Back in a Spell

by Lana Harper

An awkward first date leads to a sparkling romance between one of the most powerful witches in town and a magical newbie in this rom-com by Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch.
 
Even though she won’t deny her love for pretty (and pricey) things, Nineve Blackmoore is almost painfully down-to-earth and sensible by Blackmoore standards. But after a year of nursing a broken heart inflicted by the fiancée who all but ditched her at the altar, the powerful witch is sick of feeling low and is ready to try something drastically different: a dating app.
 
At her best friend’s urging, Nina goes on a date with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary, offbeat soul of spontaneity and co-owner of the Shamrock Cauldron. Their date goes about as well as can be expected of most online dates—awkward and terrible. To make matters worse, once Morty discovers Nina’s last name, he’s far from a fan; it turns out that the Blackmoores have been bullishly trying to buy the Shamrock out from under Morty and his family.
 
But when Morty begins developing magical powers—something that usually only happens to committed romantic partners once they officially join a founding family—at the same time that Nina’s own magic surges beyond her control, Nina must manage Morty’s rude awakening to the hidden magical world, uncover its cause, and face the intensity of their own burgeoning connection. But what happens when that connection is tied to Nina’s power surge, a power she’s finding nearly as addictive as Morty’s presence in her life?

• ISBN10: 0593336100
• ISBN13: 9780593336106
• Publish Date: 3 January 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593336106

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

It's time to return to Thistle Grove for the third witchy installment of this series! Nineve Blackmore, aka Nina, hasn't had a great track record in the love department. She can't seem to get over her most recent ex – the one she was meant to marry.

So her friend suggests an experiment, one that results in Nina going on a date with one Morty Gutierrez, the non-binary owner of the Shamrock Cauldron. Thanks to Nina's witchy ways, what was a horrible first date turned into a very strange encounter, as the two somehow wound up witch-bound. You can imagine all the chaos that brings with it.

My Review:

I have been a massive fan of the Witches of Thistle Grove since the first novel and have been counting down the days to reading Back in a Spell. And it's finally here! Only, I didn't end up loving it as much as I had hoped? How??

Let's discuss the elephant in the room first, alright? I can only give this book three stars because I had two significant problems with it. The first is a "me-thing," as I don't vibe with the Blackmore family. So I struggled to get into this perspective right from the start.

The other issue I have with this book is how it treated Morty. Morty is described as a "non-binary and offbeat soul." We know that Morty's preferred pronouns are he/they, yet Nina only ever uses masculine terms to describe Morty. It's jarring at best and offensive at worst. I'm not sure where it falls here, other than to say it felt like Morty was initially written as a cis-male character, only to have the non-binary part added as an afterthought. It's the only thing that explains it in my mind.

Other than those issues, Back in a Spell was a decent read. I don't think it's as strong as the first two novels, but it did progress the lore of Thistle Cove, so that part was nice. It also addressed a few obvious concerns, such as the magical community's treatment of non-magical beings (i.e., regular humans).

Highlights:
Witchy Romance
LGBT
Pan Protagonist
Non-binary love interest
Enemies to lovers

Trigger Warnings:
Sensitivity Concerns

Thanks to Berkley and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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