The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop

A big thank you to NetGalley and Backlit PR for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Not sure if this is part of a series or not. I found this to have an interesting plot, different. I thought that Grace a PhD candidate wasn't going to fight for herself, but she did. . The cast of characters were intriguing and unique. I liked it. I rate it 4 stars. It might not be for everyone as it does have a bit of magic but still it was fun and clever. I say give it a try.

Grace is a PhD candidate in Chemistry, who because of an alleged cheating abuse is removed temporarily from the classroom until a hearing on the charges. When her mother calls and asks her to check on her elderly aunt who had fallen down a flight of stairs she decides it is a good time to go, since she has free time. Her aunt is in the hospital, so she visits and gets the keys to the magic shop and the upstairs apartment. Things have changed, and the place is very neglected, so she begins by cleaning up the place. In walks hunky Dario, a local reporter and generally a nice guy. A mystery of creepy things happening to some of the neighboring stores and eccentric people leads to an interesting twist. It was easy to see who the main instigators were, but that didn't keep me from trying to find out the reasons why. A few twists and turns, that left me a little muddled would make me rate this a 4.5, but basically a fun and interesting read, and one I highly recommend.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop is a cute mystery with a few twists. I enjoyed the characters and writing. I would love to read more from this author.

The book “The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop” is the second installment in the South Side story series. The first book being “The Enchanted Garden Cafe. Although I have not read the first book, I can tell you I am definitely going to purchase it because I just can’t get enough of these characters. I feel as if I already know them.

So, you know this is a good book when you can picture the characters and every scene as if you were magically transported to the magic shop. This is a great plot with a sprinkle of magic, some love tossed in and a can’t wait until the end kind of story.

It starts off with Grace a PhD candidate being temporarily suspended from her duties as a professor for supposedly cheating. Distraught at the accusation and the fact that her boyfriend dumps her believing she is guilty is just too much for Grace. So, when her mother calls and asks her to please visit her aunt Lucy who is in the hospital she decides this is exactly what she needs to clear her mind.

Aunt Lucy or Madame Lucinda as she calls herself is the owner of the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop and is claiming the ghost of her dead husband pushed her off a flight stairs. When Grace arrives at the magic shop she finds it rundown and out of sorts.

As soon as Grace moves in to the upstairs apartment and begins to clean up the shop she realizes that strange things start happening in the neighborhood. The local shops are being vandalized and this leads to interesting twists. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and even shed a tear for Aggie.

I was provided this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers of The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop.

Review will be posted to Amazon and on my blog https://www.ilysguesthouse.com/books will be published today.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book for anyone who loves a good mystery. 📕👍🏼

I GIVE IT A 5 STAR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5+++++ stars. I loved every aspect of this book from the characters to the story. Grace was so funny and the chemistry that she had with Dario was so hot and sexy. I really enjoyed her aunt and the stories she told about her experiences. This book made me laugh a lot. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

*****Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review*****

I didn't know when requesting this book that it was a part of a series, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book anyway. It was a good paced read, with a lot of fun elements - definitely humourous. I really liked the characters as well, and felt they were well thought out and written, and overall the book was a lot of fun to read. I definitely want to go out and get myself the first book now!

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop has it all - romance, humor, quirky and lovable characters, a neighborhood mystery, and an intelligent and determined main character!

Grace O’Leary is scientific and methodical in everything she does including pursuing her doctorate in Chemistry. All her well-laid plans are in jeopardy but when she hears her Aunt needs help Grace drops everything to assist her and revisit the Magic Shop that she loved so much a child. Things get complicated as Grace realizes her Aunt’s shop is on the brink of closing, her Aunt is starting to get confused and forget things, and there is a very charming reporter named Dario hanging around looking for a story. Suddenly Grace’s life is filled with more than she could have ever expected - a magical book that leads her to making love potions as a joke, a sizzling romance and a need to figure out how to complete her dissertation before time runs out.

I loved the characters that Abigail Drake created. They were all so different and unique but ultimately they each embraced who they were as individuals which I adored. From the tattoo artist, pushy grandma, grumpy book seller, fashionista and eccentric Aunt Lucy, I loved them all. Also, I couldn’t get enough of the chemistry between Dario and Grace. They got each other in all their nerdy glory and it was fantastic!

