I enjoyed the first book of the Witchlore series, and so I was looking forward to reading book 2 to see how things in St. Cyprian evolved. And while Big Little Spells was a perfectly fine book, it didn't totally grab me or draw me in. I will admit that this is probably due to circumstance - I happened to be reading this book during a super busy week and didn't have much time to read. But I do think that the book itself was also a little bland.

Rebekah Wilde is used to being the screw-up little sister, but she's doing her best to change after years of therapy and exile. But back in St. Cyprian, she finds it hard to escape her past - or her feelings for local immortal, Nicholas Frost. As he helps her prepare for her second chance at being legitimized as a witch, sparks fly, despite concerning prophecies, family meddling, and general town chaos.

I think this book suffers a little from coming right after the bombastic, revelatory events of book 1. While the evil Joywood Coven is still scheming and plotting, their current punishment for Rebekah and the rest of our heroes involves... sending them back to high school magic training. The stakes of taking a test are just never going to match up to the stakes of saving a whole town from a cataclysmic flood. And while Rebekah and Nicholas do have decent chemistry, I was never quite able to get over the weirdness of him being an immortal who had worked with her as a teen, knowing that she was his fated love. It all felt a little icky. Plus, that past connection meant that I just had to take Rebekah on her word for a lot of their past chemistry. There was a lot of telling in this book - about Nicholas, about Rebekah's attempts to deal with her past trauma, about her character growth - that grew a little repetitive and never seemed to quite be shown.

Again, this book is totally fine, and the world of St. Cyprian and its witches remains engaging. I'm looking forward to the other coven members' stories, but this one just didn't shine for me.

3.25/5

I just LOVED this book! What an excellent sequel! I already had such a fun time reading Small Town Big Magic, and I think I had even more fun reading this one! I just love all the characters and their relationships with each other! This was truly magical witchy read and I definitely recommend it, or the first one of you haven’t read it yet, for the upcoming witchy reads season!!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins, specifically Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this one early!!!

Big Little Spells is the second book in the Witchlore series AND LET ME TELL YOU IT IS SO GOOD! I wasn't a big fan of the first book but it got so much better! The romance between Rebekah and Nicholas was top tier. Love a good enemies to lovers. So excited for the rest of the series!

An anticipated sequel ever since finishing the first book. Love the setting and characters this time focusing on Rebekah and Nicholas. A couple with a history and a pining romance.

Wasn’t a total fan of how high school came into play, transporting the characters back, and I wasn’t sure if I liked the way Rebekah’s piercings were brought up like it was something to be shamed by everyone as if they had never seen anything like it before. It’s a weird thing to get hung up about someone, but I guess it’s more reason being unfavourable towards some characters.

Loved the relationship between Rebekah and Nicholas, and I do wish we get more out of them. A power couple for sure but would’ve loved a couple more moments and build between them. Overall a great witchy read!

Thank you to #netgalley for a copy of #BigLittleSpells in exchange for a honest review.

I bought and read Small Town, Big Magic, book 1 in the Witchlore series, in preparation for this ARC. I'm not going to lie. I was slightly nervous about this one. Book 1 was slow for me, and I wasn't interested in reading Rebecca's story.

I'm happy to say that I was very wrong! I was sucked in by chapter 2.

A cozy, witchy read. It has it all. Love, loss, magic and answers...

We finally find out what happened the day of Emerson's mind wipe. Why did Rebecca leave town? Why did their parents leave town? We relive their high school days, although, not by choice. We also get more of Nicholas Frost! I loved him in Small Town, Big Magic, and I love him even more in Big Little Spells.

What does a witch do when there is a price on her head? Return to her home town and face the spells and disgrace.
Rebekah faces her worst nightmare and also encounters Nicolas.
That was the nest part of the entire book, the kinetic energy between Rebekah and Nicolas.
I love how she keeps breaking down all of his barriers and how he finally lets her in. What he says to her at one point is so sweet.
I liked his dark, brooding, serious nature, very Mr. Darcyish but with lots of magic and Witchery involved.

