Witchful Thinking
Author: Celestine Martin
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B+
What I’m Talking About:
When Lucy’s cousin Ursula wants to make a wish to ensure her wedding day happens despite the hiccups, Lucy and her two witchy sisters agree to help. However, while everything seems to go wrong for Ursula, Lucy discovers a new and exciting life, which includes spending time with her high school best friend and crush, Alex.
Alex knows a merman can’t stay in one place, which is why he left Freya Grove right after graduation, despite his feelings for Lucy. After traveling for the past ten years, he finds himself the owner of a cottage in the Grove, directly across the street from Lucy. He may want Lucy more than ever, but he knows he’ll never settle down.
Witchful Thinking is a delightful romance that blends magic, sweetness, and personal growth. Shared via the alternating POVs of both Lucy and Alex, the story spends time examining the actions and thoughts of both main characters as they discover the people and partners they are meant to be. Lucy believes her wish is the reason for her fortune; she is just going along with it and not causing a disruption to the momentum of the wish for the sake of her cousin and sisters. But most everyone else can see that it’s Lucy who is changing her own life and becoming more. I love that the wish forces Lucy outside her comfort zone, giving her courage to reach for things she’s only dreamed of.
Alex is convinced he can’t stay in one place, despite his merfolk parents and brother living in Freya Grove. I wasn’t fully convinced why he believed this, but the author writes a character who is strong in his convictions. His warring feelings, wanting Lucy but not wanting to hurt her because of who he believes he is, don’t overpower the plot. He is introspective, which allows him to grow.
The supporting characters, including Alex’s brother, Lucy’s sisters, and Ursula each bring something to the story, and I hope that we will learn more in future books. I have to wonder if the author purposely left out writing about Ursula’s wedding because her story will be featured in another book.
In the end, I enjoyed my time in Freya Grove. Witchful Thinking is a lighthearted romance that warmed my heart, bringing joy into my day.
My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot
Jen
About the Book:
Love is the trickiest spell of all.
Lucinda Caraway loves living in Freya Grove, the mystic seaside town where charms, hexes, and magical beings of all kinds are the norm. She spends her days teaching high school history and her nights reading tea leaves and tending to her conjure garden. It’s a good life . . . but she can’t stop wishing for more.
Until one night, that wish turns into a spell, and suddenly Lucy can’t say no. Not to a public karaoke performance. Not to running a 10K. And, most alarmingly, not to her high school crush, Alexander Dwyer, who needs her help unjinxing his new house—which just happens to be right across the street from hers.
Alex has spent the last ten years traveling the world on adventures Lucy has only ever dreamed of, and he’s planning to leave again as soon as his house is safe to sell. But until Lucy can unhex herself, she and Alex are stuck together. And with so much magic in the air, maybe the next spell Lucy casts will be the one that convinces him to stay.
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Forever
Series: Standalone; Elemental Love #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): paperback (352 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Publisher/ NetGalley
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)