Captivating, intense, excellent character development and great plot are just a few words to describe this book. Definitely going to be recommending it.

** Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the ARC and chance to read and review **

Synopsis:

Rebecca Wilde has been exiled but is brought back to her hometown after 10 years. She has to work along side her sister Emerson and an immortal, Nicholas Frost, as she works to control her magic and learn from her mistakes in the past.

Review:
Such a great fall read, I loved it! I knew once I read the dedication - “For sisters by blood and by magic, wherever we may find them” - that I was going to love the story. It immediately opened in Sedona, Arizona so I was able to connect with the story instantly. I loved Rebecca and her growth and journey through this story and I loved that the main theme wasn’t just romance, but also sisterhood and friendship. I love that they learn that it’s okay to make mistakes and that forgiveness is power.

I wish I could say that I liked it as much as Small Town, Big Magic... I just didn't!

I just did not find Rebekah likeable. I enjoyed her kitty familiar, her choice to tattoo and pierce herself as a sort of seal for her magic--she's been living exiled from St. Cyprian and the banishment has something to do with the magic Nicholas Frost tutored her on.

Maybe I had imagined Nicholas Frost as an older character in the first book and the image was hard to shake. I just could not find Frost to be sexy, and that is kind of a necessary component in enjoying a romance.

Emerson is incredibly annoying in this, like hard to stomach kind of irritation.
I did enjoy the voice of the writing, there are some lively descriptions and good imagery. It just wasn't the book for me.

I’m just being honest, and I hate leaving any negative review, but this book just wasn’t what I was anticipating it to be. It was still a good read, it just didn’t have that extra oomph that I love in my reads.

A 3.5 stars read.

I really really enjoyed the first book so I'm super excited with this one. I didn't enjoy this second book as much as the first one, but still entertaining though and I'm super intrigued with the next book, because I think it'll be an epic one with the war between the strong coven.

What I like:
- All the magic and witch power stuff, it's fascinating, it makes me want to join their coven.
- The siblings and friendship relationship, it's heart warming.
- The romance. Rebekah and Nicholas is just perfect as a couple, love them, love their sparks and those enemies to lovers vibes, love how they support and protect each other.

What I don't like:
- Repetitive
- Dragging at some point.
- Some part just didn't make any sense, like when The Joywood did something horrible and everyone saw it and just okay with it.

I liked Big Little Spells more than the first book, Small Town, Big Magic. I had trouble relating to Emmerson, but Rebekkah was a much more likable narrator for me. She had a fun, snarky personality and her internal struggle was interesting to witness. My biggest disappointment in this was the love interest, Nicholas. I loved his mysterious, broody vibe, but it felt like that was all he was. I wish we could have uncovered more of his mystery so that we really got to know and understand why he is the way he is and invest in his connection with Rebekkah. We only scraped his surface which left him as a cardboard cutout instead of a nuanced character. It also made the ending, which was exciting and action-filled, less impactful because I didn’t care about him as much as I should have. These books are super fun, but both of them have felt slow with both a lot and nothing happening at the same time- something about the pacing is a little off for me. Despite that, I absolutely love the plot, politics, and world of this continuing story and it keeps me reading and wanting more.

Witchlore is one of the best series that I've read in a long time! I loved listening to the audiobooks. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys witchy/paranormal stories. I'm so excited to read the third book in this series.

I absolutely loved the first one, but the second one did not live up to my expectations. The magic of the first one was in the love for the town, and that wasn't present in this one. You learn at the very beginning about the major event of the book (a magic test), and then that doesn't happen until 300 pages later. And while the main character discusses her preparation for the test, we don't actually get to experience any of that preparation. So 300 pages later I'm not sure what the test will consist of until it happens, so I didn't even know whether to be impressed or disappointed with their performance. Also, the romance was not believable, and felt like insta-love, which I'm not a fan of. We barely get to see the main character and love interest spend time together, and there is a weird dynamic between the two that is barely touched on. I did really enjoy the final pages of the book, and I will continue the series to see what happens (I have much higher hopes for the next book, which is from a different POV), but overall was very disappointed in this one.

I could not get into this book as much as I wanted to. I love witchy books, but was not invested in the story and characters off the bat.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and the authors for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book.

