Small Town, Big Magic: A Witchy Romantic Comedy (Witchlore Book 1)

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Emerson’s “unbusheling” as it’s called in A Marvelous Light isn’t like that at all. Because she did know about magic until she was 18 – and that’s where the Harry Potter fanfiction reference comes in. Emerson’s memory of magic was wiped because she failed a test of power – and that whole scenario is suspicious in a way that does not get resolved at the end of this first book in the series. Rebekah, along with her sister and close friends have to prove themselves after events at the end of book one. Rebekah also comes face to face with Nicholas Frost, her tutor and also the immortal she has feelings for. And it was great to see some truly epic UST get resolved, along with the processing of a whole bunch of suppressed grief as well as a bit of a stand up and cheer moment from at least half the town. No one has civic pride quite like Emerson Wilde. As a local indie bookstore owner and youngest-ever Chamber of Commerce president, she’d do anything for her hometown of St. Cyprian, Missouri. After all, Midwest is best! She may be descended from a witch who was hanged in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials, but there’s no sorcery in doing your best for the town you love. A witchy rom-com in which a bookstore owner who is fighting to revitalize a small midwestern town clashes with her rival, the mayor, and uncovers not only a clandestine group that wields a dark magic to control the idyllic river hamlet, but hidden powers she never knew she possessed.

I know,” she says gently, her other hand coming over mine. There’s no lecture, just a gentle squeeze. “Humor me today.” I smile even more broadly. If there was an award for best flyer, that one would win it. But then, I’m excellent at flyers. “That flyer was about the new and improved Redbud Festival, Georgie.” Once upon a time (mostly in the 1980s and 1990s) there were a whole lot of books telling stories about people (usually young women) who discovered that the mundane world all around them hid secret places and even more secretive people filled with magic – and danger. And that the protagonist of those stories either belonged in those magical places or discovered them or had to save them. This is why I need my friends to help me brainstorm ways to deal with Skip’s eventual, inevitable response to my new ideas for the Redbud Festival. Because I’m certainly not going to stop trying to improve St. Cyprian and its tourist-attracting, revenue-producing festivals to appease Mayor Stinky Simon. Skip might not believe this, but while he can certainly schmooze with the best of them, he isn’t liked by all and sundry. He is mayor here because his family is powerful and because he vowed to keep the town as it is. The sad truth is, no matter how many progressive folks live here, a great many people in the greater St. Cyprian area are afraid of change.Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you google my name—something I only do every other Tuesday because ego surfing is an indulgence and I keep my indulgences on a strict schedule—the first twenty hits are about the hanging of Sarah Emerson Wilde in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. What brings you to my lair this early in the morning?” she asks without looking at me. I know this is to give the impression that she divined my presence when it’s more likely she heard the creaky board out in the hallway. In fact, I liked this second book a bit better than the first, because I felt for Rebekah and her snarky rebellion in a way that Emerson’s partially-manufactured goody-two-shoes perfection did not touch. What I liked best about Rebekah was that she never fell for Joywood’s act. It’s all a setup and she knows it’s a setup and she never pretends otherwise to herself or her friends. Cursed by her own mother to always tell the truth and one of the only half-witches around, Ellowyn Good has never considered herself an equal part of the Riverwood coven. But when the evil ruling coven of the witching world targets her directly, she begins to wonder why they want her gone.

This book is about family and forgiveness. I really loved seeing all of the characters return from the first book. I also absolutely loved Rebekah’s journey. Her talk of recovery and learning to love herself was very uplifting. I also enjoyed her story with Nicholas. He is a very interesting character, and their interactions were my favorite parts of the book. The ending was everything I hoped it would be - and now I have to wait for book number three. I cannot wait to see where this coven goes. Told from the first-person perspective of Rebekah Wilde, a witch that was banished from St. Cyprian ten years ago by the ruling coven Joywood, this is the story of her return home. Rebekah is asked to return by her sister Emerson (also a witch) when she learns that they must be put through another test of witch strength by Joywood, essentially it’s a second chance to practice magic legally in their area. But Joywood are desperate to keep their rule over St. Cyprian, and this test is brutally difficult, humiliating, and rigged. The two sisters ask Nicholas Frost for help, the powerful and sole immortal living in St. Cyprian who is strong enough to defeat the Joywood. Nicholas was actually Rebekah’s secret tutor when she was a teenager, and she had a desperate crush on him then. As they begin to work together again (her now of legal age), the chemistry between them is reignited, and Rebekah’s goal of passing Joywood’s test becomes secondary to something she’s even more interested in – winning over the cold and moody Frost. But Zander is even more key to these town domination meetings thanks to his evenings at St. Cyprian’s townie bar. He always knows what the gossip is. And knowing what people in town think, and what they’re saying, makes it easier for me to do things that really are what’s best for them.