This was a heartfelt childhood friends to lovers, dual POV, second chance witchy romance that was full of family secrets, lies and miscommunication but at its heart was a beautiful love story between two witches destined to be together. Good on audio narrated by Natalie Duke and perfect for fans of Avery Flynn's Witcha gonna do. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This was my first book by Sophie H. Morgan and I look forward to reading more! Bring on #SpookySeason Reads!!

I'm going to be honest, this wasn't the book for me. Based on the blurb, it really hit all of my go-to read points: wallflower, witchy, second-chance love. However, the book really fell short for me. A lot happened over the course of the story, but it was presented in a way that really failed to keep my interest and failed to make me care about any of the characters. The main female lead was apparently born without a backbone and lets everyone walk over her, the male lead has such an inflated ego and sense of self that he doesn't seem to realize how his actions hurt others, or maybe he just doesn't care that much.

The world-building left a lot unexplained. Why exactly are they given tattoos? How do portals work? Why do they call non-magical people "humans?" I've finished the book with so many questions.

It's August and I'm already in the mood for autumn and witch lit! The Witch is Back fits this feeling and is perfect for anytime of year!

When I read this books description, I was really excited to read it, and I wasn't let down! Many of the witch lit books that I've read have been very light-hearted and humorous. This one has a lot more serious feel to it. I enjoyed the characters' growth and development and how the author showed it to us. And the explanations and discusses that were between the characters that showed how their backgrounds and experiences influenced their various decisions.

This development was highly enjoyable and really helped me connect with the characters! I would definitely read this author again, and I hope we get more books about other characters from this story!

Thank you to #netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.

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Overall The Witch is Back is a decent sweet, second chance witchy romance with some spice. .
Sophie Morgan had great characters and an excellent story line but it did get sluggish at times.

It is a great lead in to a potential story with secondary characters.

I will say it did have more tropes than I felt necessary.

This was such a cute second chance romance with a lot of my favorite tropes: opposites attract, forced proximity, friends to lovers, fake dating and a “it’s always been you” acknowledgement. Plus, add magic in to up the fun factor!!

Emma and Bastian have a rocky past that is hard for both of them to get over, but with Bastian’s mom’s life on the line, they are willing to work on mending fences. If Emma’s mom’s life had been in the balance, I would have let that witch die. She is horrible!! I loved how Bas stood up to her for Emma - total swoon worthy moment!

Because they are not in the best of places with each other this reads more like an enemies to lovers with all the banter! These two are great together, and I love how their characters grew over the course of the book.

The Witch is Back by Sophie H. Morgan

Published: August 15, 2023
Harlequin
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Pages: 376
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Sophie H. Morgan is a romance author who loves humour and heart in equal measure. A fan of random situations, challenging odds and serious chemistry, she can be found either in the English rain running after her spaniel or curled up on the sofa with a romance (with said wet spaniel snoring next to her).

“Truth builds; lies tear down.”

Emma lives a relatively normal life. She owns a bar with two of her best friends, and together they have a solid tribe of love and support. She is even mentoring her little sister, which she enjoys. Bastian has spent the last several years traveling. He has seen the world and experienced amazing things. But now, he is returning and wants the marriage contract between him and Emma to be fulfilled. Except they are both holding secrets back that could ruin everything.

This was such a sweet, yet spicy, book. I enjoyed the way the plot moved along. The pacing was staged nicely, with enough happening to keep me engaged.

I liked Emma. Despite having a lot of trauma from her past, she strives to be happy. I liked Bastian, he has an effortless charm, but he also isn’t afraid to be blunt. Their dynamic was precious.

The side characters added so much to the story, and I loved the different dynamics. The romance was deliciously spicy but also achingly sweet.

The is so much charm within these pages, and I loved the way a magical world was woven throughout. Well written and developed!

“A man begging her to marry him. But not because he chose her. Because she was the other name on the contract. And what a contract it had proven to be.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like child abuse, physical and emotional abuse, and abandonment. Revolves around sickness and death of a parent. Contains sexual content.

“The Witch is Back” follows Emmaline (Emma) Bluewater and Bastian Truenote as they reunite after years of no contact—after Bastian called off their engagement by legit running away and never speaking to her again. That was until Bastian walks back into Emma’s life, asking to be married, preferably as soon as possible, because Bastian’s mother was literally dying because they didn’t fulfill their marriage contract—a contract that not even one of the most powerful magical families, the Truenotes, can out-hex. How romantic.

