This book was nothing like what I was expecting! Based on the description, I was expecting a cute cozy fantasy, but what I got instead was a high stakes magical adventure. It had a great blend of plot and romance and an interesting cast of characters. This book is overflowing with autumnal vibes and would be perfect to read in October, cuddled up under a blanket, sipping a pumpkin spice latte!

The vibes in this book are so cozy and unique!

“A Dark And Secret Magic” blends Halloween, magic, mystery, romance, cottagecore, and witchy elements into a delightful read!

I found it very enjoyable during the summer, but I can just imagine it being ABSOLUTELY fantastic to read in late autumn as Halloween approaches!

The magic in the story is really captivating and easy to understand.
The plot is engaging and well-paced, making it a fun read.
The "forbidden" romance aspect was charming, though I wished Kate and Matthew's relationship had a bit more development during the story.

The recipes at the end of the book were a wonderful addition, I'm definitely planning to try some of them out!

To conclude i think that if you are looking for a cozy read about witches, mystery and a bit of romance, this book is waiting for you!
I suggest just to wait until autumn to read it as you will surely enjoy it more deeply!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

A Dark and Secret Magic is witchy, mysterious, magical, and romantic! If you're looking for a new cozy autumn-halloween read, this is it!

Kate is a hedge witch who lives in a secluded cottage with only her black cat Merlin for company. She enjoys her quiet days gardening or preparing tinctures for the apothecary she owns. When Matthew shows up at her doorstep, shortly after finding out she is supposed to host the Halloween celebration for her coven, her solitude is broken. Matthew, in contrast to Kate, practices dark (forbidden) magic. Though as we all know, dark and light cannot exist without one another, which is portrayed on multiple levels.

Kate is probably one of my favourite heroines I've read thus far. She's soft and loving, clever and decisive, and not your usual damsel in distress. She takes her faith in her own hands, and I loved her for it.

Need I talk about Matthew? Swoon worthy! The way their relationship developed was lovely to see, and although there was miscommunication, I didn't hate it - Shocker, I know! They compliment each other so well.

Witchy girlies, this one is definitely for you! 🫶🏻🍂

thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

A perfect Autumn read for the crystal girlies or anyone looking for cozy, witchy, cottage vibes!

This story was so fun and enjoyable -- witches, shadow magic, secrets, cute romance, yummy recipes, & the coziest autumn aesthetic.
I really enjoyed the magic within this book, and felt it was very digestible and easy to comprehend. The storyline was fun and well paced in my opinion. I loved all of the secrets and the dark magic aspects that we learned as the story progressed. I did, however, wish there was more detail about the coven or even more of an exploration into the other magic specialties outside of our MC's abilities. The Halloween vibes were fun and felt so nostalgic. I absolutely love celebrating Halloween, so I am so excited for everyone to read this in October when it releases.

The "forbidden" romance storyline was cute, but I was definitely wanting a little more from Kate & Matthew. The chemistry felt a little off for me, and then the feelings started to feel a little rushed because I wanted more tension/build up between the two.

The recipes included at the end of the book were such a fun touch! I was drooling over everything that Kate made throughout the story, so having the recipes at the end was a happy surprise!

Many thanks to Alcove Press & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of my honest review. All thoughts are my own!

Utterly delightful and absorbing, I love how Matthew marches in and shakes up Hecate’s cottage world. ✨🔮🕯️As the title implies there’s all manner of dark magic afoot and secrets piling up until they crash like dozens of skeletons fallen out of the closet, culminating on Samhain with fate sweeping in. 🍁🎃🍂 Topped off with lots of wholesome witchy aspects that spell one delicious weekend read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book had all the underpinnings of a fleshed out magic world, a heroine who is hell bent on uncovering a secret (and learning more about her powers as a hedge witch!!) and a hot powerful shadow magic boyfriend. As someone who reads a lot of witchy romance books, I think it's important to figure out what makes this book different from the others - and I would say this leans into the fantasy over the romance, insofar as the magic system is clearly at the center. There's an element of darkness and mystery that makes it less fluffy than some of the witchy romances I enjoy reading (thinking of Erin Sterling.) If anything, this book feels reminiscent of Hazel Beck's series - there's that same rich, descriptive style of writing with a heroine coming into her powers and into her own with an attractive MMC who just wants to see our FMC find herself. The romance is slower to build, which makes sense given its second chance romance - and the author did a great job of interspersing worldbuilding with mystery at the start so that the book felt well-paced. Honestly, the perfect witchy book to cuddle up with a cup of tea when you're looking to dig in for a few hours.

