Y’all, these three witchy romances caught me off guard by how much I loved them, most especially Wooing the Witch Queen. You see, I started Wooing the Witch Queen and I was not there for that beginning at all. Then I started it again on audiobook and the mood of the book swept me away entirely and I loved it! Then we’ll discuss A Simple Twist of Fate by April Asher, which was a really great return to home witchy read. And finally, Season of the Witch by Sophie H. Morgan, which was a delightful Christmas-y second chance romance featuring fake dating, a combination I really enjoyed! As usual, I received advanced copies via Netgalley, though I think I may have listened to each of them on audio from my library if I’m not mistaken. A great time. Would recommend.
Wooing the Witch Queen
by Stephanie Burgis
As I mentioned above, I started Wooing the Witch Queen and did not vibe with the writing style immediately. So fast forward a couple of months and I tried again, this time on audio and everything about the book clicked for me immediately. The lesson I may or may not take forward with me is actually just a reminder that I am a mood reader and that is true not just for the themes I like to read about, but also sometimes for the writing style as well. So let’s see if I can explain when you should give this book a shot…
If you’re in the mood for a little whimsy, paired with a darker storyline, if you want to go on an adventure with a character who doesn’t really know what he’s doing, and if you want to follow a Queen who doesn’t really want to be queen, she’d rather be a researcher, you should pick this book up. Our academic queen is constantly being bothered by the realities of having a kingdom to rule and it’s rather inconvenient. She has a wizard fall into her lap and she expects him to be as useless as his counterparts, but it turns out he’s actually quite competent and a whole lot of other adjectives. What she doesn’t realize is that he’s the face of her enemy, the Prince of the rival kingdom.
The setting and atmosphere are a little macabre, a little fantastic, and the side characters and the building of the world are really detailed and fantastic. I think it’s truly a magnificent book and I’m so looking forward to the sequel, Enchanting the Fae Queen. Now to just make sure I pick it up when I’m in the mood for a little whimsy.
A Simple Twist of Fate
by April Asher
Harlow Pierce is returning to her hometown because she needs help with her goddaughter’s magic situation, as her goddaughter is half-human, half-shifter, and struggling with the shifter power situation. Grace (goddaughter) is having some issues with fire, specifically, though they don’t really know why and her mom is off trying to track down her biological father to find out what the heck is happening. In the meantime, Harlow (Harry) is back in her hometown and, whoops, the person she needs to help her is the former love of her life who she turned her back on because the “fates” said that he was meant to be with her best friend.
There’s a lot of world-building in this book, but it’s done in such a seamless way that it’s never overwhelming. I think that part of that world-building is the magic of the town and the people. I really liked the way this town seemed to come alive with the various characters. I had a really great time with that aspect of this book. I also really liked Harry falling back in love with Jaxon, who was just enough of a grump to keep things very interesting.
I was really hoping we would be getting more from this set up because there are just so many places that we could go, but it turns out this book is currently a stand-alone, so now I’m a bit sad. So now everyone needs to go read this book and then join me in demanding a book two from St. Martin’s Griffin. Just you know, politely.
Season of the Witch
by Sophie H. Morgan
Tia and Henry had a spectacular relationship and then break up back when they were in their late teens/early twenties. They’re now forced to spend time together because their parents have merged their businesses so now they’re working in the same enclosed space and they hate each other. Or, well, do they?
For romance reasons, they’re forced to fake date and attend a Christmas-extravaganza in Europe or business reasons and let me tell you, the Christmas content? Excellent. If you’re seen and/or enjoyed Champagne Problems on Netflix, I think you should give this one a shot. I found the personal journey of Tia pretty well done and I was aggravated the two weren’t figuring out their problems as quickly as I wanted them to, which is always a great feeling when reading a fake dating, second chance situation. At least, in my opinion.
Seasonally, this book was truly excellent, so I’m really glad to have read it when I did. It definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. I really hope we continue to get more witchy romances from Sophie H. Morgan. Manifest that with me, please and thank you.
Closing Thoughts
Witchy romances can be so fun, but sometimes the world-building isn’t there. In these three books, they were all perfectly witchy with a fully developed world around the main characters and the romance. I’m delighted to have read these and I look forward to more from each of the authors in the future.
xx
firewhiskeyreader 