A totally enjoyable read with interesting characters and a story line that kept me turning the pages deep into the night. I'm hoping this is the first in a series. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

I received a free copy of THE HOCUS POCUS MAGIC SHOP by Abigail Drake in exchange for an honest review. PhD candidate Grace O’Leary suddenly has some time on her hands since she’s been suspended both from her teaching assistant position and from her college enrollment after being unjustly accused academic dishonesty. When Grace’s Aunt Lucy is hospitalized, Grace jumps at the chance to take over her aunt’s magic shop while her aunt recovers. Grace is appalled both at the condition in which she finds her aunt’s business and at the atmosphere of fear pervading the entire neighborhood. As a pattern of attacks on neighbor shopkeepers and their properties emerge and then escalate, it becomes clear that her aunt’s fall wasn’t an accident. Can Grace, her aunt, and their friends figure out who is behind all of the mischief before someone is seriously harmed or even killed? Meanwhile, Grace inadvertently sets loose her own mischief by creating and distributing a love potion that actually works. Grace also meets a couple of handsome men and falls for one of them. Can she and he resolve their differences before Grace returns to school?

I liked the book a lot. I loved the quirky humor. Since I approached this as a cozy mystery instead of a romance, I was a little surprised at the moderately explicit sex contained therein. However, this was something I was able to skip over fairly easily. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring magic, small businesses, and quirky neighbors.

#TheHocusPocusMagicShop #NetGalley

Big thanks to NetGalley and Backlit PR for the copy! It was wonderful!

Grace O'Leary is not having the best of times during grad school recently. Someone is framing her for a crime she did not commit and her boyfriend is less than noteworthy. While in the midst of trying to piece together her academic future, Grace goes to help take care of her Aunt Lucy. Aunt Lucy recently took a stumble down some stairs, however, who caused it is up for debate. While Lucy claims it's the ghost of her late husband, news has been circulating that a group of people want shop owners out of business and will result to violent tactics to get them out of there. Lucy's shop isn't just any shop, it's a magic shop filled with herbs and tinctures for everyday use. While cleaning Grace uncovers a grimoire full of recipes for special spells. As Grace mixes them up, she finds that she is rather good at love potions, so much so that they even work. As things start to move forward with her personal life and with the magic shop, Grace has to make a decision if she wants to stay and learn who she really is, or fight for her right as a chemistry professor.


What a treat! I saw the cover of this book and knew I had to get my hands on it! It encompasses everything I love: witches, mystery, Halloween and a slow burning love story. It is so good, it is wonderfully written, all of the characters are clear and fully developed, everything flows flawlessly. I really did enjoy the love story, it wasn't too much and it didn't take away from the character development of Grace. The author also does a good job of bringing different types of people in the story, all genders and backgrounds. This is the first book I have read from this author and I will definitely be reading more!

Really enjoyed this for the most part. Grace was a cute character, if not as bright as she thought she was. Not sure how the twist surprised anyone.

Just a little put off by some of the comments at the end of the book regarding Sally and some others. Felt a bit...wrong somehow. Just inappropriate and not needed and they rubbed me the wrong way.

3.5 stars

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop is a frothy, light and good-humored read. Doctoral candidate Grace O'Leary gets shunted out of grad school and framed in a cheating scandal. She decides to regroup by moving in with her Aunt Lucy, who runs a magic shop and is recuperating from a mysterious fall. Soon a series of unexplainable and odd events occurs that even logical scientist Grace can't explain.

Lots of humor and romance with a dash of the supernatural. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the supernatural aspects of this book, pretty much all the characters. Was easy to figure out. At times I couldn't stand Grace I found for a supposed chemist she jumped to a lot of conclusions without the proof.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Loved this book. The author is new to me but I quickly fell into the story, writing and characters and didn't want to leave. The story is well written and leaves you wanting more. I can't wait for more in the series.

Grace is a aspiring chemist when her Aunt Lucy falls and needs help in her shop so when things go wrong at her job she jumps at the chance to get away from her life for awhile to help and quickly finds herself involved in much more.

This is my first book by Abigail Drake and I will definitely be reading more! The main character, Grace, is a chemist who discovers magic. The hard process of applying her logical mind to the unpredictability of magic is completely believable and I found myself relating to her struggle of letting go what she knows in order to see what is possible. We also see her try to apply logic to love; Dario is a love interest you can cheer for! Since the story is told entirely from Grace's perspective, I don't feel as connected to Dario as I may have. This does not hinder my enjoyment of the story, though. The connection with Grace is a strong one.

