I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

Loved the small town witchy vibes, perfect Halloween read. It did drag on a little but I enjoyed the characters and magic. A good introduction for the series.

This book is delightful. I couldn't put it down. Hazel.Beck's words are magical. The characters are.delightful, relatable. Pure magic. You will be spellbound and captivated till the end. A must read.

Small Town, Big Magic by is book one of two of the Witchlore series. The book is captioned "a witchy rom-com." The book is definitely witchy, with an entire town centered around witchy. In fact, the book is more about witches, their covens, the rituals, and their enemies than it is a rom-com. That, for me, makes it a more fun read. The ending clearly leads to a book two, but the book itself can stand alone for a fun read.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/10/small-town-big-magic.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

This book is a bit long and can be a bit slow in places. But, I enjoyed the fights among the witches and the way the author gave them powers. Very unique and creative. A good fall, witchy read! It hit the right spot!

This was a fun read for spooky season. I loved the small town atmosphere and the many multifaceted characters involved in the story. The story surrounds a group of friends who have been together since they were children, but only now one of them realizes that they are all witches and she just now is starting to feel her power. With the help of her friends and one very close friend in particular, she realizes that her life is better than she ever dreamed it could be. Cute story with a cliffhanger ending setting up the next book in the series.

I enjoyed Small Town, Big Magic more for the friends dynamic and less so for the romance. The love that Georgie, Ellowyn and Emerson have for each other is captured nicely. I enjoyed the where Ellowyn tells Emerson about the curse. The care that they all had for Ellowyn after the first summoning was so well done. I can't say the same for Jacob and Emerson's romance. This book is categorized as Romance but it doesn't fit the genre. There are scenes where Jacob and Emerson flirt and show they have a thing for one another, where they kiss, but the sex scene goes nowhere. There's closed door and then there's "and I could tell you more, I could share every detail, I almost want to, but you know who I am by now. I'm not here for the objectification of women or men or the glorification of sensuality for consumer commodification." There isn't even a vague description, just a change of topic to focus on Emerson.

The romance seems like an afterthought and makes me think that Small Town, Big Magic ought to be in the Fantasy section. It also took so long to get to the ritual to save St. Cyprian that I checked out of reading at times. When I discovered that there's a sequel, the insanely slow pace made sense. However, I'm reluctant to read the next book. It didn't hold my attention and make me want to revisit the characters except for finding out Zach and Ellowyn's back story. Even then, I'm still reluctant.

This was a cute and fun read. I feel like all "witchy" books are compared to the OG, Practical Magic, but I did get a little Practical Magic vibes from this one. Being an indie bookstore owner myself I knew I had to pick this one up. If only MY small town was full of witches! I loved that there was a romance and that this will be a series (maybe just a duology?) but all of the town characters made the story so much better and I found myself assigning people from my life as people from St Cyprian! Fun read!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a fun premise that I haven't read before. I loved the magic and romance of this world. It encompassed my favorite genres: paranormal, mystery, and romance.

Book 1 of Dewey’s Reverse Readathon July 2022.

The mystery of this books’s title grabbed me, and Hazel Beck is a new-to-me author.

Friends, family magic and love combine to make this novel a great small town witchy book. I was definitely thinking of The Ghost Whisperer while my iPad’s screen reader read this book out to me, and the small town is very well imagined. The characters are well created.

Thanks to Hazel Beck and Graydon House for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars

Small Town, Big Magic was a solid start to a new series from author duo Hazel Beck. I have read books from each author previously, so I was really excited for this one.

Emerson loves her town of St. Cyprian and she does all she can to make it a wonderful place to live and visit. Her neat and ordered life is thrown for a loop, though, when she finds out magic is real and she is a witch. It was an interesting magical system, and I loved how all of her friends were magical as well.

There's just enough world building to give you a sense of the stakes and how everything works without it being confusing or slowing down the story. The pacing is a bit different than I expected, too, with some things left unfinished and a bit of a cliffhanger. I could not put this book down and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

Straight up – I loved Small Town Big Magic, the first in a new genre-busting series from Hazel Beck. Best categorized as adult fiction, it has a touch of paranormal and romance as well. Emerson Wilde lives in St. Cyprian, a small town at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. It seems like a pretty normal place – until you find out why it is anything but. I don’t want to get into details of Emerson’s journey, because it absolutely best to be experienced along with her as she learns more about the town (and herself) than she thought was possible. Emerson’s brand of “fight the patriarchy feminism” got annoying at times. We get it. She’s used to being alone and doesn’t need a man to succeed. Until she does. There also seem to be some unfinished storylines in spite of the fact they appear to be wrapped up. I’m hoping they’ll be addressed in future books. And I’ll be there for every one of them. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Harlequin Trade Publishing.

