't want to go to the Jersey Shore that apparently is a magical nexus with witches, gnomes, vampires, and fae running around? The setting helps you really sink into the book and get immersed in the story. The storyline is a unique retelling mashup of The Princess and the Frog and Cinderella. Except the main character Ursula is a bad ass witch who went through a really tough time and is picking up the pieces. After being jilted by her ex fiance at the alter, Urusla decides THAT'S IT no more happily ever after's, no fairy tales. So when the fates shove a smoking hot fae prince in her path she has to battle her feelings and the curse that he's under which of course is broken with a kiss. Something about the book that I really appreciated was the ending. Spoiler alert this book has a third act breakup, but after the breakup the whole machinations of the book are tied up into a nice, neat, bow. There is a twist you won't be expecting and it will warm your heart when you read it, I swear! Also an honorable mention goes out to Whitney, Xavier's fairy godmother. Her character is so cute! I love that her answer to anything is grab my wand, we're going to the outlet mall!

I really liked the small town setting of this and the festivals

I really struggled this book for a few reasons - and part of that may be that I did not read the first book in this series. There was almost no world building here, which perhaps exists in the first book and would have been important to know going into this book. I knew this was a witchy romance but I didn't realize that there would be other paranormal species (Fae, Gnomes, Vampires, Mermaids, etc) so was wholly confused in the first part of the book. I don't necessarily need a ton of world building in a romance but a little bit would have been helpful since this is presumably an interconnected standalone series. There was also 0 explanation of the magic system.

The pacing and plot was also a major thing I struggled with. The pacing was pretty all over the place and I did not understand why Ursula and Xavier just didn't get together? I feel like there was possibly a missing conversation or something - I really didn't understand what the issue was.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

No plot all vibes. The world building was lacking, it took while to understand what type of world/surroundings they were in. Sometimes the writing a little nonsensical and I would have to read over a sentence a few times. The point of the book was that the prince was cursed but then when the curse was broken it was hardly mentioned.

The pacing was good, the characters were all fine- not a lot of depth but likable. It was predictable but that isn’t a bad thing, it delivered what it was mean to.

This is such a beautiful, sweet, and layered series. It never goes the way that I expect or have the typical characters in the typical tropes, but instead there are new twists, layers, and turns making it such a refreshing but comforting story. Both of the main characters have complex and well developed backstories and motivations, and the atmosphere of the town just adds to the story. Occasionally, the pacing felt off and sometimes the motivations felt a little too varied. This is high angst story - so there is a lot of yearning, and will they/won't they which isn't my favorite, but that's a personal preference more than anything. But overall, this is a warm story that I think everyone will love and the endearing nature of the characters and the story will win anyone over.

I love the Grove and every one of its residents so I can't wait to read more in this series and from the author.

Kiss and Spell is the second book in the Elemental Love series. Ursula is struggling to move forward with her life after being left at the altar. She is working at her family's magic shop doing readings for customers. As soon as Ursula decides she is done with fairy tales a real fae prince stumbles into her life. Xavier has been kicked out of his his realm after insulting a fae queen. He must find a perfect kiss to go home.

Ursula & Xavier's story was great. They have excellent chemistry and I enjoyed the slow burn that was the search for Xavier's perfect kiss knowing that they were falling for each other in the process. The world building of this series is great. I love the town of Freya Grove. I can't wait to see what comes next!

I really loved the first book in the series and was so excited to be approved for an ARC of this book, big thanks to NetGalley and Forever.

Kiss and Spell has an interesting premise that talks about life being more complex then a fairytale. It also looks at how to be true to oneself when in a relationship instead of trying to mould yourself into the perfect partner.

Ursula is fighting between her deep desire for a happily ever after and a more realistic approach to her love life after her fiancé left her at the alter. Prince Xavier is a cursed royals who has been sent to the mortal world to teach him about love and find his perfect kiss. Their attraction to each other is almost immediate. They fight that attraction as they are both not looking for anything serious and don’t want to hurt one another. A friendship develops but it isn’t long before they can no longer fight the growing attraction between them.

I like the characters and the themes in the book but the fact that both had one foot in and one foot out of their relationship for so long was not something I really enjoyed. It was a cute story but it didn’t really capture my attention and it took a while for me to get through. Not a bad book just not my favourite.

I didn’t realize this was book two in a series, but I think it read just fine as a stand alone book. Ursula is a witch struggling in life after being left at the altar by her fiancé. She has decided to give up on fairy tales and try to reclaim who she is and her magic when she meets a fae prince. Xavier is a fae prince banished from his realm to Freya Grove under an enchantment. Xavier can’t get back to his kingdom until he has a perfect kiss, bud he doesn’t believe in love or perfect kisses. Xavier and Ursula become friends working together to help Ursula rebuild her life, and Xavier to get out there and look for kisses. The two couldn’t be more different, yet they were so fun to watch interact and figure out what they wanted in life. This was a very sweet book with great characters, and a magical setting. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Spellbound by Celestine Martin is an enchanting journey into a world of magic, where second chances abound, and the true essence of taking a risk on love is explored.