This novel is completely unpredictable with many twists and turns in the overlapping plots - I did not see the ending coming at all! As an avid reader, it's hard to surprise me, and this book does it well. I found the story flowed through those twists and turns effortlessly. Ms. Drake knows how to write a good story and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Each chapter has a nerdy pun or quote under the chapter number. I really enjoy this little feature and shared many with others! This is a quirky way to make Grace's nerdiness shine that really works.

I really liked this book. It's an unusual story and I love all the characters. It's well written and just flows easily. I hope there's a sequel. #TheHocusPocusMagicShop #NetGalley

Grace O’Leary is a dedicated brilliant chemist who is close to finishing her PhD when she is accused of wrongdoing shattering her world. She is called to care for her aunt Lucy who has had an accident and needs help running the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop. Grace seizes the chance to escape and finds goings on in the South Side to be even more puzzling and distressing than her current predicament. Great story with a wide cast of unusual characters found myself pondering the clues and trying to work out how everything was going to be resolved. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I have never read anything by this author before reading this book
I was originally drawn to the cover which was bright and colourful
The book is well written and descriptive and tells the story well of Grace who is a phd student in chemistry but situations arise and she takes a break running her aunts magic shop
The story line was imaginative and made very pleasing reading running along side the main plot is a sweet love story which again read really well
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend and will definitely be checking out more by this author

A cute Magic Mystery romance story.
Liked the characters,Grace,Aunt Lucy,Dorio and all the rest.
A little mystery,twists,suspense magic and romance.
Magic and Chemistry comes together.
Enjoyed this cute story.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Grace is humiliated and her entire career is at risk when she is accused of a cheating incident in the final weeks prior to obtaining her Ph.D. in chemistry. Her aunt suffers a fall and needs assistance so, Grace goes to Pittsburgh to help. She finds herself enmeshed in a world of mystery and possibly magic when she cleans up and runs her aunt’s magic shop. This book is full of friends, love interests and a sense of community that made me want to move there. I loved how the author brought together people of different backgrounds, genders and ages finding a common ground that makes them “family”. I enjoyed this book so much I quickly bought the previous work by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A combination romance and cozy mystery managing to have the best of both genres while avoiding the worst of both.

I really enjoyed this hybrid book! Sometimes I find cozy mysteries get a little annoying / silly, especially when the protagonist is dashing into murder scenes, alienating friends by asking too many questions, and doing really stupid things as part of the denouncement. Same with romances - sometimes, they get annoying - too many weird details in sex scenes, too many unbelievable reasons for doing things, and too much jumping back and forth between characters. This book managed to avoid both of those. I especially liked how the protagonist managed to end up at the magic shop and how everything was told from her point of view only. The mystery was a little thin, but no worse than other pure cozy mysteries I've read.

Altogether, highly recommended. I'm adding the other book from this series to my TBR pile.

I received a free reader's copy of this book from NetGalley.com and voluntarily chose to review.

In the beginning I was on the fence, mostly because I didn't understand why everyone would so easily believe the worst of Grace. She's introduced as such a great upstanding woman, and yet the first time she's accused of cheating, the entire school seems to be against her. It made no sense. However, the fast paced setting of the South Side, and the wild assortment of characters make it easy to forgive this odd plot point. Grace really grows into her own person, and it's fun reading her struggle through being an awkward geek in wool skirts to the sultry firecracker she is by the end.


The only real negative I could find is with Sally. I wish there was more development there, since she's never fully defined. She mostly reads as transgender, but there are a few lines that suggest she's a drag queen, unless I just read it wrong. Either way, there is representation, I just wish there was more of Sally, and a better definition of what she identified as within the community.


Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who loves quirky characters, witches, magic, Halloween, and/or smart characters in cutesy romances.

This book was really cute. I love a story with a paranormal twist, and this one definitely met my expectations. Author Abigail Drake did a great job of setting up a story with a little something for everyone. There were breakups and controversies, family themes and community, it was a great reflection on relationships. Drake did a great job of creating characters who were dynamic and quirky.

My only complaint in the story is that some pieces started to feel redundant, and that made the story feel like it could have shaved off some of its length. It was a fun story, but sometimes lighter themed novels do well a little shorter.