Small Town, Big Magic is an interesting take on the small town witchy rom-com. I liked the world building and the characters were interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Small Town, Big Magic is a fun and cozy romance set in the small town of St. Cyprian, Missouri that is secretly the home to a plethora of witches. Our protagonist, Emerson, is a type A go getter who is the head of many committees and runs the bookstore in town. Unbeknownst to her, she also (shockingly) failed her witch coming of age test and her punishment was that she be banned from knowing anything about witches and was magicked into forgetting all that she knows. When she unexpectedly begins to get her powers back she is shocked to realize that not only are witches real but those closest to her are too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy romance. Emerson and her love interest, Jacob, are part of a larger group of friends that I fell in love with. I love the community and relationship they all have with each other since they have been friends for such a long time. There were clues within the group of future romances and I am already looking forward to getting my hands on them.

Another aspect of this book that I liked was the back and forth between Emerson and her rival, Skip and his mother. The drama between the three of them was engaging and it was hard to put this book down because I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. The backstory that Emerson has with both Skip and his mom was interesting and sometimes humorous.

My only critique of this story is that while Jacob and Emerson have a long history together, I did think that the romantic relationship between them was very fast paced. There was no real angst and I would have preferred more push and pull between them. Jacob also seems to have a bigger role in the witch community that we only got glimpses of and I hope that is something we see more of in future books.

October may be over but I think Small Town, Big Magic is a great year round read if you are in the mood for a small town romance with a little something extra thrown in. The sequel to this book promises to substantially build on the story that we just got and I’m looking forward to learning more about certain characters.

It’s almost Spooky Season which, for me, means cursing the cooler weather (I’m sure I’m a Fall Girl at heart but I hate hate hate saying goodbye to warm weather and knowing snow is coming!), drinking pumpkin beer, and reading witchy books. I don’t particularly love Halloween (other than the tiny chocolate bars) and scary stuff is so not my jam. But novels featuring witches? Especially with a dash of romance? Oh yes. I’m into that. So, I was really interested in Hazel Beck’s novel Small Town, Big Magic which is the start of a new, contemporary magical series. It wasn't the best but it actually was fun to read!

Here's the book’s description:
Witches aren't real. Right?
No one has civic pride quite like Emerson Wilde. As a local indie bookstore owner and youngest-ever Chamber of Commerce president, she’d do anything for her hometown of St. Cyprian, Missouri. After all, Midwest is best! She may be descended from a witch who was hanged in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials, but there’s no sorcery in doing your best for the town you love.
Or is there?
As she preps Main Street for an annual festival, Emerson notices strange things happening around St. Cyprian. Strange things that culminate in a showdown with her lifelong arch-rival, Mayor Skip Simon. He seems to have sent impossible, paranormal creatures after her. Creatures that Emerson dispatches with ease, though she has no idea how she’s done it. Is Skip Simon…a witch? Is Emerson?
It turns out witches are real, and Emerson is one of them. She failed a coming-of-age test at age eighteen—the only test she’s ever failed!—and now, as an adult, her powers have come roaring back.


But she has little time to explore those powers, or her blossoming relationship with her childhood friend, cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North: an ancient evil has awakened in St. Cyprian, and it’s up to Emerson and her friends—maybe even Emerson herself—to save everything she loves.
Emerson was…interesting. Truthfully? She drove me bonkers. But…I still cared about what she was up to? I think I just struggle with people who think they know best and try to manage everyone in their circle. I think what helped me enjoy reading about Emerson was that she wasn’t doing anything because she was cruel. She just figured she knew what was best. And I can’t imagine it would have been easy to find out that everything you thought was true was…not.

I also wasn’t totally sold on the romance in this one. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes so you’d think I’d be All In when it came to Emerson and Jacob. But the fact that he was grumpy for no apparent reason (turns out there was a reason) and the whole magic amnesia thing…something didn’t quite work for me. Was I still rooting for them? Duh. I love me a Happily Ever After (or, in this case, a Happy For Now). But the tension just wasn’t quite…right.

I always enjoy seeing how different authors approach magic and what rules they put in place in their worlds. I also always appreciate a nod to the history of witches and Salem and so on. (Maybe that’s the historical fiction lover in me!) I liked that there were different types of witches in Beck’s world and they had different types of powers and they were stronger together with one of each type of witch.

In all honesty, looking back at Small Town, Big Magic has me wondering what, exactly, kept me turning the pages and why I’m looking forward to the second book. I think I enjoyed the broad strokes of the story – the why of the cursed town and what will happen – more than the narrow specifics – the personalities of the characters and so on. I will definitely read the next book in the series but it will be one I’ll borrow from my local library.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

This was a super cozy and cute read! Absolutely perfect for people that want a book that feels like Halloween but isn't scary. I'd recommend to readers that liked The Ex Hex and are looking for something to read next.

