Member Reviews
Truly Madly Magically is book three in the amazing Witchlore series by Hazel Beck.
This one really paced the overall story centering the coven well.
Witchy and very romantic. I loved it all.
It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished.
Specifically with this book, I absolutely loved Ellowyn and Zander's story--and that's saying something because I'm not typically a fan of second chance romance. I really enjoyed Ellowyn's journey in this book, too, and I'll be honest, it brought me to tears on more than one occasion.
I do want to add that I do think that while you can read Truly Madly Magically as a standalone, however I think it's even better if you read the first two books in the series before this one so that you can fully have the background on everything and everyone.
Overall, I just adored this book, these characters, this story, and this small witchy town. I'll be here missing the Ravenwood & counting down the days until book #4 releases!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions here are my own.
Not gonna lie, I read this book when it was a crisp 67 degrees outside with my windows open and my favorite tea in hand. 10000% scratched my itch for a cozy fall inspired romantic fantasy. This whole series reads like Gilmore Girls and Halloween Town had a baby in the best possible way.
This is the third book in this series and the MCs, Ellowyn and Zander, are my favorite so far. I really liked the play on the classic grumpy/sunshine trope with the grumpy/ grumpy dynamic. The story continues the series plot line nicely and doesn’t have a major cliffhanger at the end which we love.
Overall, 10/10 would recommend for a cozy fall read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC and giving me the opportunity to give my thoughts on it!
3.5 ⭐️
"Truly Madly Magically" by Hazel Beck has a cozy "Gilmore Girls" vibe set in a small town. Although I didn't realize it was part of a series initially, it was still enjoyable as a standalone read. The protagonist, Ellowyn Good, is a half-witch cursed by her mother always to tell the truth, feeling like an outsider in the Riverwood coven. When targeted by the malevolent rulers, the Joywood, she questions their intentions.
While it took some time for the story to captivate me, it was a delightful mix of witches, magic, and a second-chance love story. Despite the apparent challenges in El and Zander's romance, their bond is undeniable. The coven's ongoing struggle against the Joywood adds an intriguing twist.
Special thanks to Hazel Beck, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC, available for purchase on August 27th, 2024.
Truly Madly Magically is the third book in the Witchlore series and focuses on Ellowyn and Zander's story. While this book could be read as a standalone, there are many references to the first two books that I think really help connect the overarching story being told throughout this series.
In this book, we follow Ellowyn and Zander as they out aside their differences in order to confront a major life change. For the last decade, they have spent each day hating each other after a fall out in high school--except on Beltane, the one night of the year where they give into their passionate desires for one romantic night. This second chance romance was so sweet and I just loved the two of them together. I also really enjoyed the ghosty elements in this book as they added a layer of depth and background that helped add to the history behind members in the coven.
Overall, I really love the cozy, witchy vibes to these books and cannot wait for book 4! I highly recommend picking up this series if you are looking for a witchy, seasonal read!
Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
spent the past ten years hating her high school sweetheart Zander every night of the year except Beltane. On Beltane Zander and Ellowyn allow themselves the chance to give in to their lingering attraction to each other. When one Beltane leads to an unexpected complication, Ellowyn has to work hard to let her guard down with Zander again.
Truly Madly Magically is book 3 in the Witchlore series by Hazel Beck. I read it as a standalone and didn’t feel lost but I do think I would’ve been more immersed in this one if I’d started with book 1.
This is a really tender second chance romance that is perfect for fall with all of the witchy vibes! Zander is such a sweet and protective MMC, and it’s easy to see why Ellowyn was never able to truly move on from him. I’m a fan of mutual pining and it was fun to see it here disguised as hate!
The coven and found family aspects of this story were really charming too. I loved all of the characters both alive and ghostly, but I was especially fond of Elizabeth 👻
Check this one out if you enjoy witchy reads with heartfelt second chance romance!
Fans of the witchy romance will enjoy this third installment in a series where each one is perfectly enjoyable as a standalone but so much more if you're familiar with the Riverwood and Joywood covens. Ellowyn and Zander must find a way to get over themselves and work together to keep Riverwood on top. Ellowyn in particular discovers that her imposter syndrome (she's only half witch) is no impediment to love and a future in the coven. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. Good characters, a nice small town setting and fine storytelling combine to make this a fun read.
