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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I received this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book! At first it seemed a bit slow-paced but then things started happening and I couldn't stop reading! It's pretty good!
Selene Blackstone is a witch and she's cursed. Aiden is a paranormal investigator who doesn't believe in the paranormal. The people in the town of Brimrock hate Selene cause they think she descends from a family of witches and there was something weird about her grandmother Luna. Aiden goes to Brimrock with his friend Eddie to investigate the Blackstone family for their YouTV series about paranormal stuff. But when Aiden meets Selene he feels she's different in a good way.
This is the first book in a series and it was really good. I love magic and romance so this was the perfect book for me!
The mystery was interesting, I kept wondering about it. The romance was so good, I just want to read the rest of the books in this series to know more about the main characters! The friendships were great, Noelle and Selene are the best.
I wish there was even more magic but being the first book it's okay, I guess there's more magic in the sequels. But it was fantastic the bits of magic in this one.
The ending of the mystery was totally unexpected and I love that, I didn't see it coming.
I'll try to pick up the rest of the series to see where the story is going.
I really enjoyed this book! At first it seemed a bit slow-paced but then things started happening and I couldn't stop reading! It's pretty good!
Selene Blackstone is a witch and she's cursed. Aiden is a paranormal investigator who doesn't believe in the paranormal. The people in the town of Brimrock hate Selene cause they think she descends from a family of witches and there was something weird about her grandmother Luna. Aiden goes to Brimrock with his friend Eddie to investigate the Blackstone family for their YouTV series about paranormal stuff. But when Aiden meets Selene he feels she's different in a good way.
This is the first book in a series and it was really good. I love magic and romance so this was the perfect book for me!
The mystery was interesting, I kept wondering about it. The romance was so good, I just want to read the rest of the books in this series to know more about the main characters! The friendships were great, Noelle and Selene are the best.
I wish there was even more magic but being the first book it's okay, I guess there's more magic in the sequels. But it was fantastic the bits of magic in this one.
The ending of the mystery was totally unexpected and I love that, I didn't see it coming.
I'll try to pick up the rest of the series to see where the story is going.
First: I am white.
The romance part was cute, steamier than I expected.
The mystery part felt a bit forced, so did the curse.
I really liked the magic system!
The romance part was cute, steamier than I expected.
The mystery part felt a bit forced, so did the curse.
I really liked the magic system!
First, I'd like to thank Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.
This is my first novel by Mila Nicks, so I can't compare it to anything else of hers, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this. It had a mystery within the novel as well, so it wasn't just a contemporary romance. I thought the book blended both elements together, and I'll be honest the twist towards the climax of the book actually surprised me.
In Black Witch Magic, we have Selene Blackstone, granddaughter to the infamous Luna Blackstone who the whole time despises. We don't ever actually know why, just that there is a curse on the Blackstone family made back back in the late 70s by either a jealous or jilted lover. I couldn't quite figure that part out. I wasn't sure if it was some white hag of a witch who was beyond delusional, or if her fiancé was having a legitimate affair with Luna. I do think that could have been fleshed out a little more, but perhaps that was the point, that there is never just two sides to a story, but the truth somewhere in the middle. Anywho, due to said curse, Selene is destined to live her life in Brimrock, a fictional small town in New England. Everyone hates her or thinks she's weird. They don't know that she's a lunar witch except her best friend and sister from another mister, Noelle who is a green witch. She's just trying to live her life with the crappy people of this town, and honestly, the fact that she hadn't decimated them all by this point was a miracle in itself.
In comes Aiden O'Hare, paranormal investigator part of a duo with his best friend, Eddie. Eddie's aunt and her family live in Brimrock, so they decide to go there for the holidays before investigating into Luna Blackstone's history as they said the town is haunted by her ghost. All these strange happenings are occurring, mainly to the male sex, so this would be prime footage for their 50th episode of their little YouTV channel. Aiden doesn't particularly like Christmas, and he finds Eddie's family, especially his Aunt Priscilla overwhelming. He wasn't far off because they are a lot, especially the aunt. She's a Hallmark Christmas movie made flesh, and even I hated her by halfway through the book.
Due to a rideshare mishap, our two lovebirds meet and eventually keep meeting until they decide to go on a date. Aiden lies about who he is, Selene doesn't completely tell the truth, but this all comes to a head pretty early on in the book. Soon enough, our Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew are doing their own investigation into the unfortunate happenings to two men in town. The whole town believes Selene is responsible, and Aiden just isn't having that.
I really enjoyed Selene and Aiden together. I felt that they complimented each other well despite the fact that they were both awkward turtles when it came to dating or people in general. They had some snafus throughout the book, but they actually sat down and discussed them like healthy adults, especially after their first go around in the bedroom left Selene very dissatisfied. I loved that Mila went there. She made the first sexual experience a total dud, complete abolishing the trope of a wonderful, orgasmic first time. It was embarrassing, mortifying, hilarious, and real. Yet, our lover boy Aiden was not going to go down without showing her that he knew how to take care of a woman, and boy did he ever. There isn't a lot of steaminess in the book, but that makes the sexy times even better.
The story itself is nicely paced. I don’t think there were any particular moments that dragged on. I don’t think there was any insta-love, just a very deep connection based on mutual respect, admiration, and fondness for each other. There were no “I love you” tossed around after knowing each other for less than a month. I also really really loved Selene’s friendship with Noelle. These two were ride or die, and they meant it. I could have read a whole book of just them being best witch friends together and breaking the curse themselves.
I will say that if you are going in thinking this is set during Halloween, it isn't. It's set during Christmas, but the mystery of the book does provide a certain spookiness to it. I think this is start of a very cute series with these two, and I can't wait to read more about them.