SMALL TOWN, BIG MAGIC by the writing duo known as Hazel Beck is an unexpected treasure! My reactions as I read: OOOHH!! Wow! And Darn It!! I am now waiting on pins and needles for the next one it the series!
SMALL TOWN, BIG MAGIC is a somewhat different look at witches and magic, full of interesting characters and an engrossing storyline. Emerson feels she must do everything herself, and, when things that don’t make sense start happening in her beloved St. Cyprian, she has a lot to come to terms with the realization that things aren’t as she believed and learn to ask her friends, who have always been at her side, for help navigating her new reality and everything that comes with it.
Don’t miss this one!
Thanks to the publisher for the chance to read an early copy. All opinions are my own and are freely given.
#SmallTownBigMagic #HazelBeck #GraydonHouse

#SmallTownBigMagic:⁣
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“You may not have known you were a witch. But you have always been magic.”⁣
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Are you looking for a fun magical read this month? Small Town, Big Magic is definitely one to check out for magic spells, small towns (obviously), and second chance lovers.⁣
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Emerson was such a unique character. She’s a lister, type A, and kind of annoying.. but she’s a self aware queen, so we forgive her. She does grow on you as the story unfolds and you both realize what exactly she’s gone through these past few years.⁣
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Of course, no recommendation is complete without an audio rec. Natalie Duke, you Angel. Loved Duke’s reading of Emerson and co. She truly brought out Em in the best way.⁣
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This book is a bit hard to describe in regard to age? At first, it felt a bit YA, then gravitated to NA, then we had a steamy scene or two that was a bit more than NA. If you’re looking for a true YA or a true adult magical read, you may be frustrated by the character and her actions as they kind of bounce in between genres. I didn’t mind because I enjoy all 3, but others may. ⁣
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Overall, a solid magical read perfect for fall. Thank you again @harperaudio for the gifted copy. Small Town, Big Magic is out now.

Small Town, Big Magic

Emerson Wilde is descended from a woman who was accused of being a witch and hung during the Salem Witch Trials and even though she knows witches aren’t real she still means to represent all of her descendants ideals and be a strong and independent woman no matter what. And so far she’s doing a fine job of it. Emerson loves her small town of St. Cyprian and all the people in it, especially her very best friends.. even if they are a little weird. But then Emerson is attacked by an unknown entity and in order to protect someone she cares about she reflexively uses powers she didn’t know she had, forcing her to accept the fact that witches may be real after all.

One of my favorite tropes is found family. I love when a group of people come together by choice and end up closer than if they were related by blood. We get that in spades in this novel. Emerson’s group of friends are quirky and loving and loyal and I enjoyed the dynamic between them all a great deal. I liked the small town vibes and the sense of community and I also loved the independent bookstore handed down to Emerson.

As far as things I didn’t like- there wasn’t a lot. I thought the holier than thou act from Emerson was tedious and I found it grated on my nerves a bit. The story was also a bit repetitive at times but all in all I really enjoyed this story and very much look forward to the next installment. I believe this will be a quartet, one book releasing each year until the last. So if you’re just picking this up be prepared for a long wait until the story is concluded. I personally love when two authors comes together to write a book, in this case Hazel Beck is made up of two authors you may have heard from before, Megan Crane and Nicole Helm. If you’re a fan of their individual works you won’t want to miss this!

ahhhh ok this review is going to be a little hard to write. i am not amazing at writing reviews of books i didn’t like. but i want to preface this by saying that i’ve seen lots of positive reviews for this book, too. recently, i saw that @kayreadwhat finished & enjoyed this, so if this conceit of the novel sounds up your alley, disregard what i say and give the book a go.

alright, ’small town, big magic’ by hazel beck (a pseudonym for author duo nicole helm & megan crane) follows emerson wilde, bookstore owner & unofficial hype man for her town of st. cyprian, missouri. despite the history of her town & the fact that one of her ancestors was a victim of the salem witch trials, emerson knows the magic doesn’t exist. that is until one night when she’s attacked by a group of paranormal creatures and she defeats them with her own magic?! turns out, emerson comes from a long line of witches but when she failed to pass her magic exam 10 years ago, had her memory wiped. with the help of her group of friends (all of whom are witches), emerson has to learn to use her powers, try and get her memory back, and save the town from the impending danger heading their way.

i just… couldn’t vibe with this book. the description sounds so promising, but it just missed the mark for me. the main issue with the book was emerson as a character — she’s extremely type a, very organized, and often can’t take a joke. her internal monologues were exhausting, and i really wish this book had been third person so i could have a break from her head. the book was also far too long for what it tried to accomplish, and the ending was relatively unsatisfying (only one of the two major plot builds was concluded). i did enjoy the small bits of romance we got between emerson and jacob, though this book is very closed doors and the romance was mostly an afterthought. some of the side characters were interesting, and should a sequel be about one of them, i might consider giving it a go. i think this particular book just wasn’t meant for me.