Oh my gosh! This series is absolutely one of my favorites of all time! I can’t get enough of it & this is the first time an arc has left me with such a feeling of despair because I have to wait that much longer for the 4th book in the series. I absolutely love the overarching plot line that continues from book to book as well as the smaller couple romance plot that features a different couple each book. These books give a small town Gilmore girls vibe combined with the witchy political upheaval of A discovery of witches vibes. I absolutely LOVE it. Any sort of ousting of not so great leaders with questionable morals is right up my alley.
you do not necessarily need to read to first two books to enjoy this book. Hazel Beck writes each book in this series with enough detail that you can focus on the book at hand. There are references to things that have happened previously that you would not otherwise understand. Each book in the series focuses on a different set of characters, this book follows Ellowyn and Zander and their tumultuous relationship. The book begins with the coven preparing for the ascension. Pretty immediately Ellowyn reveals a secret that will affect their lives indefinitely. Attacks from the Joywood are frequently occurring. The book did have a bit of a slow start, for me it was Ellowyn’s actions and behaviors that had in dragging on. She reminded me of a sullen teenager that kept changing her mind on what she wanted. Eventually Ellowyn snapped out of it and realized Zander was with her all the way. The author had me so engrossed in this book that I didn’t want it to end! I was wishing half of the time I was part of Riverwood so I Could help them fight.
3 stars
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The third book in the Witchlore series, we pick up where book two ended, following Ellowyn as she navigates past love and current surprises.
This book has a lot of fun elements to it and I love the uniqueness of the magic systems where witchcraft books can all seem to blur into one another lately. I enjoy seeing this cast of characters again and diving back into their struggle from a new perspective and with a new love story. But this one felt less like a romance and more like a bridge in plot to get to the next book. We follow Ellowyn, but her story takes a backseat to the plot of the book, which is heavily on the competing covens. I wanted to see her fall in love, but it felt very rekindled instalove with a surprise pregnancy involved. And boy, do we focus on the pregnancy. Her inner monologue for so much of the book is her coming to terms with this baby. And while that’s fine, normal even, it really took away from the book for me. I don’t care for the accidental pregnancy trope and adding in the miscommunication, it just wasn’t my kind of romance. Ellowyn is such a fun character and I wanted to love her story, but all the elements just really let her down.
I wish the blurb had included that the pregnancy was involved, because I probably would have skipped this one.
This is the 3rd book in the witchlore series and was a fun and fantastic read. This book kept me hooked and emotionally invested from start to finish!
Ohhh this is probably my favorite of this series so far.
Ellowyn and Zander were in love once but hate each other (yeah, ok). But they've got to get along when Ellowyn learns she's pregnant. On top of the fact that the evil leading witch coven is out to kill her and her friends. It's kind of a lot to explain without spoiling the first two books if you haven't read those, so it's important to know that you really should read them all in order.
But this one really landed for me. I think I really related to Ellowyn's belief that she's the weakling; that she's nothing. And I loved the growth that she went through. Beck has really done a good job making the world and its magic feel fleshed out and plausible. This is really just an all around enjoyable series to read.
My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Witch Books
Spice Level: High
Language: Lots of profanity
Representation: LGBTQ community is represented (secondary characters)
Tropes: Unexpected pregnancy
This is book 3! I think you'll enjoy TRULY MADLY MAGICALLY best if you read them in order because of character and world familiarity. Book three jumps right into the action and we discover two problems: the pregnancy and the fight for ruling the witch world. I really like how there are global things that matter as well as personal. I always connect more to the personal problems.
You'll get the final bash of the covens and the final love story.
If you're vested in the first two, you'll want to grab this one.
Happy reading!
Truly, Madly, Magically is the third novel in Hazel Beck's Witchlore series, a series just gets better and better with each novel, and it is my favorite novel in the series thus far. It's a series that I highly recommend reading in the order in which it was written because so many of the references in this novel mention occurrences, characters, and personal interactions between these characters, many of which have taken place in the first two novels. This was most definitely a 5-star read for me.
Set in the mystical, magical town of St. Cyprian, Missouri, it's the center of all things witchy, and those witches are ruled by the Joywood coven, and joy is the last thing these witches are about--they dole out punishments, nasty spells, and even use forbidden black magic to get their way, and they are always at odds with the Riverwood coven, doing their utmost to hurt, and even kill any witch or their kin to stay in power.
This novel is centered around the relationship between half-witch, half-human, Ellowyn Good, and Zander Rivers, and their on-again, off-again relationship, one which started ten years earlier. Zander's mother and a number of other witches who had similar powers have died as a result of the Joywood casting a nasty spell and wanting to stay in power over all of witchdom. Try as they might, Ellowyn, who is only a half-witch, has managed to survive their attempts to kill her, and after ten years of being horribly treated, the Riverwood wants to oust the nasty, spiteful, Joywood, and are preparing to seek and fight for an ascension, one move that will challenge and hopefully remove the Joywood from power. It's a plan fraught with danger, and even death as the Joywood tries their best to make sure this doesn't happen.
