All I can hear in my head is "The Witches Are Back" from HP2. The perfect soundtrack for this fun, witchy story! This was a really fun book to bring in spooky, witchy season. I liked the fake dating/marriage angle, and both characters were lovable.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

A solid second chance, friends to lovers romance novel with a cute, albeit predictable, story line. The characters were great and I enjoyed the supernatural a slant. A good spooky season read. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with an ARC.

FANTASTIC!! It took me awhile to get to this one, but I'm sooo glad that I did!! It's very plot-driven with lots of character development, and sweet romance. It's different from my normal reads a bit, but I LOVE IT!! I'll be telling everyone!

It is my own fault for not enjoying this one because I have recently discovered that I am just not a fan of second chance romances and I also haven't really been enjoying cozy witchy romances either. Everything about this book was fine and I am sure the fans of these things would end up enjoying this one. It just wasn't the book for me.

Such a fun witchy rom-com! Emma wasn't your stereotypical witch (but oh my, why ARE so many witch moms just...stereotypically controlling/nasty!)

While I'm not always a fan of the miscommunication trope - and if you aren't either, this will grind your gears - i thoroughly enjoyed the story because Ms Morgan DID put a lot of other unexpected twists in the book.

It was a quick and enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

This was a good Halloween romance and had the hallmark kinda feelings I loved this and thought it was cute I’m definitely buying a copy for my shelves next time I go to the bookstore! She was a very relatable character!

Yay for witchy romances! This book was sweet and funny and hit all the right notes!

There’s nothing wrong with being a wallflower. Not to Emmaline Bluewater, anyway. Emma may have been born into witch society, but her days of trying to fit in where she doesn’t belong are over—they ended seven years ago, when the man she’d hoped to marry left town without a word. She’s much happier now, living a delightfully mundane human life in Chicago and running her bar, Toil and Trouble.

Until Bastian Truenote walks through the door and announces that he wants her back.

Bastian had his reasons for leaving—even if he can’t tell Emma what they are. Now, to win Emma’s heart, he’s got to face down an adorably goofy dog familiar, a best friend who’s all too eager to hit him with a carefully aimed hex, and a woman who’s far from the meek witch he remembers.

Magical contracts aren’t easily broken, but as far as Emma’s concerned, not even a marriage of convenience will have her falling under Bastian’s spell again…

Thank you so much to Netgally and Harlequin for letting me read an eARC of The Witch is Back! I thought the cover was super cute, so I was the most excited about actually reading it!
The Witch is Back 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: Love is a hex of a thing. Former childhood sweethearts fake a relationship in this charming, witchy romcom.
There’s nothing wrong with being a wallflower. Not to Emmaline Bluewater, anyway. Emma may have been born into witch society, but her days of trying to fit in where she doesn’t belong are over—they ended seven years ago, when the man she’d hoped to marry left town without a word. She’s much happier now, living a delightfully mundane human life in Chicago and running her bar, Toil and Trouble.
Until Bastian Truenote walks through the door and announces that he wants her back.
Bastian had his reasons for leaving—even if he can’t tell Emma what they are. Now, to win Emma’s heart, he’s got to face down an adorably goofy dog familiar, a best friend who’s all too eager to hit him with a carefully aimed hex, and a woman who’s far from the meek witch he remembers.
Magical contracts aren’t easily broken, but as far as Emma’s concerned, not even a marriage of convenience will have her falling under Bastian’s spell again…
The Witch is Back was such a fun witchy read! I really enjoyed Emma and Bastian as main characters. The way that the magical world worked was super interesting. I really loved Emma’s bar (Toil and Trouble is such a fun name for a bar owned by a witch, especially when no one really knows that she’s a witch) and her friends. The whole miscommunication angle and the silencing spell were definitely annoying- as a reader, I enjoy some ambiguity, but not knowing key plots got a little annoying. We were able to make up for bits of it with other aspects though, such as Bastian standing up for Emma with her family, Emma’s brother’s interactions with her friends, Bastian’s parents- overall, The Witch is Back was a fun time and a great fall read! For sure pick it up today!

A witch gets engaged (once again) to the man who broke her heart seven years ago. This was a quick, easy romance for the witchy season. This is a cozy romance that should be an excellent book for anyone looking for something to get into the witchy romance gene. The marriage of convenience to a guy who broke your heart years ago is always a good time, and I loved seeing the characters give into the "it's always been you" trope.

- Second Chance
-Forced proximity
- Marriage of Convenience

I was provided an arc of The Witch is back, and I have purchased my copy. All thoughts are my own.

I loved this. It was such a cute, fun, fall/Halloween read. The characters were great as was the story line. I always love a good rom-com with some magic built in. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars.

The author builds the romance slowly and organically, with heart-touching realism and thoughtfulness, and these character’s arc only add to the dramatic journey the characters must travel before they can truly embrace all they could be together. Highly recommending it.

There were some fun parts in this book - all the history of the town and the curse, but overall, it fell a little bit flat and the romance aspect felt strangely paced and also a bit forced. Still, fans of witchy magic and second-chance romance with an age gap might enjoy this more than I did.