Told in third person and through two points of view, “The Witch is Back” is an entertaining, witchy book that’ll have you hooked right from the start. The history between the two main characters is palpable and I was honestly dying to know what exactly drove them apart to begin with.

This book is for you if you’re looking for a magical childhood friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance with some marriage of convenience and forced proximity sprinkled in. I would highly recommend this book for any readers that enjoy witchy romance book, “The Witch is Back” does not disappoint.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: August 15, 2023

This book is full of witches, magic and all the complications that comes with a magical contract. Magical contracts aren’t easily broken Bastian knows, he ran away to avoid marrying Emma seven years ago. At least that’s what Emma thinks. But now he’s back and asking Emma to marry him.

Emma and Bastian are both flawed and interesting characters who hold secrets close tho their heart. They come from different levels of witchy society and hold different levels of magic. This becomes the crux of their issues throughout the book.

When they were young, Emma was a wallflower who followed Bastian around with stars in her eyes. Bastian was the golden boy who could charm anyone with his smile. They’ve both grown up during their years apart and Bastian is surprised to see Emma is now a strong, independent woman who bites back.

After they work to rebuild their friendship, you are gifted with Bastian’s redeeming story arc and Emma’s voice (she finally stood up for herself).
Their chemistry when they kiss is off the charts and the steamy scenes that follow are magic! 😉

Magic aside, their story felt believable. It’s about 2 people dealing with the fallout of their arranged marriage and how to get back to who they were to each other. We were hooked to find out why Bastian left and what secrets Emma was keeping.

The magic in this book was pretty fun! Lots of conjuring (which we would love to be able to do), cute animal familiars, telekenesis and opening portals to anywhere! Sign us up!

We really enjoyed this magical world. We’re hoping it’s not the last time we visit it, it’s full of potential future stories we would love to read.

Read if you like:
▪️Witches & magic
▪️Arranged marriage
▪️Childhood friend to enemies to lovers
▪️Second chance romance
▪️Secrets & betrayals
▪️Soulmates

This was a cute witchy rom-com. It was light and fun. Maybe a bit too cute and not enough witchy for my tastes but I did just finish Haunting Adeline and I may never recover. Overall an easy read. If you liked the Ex Hex I think you’ll enjoy this one too!

This was a cute romance book about two friends who form a fake relationship in their paranormal world. Honestly, I picked this book because of the cover because it looked cute and it was a cute read. The story felt more like YA than Adult but the story was great. Morgan is a great writer and I loved the way the story was played out. There weren’t many conflicts and the story felt basic but it did have a main conflict. This book is told from both Emma and Bastian’s pov which I liked as they were great characters. They had both great developments and a fun story. There weren’t many side characters but I liked how the story really focused on the MCs. The romance is cute but very plain and not steamy. It’s a marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, and a second chance. The ending was cute and overall it was a well-written story but bits of pieces were missing from the story. I recommend checking out this book as it’s a light read.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for my eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My very first 2023 witchy season read and The Witch is Back did not disappoint. I was in love with all the characters from the first chapter. This one was fast moving and I hated when life took me away from the book.

I enjoyed seeing how Emma and Bastian grew over the course of the story. They both had such wonderful support systems despite what happened 7 years ago.
That dinner scene at Emma’s house was hands down the best I’ve read for a while. Bastian said everything I had been yelling inside my head.
It also had just the right amount of steam for me. If you enjoy witchy romances with a touch of steam, then add this one to your October TBR.

I enjoyed:
Second chance romance
Forced Proximity
Witch Magic

Ugh Factor:
Miscommunication
Third Act Break up
I understand these are necessary for the story but I was hoping to be surprised by their absence.

A magical second chance romance!

Emmaline Bluewater (Emma) and Bastian Truenote were supposed to get married. In their witch society, their parents had signed a contract sealing the deal, but Bastian ran leaving Emma and her broken heart behind. Then years later Bastian returns, acts as if nothing has changed and wants her back...

