alannahsh's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
liferhi_inspired's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Stars
🔥🔥 2/5 Steam Rating
📝 Debut Novel; Alternating 3rd Person POV
This is a perfect read for anyone that loves a good cozy, slow burn, small town romance, with a touch of magic. I loved the idea of a romance between a witch and a merman, that’s not something you see often. I expected it to be a bit more of a Halloween read since it was published in September, but it felt a bit more like a summertime read since that’s when the whole story took place. Overall, I enjoyed the story.
I had two main things that prevented me from giving it a 5star rating. First, I felt like the sexual tension was great, but it was just a bit too much of a slow burn for me. I also wished that there was more magic involved within this story. It honestly felt more like a contemporary romance centered around a wish, not a paranormal romance. If you would’ve removed the “paranormal elements” within the story, it wouldn’t have looked that much different.
I quickly grew to adore Lucy & Alex as characters. I’m hoping that Ursula will get a good redemption story; she was so easy to dislike. There were so many great characters in this book, I can see this evolving into a great series of interconnected stories.
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.
🔥🔥 2/5 Steam Rating
📝 Debut Novel; Alternating 3rd Person POV
This is a perfect read for anyone that loves a good cozy, slow burn, small town romance, with a touch of magic. I loved the idea of a romance between a witch and a merman, that’s not something you see often. I expected it to be a bit more of a Halloween read since it was published in September, but it felt a bit more like a summertime read since that’s when the whole story took place. Overall, I enjoyed the story.
I had two main things that prevented me from giving it a 5star rating. First, I felt like the sexual tension was great, but it was just a bit too much of a slow burn for me. I also wished that there was more magic involved within this story. It honestly felt more like a contemporary romance centered around a wish, not a paranormal romance. If you would’ve removed the “paranormal elements” within the story, it wouldn’t have looked that much different.
I quickly grew to adore Lucy & Alex as characters. I’m hoping that Ursula will get a good redemption story; she was so easy to dislike. There were so many great characters in this book, I can see this evolving into a great series of interconnected stories.
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
boundbymischief's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️
“Love is the trickiest spell of all.”
This was such a cute read! I loved the chemistry between the 2 main characters after so many years apart. The history and the tension are so relatable! I loved their banter and connection throughout. It heated up about half way through but by about 70% it died down again, sadly. Then it was a lot of will they won’t they that kinda lost me and I had to force myself through. The last chapter or 2 brought in the happy ending though and made it worth a finish!
•3rd person dual pov
•second chance
•slow burn
•childhood friends to lovers vibes
•non-binary appearance
•bipoc MCs
•light-hearted hometown vibes
•happily ever after
Out September 27th!
Thank you to @netgalley and @celestinemartinauthor and @readforeverpub for the ARC in exchange for my review!
2/5 🌶️
“Love is the trickiest spell of all.”
This was such a cute read! I loved the chemistry between the 2 main characters after so many years apart. The history and the tension are so relatable! I loved their banter and connection throughout. It heated up about half way through but by about 70% it died down again, sadly. Then it was a lot of will they won’t they that kinda lost me and I had to force myself through. The last chapter or 2 brought in the happy ending though and made it worth a finish!
•3rd person dual pov
•second chance
•slow burn
•childhood friends to lovers vibes
•non-binary appearance
•bipoc MCs
•light-hearted hometown vibes
•happily ever after
Out September 27th!
Thank you to @netgalley and @celestinemartinauthor and @readforeverpub for the ARC in exchange for my review!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
thisreadingcorner's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Lucinda is a small-town witch, living a peaceful but not quite satisfied life as a teacher in her hometown. The night of the town fair, she reunites with her (almost) high school sweetheart Alex over a jammed fortune machine. Alex is a wanderer, but wondering if perhaps he made a mistake all those years ago. Fate and family conspire to bridge the decade-long gap between the old friends in this cozy tale, with the help of a little magic.
The premise of the book is really that Lucy wants more out of life, and while we see her begin to challenge herself, the majority of the book feels very stagnant. There are only so many times you can hear either character repeat the story of their senior prom/graduation night. We get less backstory on Alex’s side of things than Lucy’s which makes sense, but also adds to the feeling that he is a one-note character. While I enjoyed the romance and the side characters (aside from Ursula’s mess), this could have been a novella and gotten all the same points across with less repetition, particularly by the time we get to the third act conflict.
It might be for you if you want some Black witches and mermen, cozy fall vibes, and almost tension-free romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
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