What propels this novel forward is the tumultuous relationship between Ellowyn and Zander, and how they both come to terms with their feelings for one another. These two characters are so well developed, and their feelings for one another so deep and so well written that they felt as real as if they actually existed. Kudos to Ms. Beck for making these two vividly drawn characters jump off the page and into your heart.
The stakes couldn't be higher for the Riverwood coven and its members, and since I can't and won't give any spoilers beyond saying that this riveting novel will grab you and not let go until the matter is finally solved. It was and is a fabulous read, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
One of my favorite series and not just because it’s set in my home state of Missouri. This is book 3 in a series. I must admit I think I need a character list. I can keep the main characters straight but a few of the minor characters I was like wait, who is that? I don’t remember if this was mentioned in either of the previous books but in this book, they mention the protective powers of brick. I love hearing that considering I grew up in a brick house and my house now has a brick porch. I can’t wait to read the next book. I keep hoping they’ll introduce a librarian character.
I am not one for an accidental pregnancy, and I specifically do not request books that had an accidental pregnancy involved. There was no mention of this being anything close to an accidental pregnancy book and I will not be finishing because of this. The marketing needs to fix this before publication as I feel there will be a lot of issues with that.
I'm sure the other reviews will talk about the story, so let's talk about the other thing.
PREMISE is not the same as SPOILERS. Content warnings are there for a reason, not always trauma-related, but also just so readers know what they are getting into, and what they are picking up. That being said, premise ahead:
This is a story about a pregnancy, which I found out when I opened the book. Most readers I know do not want a book with pregnancy in it, which is fair, I don't mind it if I have some warning, but I had very different expectations for this book and suddenly it's going to be about a semi-unwanted pregnancy.
There is a difference between spoilers and premise, anything that happens within the first 10% is premise, and not a spoiler. You can tell people what happens in the first 10% because it is the basis for the entire story. The pregnancy is part of the premise, not a spoiler that happens halfway through, but for some reason the publishers chose to keep the pregnancy a secret in the marketing?
Allow me to reiterate, I DO NOT MIND pregnancy in a narrative, one of my fav reads lately was "Margo's Got Money Troubles", but without warning it feels like my fun small-town witchy romance read was turned into a MUCH heavier growing-up-fast narrative that I didn't want at this moment.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes! Good book. But I picked it up for the wrong reasons because we were not made aware of the full premise.
This is the blurb at the time I am posting this review, 9/13/24:
"Cursed by her own mother to always tell the truth and one of the only half-witches around, Ellowyn Good has never considered herself an equal part of the Riverwood coven. But when the Joywood, the evil rulers of the witching world, target her directly, she begins to wonder why they want her gone.
She’ll need to work with her newly formed coven to survive, which includes dealing with her first love, past wreckage and a whole new complication she didn’t see coming. With their fates in the balance, Ellowyn will have to learn to trust Zander again—or be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Assuming they all survive the Joywood’s latest bid for absolute power over the witching world…"
The only hint in the entire blurb to the pregnancy is "a whole new complication she didn't see coming", which is not enough.
It's basically marketed badly, and there should be more disclosure.
Rating lower because you pick it up for one reason and find yourself reading.... good stuff, but not what you wanted.
Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
A delightful addition to the Witchlore series, featuring well-crafted character development of Ellowyn and Zander and exploring themes of found family and support within the Riverwood coven. The book delves into the familial bonds among coven members, adding depth and context to their motivations. The camaraderie and genuine support among the coven members make the story endearing and engaging. Overall, it's a charming, cozy, and witchy read that leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.
Oh my gosh! This series is absolutely one of my favorites of all time! I can’t get enough of it & this is the first time an arc has left me with such a feeling of despair because I have to wait that much longer for the 4th book in the series 😩 The cover is quite stunning. I could stare at it all day. The fomo I have for this fictional town is very very real. And hey it’s in the Midwest 👋🏻 This book is part of the Witchlore series & focuses on Ellowyn, a half-witch cursed to never tell a lie, who is part of the Riverwood coven. Once again they’re up against the Joywood, the ruling coven of witches, & it seems they have their sights set on Ellowyn this time. Forced to face many battles & work together alongside her ex, who is also part of the Riverwood, Ellowyn has her hands full juggling her own feelings of self doubt as well as facing her past & a great deal more.
I requested this book solely based on the cover, I loved the witchy fantasy vibes. Unfortunately this was a miss for me and I did not finish reading it. Accidental pregnancy is my least favorite trope and one I do not enjoying reading. I have this a try despite that but between this trope and lots of miscommunication I stopped reading about 30% in.
I fell like the writing duo behind Hazel Beck has found their rhythm with this novel. Ellowyn and Zander kept me reading and their story felt easy. I recommend you start at the beginning, but this witchy series is a perfect fall read.