This was an enjoyable book but was missing that little bit of something that would have pushed my rating higher. At times this felt like a YA book mixed with a fairy tale. Swooning, evil mother, magic, etc. I do not have an issue with YA books or fairy tales but the characters in this book felt younger than their ages. It also bothered me that when he came back after leaving her, he offered no explanation, and she did not demand one. That would have been the first thing out of my mouth, especially when he comes strolling in like he hadn't left her hanging and been gone. But I digress.... This book is full of communication issues, secrets, and swooning.

There were parts of this book that I enjoyed such as the support that Emma gets from her friends and her relationship with her sister. I also like how she stands up for herself at the end and takes a stand. I enjoyed her growth. This was a second chance romance that was cute and enjoyable but didn't fully work its magic on me.

This book was well written and had a good premise.

3/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

This was a pretty average read for me. My main complaint was that I wanted more magic and more romance. While I did overall enjoy the romance between Bastian and Emma, I felt like it could've been more. I wanted more chemistry . I think the whole engagement and contract needed more. It just really wasn't holding my interest. Of course there was also the magic. I wanted more of it. It got small bits here and there but it just wasn't nearly enough for my personal preference. I will say I enjoyed the last 20% of the book more than anything. Overall very much an an average romance read.

The Witch is Back is a tongue-in-cheek paranormal romantic comedy that effortlessly immerses readers into a captivating world of magical mayhem. This delightful and entertaining read is perfect to indulge in during the spooky season.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I came for the pretty magic and mention of witches, forcibly ran away at the mention of spice.

The Witch is Back is a fantasy romance novel. 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.

Yeah no, I'm good. I don't do main plot romance. I'm good.

Oh goodness I loved this so much. I know it’s only August but I’ve been in a witchy reads mood and this one hit the spot. I loved our MC’s chemistry from the start, even if it was a little rocky. They truly were destined and seeing them grow together was so worth it.

I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. I wasn’t connecting with Emma or Bastain I am so glad I stuck with it. Bastain is amazing, he is funny and smart and always stood up for Emma. Emma has her secrets and she is trying to shield her heart from being hurt again. Their growth through this book is so fun to read. I enjoyed this book quite a bit!

I love me a good witchy romance funny read, and when I saw this cover and the read the synopsis I knew this was going to be fun. Emma and Bastian were everything!!! This second chance romance with a twist is what everyone needs. They were best friends, destined to be together but he up and left and out of nowhere 7 years later popped up, and she was NOT having it!!! This is a broken hearted woman we are talking about, but when Bastian tells her why he’s seeking her out, she put that aside and decided to help him……. So this already has the tropes I am starting to love, close proximity, and second chance romance.

It was easy to fall in love with the characters in the book, witches and warlocks among humans, and Emma’s human best friend Leah, who is too funny, Tia is so bad ass, she reminds me of my own best friend. And I wish the author continues with their stories I feel a story coming along concerning Leah and Tia…… I’m just saying!!!! Lol

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I loved everything about this book. From the family dynamics to the second-chance romance and character growth, Morgan hits all the good spots with just the right balance of emotions and fun.
Emmaline Bluewater grew up with a mother who loved telling her she was nothing and witch society at large telling her she was insignificant. Her only escape and hope for the future was an arranged marriage to her best friend, Bastian Truenote. Until Bastian flees leaving behind a note simply saying that he can't marry her.
Years later, Emma owns a human bar with her best friends and has slowly built a life for herself away from witch society and her awful mother. Now, Bastian is back and ready to get married because his mom is suffering from a curse from the broken marriage contract. They were in an unbalanced friendship before and they're different people now, but the spark is still there. They'll have to face their fears, the reason why Bastian fled, and Emma's horrid mother to see if they can find their happily ever after.
The relationships not only between Emma and Bastian but with everyone they come in contact with are a perfect mix of supportively loving and pushy that only the best relationships can attain. Except for Emma's mom who deserves her own spot in the awful mother hall of fame.
And the romance is sweet and perfect and flawed in the way that two people can help each other grow by opening up, which makes for a very satisfying read. You cannot read how Emma and Bastian interact and not walk away loving them.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the magically romantic read!

Who doesn’t love a witchy/magical romcom. This girl sure does! With the fall weather getting closer it was a perfect time for me to dive right in to this sweet book. I did enjoy the story. It definitely was not a new trope but still enjoyable. The characters were likeable and I look forward to reading more.