My only gripe (which will not be impacting stars) is that the ARC was really poorly formatted for the kindle, and just had the tiniest font on NetGalley's app, and that definitely had me picking up and putting down the book over and over because I kept getting frustrated.

Thank you SO much to the author and NetGalley for this arc!

Let me tell you I've been in such a Halloween state of mind lately and this book brought me back to the magical fun essence of Halloween. I loved the storyline and it had the right amount of magic and fun, I would have loved more depth into the coven and more magic systems but I absolutely want to pick up a physical copy when this is released! I also LOVED the included recipes at the end of the book!

*** I received an e-ARC of this book from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review***
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍂🎃☕️ Oh my gosh. This book is a MUST read. Instant cozy vibes. And look at that cover 😍 My autumn loving heart was so happy. It has all things fall- a cozy cabin, witches, Halloween, Samhain, magic, evil, and love. I could not put it down and read it in one sitting. This should be at the top of your fall reading list!

✨ Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

And so it begins… The story of Hecate - Kate - Goodwin, hedge witch of her coven, 6 days before Halloween (loved the counter and foreshadowing that comes with it). The novel throws us into the cosiest cottage at the most wonderful time of the year. Autumn and Halloween are my fav seasons of the year and the book captures the atmosphere, the smells, the colours and the feeling in a particularly magical way!

The story as such is not outstandingly new, but the way it is told is just so calm yet exciting and somehow enemies to lovers? Because 10 years ago Kate had an encounter with a hexan from the Pacific Gate, a coven that is not necessarily on good terms with the Atlantic Key coven because they practise their magic in the forbidden dark arts. When Kate experiences an ominous and disturbing dream one night in which Mags, an old (and by then deceased) witch from her coven, tells her about a book written by her mother and the King Below, the mood is set for Samhain and the days to come, and when the aforementioned Pacific Gate hexan unexpectedly appears at her door and asks for shelter, things get really spooky (and, of course, tingly).

The story is cosy throughout, I can't describe it any other way. The recurring conflicts between Kate and her two sisters, as well as the bickering between her and Matthew, are lively and funny in a fresh way. I particularly liked the types of magic and how the coven works. As well as kitchen and hearth witches, there are also book witches, time witches, meta-magick witches, garden witches and more. They all have to pay a price for using their magic. Texts and books that Ginny (book witch) reads rub off on her personality and she can grasp the content in moments, but to truly internalise a book and absorb her inner library (which she can visit Sherlock-like to research), she must give up knowledge otherwise. ‘Like all crafts, their magic requires sacrifices’. I found these subplots incredibly interesting and they made Ipswich and the story so vivid.

I don't want to go into the big conflict and the family secret at this point, but it's eerie and mysterious. It’s also not groundbreakingly new, but I don't think well-told stories have to reinvent the wheel to inspire. It's clear from the start that Matthew didn't come to Ipswich entirely altruistically and that there have probably been some misunderstandings in the past, but it was still fun to watch him and Kate playing cat and mouse. I was surprised how little drama there was in some of the conflicts between Kate and her sisters. For Matthew mummifying Miranda's arm, she reacts quite calmly towards Kate. I mean, he killed part of her limb out of an overprotective instinct, but Miranda doesn't give Kate hell about it and the sisters get back together without too much tension and emotional disaster. I liked that very much. There were several of these situations that I found similarly terrific to Becky Chambers Wayfarer. The lack of exaggerated emotions leaves more room for action and relevant emotions and story.

For me, this was a wonderful read. I enjoyed it from the start and loved the setting and location. It was a bit ‘Wednesday’ and ‘Gilmore Girls‘, but in pumpkin spice and double cream. The next time I'll read the book will be just before 31 October, when hopefully all the trees will be orange-red and the weather a bit harsher. So if you like atmospheric, magical romance with charm and humour and a lively small town, Ipswich is the place for you!

Overall, this was a lovely, cozy, witchy read that would be perfect for spooky season, especially because it takes places in the days leading up to Samhain. It has an interesting magic system where each witch specializes in certain, different types of magic such as hedge, kitchen, book, etc.

The only issue I had was the speed of the main romance. While I liked both Matthew and Hecate and ended up liking them together, it just felt a bit rushed.

Definitely worth picking up for a quick cozy October read when it comes out!

Absolutely loved this. Hecate (Kate) is the first hedge witch in 200years and doesn't fully understand her power until a handsome hexan from another coven lands on her door asking for refuge.

This is a super cosy Samhain read with a slow burn romance & superb character growth and I love that there's recipes included at the end of the book.