The premise of this was fun, some Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes, with some likable and exciting characters, and realistic chemistry between Emma and Bastian. The narration style fell flat for me at times, and I wished that certain aspects of the plot/witch society had been delved into further. Some typical rom-com tropes worked well in this; overall fun, lighthearted, and a little bit of spice if you're in a witchy mood!

I loved the story and I loved the complete package. I did get annoyed a bit with the little hole and weakness that Emma seemed to portray, I wanted her to show her strength and brilliance just a bit more. Great read though and I enjoyed the story as a whole and would read again!

The cover looks like an young students book. If you took out all the sexual encounters it could be a YA. Childhood best friends, Emmaline and Bastian are contracted to marry. Bastian is from a high level magic family but Emmaline is not. Boy leaves girl, and breaks her hesrt. Boy returns seven years later because a clause in the contract has made his mother ill. Too much sex and no one is being truthful with each other.

The Witch is Back is a lovely cozy fantasy romance for readers who enjoyed books like The Secret Society of Very Irregular Witches and The Ex Hex series. The second-chance romance is heartwarming, and the character development is nicely layered and fitting for the genre. I will definitely be recommending it to my witchy romance lovers and cozy Halloween readers.

This was an absolutely SOLID adult witchy romance. I will be discussing some issues my fellow reviewers have had so stick around. This is definitely for fans of The Ex Hex and Not The Witch You Wed. They've got similar vibes of second chance romances and a witchy society that is quite shitty if we're all being honest.

While this couple did have some serious miscommunication issues I think everything made sense for the age bracket they were in and the things they were protecting. There were moments where I wanted to shout at them both to get their shit together, but I mean, a bit of drama is kind of the point of a story. We wouldn't be interested to read something where everything was perfect the whole time. It'd be a bore.

One of the big things I'm seeing from reviewers is about the virgin MC/purity culture happening in a witch book and how that's so unlikely. So let me stroll in and tell you more about myself than the internet cares to know (legit though, I have a youtube channel, so the world already knows more than it wants to). Multiple comments have said that the MC is too old, pretty, involved in society to still be a virgin (unless she's Ace). Here's the thing, I am many things. A witch (or Pagan, if you prefer), in my mid-30's, IMO attractive and successful, and a virgin. Why? Because I'm demi-sexual. And our MC Emma is 100% demi-sexual coded. She mentions when asked about her past experiences that it had never "felt right" before. And as someone who has done a lot of dating and had the opportunity before, that's exactly the answer. When you're demi (at least in my experience) even when there's no reason to NOT want to have sex with a guy, it just doesn't feel right. No matter how much you're physically attracted to them, you don't have that emotional connection and you just don't feel like having sex with them. I can see how Emma could have been in relationships over the years and still be a virgin because Bas is a guy that she has deep emotional feelings for and therefor, the person it feels right with. Now, when it comes to Bas and his sexual experience? Idk, maybe he's also demi? I've never been a guy so I can't speak to what it's like being male and demi but I imagine as men are seen different in the patriarchy that it comes with its own list of issues and hang ups.

That was a lot. So. Yeah. Basically my point was, my biggest issue with this book is the communication thing, but I also get it?

What did I love? the characters. Emma's Coven, her good siblings, Bas' parents, the familiars! The sex scenes were also, very nice. The magic was interesting and I'd like to know more about the magic system though I know that's not typically ever going to happen in these types of books that are more romance than fantasy.

I had a fantastic time reading this and if there isn't another book coming out ASAP with Tia and Henry as our MC's I'll eat my shoe.

This was just not a memorable read. It didn't offer anything new to either the witchy romance genre or the arranged marriage trope. The FMC and MMC were just so-so.

The book was well written, just wished for something more.

Quick Summary: A magical kindred spirits romance

My Review: The Witch is Back by Sophie H. Morgan was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. It was perfect.

About the Book: Two friends who were once betrothed abruptly parted ways due to secrets, lies, betrayals, and upsets. When a second chance reconnection happened, no one really knew what would be revealed. Can two broken hearts survive and find true, unconditional love?

My Final Say: This was a diamond. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It will go in my keepers vault. It was a real tearjerker...in a great way. I was so not ready for that sacrifice at the end. 😭

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Besties-of-All-Time: Yes
Status/Level: 💞🌶💗💎

Sincere, heartfelt appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (HARLEQUIN), and to NetGalley for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own.

Emma was born into and brought up by the witch society, but now chooses to live around humans. After the man she was supposed to marry left her seven years ago, she prefers now to live away from the witch society - in Chicago with her friends, running her bar, Toil & Trouble.

But then unexpectedly, that man, Bastian Truenote, is back and says he wants to keep their formal contract and marry her. Emma is suspicious.

Bastian had his reasons for leaving—but he literally can’t tell Emma what they are due to a hex put on him. And Emma has her own secrets - a powerful mother who plans to take advantage of Bastain's powers, and a half sister no one knows about.

Is the reason Bastain returned a good enough reason to go ahead with a marriage? Can Emma keep her mother from leaching powers from Bastain and his family? Can Emma keep from falling back in love with this man? Emma has many things to figure out, while getting to know her future husband all over again, and the sexual tension keeps getting in the way! Will Emma go through with the marriage, with everything that's at stake?

This was an entertaining romantic comedy. An easy to follow plot and likeable characters (and pets/familiars). I enjoyed the sass, wit and flirty back and forth the most!