So much fun!

It's a zany, warm-hearted romcom with a thriller ending. I don't do plot summaries, but trust me when I say, "Just read it!"

Starts out a little on the twee side and I was worried, but it pulled itself together and became unputdownable. Carly Bloom has a gift for writing characters with just enough quirks and placing them in communities that make me want to live there. Please, please tell me this is going to be a series!

3.5 Stars
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.
First off, I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and flirty, and it was a nice change of pace to read about someone coming into their magical powers when they firmly did not believe in magic. The FMC was bewildered, inexperienced (magically), and a complete southern sweetheart. The pace moved quickly, the characters were likeable and charming, and I'm all for anything that normalizes living with your family well into your adult years.
Mostly, it's pretty standard fair for modern witchy-romances. If you like anything else with a similar cover and witchy-pun title, you'll probably like this. It wasn't reinventing the wheel, but it did do the tropes well, and isn't that really all you can ask? It's got a house filled with kooky family members, a witchy/new-age shop, magical hijinks, a talking 'cat' (more on that later), and the quintessential smalltown.
I do have a few criticisms. Mainly with the final 1/4 of the book. That beloved fast-pace kind of came and bites you in the ass, and the ending feels rushed and a little nonsensical. It all works thematically, but I wish there was a better buildup to the denouement. I also wish there was more payoff for our FMC, who doesn't get a moment to realize her magic. Truly, outside a few blunderous moments and some romantic shenanigans, there's no real part where she gets to display her powers. The final showdown is told from the MMC's point of view, and while I appreciate his storyline and what it took to get him and his family to that point, the book felt unbalanced. He does lot of magic, and she (whose powers kickstarts the whole story) doesn't really get to do anything with them.
That aside, to a point that probably seems contradictory, I did like that this book managed to avoid this weird thing I notice in witchy romcoms where the MFC gets away with a lot of weird, morally gross things in the name of a 'girlboss' moment. Probably because her magic isn't really utilized, but still, the point still stands. (Even if there is a moral debate to be had about the MMC's ethics around not telling the FMC and her family the whole story, and for contemplating following through with very immoral orders from the governing witch body, but those are explored in the text, and are treated as part of his characters journey. The part that rubbed me the wrong way was at the end, where his family didn't loop hers into the plan. They have a reason, but it seems poor in context with the twist at the end.)
Anyways, come for the witchy-romance, stay for the cat familiar, that also sometimes acts as a human, and is also (SPOILER) a demon. He was my favourite character. I would read 100 more books with him in it. I'm a sucker for animal companions and bound demons/familiars being dragged into the found family when they are inherited by people who genuinely appreciate and love them, and find a way to free them. (I'm looking at you Silas from A Sorcery of Thorns).

I had so much fun reading this! The world building was so fun that I wanted to finish the book and dive into the town. The restaurants and town were everything I wanted them to be. I would love to see more of California in future books, but only for a quick visit and then I want to come back. I loved that we got to fall in love with whole families, but still got to see so much from our main characters. There were quite a few laugh out loud moments. My only complaint is that now I want more. I would love to see a book for Luc and also one for Amy. Honestly, it's hard for me to decide if I would prefer to follow our two main characters more or hear from others though. Bottom line is that I want more. Fantastic book if you are looking for an easy to fall into fantasy romance. And because I like to know, I would give it a 1.5 spicy rating.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really clever storyline. Delia and Max are great characters with lots of chemistry. Fun side characters round it out and add to the humor. Really enjoyed this book and hoping it’s the start of a series???

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Hot Hex Boyfriend to come out September 3, 2024.

3.5 rounded up to a 4

The first half was a little slow and I had a hard time getting through it. I get it was trying to set up the witching world and all that, but there were a lot of names to keep track of and it wasn't really doing it for me. There were a lot of concepts about the witch world that thrown out but not explained until much later that left me guessing as to what they were referring to based on context. The second half was much better as the plot started moving forward.

This was a cute paranormal romance with October/Halloween vibes! The Merriweather family is fun and eccentric, but also caring and welcoming to other people. Max and Delia had a sweet love story (with some spicy scenes) and were an opposites-attract trope. Major themes include: friendship, family, a little mystery combined with fighting corruption, and a sort-of coming of age story for Delia.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!

A fun rom-com with great characters, interesting magic, and a cool town! There is a lot of witty banter, which I love. The town is a place I'd love to visit, with a whole cast of fascinating characters. Lots of humor! I laughed out loud a lot. I hope they make this into a movie--it gives Practical Magic vibes with the big Merriweather family. Definitely Recommend!

Brujas ✔️
Hadas✔️
Demonios ✔️
Romance ✔️
Magia✔️
Secretos✔️
Traiciones ✔️
Amistad ✔️


Es un libro que se lee muy rápido, es ameno, entretenido, los personajes son agradables y tiene HEA asegurado.


Delia creciendo creyendo que su familia (los Merriweathers) eran brujas que fueron maldecidas para que no tuvieran poderes y que ella, una bruja azul, sería la clave para romper la maldición. Pero conforme pasaron los años y las burlas, dejó de creer.

Max es un cazador de antigüedades mágicas raras. Ademas es el encargado de vigilar que Delia no rompa la maldición.

Hay diferentes tipos de magia y la de Merriweathers era magia del corazón, es decir, que podían hacer que alguien se "enamore" de ellos por lo que su poder se veía como manipulación y por eso fueron maldecidos.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so lovely! Such a cute fall book that featured found family, clumsy witches and true love. Would def recommend it

This is not your normal Carly Bloom book. It's not even a genre that I normally read. But I have to say that I loved it. Wonderful characters. Great story. Curses,spells, and lots if humor.