I found myself enjoying this book a lot even though I wish I was able to read that in autumn - maybe for a reread - because it's giving very cozy fantasy, witchy october vibes! I liked the story itself even though the pacing could've been a bit faster at times and was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the book. The magic was great and I love myself a sweat romance and mystery book!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of A Dark and Secret Magic.

Perfect if you’re looking for a cozy, witchy, autumn read.

This story takes place in the days leading up to Halloween. Hecate/Kate is a hedge witch, living an isolated life in her cottage with her familiar. While coven tradition dictates a witch gets to choose her magic on her 13th birthday, Kate is declared a hedge witch by her mother when she was born. One night, Kate dreams of a coven witch telling her to find her mother’s book to know why she was named a hedge witch. From there, we follow a series of events that leads to the unraveling of coven secrets.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It was filled with magic, a sweet romance, and mystery. As I got to the end, I was a bit worried about how this would play out but found myself satisfied with where everyone ended up. The only thing that took me out of the story a bit were the occasional spelling and grammatical errors.

The vibes in this book! Halloween, Samhain, magic, cozy cabin and witchy. It was a fast and very cozy read. And I loved the love story. The way Matthew adored Kate and would do anything for her. And the way Kate takes care of him and everybody.
The worldbuilding was very special and I liked the way the magic felt like home but with the potention to be dangerous at the same time.
This book made me feel as if It was already October and I loved it.

I was looking through NetGalley and the stunning cover of "A Dark and Secret Magic" caught my attention immediately. After reading the description, I just had to get my hands on it and luckily, I did! This book did not disappoint! It was everything I hoped it would be and more.

The autumn, Halloween atmosphere was written so excellently. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I've been missing it lately since the summer heat has been so relentless. "A Dark and Secret Magic" was the best escape! Pumpkin patch and cemetery visits, pumpkin carving, cider, caramel apples, rainy days, a spooky forest, an adorable black cat, and hearty fall recipes make this the perfect Halloween novel. I loved the characters too. Hecate and Matthew are now one of my favorite book couples. The magic system was interesting, and I would definitely choose to be a crystal witch. This book was overall very cozy, but also had a lot of mystery and some thrilling parts to it as well.

No spice which was so refreshing! Just some wonderfully written kiss scenes. Language was mild too - nothing explicit.

I will be buying this when it comes out and honestly, I might make this a tradition to read every October because I loved it that much.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This wonderful story is perfection, I had to pace myself not to devour it so quickly, if I could give it ten stars I would. I can’t wait to add this book to my small favorites library, yes this is a top 5 for me. The autumnal Halloween vibe from this story was so well crafted. The characters came to life in my mind. One of the most important quotes that I loved “Intention is what feeds magick. The desire to have something done and then increasing the chances that it will happen, all through our intention.” Doesn’t that ring true for everything in our lives. And isn’t there a little bit of witchy energy in all of us.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review. Thank you Wallis Kinney for not just a great story, also some tasty recipes. If you love Halloween and witches, Buy the book, thank me later. Pub Date October 8, 2024 put it on your calendar. #NetGalley. #AlcovePress #ADarkandSecretMagic

| ❝ Part of me wants to tell her to rot. But even in the face of her selfish deeds, I can't punish her in such a cruel way. ❞

ʚɞ ✧˖° thoughts

This book is the perfect example of a fall witchy read. Grab your pumpkin spice latte, light your favorite fall scented candle, and cozy up under a blanket you're in for a helluva ride

This book is a page turner, I finished it within a day. I was caught up in the whimsical magick, what happened to Hecate in her past, what happened to her mom and why she only taught her half magick and what Matthew's true intentions were.. pure or not!

The descriptions and imagery throughout this book are absolutely breathtaking.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ side note

I absolutely adored the witchy recipes at the end. I saved all of them for a later date. I can't wait to try them!

Thank you to NetGalley for this Arc!
I’m really starting to get into more ‘witchy’ books so this was a perfect fall read ( even though I’ve read it in this British summer )
the romance was so swoone worthy & some bits had me teary eyed! I’ve only recently started being a lover of Halloween as I’m getting older & this book was perfect! Was very Sabrina X Halloween Town 🎃

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
A magical book that is perfect for those of us that are autumn-hearted. It was filled with magic, mystery, strength, and romance. I really loved the characters and their personal growth. If you love all things witchy and Fall, this is the book for you!

I'm a sucker for anything related to spooky season, particularly anything witchy. This was a great book and I felt that the fantasy/romance balance was pretty perfect. The atmosphere made me feel like I was in the book and I loved the characters as well.