Thank you NetGalley for sharing this book with me early to read and review. This book wasn’t my favorite but I do love bits of it and know others will too!

As someone who truly enjoyed Small Town, Big Magic, the first book in the “Witchlore” series by Hazel Beck, I was hugely excited to read the second installment of the story in Big Little Spells. What is lovely about Beck’s writing is that it perfectly toes the line between a romance and a fantasy novel, never crossing over the divide. It has echoes of Practical Magic. Her work can appeal to many fantasy readers without suffering in creativity or characters.

“BECAUSE WOMEN SHOULD CLAIM THEIR POWER. WE ALL KNOW WHO BENEFITS WHEN THEY DON’T, AND IT ISN’T US.”

The protagonist, Emerson Wilde, drew me into the original story, Small Town, Big Magic. Emerson is a type A personality organizer/planner, where life can be neatly divided into quadrants and squares. But inside of that practicality is this intensity and ferocity. You see it early in the novel when she tackles anything from scheduling to her chamber of commerce duties. I love the dichotomy of the characters. The two opposite sides are warring to make her whole. The supporting characters in Emerson’s sphere are equally crucial to the story, although they are given less page time. They all play an essential role in who she is.

The witchy part of the story comes to fruition about halfway through the novel, and you can see how Beck interwoven the personalities and identities of the most critical people in Emerson’s life together. The puzzle pieces snap together. It is beautiful and engaging writing. I recant book one to you as a fan and how book one interplays into book two. Unlike many series where each book, while existing in the same universe, is a whole story unto itself, Big Little Spells is a continuation of the first story. You could slap the books together and read them in one sitting with minimal editing, and you would have a cohesive narrative. I am sure the narrative in the third book in the series, Truly Madly Magically, will be much the same.

But specifically, the second book is about Emerson’s baby sister, Rebekah Wilde. While Emerson had all her magic erased, you will learn about this in the first novel; Rebekah chose exile without contact. At 18, she left the world with nothing and tried to forget her home and a certain man. The two sisters could not be more different than each other; however, while some authors purposefully push the differences in the reader’s faces, Beck’s characters feel like they come naturally and authentically. They have gone in two different directions; they chose two separate paths and diverged their lives at significant cost to both.

The main plot of this novel is how Rebekha has been unceremoniously yanked back into the machinations of her hometown and the politics regarding the ruling council. The council has had it out for the sister since they were children. But we need to find out why and how that will play out in their future, which is the crux of this book! What will happen to them?

Big Little Spells ends with unanswered questions, which only excites the reader about the third book in the series, “Truly Madly Magically.” I highly recommend the “Witchlore” series to anyone interested in a witch-heavy, romance-light series with a well-written plot and characters.

Who doesn't love a magical romance?

Big Little Spells picks up immediately following the escapades of Small Town Big Magic except from Rebekah's perspective. In the previous book, the newly formed coven has defeated the confluence and saved the town. Now, in Big Little Spells, they are being held to account for their use of magic by the governing coven, the Joywood.

As Rebekah and her friends work together to prove themselves and their magic, we find out more of Rebekah's back story. I liked getting more into her story after hearing her sister's side of events in the previous book. It was interesting how Beck continued the story line of the first while switching character perspectives.

If you're wondering, the big storyline is obviously good versus evil and how friendship and love conquer all but what I liked about the way it came through was in the way Rebekah had to face the mistakes she made and love herself, forgive herself, most of all. She had to receive and accept the love of those around her. That was the true magic. And it was written as cheesy as I probably just made that sound.

Yes, there is a love story. Yes, the love interest is hot and brooding as you'd expect. What I liked about this one is as a romance Is that the romance is part of the plot - not THE plot - and secondary to our heroine's development as a person and as a witch in her own right.

It's fun and, I dare say, I liked this one more than the first which just succeeds in making me excited for the next one.

I would highly recommend this story if you’re a fan of reading, magical elements, and a thought-provoking plot that will keep you entertained.

Big Little Spells by Hazel Beck is wonderful addition to the Witchlore series, giving us an enchanting story to add to the witchy romcom genre. I'll be honest, I haven't dove into this genre before but this book has me wanting to stay. This story gives us mix of magic, romance and mystery.