Regardless, definitely a book worth picking up and settling into. A great beach read that keeps you on your toes!

Grace O'Leary is almost finished with her thesis to obtain a doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a TA (Teaching Assistant) at Penn. Disaster strikes as she is accused of cheating and is dismissed from the university and placed on probabtion until the review board hears her case. Then her longtime boyfriend packs up and leaves her. When she gets a call from her mother telling her that her Aunt Lucy has fallen down the steps and needs some assistance for a while Grace offers to help and heads off to Pittsburgh. Grace decides that her aunt's shop, The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop needs some renovations and revitalization. She has fond memories of the shop from her childhood visits so she is gung-ho to make The Magic Shop great again. But strange things are happening. What is going on around the South Side?

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake is the second book in her South Side series but is easily read as a standalone. This book has a complex storyline with many surprises. The characters are very likeable and fun. What I especially liked about this story is that it is set in the South Side of Pittsburgh. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, very close to the South Side so I loved reading about so many familiar places. It is not often a book is set in Pittsburgh. I am very glad I discovered this author and her South Side series. Readers who enjoy mysteries and magic will totally enjoy this book!

This is the second book of the South Side series. You do not have to read the first one to enjoy this one. Grace is a brilliant chemist that is in the middle of her doctoral thesis. A couple of people accuse her of cheating so she is suspended pending a review. While sitting at home wondering how she is going to salvage her academic career her mother calls telling her that her elderly Aunt Lucy fell and broke her leg. Aunt Lucy is in need of someone to help her out and run The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop, Grace goes and helps her aunt reopen her store and solve a mystery. She also meets Dario and boy do the sparks fly. I really enjoyed this book although Grace comes off as a little snobby and her and Dario aggravated me at times. I will go back and read the first one and look forward to the next one.

This was a fun read and an engrossing book. I loved the plot, the setting and the well written cast of characters.
I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dr. Lewis, head of the chemistry department at the University of Pennsylvania, sat stiffly at his large, imposing desk.

Grace O'Leary is a PhD candidate in Chemistry just weeks away from defending her thesis when she is accused of cheating in the classes she covers as a TA. Even her live=in boyfriend believes the charge and leaves her. A call from home reveals that her Great Aunt Lucy has fallen and needs assistance in her shop in Pittsburgh. Grace is anxious to go help Lucy in any way possible. She is quite shocked to see that the shop is not being properly maintained. To add to the confusion, Lucy insists that her late husband's ghost pushed her down the stairs. Grace meets Dario Fontana as she is trying to clean the shop. Sparks fly between the two and so the story begins.

A group of people are trying to shut down the more eclectic shops on the South Side. The Party Ark has taken over the old candy store. The employees spout the stores mottos almost like Stepford Wives.

Lucy discovers a bit of magic within herself and creates a love potion that has customers flocking to the store. She and Dario have a on and off relationship that really makes for interesting reading. I will never look at Tiramisu the same way again.

We meet loots of interesting characters that live and work in the neighborhood. All of the characters are well written and you feel at home with them. I was not aware that this was a second book in the series until I finished it. Everyone is introduced in such a way that you immediately know what is going on.

There are two mysteries going on here. Grace's dismissal from university and the search for a family antiquity. Add in quirky characters, a Wiccan celebration and lots of chemistry for a most enjoyable read.

I loved the little quips that started each chapter beginning with: "Never trust an atom. They makeup everything."

I look forward to going back to read the first book and discover the twists and turns of Fiona's story.

I recommend this book for a delightful read.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced digital copy!

This was such a lighthearted and fun book. Initially, I wanted to read the book solely based on the cover. Magic, spells, and hocus pocus...sign me up! When I found out there was romance in it, I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t too intrigued anymore since I am not typically a fan of romance books. HOWEVER, this book did it in a great way and I didn’t feel as if I was reading solely a romance.

This was a comfy-cozy read. I read this over several days of cuddling up in bed and various armchairs with tea or coffee and enjoyed.

All of the characters were so likable and personable. I felt like these were everyday people I would meet on the street, which is what Abigail Drake must have been going for since this takes place in a small town where everyone knows everyone.

