I love Celeste Martin <3 Thank you so much to NetGalley and Read Forever pub for the gifted copy of this eARC!

I had to read Ursula's story in the second installment of Elemental Love series. It really was perfect for a cozy, fall read! I highly recommend for those who loved fall and want a mood read. I recommend starting with the first book too to fully enjoy it!

Ursala (Sula) gets her redemption after being awful in book one in the Elemental Love series.

Sula is out to "refresh" her life after ruination in book #1. Xavier is trying to break a curse by finding the perfect kiss. Well here we've got a witch and Fae Prince befriending each other, slowly falling in love. Our cinnamon roll, Xavier, is an absolute delight, which begged me to question "why" Sula as he's a catch.

The book is a bit too long and I wasn't completely sold on this couple.

Thank you Forever for the complimentary copy.

I didn’t realize this was a second in a series, and I think I would’ve benefitted from reading the first book first. I wanted more backstory/world building on the town and magical system. I think the characters and plot line were sweet and well written. I just didn’t understand all of it and wanted that context - which is on me to not check before reading. Will circle back to the first one eventually.

I appreciate NetGalley for this ARC copy!
Despite being the second novel in a series, Kiss and Spell works perfectly on its own. I always make sure a book can be read as a stand-alone before accepting it as part of a series for arc reads. You will gradually learn a great deal of backstory in this book, so you won't get lost. This was the ideal October read!!! This was an enjoyable paranormal read between friends to lovers set in a tiny village, with a cursed prince and a witch attempting to regain her magic.

Okay, you know when you pick up book two and didn't realize you haven't read book one? That's me and Kiss & Spell. That being said, you definitely don't have to have read Witchful Thinking, I clearly didn't, but I think you will have a better chance at understanding Ursula's family quicker. I think what made me love Ursula is to see her wondering when her happy ending is. I felt like this thought resonated strongly. But being able to see Xavier's mindset gave me a soft spot for him. I loved witnessing their chemistry and meet cute!

This was a great fantasy romance between a witch and a Faerie prince. Ursula was known as the jilted bride in Freya Grove after the mayor's son left her at the altar. Xavier traveled to Freya Grove to find someone to kiss to break his curse. It was an interesting and entertaining curse-breaking turned romance.

I loved this book!! It was the perfect fall read and i loved the twist on the story of a cursed prince so much! Not only because Xavier was so charming but that definitely helped. Both books by Celeste Martin set in Freya Grove have made me adore the town and all its inhabitants. Ursulas spunk was extremely enjoyable and i hope we get more magical stories from Freya Grove in the future!

Kiss and Spell is hands down one of my favorite books of the year. This cozy witchy romance with a sweet fae prince was exactly what I needed to read to kick off fall. I loved the characters, the setting, and of course the romance. Ursula and Xavier's friendship was so sweet and the perfect slow burn. I loved watching them fall for each other and eventually lower their guards so they could tell each other how they felt. The magic in this world is also so much fun, and I love that it's just a part of this pretty regular little town. Magical creators showing up to parties or cafes was just a normal part of life, and honestly I wish I could be transported there right now. I can't wait for more books in this series because I want to be whisked away to Freya Grove again.

Be careful what you wish for!

This story is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance that will have you rooting for them to find their HEA. Ursula may have acted terrible in the first book but I am loving her redemption in this one. She wanted her dad's side of the family to accept her so bad that she became someone she didn't recognize. I enjoyed watching this love story unfold.

I would like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and net galley for free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Love and magic between two black main characters I couldn’t ask for more. Lover the chemistry between the two the magical element of the story. It’s rare to read about black witches and I think this was executed perfectly.

Kiss and Spell is the second in a series by this author, with Witchful Thinking, being the first. I hadn't read the first book and although this story holds well as a stand-alone, I think I would have enjoyed the book much more had I read the first book, as much is referenced to what happened previously, with full explanations not happening until somewhat towards the end of this book and the details were still a bit murky.
I did really enjoy the world the author has created, with magical, fantastical beings living amongst more common humans (although most humans in the book do seem have some magical gift). The characters were unique and interesting, and the scenes were very descriptive, so it was easy to imagine being in the midst of such a unique place as Freya Grove. I also enjoyed the different meanings of crystals, flowers, mythologies, folk tales and celebrations that played roles within the book. I did wish that there were a bit more world building, however, to better understand how the realms worked (for example the Prince mentioned the Faery Queen but it wasn't his parents who were also King and Queen, so how do they fit in the kingdom?). Ursula also didn't seem clear on what she wanted to do for her future as she enjoyed working at her mother's shop and was good at her work, and she seemed like she truly loved the gardens and the language of flowers, yet she was seeking a job working with the mayor. Also the wish lists and the boss lists were not fully explained for those of us who missed the first book.
I look forward to reading more about the magical mysteries of Freya Grove, and meeting more of these fantastical characters when I read the author's next book (AND go back to read the first one in this series too!).

I am in love with Celestine Martin!!

I loved her previous book and when I was given the chance to read this one I was over the moon!!

This book brings together Ursula Caraway who was left at the alter and not happy with her life's direction, plus she wants to believe in magic again......enter Prince Xavier Adler who needs to break a curse by going on dating apps in search of true love.

This is friends to lovers at its best!

If you love cozy, fun, romance, this is for you!

After reading Witchful Thinking, I was shocked to find out Ursula was the FMC for Kiss and Spell considering she was engaged and also the literal worst. After her life implodes in a spectacular way, Ursula is trying to claw her way back from rock bottom when a chance meeting with Xavier, a cursed Fae prince puts her on the path to helping him find true love and break his curse while also falling in love with him.
This was a good redemption arc for Ursula, getting more of her background story made me understand her motives. Xavier is indeed a Prince Charming (WITH A LEGIT FAIRY GODMOTHER) with a cynical view of true love. This was perfect for October. Cozy, witchy and low stakes.. However, I still need to see more of the fabled gnomes. Can’t wait to see what’s next in this series.
Thank you Forever and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Contemporary magic romance is my jam! Full disclosure, I have not read Book 1 Witchful Thinking of this series, but it is a standalone book in an inter-related town/family. In this book, Ursula is a witch who apparently had a failed wedding and who is trying to rebuild her life. Xavier is a fae prince under an enchantment spell that can only be broken with true love’s kiss. These two meet and at first fall into a friendship where Ursula is trying to assist Xavier find his cursebreaker. I enjoy slow-burn friends to lovers story arcs so I enjoyed this one so much; I also enjoyed the open door spice and cinnamon role characteristics of Xavier. The town, vibes, and plot are perfect for the fall spooky season and I plan to now go back and read book 1 as well!

I am just so obsessed with this series. I didn't know if we could top the first book, but they are both easily tied for me now.

I just loved watching Ursula get her happily ever after so much especially with the heartache she endured. I can't imagine her with another hero.

Xavier was everything and so sweet.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish this book but I do think it would be a great fall read for most people. I found myself a bit thrown off by the setting—like another reviewer shared, I couldn’t figure out if it was a hybrid human/magic world or if there was a small group of people who could interact with the “magic realm” and no one else knew it existed. I also didn’t realize it was the second in a series and think the additional context may have helped a bit.

3.5 stars

First of all, while Kiss and Spell is the second book in a series, I think it’ll work fine as a standalone.(That’s something I always want to know when I’m contemplating reading a book that is part of a series.) You gradually get a lot of backstory so you won’t feel lost.

It was so nice to be back in Freya Grove! The town itself is one of the best things about this series. It’s a fictitious town on the Jersey shore that’s somewhere in the vicinity of the real Asbury Park and Ocean Grove - and it’s magical! “Regular” humans live there, but there’s also a large contingent of witches, mermen, vampires, gnomes and so forth. So it’s a special place. And being familiar with the area made it even more fun.

The first book (Witchful Thinking) focused on Lucy, one of three Caraway sisters, but this one focuses on Ursula, Lucy’s cousin. I was a bit surprised to see Ursula as the main character because she was really, really unlikeable in Witchful Thinking. This time, Ursula is trying to rebuild her life, make amends for past bad behavior, rebuild her magic powers, and recover from being left at the altar.

Xavier is a fae prince under an enchantment. He needs to find his perfect kiss to break the enchantment, but it’s complicated by the fact that he doesn’t believe in love.

As with most romances, you pretty much know how it will end, but the fun is in getting there. The romance between Ursula and Xavier is a friends-to-lovers slow burn. There’s a bit of steam, so if that’s not your jam, you may want to skim a bit.

Another plus is that this series centers on wonderful black characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. All opinions are my own.

✨𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀✨
• type A personality witch
• socially awkward Fae prince
• playing wingwoman to the man she loves
• true love’s kiss will break the curse
• “class” differences

✨ 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 ✨
Looking for wholesome, which is goodness, a spooky season? The Elemental Love series is where you need to be. Kiss and Spell is the second book and follows Ursula, our type A personality Boss Witch who had it all, and is now trying to live on the broken pieces of her life.

Xavier Alder is a fae prince who doesn’t believe in love, and is cursed by the Queen to find a perfect kiss, or else remain banished from The Realm.

I love/hated these two as they danced around their feelings for each other. The spicy seems weren’t abundant, but present enough to keep you satisfied by the romance and the “finally!” of it all. These to really take the faerie cake with their stubbornness.

Blog Post goes live Nov 10th
Amazon Review pending System Approval
Covered in Weekly Wrap-up (currently in Editing)

Kiss and Spell does what most books can’t do for me, and that’s redeem a horrible character from a previous book. This follows Ursula, or Sula, who in Witchful Thinking was the absolute worst bridezilla I’d read in a long, long time. She is on the path to redeem and refresh her life after her wedding crashed and burned and she alienated her friends. Meanwhile, Xavier is a Fae prince who was placed under enchantment by the Fae Queen and he’s attempting to break that by finding his perfect kiss.

As I mentioned this did a fantastic job redeeming Ursula to me. I think the biggest win for that is that she acknowledges fast and early and establishes to the reader that she knows she messed up and she’s working to fix it. She has been humbled and she frequently reminds herself of that and what she’s doing to fix it, without wallowing. I love that and her Boss Witch energy she brough.

Xavier is an absolute cinnamon roll and while I loved him, he was a shadow to Ursula’s personality. The two made for a fun pairing! The biggest complaint I have on the story is simply that it was too heavy on the purple prose. We couldn’t simply ‘smile’ it had to be a few lines on the beauty of the smile and comparing it to this, that or the other. While this worked occasionally I did end up skimming those descriptions after awhile.

The book was a bit long, but again I could have felt that due to the prose. Otherwise I had a lot of fun with this. I’ll keep it on my shelves and I enjoyed seeing Ursula redeem herself and find her happy ending. If you enjoyed Witchful Thinking this is a really great follow-up and I’d definitely recommend it!

I really enjoyed reading Witchful Thinking. It was my first book of its kind and I was so thrilled to be invited to read it. I was excited to receive Kiss and Spell, the 2nd book in the series. The story of Ursula and Xavier was a sweet one, two people from two very different worlds. Ursula, a witch from the human world and Xavier, a fae prince from a magical realm.

All Ursula wants is to live her own happily ever after, but life and circumstances make her question fairytales and happy endings. Xavier, forced to find true loves kiss to break an enhancement, ends up in Freya Grove.

A chance meeting and Ursula is ready to help the Prince find 'the one'. Meanwhile, she has her own heartbreak to deal with and her own Boss list to complete.

Little do they know that fate has plans for the two of them.

I really enjoyed reading this story about witches, faery Godmothers and casting wishes!
Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the E-arc.