I really enjoyed this book! It was a cute and quick read

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advance read copy.

This was such a fun fast paced, easy read. I felt so connected to Zelda is exactly the type of MC I love to follow. I adored this book and flew through it!

I really enjoyed how cute and cosy this book was! It was fast paced, but it felt perfect for the story. I liked how Zelda is an older fmc (we don’t get enough of those these days!)
I was expecting a little more romance, but it wasn’t needed as the story itself drew me in.
Zelda’s unique magic was so intriguing to me! I love it when an author adds a different type of magic to the usual witchy spells that most other books have.
I found the relationship between the fae and vampires interesting too! I can’t wait to read the second book to see what happens! I do hope that we get more of a romantic element in the next book though 😅

Spells & Sandwiches is the first book in a fantasy romance series by Kate Moseman. Originally released as Undercover Paranormal in 2022, this reformat and re-release is 205 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a fun, very light romantasy with easy to read prose that doesn't take itself too seriously. MC Zelda is back in NYC to reopen her grandmother's sandwich shop and manages to get dragged back into the magical world she spent half her life trying to avoid on her first day back. It's very much character driven with lots of magical creatures populating New York and Zelda is sarcastic and likeable and good at heart.

Romantic entanglements in the form of her all-too-sexy ex-boyfriend and a mysterious business ally, alongside fae, vampires, monsters, and her cute rescue poodle.

The writing is somewhat uneven. Zelda is meant to be middle-aged (she's been away for 25 years and was at least a young adult when she went away) but she *really* seems very young, flippant, unsure of herself and is written in a very young style. The romance is heavy in the book, so readers who enjoy lots of romance in reads will enjoy it.

It's a whimsical cozy with lots of descriptions of magic and what each type of magic does and how people react. The world building seems well thought out and complex. The writing is uneven in places and the dialogue is occasionally somewhat stiff.

There are currently 4 books in the series. It would make a good binge/buddy read.

Three and a half stars. Worth a look for fans of cozy romantasy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Zelda Hawkins moves back to Manhattan to reopen her grandmother’s sandwich shop, but gets pulled back into the world of vampires, witches, and fae. After agreeing to repair a magical mirror, Zelda is immediately forced to deal with danger from those who don’t want it fixed. With some help from a few others including a mind-reading fire witch & Jester, a mini black poodle, Zelda sets out to make spells & sandwiches. This was such a fun and cute read. I can tell the rest of the series will be just as much fun if not more. Paranormal romance/mystery is at the top of my list of favorite genres. I love fall, Halloween, and anything that gives those vibes which this book definitely does. I can’t wait to dive in to the rest of the series!

I absolutely loved this cute, cozy, magical story. The characters were likable and I really enjoyed the plot. Thank you for the read!

I received a copy of Spells and Sandwiches via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review, all opinions are my own.

Zelda Hawkins is a 46-year old out-of-practice witch who was given an opportunity to fix up and run her late grandmother’s sandwich shop in Manhattan- for free, but in exchange, she must help a vampire with a spell her grandma completed decades prior.

I would give this book a 3.75/5 rating. I liked the story and the characters, my only disappointment is that I wanted more.
It felt like a young adult novella, which isn’t a bad thing, but I would have liked some more details and depth when the plot felt a little rushed.

I love the hesitant narrator, I love the fact that she has more life experience and doesn’t come off as a silly 20-something year old girl with a simple problem.

Overall I recommend and will be reading the other books in the series.

I really enjoyed this cozy fantasy book. Reminded me of Legends & Lattes.

Wished it were more focus on the shop thoug, and it could be a little longer. The first part of the book was cozy and chill, and suddenly everything happened. So maybe 50-100 more pages and more shop-stuff would be great. Then you could have added some more story around each character.

Will still recommend it!

♡𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 &| 𝚎𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠♡
2.5 🌟
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𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•witches 🧙🏾‍♀️
•paranormal

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Original name ,"Uncovered Paranormal."
𝙳𝙽𝙵 @10%
𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
𝙱 𝚄 𝚃 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 . . . 2.5🌟, sorry just wasn't keeping my attention, but I am a mood reader. So, I will definitely be picking this book back up during Halloween 🎃 time.
Now live!
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Thank you, Netgalley and Victory Editing for the (ALC)-audiobook and (eArc)-eBook for my honest review.

This was a super cute cozy fantasy! This is the first book in the West Side Witches series and it was magically amazing. I loved the humour in this; having a laugh while reading makes it super enjoyable for me. There’s also a little bit of a romance and suspense going on. I loved the magic aspect of it all though, I do wish the sandwich shop was talked about a little more. BUT, I will say, I’m excited to read the rest of the series when it comes out 🤩

Spells and Sandwiches is Book 1 in the West Side Witches series. Zelda is a forty-something witch who moves back to Manhattan to re-open her grandmother’s sandwich shop. With her trust poodle at her side, what could possibly go wrong? What follows is a deal with a vampire, a new friend who reads minds (and is a fire witch), and complicated feelings about her ex-boyfriend and a hot hipster helping her renovate the shop. I actually liked that Zelda was in her forties and still figuring her life out (totally relatable). I loved her magic, as it is very unique and offers some exciting promise for future books. I wish there was more about the shop, as who wouldn’t want to meet the patrons of magical sandwich shop? Overall, this was a very fast-paced book that is nice and cozy with no spice. Thank you to NetGalley, Fortunella Press, and Kate Moseman for letting me read an e-ARC!