I also found out after reading this book that it is (technically) the second book in the South Side Stories series. This does not feel like a sequel. If I’m not mistaken, the other book deals with different characters and they overlap. The characters were well-rounded and I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything by not reading the other book. However, now I want to read the other book.

The only thing about this book that I found myself not liking was the length. With this type of book, I feel like it should be a 1-2 sitting book. Easy, light, and quick. This book felt too long for what it was.

Overall, I think the story and characters were so fun to experience and can’t wait to see what else Abigail Drake has in store.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop
by Abigail Drake 

Paperback, 476 pages
Published April 24th 2019 by Independently Published



Goodreads synopsis:
When chemist Grace O'Leary finds a book of magic spells hidden in her Aunt Lucy's run-down magic shop, the scientist in her itches to try them out. She mixes up a batch of love potions as a joke, and has to face the consequences when they actually seem to work.Her dream of becoming a professor is in peril, and time is running out to finish research for her dissertation. She can't handle any more distractions, but the magic shop is on the verge of closing, her aunt has become forgetful and confused, and a handsome reporter named Dario Fontana keeps sniffing around for a story. The last thing she needs is for him to find out about the love potions and expose her as fraud, but she begins to trust him, and the sizzling chemistry between them is soon too powerful to deny. With her personal and professional life in chaos, and her budding relationship with Dario in jeopardy, Grace is faced with a difficult choice. Fixing what is broken means going against every logical bone in her body. Can Grace learn to silence her scientific brain long enough to accept the truth about magic...and also about herself?

***

5 Stars

I have to say that Abigail Drake has my number. I have read two of her books in the last month and gave them both 5 stars.

This book is about a chemistry teaching assistant at a college. She gets forced out of the university by her mentor when he is brought evidence she gave a grading key to a student. Of course, she didn’t do this. Then when she gets home to talk to her boyfriend, another TA in the chem dept., he doesn’t give her the time of day and walks out on her without a backward glance.

I can imagine that crushing feeling. And Drake does an excellent job of portraying this betrayal. No one stood up for her. She went from being the chemistry TA student on the rise to a piranha.

She leaves campus with her tale between her legs and goes to tend to her Aunt Lucy who fell down the stairs at her business, the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop.

This is a story about love, trust, family and of course, magic. Grace learns how important these things are to her in this book. I don’t want to give too much away but I was as conflicted by reading it as Grace was living it. I was right with her the entire way. I had no clue who could be doing all these horrible things to Grace and the community on the south side.

The entire book intrigued me. I almost wish this were a series so I could visit this cast again. They are certainly worth writing another book for. I can see this as a tv series or at least a tv movie standalone show.

This book is perfect for both adults and teen readers. I was hooked from page one when Grace got kicked out of the university through no fault of her own. It could have been any of us in a similar situation and Drake does a great job of making us see the fragility and unknown personal power in all of us.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I love when a story mixes mystery with a bit of romance and a pinch of magic. We follow Grace, a scientist, as her quest for her PhD gets derailed and she comes to the aid of her aunt who has been hurt. Grace makes new friends and meets the handsome Dario as she is tasked with keeping the magic shop afloat amid threats on the surrounding community. This was a great mystery with everything included. I will for sure be looking into more books by this author. I loved the community of people that she created and the flow of the story. Thank you #Netgalley for the adv copy. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grace's academic life is turned upside down when she becomes the subject of a cheating scandal. She is suspended from school until she can have a meeting with the board which will not be for six weeks. She is sure she can clear her name but hates the way everyone is looking at her, like she would actually cheat. Even her boyfriend, now ex, thought so little of her and felt that she could do such a thing. He didn't want to be around her in fear of hurting his budding academic career. When Grace learns that her Aunt has fallen and needs someone to stay with her for a while she jumps at the chance of getting away for a while and hopefully figuring things out. When Grace gets to her Aunts shop she realizes how bad of shape things have become. She dives in immediately to help clean things up and get her Aunts store back on track. While cleaning Grace finds a spell book and thinks it would be funny to give one of the spells a try, little did she know that it would actually work. Grace soon learns that there is more to her than just being a scientist but will she let the other side of herself be free. She struggles with who she is as a person and how she sees things in life. Can she change a be the great person that she knows she is, can she open her heart to the impossible? Follow along as Grace takes on a journey of self discovery and helps out her much beloved Aunt along the way. I fell in love with the characters, setting, and the way the authors words spoke to me as I read each new page. I hope that she will travel back to this town and these people and write another book, because I would truly love to visit with them again!!!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What a great book , I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend to everyone.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop was a fun and entertaining read with a well-written plot and interesting characters. I loved the dynamics between several of the characters and the fact that each chapter started with a chemistry sentence/quote. Another bonus was the Grace's nerdiness.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 3/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: While I generally liked this book and would ultimately recommend it to others, there are a few things I would caution future readers about. This is a loooooong book (450+ pages!) and I found some of the material to be repetitive and/or extraneous. One more good edit could and would eliminate some of the extra and/or repetitive bits making this a more streamlined, efficient, and enjoyable read. Now for the positive: Grace is lovely, her grandmother is a riot, the magic shop is a wonderful setting, the spirit of community within the neighborhood is delightful, and the plot is interesting. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot and how the community as a whole came together to support and help one another through such a dangerous and scary time. There are a lot of big personalities in this book and most of them came shining through as wonderful individuals with their own cares, worries, and concerns. I truly believe if some of the “extras” were taken out of this book, I would have most certainly been able to assign a far higher star rating.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake is a wonderful paranormal romance. Great book that I could not put down. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

This book had it all - a great mystery, a fun cast of characters, a little romance and some magic too! I really liked that instead of your traditional chapter headings, each chapter started with a chemistry sentance/quote. I believe this is the secod book in a series and will be buying "The Enchanted Garden Cafe" to visit this world again. This is a fun story and I can't wait to read more by this author.

A mix of chemistry, mystery, romance and magic...this book was such a good read.
A tall, geeky red head, Grace doesn’t believe in magic, she believes in science. But while she is helping to look after her aunt’s magic shop, things happen that science can’t explain.
An easy book to read, with a nice flow to it and characters that are well described so you could create a lovely menagerie of images of them all in your mind. I really engaged with the characters and didn’t want the story to end as I was enjoying it so much.
I would definitely recommend this book, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Backlit PR for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Grace is uber smart and on her way to earning her PHD. But things fell apart. Fortunately, her fave Aunt Luncinda had an accident and needed help so Grace packed up and left the university and her problems there to regroup. And runs into Dario and a host of problems in South Side. And discovers more about herself and her place in the world. While saving the community, her aunt's business and finding her one love. No biggie.

Just like the previous novel, this book was a fun read! Grace and Dario are real people, fully developed characters. Love that Dario gets her...always. And that he's smart too. And I want to be Grace's friend. Hehehe. And the supporting cast are great too! Ivan, hmm, that one needs a story...as well as Anthony and Tommy. And Cat. And maybe Aggie, though I'm still not sure about her.

It was hard putting this book down for real life, and I looked forward to when I could dive back into it. It's not a hard core mystery novel, and it's not quite a cozy mystery. Not sure how to classify this really. But I can honestly say I enjoyed this book and I'm looking to the next book in this series.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this magical book of fiction! There was a really good mix of nerdy stuff (chemistry), magic, social issues, and love scenes. It also kept you guessing on who the “bad guys” truly were until the end. My favorite quote from the book is “The best kind of happiness, the best kind of magic, and the best kind of future is the kind you create for yourself.”

It’s pretty obvious that I adore magic, but it’s a lesser known fact that I an a chemistry nerd, so this book immediately ticked SO many boxes for me.

I was hooked from page 1 when Grace got kicked out of uni and I simply couldn’t put it down.

This book is great for teens, young adults and adults alike. Drake weaves an incredible tale of love, family and obviously magic that anyone is bound to fall in love with.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Grace O'Leary has been dedicated to her dissertation, and her goal is within sight when she gets caught up in a cheating scandal and forced to leave the university in disgrace. When her boyfriend, also a chemistry doctorate candidate distances himself from her, she has nothing left to lose. When her aunt injures herself, it allows Grace to escape from her situation and help out her aunt with her shop. 

When she discovers a magic potion book in her aunt's failing shop Grace decides to give some of the spells a try, she never expected anything to work, but when the love potions quickly sell out, she discovers there may be more to the book than she thought. 

When a sexy reporter comes sniffing around for a story, Grace tries to hide her secrets while growing closer to him. 