Rebekah Wilde, the protagonist, is one of the characters that grabs your attention right away. She returns to her hometown after a decade of banishment due to the Joywood Coven and their politics. This sets the stage for some page turning drama that will keep your attention as it unfolds. Throw in the fact that The Joywood Coven oversee the magical world which heats up the plot, it actually makes things harder as she faces a death sentence unless she can prove that she and her friends are not a threat to witchkind.

Beyond the intended plot, other elements that blend in make the book more interesting to invest in. The supporting characters, her sister and her friends, their journey grows on you and makes them more likable. In particular, the charm and mystery surrounding Nicholas Frost and Rebekah was something worth rooting for. Considering the fact that he was the only one who knew how to stop the Joywood, the suspense and anticipation brought some fun to the book.

Overall, this was a nice read. Honestly, it was hard to initially get into because I'm not used to the creative elements in this genre but once I did and embraced the magical elements, it became a page turning experience. I enjoyed experiencing something new in this witchy romcom genre. I'm looking forward to catching up with the series and anticipating the third book coming out next year. It was a different but a welcomed experience that I hope to continue reading in the future.

This was a solid sequel. I loved Small Town, Big Magic so I was really excited to get an ARC for the sequel.

I did go into this one just as blind as the first one, though, so it was a nice surprise to see this take the romance novel approach to sequels and have it narrated by Rebekah instead of Emerson. But I also love that we're taking the journey of one continuing story instead of storylines that are just connected by sharing characters.

That being said, Big Little Spells does rely on you having read Small Town, Big Magic as all of the world building is in that book. You can't really skate by on context clues here.

Overall, I really liked this one. The story has high stakes and the characters, while they could be a little more dynamic, do feel like they each have their own personality.

If you enjoyed the first book you will also enjoy this one. It took a little bit to really get into it but once I finally did I looked forward to sit down and read some more. Excited to see what the next installment of this series holds for everyone.

Rebekah Wilde had all her magic taken away and was banished from her home ten years ago when she left St. Cyprian. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to go home again. Facing up against the Joywood Coven, those who run her hometown and the whole world of magic, Rebekah soon learns that her return is a lot more dangerous than expected. The Joywood Coven quickly makes it their mission to turn all those sympathetic to Rebekah's cause into scapegoats. She has to turn to someone she thought she'd left behind. Nicholas Frost, an immortal as cold as his name, is arrogant. He's also Rebekah's former teacher and her crush.

Big Little Spells is book three in the Small Town, Big Magic series by Hazel Beck. It's a great read for those who enjoy romances, small towns, and witches.

This book is everything that I wanted from a sequel!!! I wasn't sure what to expect from book 2 since book 1 ended on a plot cliffhanger but with a finished relationship arc so I was really excited that we were directly thrown into a different POV. I loved Emerson in the first book because she was so different from most fantasy main characters but Rebekah charmed me as well.. This relationship was an AGE GAP and just a tiny bit creepy knowing that the MMC was once Rebekah's secret teacher and crush but...somehow it worked. I loved the character development as Rebekah managed to master her emotions and her anger and I loved how the coven grew throughout the novel as well. The plot continued on almost immediately from the last book but I did think it was slower going. This book was very much focused on the coven figuring out what the ruling coven is hiding and what they're up to. Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed book 2 and I can't wait to get my hands on book 3!

Captivating, intense, excellent character development and great plot are just a few words to describe this book. Definitely going to be recommending it.

** Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the ARC and chance to read and review **

Synopsis:

Rebecca Wilde has been exiled but is brought back to her hometown after 10 years. She has to work along side her sister Emerson and an immortal, Nicholas Frost, as she works to control her magic and learn from her mistakes in the past.

Review:
Such a great fall read, I loved it! I knew once I read the dedication - “For sisters by blood and by magic, wherever we may find them” - that I was going to love the story. It immediately opened in Sedona, Arizona so I was able to connect with the story instantly. I loved Rebecca and her growth and journey through this story and I loved that the main theme wasn’t just romance, but also sisterhood and friendship. I love that they learn that it’s okay to make mistakes and that forgiveness is power.

I wish I could say that I liked it as much as Small Town, Big Magic... I just didn't!

I just did not find Rebekah likeable. I enjoyed her kitty familiar, her choice to tattoo and pierce herself as a sort of seal for her magic--she's been living exiled from St. Cyprian and the banishment has something to do with the magic Nicholas Frost tutored her on.

Maybe I had imagined Nicholas Frost as an older character in the first book and the image was hard to shake. I just could not find Frost to be sexy, and that is kind of a necessary component in enjoying a romance.

Emerson is incredibly annoying in this, like hard to stomach kind of irritation.
I did enjoy the voice of the writing, there are some lively descriptions and good imagery. It just wasn't the book for me.

I’m just being honest, and I hate leaving any negative review, but this book just wasn’t what I was anticipating it to be. It was still a good read, it just didn’t have that extra oomph that I love in my reads.

A 3.5 stars read.

I really really enjoyed the first book so I'm super excited with this one. I didn't enjoy this second book as much as the first one, but still entertaining though and I'm super intrigued with the next book, because I think it'll be an epic one with the war between the strong coven.

What I like:
- All the magic and witch power stuff, it's fascinating, it makes me want to join their coven.
- The siblings and friendship relationship, it's heart warming.
- The romance. Rebekah and Nicholas is just perfect as a couple, love them, love their sparks and those enemies to lovers vibes, love how they support and protect each other.

What I don't like:
- Repetitive
- Dragging at some point.
- Some part just didn't make any sense, like when The Joywood did something horrible and everyone saw it and just okay with it.

I liked Big Little Spells more than the first book, Small Town, Big Magic. I had trouble relating to Emmerson, but Rebekkah was a much more likable narrator for me. She had a fun, snarky personality and her internal struggle was interesting to witness. My biggest disappointment in this was the love interest, Nicholas. I loved his mysterious, broody vibe, but it felt like that was all he was. I wish we could have uncovered more of his mystery so that we really got to know and understand why he is the way he is and invest in his connection with Rebekkah. We only scraped his surface which left him as a cardboard cutout instead of a nuanced character. It also made the ending, which was exciting and action-filled, less impactful because I didn’t care about him as much as I should have. These books are super fun, but both of them have felt slow with both a lot and nothing happening at the same time- something about the pacing is a little off for me. Despite that, I absolutely love the plot, politics, and world of this continuing story and it keeps me reading and wanting more.

Witchlore is one of the best series that I've read in a long time! I loved listening to the audiobooks. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys witchy/paranormal stories. I'm so excited to read the third book in this series.

I absolutely loved the first one, but the second one did not live up to my expectations. The magic of the first one was in the love for the town, and that wasn't present in this one. You learn at the very beginning about the major event of the book (a magic test), and then that doesn't happen until 300 pages later. And while the main character discusses her preparation for the test, we don't actually get to experience any of that preparation. So 300 pages later I'm not sure what the test will consist of until it happens, so I didn't even know whether to be impressed or disappointed with their performance. Also, the romance was not believable, and felt like insta-love, which I'm not a fan of. We barely get to see the main character and love interest spend time together, and there is a weird dynamic between the two that is barely touched on. I did really enjoy the final pages of the book, and I will continue the series to see what happens (I have much higher hopes for the next book, which is from a different POV), but overall was very disappointed in this one.

I could not get into this book as much as I wanted to. I love witchy books, but was not invested in the story and characters off the bat.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and the authors for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book.

I LOVED the first book in the series and was worried the follow up would fall short. While I still prefer book one, book two was a great cozy, sexy witchy start of Fall read and is absolutely worth picking up. It may be a little cliché in it's HEA but anyone reading cozy found family witchy romance likely wants some level of tie it up in a bow. I enjoyed getting to learn more about their relationship with their parents (and spoiler alert: yay redemption arc for mom) as well as the bond between the sisters and the rest of the coven.

Cute, relatively quick read I recommend if you liked the first one and want more witchy sexy cozy found family drama in your life!

I received an ARC of this book through netgalley in return for an honest review. I will say that I read the first installment in this series almost a year ago. So it took some time to get back into the story. I would suggest (re)reading the first book, before starting this one as this one picks up right where the first book left off. Moving on, this one felt a bit slower paced than the first one. It seemed more focused on what was happening around the sisters vs what was happening to them. This book centers mostly around Rebekah and her returning after her previous exile by the coven. The Coven continues to give the Wilde sisters a hard time, and want to exile them both permanently. The further into the book you get some answers and realize how corrupt the Joywood's truly are. The book picks up speed about 2/3rds of the way through and the cliffhanger for me was much more intense/shocking than it was in the first book. Overall, this book was worth the read and I can't wait to read the next installment