Not wildly thought provoking, but definitely fun. I'm somewhat unnaturally invested in the fate of this sandwich shop and will quite likely read the next.

Spells and Sandwitches by Kate Moseman is the first book in the cozy fantasy series, The West Side Witches.
Zelda moves to Manhattan to reopen her grandmother's sandwich shop. Soon, she is offered a deal she can't refuse by a mysterious vampire, one who clearly had history with her grandmother... Forced to use her magic again, Zelda and crew set out to repair a magical mirror, renovate the shop, and end up entering a world of witches, vampires, and fae...
Thank you, NetGalley and Fortunella Press for an advanced readers copies of Spells and Sandwitches in exchange for an honest review. It was entertaining and I'm looking forward to the second book.

When Zelda arrives in Manhattan to take over her grandma’s bakery, she finds herself making a deal with the landlord for free rent on the place. All she needs to do is repair a magical mirror. Oh, and also the landlord happens to be a feared and powerful vampire, the mirror poses real dangers to multiple worlds, and the mission will test Zelda’s own magical abilities to their limits. Aided by a cast of colorful and interesting allies, Zelda must find a solution to this magical problem before time is up.

A main character who is older than the typical fantasy heroine was fun to see, and the variety of magical races in the book was a fun change from only fae, or only vampires. The awareness of what immortality would realistically entail was a very interesting point in the book’s favor, and one that I felt was explored well. The book also plants the seeds of a love triangle, and though that is not a trope I personally love, I actually think it was done pretty well, without it being obvious from the start who the main character will end up with.

This book is quite short and fast-paced, with a lot going on and a lot being set up for future books in the series. I can forgive a slight excess of characters and not enough pages to get to know them, as I assume we will see more of them in future installments. That said, the author did a good job of establishing the characters’ personalities and motivations, and hints of an overarching plot were cementedd early on. I would recommend this to fans of cozy contemporary fantasy. Many thanks to NetGalley and Fortunella Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

3.5/5 I’m struggling not to make a landlord/vampire joke.

i absolutely loved this book it was so much fun to read and i adored the characters.
if you love fantasy, witches, vampires and fae you are in for a treat!
can’t wait to read the next one

Who doesn't love a cozy witchy book with a fun, whimsical character named Zelda and her rescue pup?

From the moment I read the blurb and summary I was sold and once I dove in, I was hooked, This book hit me in all the right ways and left me wanting more which is why I am glad it claims to be Book 1 in the West Side Witches series. We've got fae. We've got vampires. We've got inherited magic, and we've got some food for the trip.

One of the unique aspects, for me, was the main character is a bit older and doesn't give off "main-character" vibes. She's a bit reluctant and it's a bit heartwarming to see. I don't often relate to characters too often, but since I am in my early40's, have rescue dogs, and have no interest in saving the day, I feel like she and I could have become besties. I've seen people say they weren't fully invested in the love interest and romantic subplot and that's a fair assessment. I didn't need it or we could have waited for a subsequent book for better timing or situation to present itself.

Otherwise, I think I speedread this book in about a day and a half and loved every minute of it. I truly thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. It hit me in all the right ways right now, and I think that can certainly make the difference between a 4 or 5 star book for me. So 5 stars for perfect timing.

Such a cosy modern day fantasy set in New York City with witches fae and vampires

I loved the development of the characters And the world building is easy to follow
This book was such a fun read I’ll definitely be reading the next one

I love reading supernatural books and series are even better. That is what drew me to this book.
It is first book I read by this writer and I'm happy to say it will certainly not be my last.
I have enjoyed the book, it is very easy to get grips with the world the author has created. No complicated rules etc. You get sucked into the story from page on and will find it hard to put down. I was particularly fond of Poppy character.
Story is moving at good pace, you will not find single boring page.
Excellent read, I will be getting next book in the series now!

Super cute book, Loving the NYC setting with magical elements. Cozy fantasy in the modern world with witches, vampires and fae. I enjoyed the character development and world building. I will definitely be reading the next book.

Finished this thanks to @NetGalley with receiving a free ebook copy of the first book. Upon updating my goodreads I have learned that there is more and I will definitely be checking then out in the future.

Spells and Sandwiches was a fun cozy read that did an amazing job at getting me out of the beginnings of a reading slump. it follows Zelda, a chef and a witch, and has a simple and creative way of explaining the magic system but also leaving us about as in the dark of the goings on with the magic world as Zelda is, since she has been away from it for so long. I haven't read something with a fmc of that age within this genre and I found it fascinating. Honestly, once I was off work I couldn't put it down. I love the world building, I love the characters and I worry for them and what the consequences of their actions... or more aptly, Zeldas actions might entail.

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