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kelseyreadshr's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Again the Magic is book zero in the Wallflower series. I’d read the rest of the series and wanted to come back and read this one after reading the rest of the series and hearing about Westcliff’s sisters in It Happened One Autumn.
It’s mainly about Aline and McKenna but a good portion features Livia and Gideon’s love story.
I really liked this one and it had me enthralled but was also a little frustrating. What I loved about this book definitely outweighed what frustrated me.
It’s a second chance romance and loved that we get the whole back story in the first four chapters and not any flashbacks after that.
I also loved how hard McKenna fell/falls for Aline. He’s a gruff hero and even more so later but absolutely loved the emotion he shows for her. I wished there would’ve been more from his POV later in the book though. I was also onboard with his reaction to Aline near the end. I liked Aline but I think she is where my frustration was at as she could make the hard choices that was in the best interest of others (or so she thinks) but wouldn’t reach out for her own happiness.
There’s a lot of longing but isn’t high angst because while they’re both not good at verbal communication, the attraction and camaraderie is always there.
I liked Westcliff in this one and was glad that their mother wasn’t in it. After reading the second Wallflower book, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it if she was.
It was also interesting having two love stories going on at the same time. Aline’s sister, Livia, and Gideon are elevated side characters with their own storyline and issues to overcome.
I also assumed that there would be some explanation or set up about the wishing well thats referred to in the rest of the series but wasn’t.
It didn’t get the full five stars because it didn’t leave me with that feeling of elation and warm feelings at the end. I enjoyed and love majority of this book and glad I went back to read it but wanted more for the ending.
There’s six encounters, four with Aline and McKenna and two with Livia and Gideon. All are open door and an overall mid steam level but on the rougher side compared to gentle with one encounter against a tree.
It’s mainly about Aline and McKenna but a good portion features Livia and Gideon’s love story.
I really liked this one and it had me enthralled but was also a little frustrating. What I loved about this book definitely outweighed what frustrated me.
It’s a second chance romance and loved that we get the whole back story in the first four chapters and not any flashbacks after that.
I also loved how hard McKenna fell/falls for Aline. He’s a gruff hero and even more so later but absolutely loved the emotion he shows for her. I wished there would’ve been more from his POV later in the book though. I was also onboard with his reaction to Aline near the end. I liked Aline but I think she is where my frustration was at as she could make the hard choices that was in the best interest of others (or so she thinks) but wouldn’t reach out for her own happiness.
There’s a lot of longing but isn’t high angst because while they’re both not good at verbal communication, the attraction and camaraderie is always there.
I liked Westcliff in this one and was glad that their mother wasn’t in it. After reading the second Wallflower book, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it if she was.
It was also interesting having two love stories going on at the same time. Aline’s sister, Livia, and Gideon are elevated side characters with their own storyline and issues to overcome.
I also assumed that there would be some explanation or set up about the wishing well thats referred to in the rest of the series but wasn’t.
It didn’t get the full five stars because it didn’t leave me with that feeling of elation and warm feelings at the end. I enjoyed and love majority of this book and glad I went back to read it but wanted more for the ending.
There’s six encounters, four with Aline and McKenna and two with Livia and Gideon. All are open door and an overall mid steam level but on the rougher side compared to gentle with one encounter against a tree.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Miscarriage
hannahkiwi's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury
kyeruhh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
THE YEARNING!!!! I absolutely loved this, the only things keeping me from giving it 5 stars are:
- The importance placed on the Aline’s virginity. I get it, it’s period accurate, but
McKenna’s response after they had sex for the first time and he found out she was a virgin felt icky even for the time period. - McKenna’s plan for revenge.
Trying to get back at someone by forcibly impregnating them is gross.
That said, I still really loved these characters (Mrs. Faircloth especially), and I quite liked the secondary romance between Livia and Shaw.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Classism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage
avacyn731's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
martine3's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Some unnecessary slowings of the pace, but otherwise the almost Wuthering Heights retelling I needed. And thankfully no babylogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Alcoholism
Moderate: Miscarriage
readerette's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
As long as you're okay with familiar romance tropes and privileged people not recognizing their own privilege, this is a decent little two-in-one love story, heavier on the sex scenes than what I'm used to with Kleypas, though she tends to be generous in that regard.
A little heavy handed with the melodrama of two adults who refuse to tell one other important information for really no discernible reason, but not in a fashion atypical of the genre. There were noticeable typos in the digital copy I read, which I've noticed before with Kleypas books.
A little heavy handed with the melodrama of two adults who refuse to tell one other important information for really no discernible reason, but not in a fashion atypical of the genre. There were noticeable typos in the digital copy I read, which I've noticed before with Kleypas books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Miscarriage, Child death, Outing, Death of parent, and Cursing
ember_eyes_are_for_tigers's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
In a sense, it’s very reminiscent of fairytales and the feeling of being so removed from reality that even magic could be real.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcoholism
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Two love stories are going on in this book. Although the main story is between Aline and McKenna, I found the story between Aline’s sister Livia and McKenna’s friend Gideon to be captivating. In fact, because they didn’t have a whole past to unpack, it was easier to sink into their story.
While I enjoyed this book and felt the connection between Aline and McKenna, for some reason I wasn’t getting the warm fuzzies I’m always looking for in my romance reading. Yet, some scenes made me swoon. I’m sure that doesn’t make sense to you since it doesn’t make sense to me. Perhaps it’s because I find it hard to get past McKenna having hatred for Aline when he’s otherwise such a smart man. But I guess love is blind. I couldn’t trust McKenna’s actions, not sure if he was enacting revenge or having true feelings.
When it came to Aline, I wasn’t happy about her secret-keeping but I could understand where she was coming from. I wasn’t sure where my feelings were with Aline’s brother, but there is a wonderful and touching scene with him toward the end that made me forgive any of his misdeeds (always done with good intentions) along the way.
There were some definite reservations when it came to Livia and Gideon. He has some demons that I was afraid would be swept away when he found love. Rest assured, that is not what happens here. The author responsibly handled Gideon’s problems, especially considering he is not the main character of this book. Of course, it’s still a bit too easy and not how things would play out in reality. But it also wasn’t swept under the rug. This is, after all, a fictional story.
All in all this book brought me enjoyment. Especially the last handful of chapters. I’m not sure how much this story ties into the other Wallflowers books, but I’m assuming it will take place in the same world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
soj19's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Miscarriage
unsuccessfulbookclub's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Boatloads of angst and longing plus TWO romances in one book? 🥰
-0.25 stars bc Aline was a little too insufferable. Otherwise perfect.
-0.25 stars bc Aline was a little too insufferable. Otherwise perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Classism, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage