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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Didn’t love miscommunication trope but loved their conversations on consent and proper communication. Cute overall!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
I love most things queer and witchy so I had high hopes for this book. It did not disappoint! This is the perfect book to dive in to this spooky season. I can definitely see myself rereading this book next fall.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
-Thank you to Net Galley & Berkley for the ARC!-
*a Book Camp 2023 read*
Ahhh here we have another comfy & witchy romance read. I'm intrigued to see if Tori Anne Martin will have more books set within this world/witchy community because it is a perfect mix between the mundane world and covens since witches are widely accepted and their services sought after. This book starts off strong with the fake-dating trope....with one party clearly interested in it being real, and I feel the relationship develops rather organically even with the disaster of a love potion at play. The only thing that really hurt my enjoyment of the book is that these is not only miscommunication but basically non-communication about the big important topic of the love potion itself and that made me want to shake our main character the whole way. This ended up impeding how the plot & relationship developed in a bad way. Overall this was a sweet and cozy read and an interesting play on fake dating but I just wanted more from the characters since the setting/atmosphere/magic system were all well thought out.
*a Book Camp 2023 read*
Ahhh here we have another comfy & witchy romance read. I'm intrigued to see if Tori Anne Martin will have more books set within this world/witchy community because it is a perfect mix between the mundane world and covens since witches are widely accepted and their services sought after. This book starts off strong with the fake-dating trope....with one party clearly interested in it being real, and I feel the relationship develops rather organically even with the disaster of a love potion at play. The only thing that really hurt my enjoyment of the book is that these is not only miscommunication but basically non-communication about the big important topic of the love potion itself and that made me want to shake our main character the whole way. This ended up impeding how the plot & relationship developed in a bad way. Overall this was a sweet and cozy read and an interesting play on fake dating but I just wanted more from the characters since the setting/atmosphere/magic system were all well thought out.
medium-paced
There is absolutely no need for a miscommunication trope of this magnitude in a sapphic book, when we, the sapphic community, are well known for valuing communication.
This book was okay - it was an easy going cosy romance with a twist of fantasy. Morgan proposes a fake-dating scenario to her crush, Rory, in an attempt to convince her family she is happily settled in a small town. The coven attend a festival and hijinks ensue. Morgan becomes convinced she accidentally gave Rory a love potion and becomes consumed by anxiety and guilt, and instead of communicating this like a normal person, decides to attempt to 'break' the spell by being mean to Rory.
I, and I cannot stress this enough, would really dislike Morgan if she was real. The moment she decided to be purposefully mean to Rory I considered DNFing the book because it made me so irate. She's also just such a fucking mess (derogatory) - I wanted to shake some sense into her. All logic goes out the window when she just decides she must have given Rory a love potion. I might just be too straight forward and direct for this book because the mental maths she was doing was insane. She jumped to conclusions with Olympic level skill.
The miscommunication trope was way too much for me. I don't really mind it as people as a group tend to miscommunicate, but there's no way people are pulling these kind of mental gymnastics to avoid ONE conversation that would have ended the book HALF way through. ESPECIALLY sapphic people. It totally overpowered any aspect of fake dating and the fun things that come with that.
The writing was also difficult to become immersed in - there was a lot of telling not showing, a lot of bland descriptions, and a lot of awkward dialogue. A lot of this book felt heavy handed to be honest.
I did like the discussions of consent though - it's always great to see a romance book do that.
Two stars for Lilith (cat), Hazel (the only one with sense), Rory (hot)
Thank you to Penguin & Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
content warnings: emotional abuse, anxiety
I should also mention there is zero spice (until the last chapter but it's not much) - I don't need spice in my books but I do prefer my romance books to have it. Don't go into this book expecting spice, or alternatively, if you prefer a spice free adult romance then this is for you.
This book was okay - it was an easy going cosy romance with a twist of fantasy. Morgan proposes a fake-dating scenario to her crush, Rory, in an attempt to convince her family she is happily settled in a small town. The coven attend a festival and hijinks ensue. Morgan becomes convinced she accidentally gave Rory a love potion and becomes consumed by anxiety and guilt, and instead of communicating this like a normal person, decides to attempt to 'break' the spell by being mean to Rory.
I, and I cannot stress this enough, would really dislike Morgan if she was real. The moment she decided to be purposefully mean to Rory I considered DNFing the book because it made me so irate. She's also just such a fucking mess (derogatory) - I wanted to shake some sense into her. All logic goes out the window when she just decides she must have given Rory a love potion. I might just be too straight forward and direct for this book because the mental maths she was doing was insane. She jumped to conclusions with Olympic level skill.
The miscommunication trope was way too much for me. I don't really mind it as people as a group tend to miscommunicate, but there's no way people are pulling these kind of mental gymnastics to avoid ONE conversation that would have ended the book HALF way through. ESPECIALLY sapphic people. It totally overpowered any aspect of fake dating and the fun things that come with that.
The writing was also difficult to become immersed in - there was a lot of telling not showing, a lot of bland descriptions, and a lot of awkward dialogue. A lot of this book felt heavy handed to be honest.
I did like the discussions of consent though - it's always great to see a romance book do that.
Two stars for Lilith (cat), Hazel (the only one with sense), Rory (hot)
Thank you to Penguin & Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
content warnings: emotional abuse, anxiety
I should also mention there is zero spice (until the last chapter but it's not much) - I don't need spice in my books but I do prefer my romance books to have it. Don't go into this book expecting spice, or alternatively, if you prefer a spice free adult romance then this is for you.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
An unrequited crush, a coven, a newt festival, a fake dating situation, a love potion…
Wait.
Recently I posted about tropes I’m weird about & one of them is love potion—a plot point in This Spells Disaster.
With that being said author Tori Anne Martin addresses the lack of consent with those in the author’s note & one FMC’s awareness of it prevents her from moving physically forward with the other lead so it worked a-okay for me.
This sapphic witchy romance is ca—ute! (Is that how you spell it if you say it like that?) The book is set in a cozy town in Maine (never been but it makes such a great romance backdrop!), there’s queer rep, that aforementioned consideration of consent & love potions, a fun newt festival (can I go?).
Morgan is a potions-witch at her family shop; Rory is a very well-known witch who abruptly left the spotlight to become a bartender at Morgan’s small town. When Rory’s parents try to pressure Rory to return to the spotlight, she & Morgan begin a fake dating situation that gets complicated by their real feelings & also the love potion Morgan accidentally made that she thinks Rory has ingested.
On one hand I grew a bit frustrated with how lead Morgan was trying to “How to lose a guy in 10 days” Rory because of the accidental love potion she made & gave to Rory, but on the other the conflict kind of made sense given how everything was set up for & about the characters earlier in the book.
Witchy reads are the bomb.com & this is a fun one.
4 ⭐️. Out now!
Please read a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
An unrequited crush, a coven, a newt festival, a fake dating situation, a love potion…
Wait.
Recently I posted about tropes I’m weird about & one of them is love potion—a plot point in This Spells Disaster.
With that being said author Tori Anne Martin addresses the lack of consent with those in the author’s note & one FMC’s awareness of it prevents her from moving physically forward with the other lead so it worked a-okay for me.
This sapphic witchy romance is ca—ute! (Is that how you spell it if you say it like that?) The book is set in a cozy town in Maine (never been but it makes such a great romance backdrop!), there’s queer rep, that aforementioned consideration of consent & love potions, a fun newt festival (can I go?).
Morgan is a potions-witch at her family shop; Rory is a very well-known witch who abruptly left the spotlight to become a bartender at Morgan’s small town. When Rory’s parents try to pressure Rory to return to the spotlight, she & Morgan begin a fake dating situation that gets complicated by their real feelings & also the love potion Morgan accidentally made that she thinks Rory has ingested.
On one hand I grew a bit frustrated with how lead Morgan was trying to “How to lose a guy in 10 days” Rory because of the accidental love potion she made & gave to Rory, but on the other the conflict kind of made sense given how everything was set up for & about the characters earlier in the book.
Witchy reads are the bomb.com & this is a fun one.
4 ⭐️. Out now!
Please read a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read This Book If…you’re looking for a standalone witchy romance to kick off spooky season!
Please note: this was an ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: queer romance
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 explicit scenes
Setting: coastal tourist town in Maine
POV: single, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: fake dating, small town, miscommunication
What I Thought: I think this story would make a super cute rom-com for spooky season! I really enjoyed that witches are public with their magic and celebrities in their own right. This book did a great job talking about consent, especially in the context of love potions. I found it to be a little predictable and wished the main characters spent more time together, but overall this was a very enjoyable read!
Memorable Quote: “Rory had bewitched her every bit as much as she had accidentally bewitched Rory.”
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes