I really like this book.I like the way the writers style flowed. I think the storyline was very well written, and the characters were
well developed. It’s the type of story that’s draws you in and keeps you in a whole other world as you read. I was on the edge of my seat as the story began to end. Overall I think it’s great!

This book picks up shortly after the first one ended, Anise is struggling with her new magic and wants it gone. I enjoyed this book more than I did the first, while it was still a really good book, this one felt a little more fleshed out to me, the characters were more developed as well.



Anise is a really great character. She has a pretty relatable personality, in that she's not one of those super over confident characters, and she still struggles with things and has to ask for help with things she doesn't know much about. The way life is, nobody can know everything.



One thing that I really like about this series, is that there is no romance at all. Not even a hint of it. Anise and Wynn have grown respect for each other, but so far, that's all it is. Mutual respect for each other, and it's nice to have two characters of opposite gender have that kind of relationship. It's a nice change.



We also get to know Wynn's character a little better get know his back story a little and where he came from. He has some character growth as well, becomes less, though not much, stoic. He's not so quiet and shows his personality more.



This book also expands the world a little, introducing Mannikans, non-human magical creatures like Vampires and Werewolves. I hope that gets expanded on more in the next book.



While the magic system isn't that complex, this is more of a character driven story than magic driven, it doesn't lack magic. Things still feel very magical in my opinion. I really enjoy this series, it's a nice quick book that helped pull me out of a reading slump. And I can't wait to read more.

I’ve seem to read more YA than usual, and as I’ve said in those reviews, they aren’t my favorite genre. I like them, but to me they can a little too YA. However, this second book in this series strikes the exact right tone. I read the first book of the series, and I really enjoyed it. However, as has been the case lately, I liked this second one even better. The characters are really starting to grow and become very real characters to me. They aren’t carbon copies of each other, and each has their own uniqueness. Not only that, the book is well-written and kept my interest up throughout the whole book, even when the book took a strange turn towards the end. I just went with the plot twist and came to appreciate the interesting twist. And, I loved what Anise gained at the end (you’ll have to read the book to find out what). I can’t wait to see what Anise and company get into the next book! I give this one 4 ½ starts and highly recommend it! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

My Thoughts: I love the covers for this series. They look magical and match the story inside.

Book 2 finds Anise unable to do any magical baking without ruining everything. It turns out she has some residual death magic in her system. Anise chooses to bake the death magic out by making macaroons, a lot of macaroons. She's able to put these to good use, selling to a mannikan, and getting the funds needed to get Wynn out of his contract.

I really enjoyed most of the story. In order not to ruin the bakery again Anise ends up in different places while trying to get back to just her normal fire magic. My favorite had to be Gabi's family home and the cryptozoo where her family does their vet work. I would love to have a story that focuses just on the animals. They also end up in a strange cave system that brings more bad things but also some new friends. Carrot could end up being a very fun character, especially compared to others in the same role.

Overall, I liked the story and where it ended up. I'm still not sure about the alternate dimensions so soon into the series but it worked out. Even though Wynn is not my favorite character I'm glad something good happened for him and that we got to know him a bit more. Can't say I want to see a romance between him and Anise but he's growing on me.

Looking forward to more baking, magic and vampires in Wicked Tasty.

I read the first book, Deadly Sweet, after being approved to read second book on Netgalley.

I enjoyed the first read and this book continued and was as enjoyable. These are simple stories with lots of wonderful tasty bakes and a cozy magical feel. Perfect read for on the couch with a snuggle blanket on a wet afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inscribe Digital and Lola Dodge for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

There is something so satisfying about an quick, sweet read. So many times books are time consuming and difficult to read, even our favorite novel can seem like pulling our own teeth at time. Lola Dodge gives us a treat for those times that we need a break.

From Goodreads:
After her run-in with a jealous warlock, apprentice baker Anise Wise can’t wait to get back the kitchen where she belongs. But thanks to her brush with death, the land of the living isn’t all cupcakes and marshmallows.

Anise’s magical mojo is way out of whack and her evolving powers are stirring up trouble. As the town buzzes with news that Anise can bake deathly spells, unsavory characters start lining up for a taste. They’ll stop at nothing for the chance to use Anise and her witchcraft to further their own plots.

She plans to hole up researching magic recipes until the attention dies down, but then she discovers the horrifying terms of her bodyguard’s contract. Wynn has saved her life so many times, she can’t leave him trapped. But doing the right thing will mean risking death or worse—being cast out of her dream job.

For this witch, justice might not be as sweet as advertised.

This book was absolutely delightful. It is definitely a cozy winter read, which was perfect for this weekend! I just happened to acquire it before Halloween, which was even more perfect! I was lost in the story for an afternoon.

I was partially attracted to the book because of the cover, and the cover gives you an accurate flavor of the story. It's not complex, twisted or too demanding of a magical system. Anise is a likeable character, even though some of her behavior is problematic for the intended audience, particularly the romance factor.

The narrators voice (Anise) is clever, simple and clean. I loved the way the story was written, the body of prose a mix of baking, clever quips and a feeling of home. Anise encounters her fair share of teenage trouble - from bad luck to a horrid sense of fashion and constant need to mend every broken piece of a person. This also shows Anise has a huge heart, so it's not something that should be written off as a terrible flaw. I really enjoyed her relationships with the other characters, her aunt being one of the characters I felt really molded Anise's views of the magical world, in more ways than one.

Overall, this is a perfect evening novel. It's written in the style of a YA/MG novel, with a very easy to understand narrative. I gave this novel an easy 3.5/5 stars. There were plot holes that were not explained away, and the general target audience clashes with the characters age and some of the actions. Other wise, it's a great read for a cold night, paired with a mug of hot cocoa and maybe a little sugar and spice. ;)

**Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an egalley in exchange for an honest review**

Lola Dodge delivers a sweet follow-up through her next book in the Spellwork Syndicate series. Sugar Spells is fun, magical, and everything I wanted from the previous book and more!

The story begins right where Deadly Sweet ended and we find that Anise is now at odds with her magic after the previous events occurred. She’s finally found a sense of home and feels more like herself than she ever has, but now she’s afraid she’ll have to leave the bakery because of this magic she possess.

“Is there anything else I can do?”
“Live,” Peggy said. “Dance, kiss, love and don’t fixate on what’s wrong. If you can be passionately yourself, death will never hold sway over you.”

It was easy to dive back into this world Lola Dodge has created and follow along with the story. I felt for Anise and how she’s constantly finding herself in trouble, but at the same time I loved reading about her magic in this book. There were certain areas in the first book where I wanted more from the magic descriptions, but in Sugar Spells there were fantastic explanations behind everything! Lola Dodge’s writing continues to grow and that makes me super excited to read the next book in this series!

And the baking!! We get to see a different side to Anise’s baking this time around. Her new magic helps her create what she describes as “killer Oreos” and it strangely made me want to eat some? You’ll understand why that’s weird once you read the book.. But in all seriousness, you probably shouldn’t read Sugar Spells while hungry.

As usual, the girl power and friendships in this series are on point. But the most interesting part of this book was the relationship between Anise and Wynn, her bodyguard. We learn more about mysterious Wynn and his back story as the story progresses and I loved it all.

“When we get out of here, I’ll take you to a real movie. A comedy. And we’ll eat all the snacks.”
We popped out of the tunnel I hadn’t paying attention to and Wynn paused to look back at me. His lips tilted in the rarest of Wynn-spressions.
A smile.
“Promise?”

Anise learns the truth of how the two of them are connected and what the terms of his Shield contract are. And with that, they form a somewhat friendship as they try to achieve the same goal of releasing him from his duties. This is really when the story started to pick up for me. Honestly, if Anise and Wynn end up together this has got to be one of my favorite slow-burn romances EVER. (Thank you, Lola.)

“You think you can experience what you experience and not be changed? You went through the fire again, cupcake. Never expect things to be the same on the other side.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect weekend read when I needed a quick escape from the world. I recommend it to anyone looking for some magic in their lives!

So.  The scene was well and truly set in Deadly Sweet, and here we pick up the story, hot on the heels of the ending of that book.

For me, this has a different tone.  This feels darker, more unsettling than the first, but it still works.  World building is done.  This is all about the plot and the relationship development.  And it works.  Almost effortlessly it would seem.  

I think I'm developing a magical sweet tooth.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Sugar Spells is book 2 in The Spellwork Syndicate series. Lola Dodge is a must read author for me, I love her writing style. Her characters are entertaining and lively, and her world building is great.

After the events in book 1, Anise is left with her powers acting a bit wonky. She's trying to bake and everything is turning into gooey sludge messes and she can't figure out why. She's off kitchen duty at her Aunt's bakery until it all gets sorted out. After consulting with a family friend they realize a bit of her friend's death magic is in Anise and that's what is throwing everything out of wack. She has to find an outlet for the magic or who knows how long this will last. So Anise does the thing she's best at and winds up making deadly macarons. This draws the attention of a creepy mannikin (vampires and other things that go bump in the night). Something is up with the mannikin though and Anise is more focused on helping Wynn, her bodyguard out of a situation he was forced into.

Sugar Spells was a strong sequel to a magical series you won't want to put down. We got some light shed on the other abilities we got glimpses on in book 1. I was very pleased with learning more about Wynn this time around too. All in all this was a great read, I recommend it if you like YA Fantasy novels with magic mixed in.

I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book but it was still a fun read. There were many little threads of possible storylines that were sort of picked up but never actually lead anywhere. Sometimes this felt like watching a movie trailer. Anise also made some very stupid moves which I did not see fit to her character from the first book. Those are just a minor flaws, but they took one star off from my rating. Next to that I had fun with Anises new murder macarones, the friendship developing between her and her shield and the guano … Yeah, you read that last one right but I won't tell anymore!

*Full review to Come*

This is the cutest series. I'm learning about baking as I read. Anise can't make her magic work correctly after her brush with death. I loved learning how to make murder macaroons as well as how Wynn's contract worked.

Good story. Enjoyed it.

"For fans of Hex Hall, The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars!

After her run-in with a jealous warlock, apprentice baker Anise Wise can’t wait to get back into the kitchen where she belongs. But thanks to her brush with death, the land of the living isn’t all cupcakes and marshmallows.

Anise’s magical mojo is way out of whack and her changed powers are stirring up trouble. The town’s abuzz with news that Anise can bake deathly spells, and unsavory characters start lining up for a taste. They’ll stop at nothing to use Anise and her witchcraft to further their own plots.

She plans to hole up researching solutions until the attention dies down, but then she discovers the horrifying terms of her bodyguard’s contract. Wynn has saved her life so many times, she can’t leave him trapped. Doing the right thing will mean risking death or worse - losing her dream job.

For this witch, justice might not be as sweet as advertised."

A book for when you're trying to scratch that Great British Bake Off and Magicians vibe at the same time.

I wish I would have read the first one before this one but I still really enjoyed it. It just took me a little bit of reading to get invested in Anise and Wynn's problems. Book was well paced and had action. I liked the uniqueness of the story and the familiars were an added plus. Can't wait for more by this author.

3.5 - 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this.
I couldn't put it down.
Sugar Spells picks off sometime after the end of Deadly Sweet, with a new problem for Anise - apparently she now has death magic too, and it is leaking into her baking.
This series is different. Very fun. I really enjoyed this.

Rating 4/5

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

This is a sweet, cozy read that illuminates Anise and her kind soul. She is the epitome of what every young teenager should strive to be in kindness, generosity and always choosing to do the right thing. I loved how the complexity of the storyline was absent - I say this because if there was more focus on the magic, it would have taken away from the great character building. I absolutely died when we got to venture into Gabi's vet clinic and I hope there's more focus on that in the next novels!

I'm a fatty at heart so the culinary tidbits (were note really just *tidbits* but had a major role in this series) was literally icing on the cake for me!

Side note: this cannot be read as a stand alone.

Anise has had a bad few months. Her powers have gone haywire after she nearly dies. From being an apprentice baker at her Great-Aunt Agatha's Bakeshop with her own brand of magic to death magic that she can't control. With the help of her friends, she tries to figure out how to deal. Once people find out that she has this power, they want to use her for their own schemes. Fortunately, she has Wynn, her bodyguard or Shield. He is with her every minute to protect her, even when she doesn't want his help. I read the second book first, but I didn't have any problems keeping up. I did buy the first one because I really like this series. Many great characters with a fun story. I received this book from Net Galley and INscribe Digital for a honest review and no compensation otherwise. The opinions expressed are my own.

This book might have been better than the first book in the series. It had the same amazing characters in the amazing world that was built with a whole new plot. Anise’s baking magic wound up entangled with death magic from her near death experience in the previous book. She still makes baked goods, but now with death enchantments. Mannikans also come into play, they are non-human supernaturals, like vampires and werewolves.

I loved the character growth in this novel. We got to know Wynn bettere and also got to see what Gabi’s magic was like. Anise also continued to grow as a witch. I love these characters and I will follow them through the rest of this series because they are so much fun to read about,

What I think made this novel better than the first is the plot. Don’t get me wrong, the first book is amazing, but this one was even better. I was a little scared, because typically sequels suffer from second-book-syndrome, but that wasn’t the case here at all. While in the first book I felt that the climax was diminished by prior big events in the book, in this book the climax was executed perfectly. I also loved the addition of vampires to the world.

I am so glad to have discovered this series. I absolutely love these characters and am so glad to have gotten to read about them in two novels and will continue to follow them through the rest of the series. This world is so unique and the plot was amazing. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and hopefully read other books by Lola Dodge.

This book was So good. A total one click read. While I read book two before book one it did not take away any enjoyment nor leave me confused. The characters were flawlessly written. I also enjoyed the familiars lol. Overall I found the plot highly engaging and want book 3 now!

Loved Sugar Spells! Book 2 finds Anise in another magical mishap. A fun read with fun characters. I loved the magical animals in this story. Wynn is awesome and I'm looking forward to reading book 3 Wicked Tasty. #SugarSpells #NetGalley

I give Sugar Spells 5 stars for its fun read.
I would recommend this book to YA Paranormal Fans.

These is the second book in the Spellwork Syndicate series. I enjoyed reading this story and thought it was well written and a good storyline.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review the opinions are of my own.