This book was the perfect blend of romance mystery with just a dash of magic to make it more interesting.  The characters are interesting, and the plot develops at a good pace. This book seems to be part of a series, and I will definitely be reading more. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and the story clipped along nicely. The back and forth between Grace and Dario got just a little bit old and it felt a little bit like two high school kids deciding whether to break up or not. But overall it had an interesting story and enough of a mystery to keep me reading. I wasn't thrilled with the ending and it felt a little rushed to tie up the loose ends. I would read another in the series just because I liked the characters. In some way it reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a pretty good supernatural romance.
Grace loses her chance at earning her Phd when she is falsely accused of cheating. She decides to visit her sick aunt who owns a magical store. There she meets Dario, a reporter whom she instantly feels an attraction to. Together they solve the mystery of who wants to take her aunt's magical powers while discovering her own. The story is magical and the romance sweet. Loved that Grace is smart, independent and loyal. Her scientific mind and quirks made the story fun to read.

With all the high praises and 5-star ratings, I was sure this book would be great. So, without reading anything from Abigail Drake, I just jumped right into The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop. Even the title was cool, so what could go wrong? Three months later, I'm still not sure. Usually I read a book in a week (maximum). But when a book gets a bit longwinded or I get sidetracked, a book usually ends up on the bottom of my To Read Pile and then it will take more than a week for me to pick it up again.
Same with this one. Although the story isn't bad, it actually is very funny, but I feel like Abigail tried to incorporate three stories into one. Which resulted in a very big story with so many twists, turns and sidetracks that everything just kind of dragged on and on. Grace is a chemist, working on her thesis to become a professor. When she is accused of helping a student pass his exam by providing the answers beforehand, everybody thinks she is guilty. So she flees her home to her aunt Lucy to regain her rest and rethink her life. Her aunt Lucy owns the Hocus Pocus Magic Shop, but she is getting a bit too old to run the shop. Therefore, Grace decides to help her aunt out. But when Lucy is claiming that her dead husband is showing up in her shop, it seems that something strange is going on. When Dario Fontana starts showing up, to find out what is going on, Grace needs to get a grip on everything. But easier said than done, when the chemistry between her and Dario is off the charts.
Even while writing this review, all the different storylines keep crossing my mind and jumbling all over each other. In all, a good read, but if you don't like spaghetti, stay clear of this one. Three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I loved it!
Magical.
Paranormal.
Mystical.
Easy read.
Humorous at times.
Just for me...and you!

An engaging new mystery with a supernatural element that I found hard to put down, an enjoyable story and interesting characters i highly recommend

This is most definitely a romcom with a difference! I actually think I’d call it a romp-com as it’s a romp of a book with lots of fun and sparkle!
It’s not always easy to mix magic with cozy mystery because fans of one might object to the inclusion of the other element but it works really well here. The author herself is magic as she writes in a wonderful, light and light-hearted way. Her style is friendly and welcoming and it makes it so hard to put the book down!
The characters are all slightly eccentric, which makes them that much more fascinating and delightful – apart from the baddies, of course. They’re just fascinating.
The plot is ingeniously original and fresh. A super book.

The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop introduces us to Grace O'Leary, a young woman working on completing her Ph.D. in Chemistry. Befitting her name, Grace is a buxom redhead, with towering height, and a penchant for reciting the periodic table when she's overwhelmed.

After an incident at school, in which she is accused of helping students cheat on their tests, Grace accepts a moment to step away to take care of her Aunt Lucy. Author Abigail Drake takes no time in unleashing the plethora of characters into this charming book. Meeting so many people in such little time, it often begs the question of what they all mean to our protagonist.

As is to be expected from a flirtatious fantasy romance, the leading man catapulted into the fray. Handsome, athletic, and taller than our leading lady, Dario Fontana is everything Grace has been trying to avoid. Of course, this jock isn't like all the others, and eventually, Grace lets down her guard.

Everything about a paranormal romance novel is as expected, lightning-fast pace, charming men, and a reluctant heroine. The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop offers delightful magic, a hint of mystery, and tons of tightly woven female bonds.

Definitely a 5 star read. I really enjoyed every aspect of this book, from the well written, detailed characters to the excellent storyline. The main character, Grace, was work funny and her chemistry with Dario was scorching hot and oh so sexy. I really loved her aunt and the stories she shared about her experiences. This book had me laughing out loud - a lot. What a great read!