Hazel Beck is an author you want on your must read list! This story is mesmerizing and the depth of characters and storyline will have you turning the pages over and over and over again. I really wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it blew me away and this was one of those 'read in one sitting' books.
I highly recommend and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

I gotta be honest, I did not love Small Town, Big Magic. I love a witchy rom-com, but I found Emerson to be very annoying. I would not have read Big Little Spells if I were not hooked by the premise. I actually liked Big Little Spells a lot more than Small Town, Big Magic, and I will definitely read future installments in this series.

While Emerson was still pretty insufferable, I found her younger sister Rebekah very likable and relatable. I loved the dynamic between her and Nicholas (the banter!!!). Big Little Spells also had a liiiiiitle more spice than Small Town, Big Magic. Which I appreciated.

Another thing I loved about the book was the dynamic of Rebekah's friend group and how they deal with the core conflicts in the book together. I think Big Little Spells tries really hard to balance romance with the high-stakes plot with varying degrees of success. There are some parts of the plot I really enjoyed (ex. the "Midwest nice" villains). And some other that felt a little cliche (ex. how each protagonist turns out to be some sort of "chosen one" that's never that well explained).

I loved Rebekah and Nicholas together, however there was one big romantic reveal at the end that I think could have tied in really well to the plot and wasn't. Instead it just wasn't really explained and wasn't returned to. I've also gone back and forth on whether I think some of the earlier aspects of Rebekah and Nicholas's relationship were problematic (i.e. how Nicholas was Rebekah's "secret tutor" when she was a teenager). I know that with fantasy romance I need to suspend my disbelief a little, but this was set in a contemporary/real world setting. However, I think the book tries to make clear that Nicholas had no romantic intentions at the time, so maybe that makes it fine?

3.5 stars

Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Rebekah is back in town and she's going to take back her life (in a positive way). Fans of the gentle witchcraft novel will like this for the good characters and the world building. I missed the first book, which wasn't a problem. This has all sorts of themes, including a bit of romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a nice entry into a genre that seems to be increasing in popularity.

Gilmore Girls + Discovery of Witches = MAGIC!! I was a little hesitant heading into this book because I had some major complaints about Emerson (FMC) in the first book but this one is from Rebekah’s point of view and it was amazing. I loved it. Such a great found family, and magic system, and setting, and I thoroughly enjoyed the love interest. The pacing was awesome and the plot was great. That ending had me sweating. A perfect witchy fall read and I can’t wait for the story to continue!!

Rebekah is pulled back to her hometown and witchy way of life to help her sister. Now, against her will, she needs to retake an ancient witch test she failed once and accost the help of sexy immortal, Nicholas.

This is the second installment in this series and it has all you could want in a fall read. A small town of witches, a close knit group of friends, and a love story. Rebekah was an interesting character. She’s wrong and independent. I liked seeing we interact with her sister and Nicholas the best. Both challenged her. The story itself was good, but I wish it moved a little faster and revealed things more. There was a lot of backstory that I wanted but never came. Or it was explained briefly even though it was important to some motivations.

All in all, this was a good book and perfect for fans of cozy witch stories.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck is an enchanting and captivating magical tale that was a sure to delight to read.

Okay - full transparency - I almost DNF'd book one (Small Town Big Magic) because of the FMC. I kept reading though, because I loved the plot and the storyline and the rest of the characters, and ended up enjoying it.

But this book... SO MUCH BETTER! I absolutely loved this book. I loved Rebekah - she's edgy and wild and fierce, but she's dealing with a lot of trauma. Her return to St. Cyprian after a decade of exile was chaotic and not something she ever imagined she would do. And after the end of book one, maybe one would think it was over... but the story is just beginning.

Rebekah's storyline also gives us more insight into a handsome, yet broody and grumpy immortal with who lives in his 'haunted' mansion on the top of the hill. Their history is complicated and full of delicious angst and tension. I literally devoured the scenes between the two of them like I was starving and couldn't get enough.

This book definitely has an epic ending, and sets us up for what is likely to be at least one more book in this interconnected stand-alone series set in St. Cyprian. I was sad to say goodbye to Rebekah and her immortal, but I'm hoping we will get plenty of them in the book(s) to come! I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment and can't wait to read!!

Definitely recommend if you like witchy, paranormal romances, small-town dynamics, found family, and delicious slow-burn tension.

Reviews will be going up this Thursday/Friday (8/24 or 8/25)

Big Little Spells is the second in a series, which I was completely unaware of as it wasn't mentioned in the blurb. The first book is called "Small Town, Big Magic", which I hadn't read, and it soon became evident that that would be a slight issue.

The book picks up after a fairly big event, one that's not explained very well. We're thrown straight into the world and we're expected to know and understand several strange terms (like a test called a "Pubertatum" that just made me think of the baby from Addams Family Values). Usually in a series, there's a little catch-up, and I felt that really would have helped here because it took me a while to figure out who was who and what was happening.

In saying that, the story romped along fairly quickly, and soon morphed into a solid tale of two witch sisters who had spent some time estranged and were now working on repairing their relationship and proving to their community that they had earned the right to use their magical powers. There's a romance subplot, it's a very early Buffy/Angel dynamic with some similar banter and some closed door scenes ("we tumbled this way and that" was about as explicit as it got).

There's a wider issue at play here - local witches are succumbing to some kind of illness that kills them, and the sisters and their coven are sure that the local equivalent of the town council are to blame. The same people they must impress if they're to be seen as true witches. The sisters failed the test once before, ten years ago - now they must do it again. This means revisiting some of the preparations and rituals they did as teenagers (think Never Been Kissed if Drew Barrymore was playing a witch trying to prove herself).

I didn't really take to the teenage elements of the story (like the Prom) - I imagine fans of the first book who enjoyed it will LOVE this one, especially the progression of the relationship between Rebekah and Nicholas. I couldn't put it down for the last quarter, but I did feel like the book overall could have lost 50 pages and been none the worse for wear.

Will I read the rest of the series? Probably not, but I imagine fans of this author and this series will be happy with this installment.

Thank you to Justine at Harper Collins for having me as part of the blog tour program.

There wasn't a lot of character depth and development in this story, as lots of it surrounding what was happening around them and not so much on them. For me it made me not as invested in the book or outcome as usual.

Hazel Beck is at it again with this second installment of Witchlore, which picks up right where *********************Small Town, Big Magic********************* left off. Emerson Wilde has just shucked off her mind-wipe, embraced her power as a confluence warrior, and saved the world. She’s also pulled her unwilling sister, Rebekah, back into their small town.

As the book starts, we see the ruling coven, the Joywood, unwilling to back down from their original assessment of the Wilde sisters, and instead maintain that their magic will be re-tested, and in all likelihood, the girls will be executed for treason. This story focuses on Rebekah as she re-enters their small town following a decade in exile.

Thanks to the publisher, Hazel Beck, and NetGalley for this early review copy of Big Little Spells. All thoughts below are my own.

If you enjoyed the magical realism, romance, and high-stakes environment of *********************Small Town, Big Magic*********************, you’ll probably also enjoy this story. There’s something incredibly cozy about the small town romance vibe (although Nicolas x Rebekah is much more of a ******shadow daddy****** romance than Emerson x Jacob).

That cozy atmosphere is challenged by the idea that the world-wide ruling coven also lives here. I appreciated the exploration of the Joywood as evil figureheads in this book, and I think the jaded viewpoint of Rebekah was the right perspective for this segment of the story.

Overall, if you liked the first book, you’ll probably like this book.. However, I felt that with everything going on plot-wise, the writing was weaker this time around. I’ll still definitely see this series through to the third book. If this sounds like a book for you, it will be released August 29.. And if you still haven’t read Small Town, Big Magic, that’s available right now!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Big Little Spells continues the story of Small Town, Big Magic. Sister Emerson and Rebekah, formerly “spell dim” have publicly shown the extent of the magic that they aren’t supposed to have. The ruling coven of witches, the Joywood, are willing to reconsider their prior determination of their magical abilities, only if Emerson and Rebekah are willing to relive one of the scariest experiences of life; high school. Both sisters work alongside their fellow witch friends (creating a coven of their own) as well as a brooding and gorgeous immortal witch, Nicholas Frost. Rebekah fights to keep her dark secrets hidden as well as her feelings for Nicholas, whom she’s felt drawn to all her life. Will the sisters be able to prove their standing as powerful witches? Or will they be deemed “spell dim” once more?

This was a great continuation of Small Town, Big Magic. As much as I liked Emerson in that book, I MUCH prefer Rebekah. I love a good redemption arc in a book.

Following some of the witch lore and practices in the book were mildly confusing for me personally, but I really enjoyed it! I can’t wait for the next book and to see what the Riverwood coven gets up to next!

Favorite Quotes from the book are below!


“That’s the difference between real sisters and chosen sisters. The real ones have all that family stuff between them, and whether anyone wants it or not, it always gets in the way. But the sisters we choose come without baggage. Where a blood sister might argue with a story you tell about your life, a best friend embellishes it.”

“I’ve been through therapy. I know all the right things to say and feel. And still, everything she says echoes inside me, the ache of knowing it’s stupid to hurt and futile to wish…while not being able to keep from it. I lived down to every expectation. I embarrassed them— fairly and unfairly. I was and am a stain on the family name. I flaunted being that stain. Still do. And yet, just once, I too want them to look at me and think I’m enough.”

“You learn or you die. Sometimes that death is long and drawn out and looks a lot like fear, but it’s death all the same. You learn so you can live.”

“Maybe I should be appalled, but I understand too well the mistakes we make and sins we commit. When we haven’t healed what’s broken within us. When the dark is too tempting.”

“‘Making mistakes doesn’t make you worthless, Rebekah,’ my grandmother tells me, her voice as steady as her gaze. As her grip. As her love, across all these years and death besides. ‘It makes you alive.’”

“Time doesn’t go one way. It isn’t just the now or then. It’s all things, and I am in tune with the weaving, waving nature of it all. Chaos. Diviner. Me”

“The best kind of recovery I can imagine is love.”

I really enjoyed Emerson more than Rebekah, thus I didn’t like Big Little Spells as much as I enjoyed Small Town Big Magic. I also totally pictured Frost as a creepy, grumpy old man in STBM, so him being the broody love interest in this one just couldn’t catch in my head. And I really can’t imagine have such an awful coven as the Joywood in such a cute town as St. Cyprian.
This book certainly isn’t a cutesy small town magical story- it’s honestly pretty dark and sad with lots of conniving characters and some definite pacing issues that made it kind of drag for me.
That said, this one picks right up where the first left off and if you enjoyed the first, you’ll like another dive into this series with this cast of somewhat misfit witches in an adorable setting. The town & coven traditions are interesting and more details about the Wilde family were welcome.

The second book in Hazel Beck’s Witchlore series does not disappoint. This time, we follow Rebekah, long-exiled and recently returned sister to Emerson Wilde. While Emerson’s journey in the first book is about finding her way back to her magic, Rebekah’s journey is about finding the calm amid life’s chaos so that she can stop hiding from her magic, her loved ones, and most importantly, herself. Rebekah and Emerson must, with the help of their coven, their departed ancestresses, and one hot and temperamental immortal, prove to the residents of St. Cyprian that their magic was never dull, and that they are powerful in ways St. Cyprian has never seen.

Big Little Spells is a fun follow up to Small Town, Big Magic. I actually enjoyed the sequel more than the first book. Rebekah is fun and relatable character. I also love the morally grey Nicholas Frost. It was great seeing Rebekah, her sister Emerson, and their friends come together against the Joywood. I hope I can read more Hazel Beck books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.