I LOVED the first book in the series and was worried the follow up would fall short. While I still prefer book one, book two was a great cozy, sexy witchy start of Fall read and is absolutely worth picking up. It may be a little cliché in it's HEA but anyone reading cozy found family witchy romance likely wants some level of tie it up in a bow. I enjoyed getting to learn more about their relationship with their parents (and spoiler alert: yay redemption arc for mom) as well as the bond between the sisters and the rest of the coven.

Cute, relatively quick read I recommend if you liked the first one and want more witchy sexy cozy found family drama in your life!

I received an ARC of this book through netgalley in return for an honest review. I will say that I read the first installment in this series almost a year ago. So it took some time to get back into the story. I would suggest (re)reading the first book, before starting this one as this one picks up right where the first book left off. Moving on, this one felt a bit slower paced than the first one. It seemed more focused on what was happening around the sisters vs what was happening to them. This book centers mostly around Rebekah and her returning after her previous exile by the coven. The Coven continues to give the Wilde sisters a hard time, and want to exile them both permanently. The further into the book you get some answers and realize how corrupt the Joywood's truly are. The book picks up speed about 2/3rds of the way through and the cliffhanger for me was much more intense/shocking than it was in the first book. Overall, this book was worth the read and I can't wait to read the next installment

In the follow up to Small Town, Big Magic we are now getting the perspective from Rebekah, the sister who was banished 10 years ago from St. Cyprian. The book takes place right where the first book ended. I did not care for Emerson in the first book with her better than everyone attitude. I was really hoping that Rebekah would be a better character. Unfortunately, she was just as bad. She acted like a teenager which was fitting since they had to go back to high school & retake the test they failed the first time around. The relationship with Nicholas Frost was a bit cringe & gross since he was an immortal that Rebekah had been lusting over since she was a teen. I will not be continuing on with this series. I really did try giving it a second chance.

10 years after being banished from St. Cyprian for failing her magical coming-of-age test, Rebekah's sister Emerson has brought her back to help Emerson and their friends defeat the dark magical forces plaguing the town, including a corrupt but powerful coven. Rebekah is happy to be back with her sister and their friends but she has conflicting emotions about being home and has to confront some of her past mistakes. In order to fight back against the coven, the group needs the support of the aloof and grumpy immortal, Nicholas Frost. He had secretly tutored Rebekah when she was a teenager, so she renews their relationship, which helps both of them to reckon with their mistakes and confront their pasts.

Big Little Spells picks up right where the first book, Small Town, Big Magic ends. Because these books are one continuous storyline, you definitely have to read the other book first. I do like that the POV switches from Emerson in the first book to Rebekah in the second book, it's great to get a fresh perspective. I really liked Rebekah's character arc and the relationship between her and Nicholas, but also the relationship with her sister and her friend group and how those were able to grow and be mended after 10 years. There is some action in this book but I think it definitely helped to set the stage and gear up for the third book! I'm excited to see where that will take us.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book. That’s it.

I was so excited to start this book after I finished the first book in this series, “Small Town Big Magic” - I could not get enough of St. Cyprian and I looked forward to more. This is Rebekah Wilde’s story.

Rebekah’s story begins with her exile. When she was found to have no magic and her sister’s memories were wiped, Rebekah did something she wasn’t supposed to do, and she doesn’t want to talk about it. Her friends and family do not have memories of the incident. When Rebekah is called back home, she hopes to leave the past where it belongs.

Rebekah, along with her sister and close friends have to prove themselves after events at the end of book one. Rebekah also comes face to face with Nicholas Frost, her tutor and also the immortal she has feelings for.

This book is about family and forgiveness. I really loved seeing all of the characters return from the first book. I also absolutely loved Rebekah’s journey. Her talk of recovery and learning to love herself was very uplifting. I also enjoyed her story with Nicholas. He is a very interesting character, and their interactions were my favorite parts of the book. The ending was everything I hoped it would be - and now I have to wait for book number three. I cannot wait to see where this coven goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of this book. I am hooked on this series. If you love stories about witches as much as I do, read this series! I highly recommend it!