This is my first novel by Mila Nicks, so I can't compare it to anything else of hers, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this. It had a mystery within the novel as well, so it wasn't just a contemporary romance. I thought the book blended both elements together, and I'll be honest the twist towards the climax of the book actually surprised me.
In Black Witch Magic, we have Selene Blackstone, granddaughter to the infamous Luna Blackstone who the whole time despises. We don't ever actually know why, just that there is a curse on the Blackstone family made back back in the late 70s by either a jealous or jilted lover. I couldn't quite figure that part out. I wasn't sure if it was some white hag of a witch who was beyond delusional, or if her fiancé was having a legitimate affair with Luna. I do think that could have been fleshed out a little more, but perhaps that was the point, that there is never just two sides to a story, but the truth somewhere in the middle. Anywho, due to said curse, Selene is destined to live her life in Brimrock, a fictional small town in New England. Everyone hates her or thinks she's weird. They don't know that she's a lunar witch except her best friend and sister from another mister, Noelle who is a green witch. She's just trying to live her life with the crappy people of this town, and honestly, the fact that she hadn't decimated them all by this point was a miracle in itself.
In comes Aiden O'Hare, paranormal investigator part of a duo with his best friend, Eddie. Eddie's aunt and her family live in Brimrock, so they decide to go there for the holidays before investigating into Luna Blackstone's history as they said the town is haunted by her ghost. All these strange happenings are occurring, mainly to the male sex, so this would be prime footage for their 50th episode of their little YouTV channel. Aiden doesn't particularly like Christmas, and he finds Eddie's family, especially his Aunt Priscilla overwhelming. He wasn't far off because they are a lot, especially the aunt. She's a Hallmark Christmas movie made flesh, and even I hated her by halfway through the book.
Due to a rideshare mishap, our two lovebirds meet and eventually keep meeting until they decide to go on a date. Aiden lies about who he is, Selene doesn't completely tell the truth, but this all comes to a head pretty early on in the book. Soon enough, our Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew are doing their own investigation into the unfortunate happenings to two men in town. The whole town believes Selene is responsible, and Aiden just isn't having that.
I really enjoyed Selene and Aiden together. I felt that they complimented each other well despite the fact that they were both awkward turtles when it came to dating or people in general. They had some snafus throughout the book, but they actually sat down and discussed them like healthy adults, especially after their first go around in the bedroom left Selene very dissatisfied. I loved that Mila went there. She made the first sexual experience a total dud, complete abolishing the trope of a wonderful, orgasmic first time. It was embarrassing, mortifying, hilarious, and real. Yet, our lover boy Aiden was not going to go down without showing her that he knew how to take care of a woman, and boy did he ever. There isn't a lot of steaminess in the book, but that makes the sexy times even better.
The story itself is nicely paced. I don’t think there were any particular moments that dragged on. I don’t think there was any insta-love, just a very deep connection based on mutual respect, admiration, and fondness for each other. There were no “I love you” tossed around after knowing each other for less than a month. I also really really loved Selene’s friendship with Noelle. These two were ride or die, and they meant it. I could have read a whole book of just them being best witch friends together and breaking the curse themselves.
I will say that if you are going in thinking this is set during Halloween, it isn't. It's set during Christmas, but the mystery of the book does provide a certain spookiness to it. I think this is start of a very cute series with these two, and I can't wait to read more about them.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Black Witch Magic is at the intersection of Romance, Paranormal/Sci-Fi, and Mystery! I loved the characters and twists in the story. This is the first of the Paranormal Hunter series and I'm excited to read the others. Selene is a lovable witch who is unfairly ostracized by her town and her employer. No one knows that she's a witch for sure but they still treat her like the walking embodiment of the chicken pox and it sucks. It was wonderful to read that Selene looks like me! From my natural curls to my glasses and nerdy vibes. She's introverted, bookish, and not exactly fashionable. I related with her a lot (except for her love of dogs over cats!!!) Her bestie and bestie's grandma were my favorite characters aside from Selene. Their coffee shop sounded heavenly and they were probably the most fun and creative part of the town. These three characters are Black witches. The rest of Brimrock seems hella boring, so I understand why Aiden isn't too keen to partake in the Christmas festivities with his friend's family.
I had a little issue with the way Nicks described Selene's work at the library. This will probably seem silly to most people but as a librarian, I thought I should address it. Selene often organizes and puts away books, which is usually something that library assistants do not librarians. The book also describes her putting away books alphabetically but most libraries in the US have systems like the Dewey Decimal System or Library of Congress Classification. Both of these organization systems use groupings like genre. As I mentioned before, this isn't really a big deal, but it did distract me a bit as I read.
Another reviewer (Bethany) for this book made some really good points on how this book had "lots of subtext on racism and microagressions" and I agree! Check out her review if you want more on that.
I'm hoping the next book will reveal more about Selene's upbringing/family while investigating more paranormal activities!
adventurous
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
An interesting read, but not really my genre. Still, this romantic light-hearted witchy book was good enough for me.
A humorous and cute cozy mystery/romance/paranormal-fantasy. I don’t think I have read anything remotely like this! And no wonder, because Black authors and characters are WAY underrepresented in every single one of those above mentioned genres. The characters in this story are great, unique and quirky. I liked that Selene and Aiden both had best friends who were their opposites, but in totally different ways. Selene is a “Bewitched” type witch who can basically wiggle her nose so to speak and have the books on her library cart shelve themselves—there are quite a few elements in this book that you kind of just have to go with. A fun escape!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes