This one surprised me - I’m not a huge sappy romance fan. I do like the addition of magic and also the bad mother premise. This one may seem very romance-y on the outside but it goes very deep into a relationship that has flaws but is worth exploring and understanding. Two people who have to look at their lives and the choices they have made. For me to keep reading and finishing this says a lot to the great writing. It is well worth it!

I received a copy of this from netgalley in exchange for a review.
This book took me a bit to get really get into, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

Emma is a witch living away from her family, running a bar with her witch bff, and a human, enjoying getting to know the secret half sister she found out about after her father died, and trying to avoid her family and high witch society.

Until her contracted fiancé returns. Bastian left when Emma turned 21 leaving a note saying he couldn’t marry her, despite him being her best friend growing up and her humongous crush on him. Now he’s back and wants to fulfill the marriage contract. What is Emma going to do?

Well, the happy ever after definitely happens for Emma and Bastian, but not without a lot of bumps along the way, including a silence hex, Emma’s extremely horrible mother, and some humans who shouldn’t know about witches. I really enjoyed the minor characters in the book, and am hoping that there’s more in this universe so I can learn more about them. My only major complaint is that I felt Emma’s mother deserved worse.

Thank you to the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book.

This is my second ‘witch’ book- just shows me more that these stories are not my thing. Can’t get into the writing, or characters ect. Not for me.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I mostly enjoyed this book. The premise was fun and Emma and Bas made good MCs. I liked the dual POV, too. I liked the magical tattoo thing, which was a fun bit of the magic system. I also loved Chester, the familiar. Sometimes the characters were a little frustrating, but mostly I liked them very much. I’d def read more from this author, because obv we need Kole & Leah’s story, and Tia’s!

🌸 I love romcoms and this book hit all the right notes for me. Start with a friends to lovers trope, mix in a fake dating premise, sprinkle in some magic and it is *chef’s kiss*. The characters were well written, the story was well paced and the storyline flowed nicely. I felt like both Emma and Bastian grew as characters throughout the book and even though they were hard headed and annoying at times, I was still cheering for them in the end. If you’re looking for a spice factor, I’d give it a mild on the salsa scale.

I would definitely recommend keeping this on your radar for when it releases in August! It would be a great witchy read to start off the fall season

A huge thank you to Sophie H, Morgan, Harlequin, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The Witch is Back comes out August 15, 2023!

Childhood sweethearts, Emma and Bastian, have been in a magical engagement contract for years and everyone was expecting a wedding date announcement. That is until Bastian left with only a one sentence note that he left with his parents. Seven years later Emma is doing great, she has mostly escaped from under her strict mother and is now running a bar with her two best friends. So yes everything is going great until Bastian walks through her bar's doors and pretend to act like nothing happened. After a welcome home party that turns into an engagement party, Emma finds out that is order to save Bastian's mother they have to fulfill the magical contract and get married. Will the two be able to work through their pasts to work towards a bright and magical future.

From the first sentence of The Witch is Back I could not put it down, let's just say I stayed up way to late reading it. The writing was fast-paced, humorous, angsty and romantic. Emma was a shy and strong main female character, who goes through quite a bit of emotional and character development. Bastian was a very layer character who thought he was betrayed by his best friend but stepped up when his mom was sick. Were both characters flawed in their own special ways, absolutely. That being said even when faced with circumstances and odds that weren't great they did what she thought she had to do to defend the people they cared about. I really enjoyed watching work through their past, and there were really great soft moments that made their romance so believable. Honestly if you love second-chance romances that involve freaking witches, The Witch is Back is for sure the book for you.

I didn't like this one. I felt like the author was working way too hard to write a fantasy/witch book and you could tell. Also, the characters were unlikeable and don't even get me started on the misogyny.

This book was amazing and I couldn't get enough. When you read a book and you are able to feel in your gut how the character feels, you know it's a good book. The characters are incredible and their story elaborate. Their romance was really believable and the spice was 🥵 really hot. The telekinesis part was awesome.
The side characters were fun, lovable and really well written. I hope they're gonna be another book with Leah or Tia point of view.
Thanks for letting me read this book in advance. It was really a fun read and I enjoyed it really much.

Instagram review : I would have read this book in one setting if I didn't have so much responsibilities. This book is a must romance/paranormal book to read. I was hooked from page one. The chemistry between the main characters are fire and the side characters are elaborate and I loved them with all my heart. I don't want to say more to not spoiled anything but I promise you, when this book get out, RUN and read it. You won't be disappointed. Clearly, this book has a spell on it because I was clearly bewitched.

Synopsis

Emmaline Bluewater was born into witch society but she always was a wallflower and knew she could never fit in. Her only friend while growing up was Bastian Truenote, the one she had to marry at twenty-one. He left her just before marrying her without explanations or a note.

She left to Chicago and opened a bar with her two friends until, one day, Bastian burst through her life and ask her back.

If you are a fan of former child sweetheart, second chance romance, fake relationships, this book is for you.

The witch is back cover is deceptive. This book has it all and make you feel all the feels. There is sass, flirty banter, heartbreak, family defiance and amazing bestfriends. The secrets and miscommunication in this books will make you want to scream and it sealed me with the doggy. I could definitely go back to this world in a trilogy with Tia and Leah as main characters.

A super easy read and fun rom-com! It has amazing romance and humor with a paranormal twist! Bastian and Emma get a second chance after Bastian comes back into Emma’s life needing some help. They are both really likable characters with great chemistry. This is a fun read with a cute story and great characters! Definitely recommend. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

The Witch is Back is such a relatable book with a paranormal twist. Emma, formerly known as Emmaline, has been on her own in Chicago with her witch bestie and a human, owning a bar. 7 years prior, her best friend and unrequited love, Bastian, left. Their parents drew up a marriage contract when they were younger, to be fulfilled between the ages 21 and 25.
Leaving nothing but a note with his parents, Bastian fled, breaking Emma's heart. 7 years later, he comes back insisting on their marriage to help save his dying mother--who was afflicted from a clause in the wedding contract that Emma's mom put in. Emma has to fight hard to keep her heart out of it, while Bastian finds the best thing he could ever have was always right in front of him.
I honestly loved this book! Everything about Emma is me, so I related a lot. She's shy, but opens up to her friends and is fiercely loyal. She dreams of being untethered and wild, and Bastian is just the person to help her.
Honestly, Bastian is boyfriend goals for sure. The way he understands her shyness and awkwardness and doesn't condemn her for it. They way they push each other to be better. It was beautiful.
My one and only gripe, which wasn't that bad, was this whole book was kind of a miscommunication trope. Bastian is silenced with a hex, so not really his fault. But, Emma decided to keep hiding things that would have solved everything a lot sooner. Sometimes you want to scream at her "JUST SAY IT!!!!" But she has her reasons, too.
If you like:
*Witches and Witch High Society that reminds me of Bridgerton
*Second Chance Love (kind of? For emma?)
*Friends to lovers
*Miscommunication
*Soulmates
*Great World Building

Then this book is for you!

I enjoy a good witchy romance, but this fell flat for me. It took me a long time to believe there was even a worthwhile attraction between the main characters. But the biggest drawback for me was the stated (even if occasionally jokingly) lack of ethics among witches: leeching magic from another witch, messing about with another person's mind, and slipping a truth potion (a witchy "roofie") into another's drink -- so many ways of acting without another's consent. Granted, some of this was pointed out to be wrong, but there was too much blurring the lines of what was acceptable. Just... NO. I shouldn't have to spend so much time cringing through a romance novel.

Thank you, Harlequin and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This was such a great read! I loved the secondary characters in the book and there were hints of a potential sequel storylines between the FMC’s brother and one of her best friends, Leah, as well as with her other best friend Tia and a warlock named Henry that made me very excited! The story starts with Emmaline running into her ex fiancé who abandoned her years ago without so much as a note. He invites her to a party at his house. At the party he manages to convince her to go through with the marriage contract that was signed when they were young by there parents but she insists it must be a marriage of convenience only to guard her own feelings. In turn she agrees to have him live with her till the wedding as part of the pre wedding tradition called the devining. At first she manages to keep him at arms length but soon he is able to make her remember why they were best friends before. Will they be able to go through with this marriage of convenience or will they become something more then husband and wife in name only?

At the beginning of the book Emmaline, or Emma as she prefers it now, is pretty hostile with Bastian, her ex-fiancé. I do not normally enjoy it when so much hostility exists between the MC’s that early on in the story but the author explains the reasons for each characters mistrust in such a way that it makes you empathize with both characters. I was rooting for both of them from pretty much the beginning of the book despite their early feelings of disdain. Sophie Morgan also does a wonderful job of developing the relationship f the MC’s in the story, and it was really lovely to read. I was sad to have the story end and have to say goodbye to these characters. My hope is that we see them again in a sequel that could also see some of the secondary characters get together 😉. Overall a wonderful 5 star read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was completely enchanted my this story! This book sucked me in from the beginning and I loved every second of it. This is the romance that I've been needing.
I just reviewed The Witch is Back by Sophie H. Morgan. #TheWitchisBack #NetGalley
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Give me a paranormal witchy romance any day of the week and I will eat that UP! The cover and title drew me and and then the author certainly did not disappoint.

Emma is a shy quiet witch who after her fiance Bastian left spent the next 7 years rebelling from witchy society and her mother. When suddenly Bastian waltzes into her bar and into her life telling her that the only way to save his Mom is to marry a whole slew of this start to crumble including the secluded life Emma tried to live.

Thrust back into the society she tried to hard to flee her and Bastian have a lot to overcome especially with secrets clouding their pasts and futures. Can they overcome it or will the past break them?

- Fake dating
- Marriage Contract

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!!

I love anything witchy so this was perfect for me! It was sweet, funny, and the perfect romance to get me out of a slump! 10/10 recommend!

This would be such a fun October/ Witchy read! I really enjoyed reading this second chance rom com story. It took me a little bit to understand the world and the magic, but once I did, I ate it up! A really fun story and perfect for those who love a witchy read!

Emma is the shy little witch who has spent the last few years rebelling against her family after she is left by her soon to husband Bastian. Then seven years later he walks back into her wanting to still get married to save his mothers life. There is a lot of miscommunication and secrets that have taken place and stand in the way of Emma and Bastian being able to trust each other. Things come to pass and truths are revealed but can they move past it or will it break them?

I'm really disappointed I didn't love this one. Recently, I've been obsessing over witchy romances. I expected to obsess over this one as well, but sadly, that's not what happened.

My main problem is that I didn't connect with anything about this. All of it was fine, but that's all it was. I already now that in a month, I'll have forgotten everything about this. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't memorable at all.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Witch is Back, by Sophie H. Morgan, is a fun, escapist story about young witches in love. Emmaline Bluewater, a low ranking witch with plant magic, left the witch community of New Orleans after being abandoned by her fiancé, Bastian Truenote, a charming warlock from a prominent family who possess the powers of mind magic. Embarrassed and ridiculed for being left at the altar, Emma moves to Chicago and opens a bar for humans which is aptly named Toil and Trouble. When Bastian returns after several years and tells Emma he needs her to marry him to prevent a negative consequence of their broken engagement contract, the couple is thrust back into a relationship and must navigate the magical circumstances that have kept them apart.

This book is a steamy romance set in a magical world, but the story is truly about two people who have grown and changed since their early adulthood and must learn to fall in love with one another again. Obstacles to their emerging love abound, and scenes that explore difficult family relationships are set against scenes that fully describe the budding sexual relationship between Emma and Bastion. The plot unfolds in a world where witches communicate through mirrors, travel the globe by opening portals, and add telekinetic fingers to their sexual encounters, so an air of magic permeates the real world settings and concerns in the book. This book is not high fantasy or high literature, but readers looking for a spicy tale of love that takes place in a recognizable world populated by witches will enjoy the romantic escape. The story provides plenty of secrets for readers to uncover, and the novel ultimately underscores the importance of both choice and love in securing a happily ever after. This was a fun read!

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.