I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley and . This has not impacted my rating and this review is voluntary.
- Genre: Romance, Fantasy (Witches), Lesbian and Queer Fiction
- Published by: Penguin Publishing Group
- Publish date: Sept 12, 2023
- Number of pages: pages
- Author’s website: https://toriannemartin.com/
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Fake dating gets a magical twist in this enchanting queer romantic comedy where a witch worries that the real feelings brewing between her and her crush were sparked by an accidental love potion, and the only way out of the disastrous spell is a healthy dose of the truth—drink up, witches.
Potion maker and self-proclaimed “messy witch” Morgan Greenwood is sure she was hexed at birth. Not only did she drunkenly offer to fake date the woman of her dreams during the biennial New England Witches’ festival, but Rory Sandler, spellcasting champion and brilliant elemental witch—for reasons known only to the Goddess—accepted. It’s like every good luck spell Morgan ever cast came through at once, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict this charade will end with a broken heart.
Or is the magic between them real? As Morgan and Rory prepare to fool everyone at the festival, their relationship starts to feel a whole lot less fake—right until Morgan realizes she might have screwed up the common relaxation potion she made for Rory and given her a love potion instead, breaking one of the most sacred Witch Council Laws.
To fulfill her promise to Rory, Morgan must somehow keep playing pretend while under the watchful eyes of Rory’s family and legion of fans. But to break the love potion, she’ll also have to prove how incompatible she and Rory really are. For a screwup like her, ruining their relationship should be easy—except every day, Morgan is becoming more bewitched by Rory herself.
Rating: 4/5
Romantasy is not a genre I typically read but I may have to change that because this was delightfully magical! If you read the synopsis, you’ll see that this uses the fake-dating trope to bring two witches together.
I love the world the author has built and would love to read more novels in this setting. She has created a modern idea of magic in the real world including witches that perform professionally, witches of all disciplines and how some of them provide products for witches and non-magic people alike, and a set of rules that witches must abide by. This was particularly interesting when it came to the notion that magic must not take away someone’s consent.
I don’t want to give anything away about the relationship but there are many cute, tender moments. There is very little spice depending on what you’re into. My one issue was the lack of communication particularly in the end and the second half of the novel dragged on when the beginning was already a slow burn.
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to know!
Musings by Michelle 