Big Little Spells picks up immediately where Small Town Big Magic (Book 1) ends, so if readers have not read the first book in the series, I would definitely encourage reading that first so you have the whole scope of events leading up to this book.

While I enjoyed this story a lot, I found the pacing to be a bit slower for me than the first book. I feel like this book could have been shorter in length as some of it felt a bit redundant at times. I enjoyed this book overall, but wasn't captivated to the same degree as I was with Small Town Big Magic.

While I believe this witchy series is cozy and enjoyable, I think the slower overall pace to these books is better suited for some readers than others. I enjoyed the plot, but things unfold slowly until the last 10-15% of the book. I think if you go into this series with these expectations, you are more likely to enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Personally I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book in this series and have decided to not continue on. I enjoyed the concept, I just feel like I wasn't the target audience for this book.

I would love to read something else by this author down the road.



Thank you to netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an e-arc!

Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck

After reading the first book in this series, I had high hopes for this sequel, and it did not disappoint! I have been waiting since last fall for this book and after receiving this advanced copy I could not put it down. Big Little Spells picks up where Small Town Big Magic left us but focuses more on Emerson’s sister, Rebekah. After being forced into exile and stripped of her magic at eighteen Rebekah has returned to St. Cyprian to help her sister and friends stand against the Joywood Coven and fight for a chance to prove the coven made the wrong decision ten years ago. Rebekah has the support of her sister and friends but there is only one other person who can help her train… the immortal Nicholas Frost. Being a recluse is the nicest thing anyone in town has to say about Nicholas but he is her only option. The two work together building Rebekah’s skills in magic but also trust in herself but if Nicholas has any feelings her for her he has not shared them to her. Will it be enough to make it through the challenges ahead?

Big Little Spells was so much more than a spooky romance. This sequel had a strong plot with character growth that was so beautiful to read for Rebekah’s character and a sense of found family for the whole friend group. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a cozy fall themed book with magic for sure, but also those who want those tropes of found family, strong female leads, and forbidden romance.

Thank you for NetGalley for this digital ARC!

Big Little Spells is a very enjoyable, rom-com witchy romp that I had a lot of fun reading. Initially the story opens with a fair bit of info dumping, despite jumping into the story at a pretty interesting point, which I'll admit almost put me off of the book. As it's a sequel, it would be a safe assumption that the reader also read the first book in the series and therefore spending THAT much time talking directly to the reader to explain the world and the story set up felt a bit unnecessary and uninteresting.

That being said, once we move past the introductory info dump, the story becomes very easy to follow and very enjoyable. I really liked the narrative voice, I think Rebekah is a fun main character who brings a good balance of humour and emotion to her story. I really enjoyed following her on her path of growth and healing, both within herself and with the people around her. It felt very realistic for her to struggle with the pain of time lost with everyone she cares most about, and the forgiveness for past mistakes felt truly earned.

I adored the romantic dynamic between Rebekah and Nicholas. They're two people who are both damaged and holding themselves together but unravel with each other. I found both of them fun to learn more about as the story progressed, and I always vibe with snarky love interests who end up melting my heart.

Overall this is a great story about love and forgiveness, and it had a lot more heart than I was expecting. Thank you to netgalley for. the e-arc!

Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck

#2 in the St Cyprian series did not disappoint. I actually liked this one more than the first, and the first was lovely magical story. This one is from Rebekah’s point of view. The Wilde sister who was exiled for ten years. We get to learn more about what happened before she left, her mysterious relationship with the immortal Nicholas and her journey to self acceptance.

I love this town of St Cyprian, and all the people in it. I find these books to be the perfect cozy witchy book. They are predictable and a bit surface level, I could have used a lot more of Nicholas and Rebekah, and even more explanations of how their magic works and the history of it. But the charm of the town and the group of characters are entertaining and fun.

I will definitely be reading the next in the series - I hope it’s about Zander!

Thank you to @graydonhousebooks @harpercollinsca for my copy! This one was out on August 29th.

What’s your favourite magical book?

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I really liked the first book in this series, so I was excited to get this one as an ARC! There was a lot of suspense in the book, and Rebekah was a fun heroine to follow. I did feel like the ending came quick with not a lot of resolution..but maybe that is leading to another book in the series?? I will be happy to stay tuned.