I absolutely loved Witchful Thinking and the follow up gives the same cozy magical vibes as the first. I loved the story of Ursula and Xavier building on the magic of the first entry in the series. This book feels like a warm fall hug and hot apple cider.

I love the building of the relationship as well as the expansion of the community and characters. This book I think added more magical elements than the previous book but it's still not the absolute focus. This series does great at balancing the fantasy elements but still squarely being a romance and not a romantasy.

This was cute and I enjoyed Ursula’s growth, especially after her role in Witchful Thinking. I don’t think I enjoyed this as much as the first book, but I did have fun, the romance was really sweet, and I definitely intend to keep Celestine’s books on my radar!

I really enjoyed Witchful Thinking. I was excited for book two Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin.
I really enjoyed our characters. Ursula and Xavier are swoony.
The atmosphere, the magic and the love it was all phenomenal.
I thought the writing was done really well here. Martin kept my attention and kept me engaged wanting to devour this book in one sitting.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Kiss and Spell is the second book in the Caraway witches series set in the fictional supernatural friendly town of Freya Grove. You definitely need to read the first book in the series before this one in order to have the best reading experience.

Ursula and Xavier are very likable and their chemistry was very believable. The story lagged a bit in the middle for me; a bit too much time was spent describing interactions that ultimately didn’t move the story forward. In contrast, the ending felt rushed.

Overall, I still enjoyed this magical Black Romance.

This is a perfect addition to the Elemental Love series. This time we get to know Ursula, Lucy's cousin and follow her on the journey to Boss Witch and love. We meet Xavier a fae prince who is a hottie. I really enjoyed this witchy book. A perfect read for Autumn.

First Thank you NetGalley and Forever Pub for this Arc!!!!

It something about Celestine Martins way of writing that makes everything so whimsical, fun, flirty and magical. We follow Ursula (who I originally didn’t like in Witchful thinking) who got left at the alter by the mayors son trying put her life back together after distancing herself from her family and friends and becoming all that the town could talk about and Xavier a charming cursed Fae prince. Xavier insulted the Fairy Queen after basically saying love was bullshit and got banished from the fairy realm in-till he got a true kiss. Ursula and Xavier meet and start developing a friendship and something more while they try to break the curse…..

This story is a magical, cozy, and flirty slow burn I love that Xavier stood up to his father and showed Ursula gaining her confidence back and realizing she’s a boss witch. Perfect book to add to your fall TBR or witchy romcom list.

Thank you to Celestine Martin for writing a cozy magical book about black witches. This was a warm hug to my soul.

It was my first novel by Ms. Martin. Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to get an e-book ARC. The pinning and the romance between the characters were cute. But I felt as though the plot fell flat to me. It was a lot of story dumping what was showing throughout the story but not telling and I didn't like that not to mention majority of the Ursula was about her ex was a bit ragging as well. Also, I didn't connect with the characters either.

I didn’t read the first book which feels like it needed to be done in order to understand this one.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t grab me as I didn’t feel any chemistry between the lead characters.

Celestine does charming small town and paranormal spice so well. This is her second book in her series and it did not dissapoint

As typical, I had no idea whose book this was. I just knew I had to read it since I absolutely fell in love with the first book in the series. And I can say I was surprised to read about Ursula. She wasn’t my favorite in the first book, so I was not sure how I felt. But I am willing to read her story and give her an opportunity. There is always more to the story.

I was right to give this book a chance. I know some readers may be hesitant to pick up this book since it’s about Ursula, but I’m letting you know that you won't be disappointed when you read her book. You will understand why she acted foolishly in book one. And you will even come to love her as well. I enjoyed her. She is pretty funny and cute when she is trying to be her true self. She is flawed as a character. We all make mistakes when we start falling in love. And foolishly, she did as well. It’s something she owns up.

As I started to read, I began to understand why Ursula behaved in book one. She never had her father or her partners truly accept her as she truly was. She always had to hide a part of herself that was never meant to be hidden. That’s something Ursula took for granted, but not anymore. She is going to be her true self, no matter what. And she is trying to start now as she navigates her new chapter. It doesn’t help Ursula when she runs into Arden, who is new to town.

Arden may be new to town, but he has a main priority in mind. He needs a true lover's first kiss. He is low-key banished from his home since the Queen of Faerie cursed him for not believing in love and for being on the quest for a true love's first kiss. It’s kind of funny because Arden is a bit grumpy for a Fae. He prefers to be alone with his books and plants. It’s his safe haven. And I don’t blame him at all. But it’s a bit tricky to get a true love's first kiss when you prefer solidity to socializing. It's a good thing that he has Ursula on his side.

These two are unlikely pairs when you think about it. Ursula prefers to be social, while Arden prefers to be anti-social. And yet, they both work well together. Why? They never take each other for granted. They are always willing to listen to each other whenever one of them is feeling low or just needs to vent about anything. And the best part about them is that they are always themselves with each other. Never changing who they are as they get closer together. It’s a match, but there are some obstacles along the way.