Read And Revel

Living in a small, sanctuary town filled with an assortment of magic folk and creatures openly with magless (non-magical), Lucinda has known since she was young that she would step into the role of High Priestess, like her mother, grandmother and line of strong witches before her. However, her last prank toward long-time rival, Benedict, gets a little out of hand. Choosing to accept the coven’s arranged marriage proposal with confidence, she knows Benedict will never go along with the scheme. Then, he accepts.
Her loving mother and grandmother, the strongest witches in the town, decide to help Lucy through a modified love potion, but things don’t go exactly to plan. When Benedict catches her in the woods, they begin a path that neither of them ever expected. And expectations run deep in their little town of Foxford.

This book was a light-hearted, fun read, perfect when you’re wanting cozy, autumn, witchy feelings.

The setting starts in an adorably cozy, small town full of unique characters and little shops. I love the way they integrate the gothic, Victorian styles along with more colorful, comfy spaces, it’s certainly 2 worlds becoming one.
The world-building was a ton of fun to read through, I enjoyed learning about the different types of magical creatures, from werewolves to grim reapers that exist in the universe. Holding these with a sanctuary town in the modern day allowed for whimsy, along with more modern jokes (i.e. trying to make a blood replacement drink for vampires!). There was also a lot of scattered lore, family history, and hierarchy that felt naturally at home within the story being shared.

I sincerely enjoyed the variety of dynamics peppered throughout the story, outside of our focus romance. You have a close and genuine bond between the Hawthorne women, even when they try to help too much. The more strict and severe Matherson family, who have high expectations but a fierce family loyalty.
The friendships are also distinct, a dear best friend you’d give your life to protect. A once-close friend going through trouble you can’t fix. A brother stuck between two worlds, paying for a grief-stricken lapse in judgment. Throughout the story we can see the message play out that things aren’t always what they seem, if you look a little deeper and remove the biases we hold.

There were character threads I would have liked to see a conclusion on, or at least feel that the time invested in them was purposeful. It also felt like there should be some climax or “last battle” towards the end (or even just a setup for one in the next book) that felt flat.

Tropes- forced marriage, love triangle, childhood friends/rivals, rivals to lovers, found family, body switch (sort-of) love potion (gone wrong-ish)

Number of Times I Wanted to Throw the Book Across the Room: 3

Did the Book Pass the “One More Chapter” Test? 5/5

Number of Emotional Roller Coasters: 2

Perfect snack pairing: A cup of tea for Lucinda, and a slice of pumpkin pie for Benedict

Character I Would Most Like to Have a Drink With
Probably Rosie, we saw glimpses but I would love to have a drink her and learn about the work she does!

Quote that perfectly sums up the main characters relationship:

Level of spice: 2/5

Unique bits I love:
Integrating her period into the story.
A genuine view at how Domestic Violence affects lives
LGBT+ friendly