I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. The main female character felt overly immature for someone nearing 30, which made it difficult for me to connect with her, especially given the significant life event of an unexpected pregnancy. I’m not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope, which played a major role in the story. I found myself disengaged and ultimately didn’t finish the book.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC, but it just wasn’t for me.

I just adore these books by Hazel Beck. There's the small town charm that you expect in a RomCom and there's also the fun of the witchcraft. And now that we are three books into the series, I have settled in really nicely with all the characters. Beck does a great job with character development, so we care a lot about these best friends who are trying to dave their town from dangerous witches.

The couple we care about in this book are Ellowyn and Zander, and if you like second chance and enemies to lovers tropes, Beck does a fantastic job of using them in this book. Ellowyn is a powerful witch who has a lot of self-doubt because she is half witch and half human. She's spent her entire life hearing from bullies about how she's not good enough to be real witch. Zander was the boy she loved who broke her heart without explaining why. They have vowed to be enemies, and usually are except for one night a year, on Beltane, when they let their chemistry take over. It's their hall pass. Well, the latest night has a huge consequence, and they need to figure out if they can really be in each other's lives for the long haul. Set all of this personal drama within the community drama of the town deciding who the new witches will be, and also the current witches being evil and poisoning Ellowyn, and you've got a real page turner!

I enjoyed this book so much that after I finished it, I went back and read the first book in the series again. It's a story world that I am happy to go back to.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

We join the Riverwood Coven as they continue to fight the Joywood Coven for control of the magic in their town. We focus on the tea shop owner Ellowyn and her fraught past with her first love Zander. Ellowyn has never felt like enough or that she fit in, she is a witch but she is also half human. With her coven trying to do right by the town, and dethrone the corrupt Joywoods, she is being targeted by them. She must learn about her past and who she truly is, and also work to mend the bridge between her and Zander, because together they are better, and their love can overcome anything that comes their way.

This series is something I look forward to reading everytime a new book is published. Although we mostly focus on a new couple each book, the over all story and plot continues from book to book. This book had swoony moments, tension, high stakes, lots of cool magic, and a good storyline. I had a great time reading this latest installment, and I can't wait to see how the story continues in the next novel.

I haven’t read the earlier books in the series, didn’t even realize it was a series. But honestly, I had a good time. I could tell when I was missing info but nothing felt too crucial or confusing.

This is a perfect fall mood book with small town, witchy vibes.

The romance was a sort of enemies to friends (they have a long history) to lovers, with a ghost couple that essentially work as both her individual therapist and their couples counselor. Which I’m glad cause girlie needed a good therapy.

Right at the moment where I started getting annoyed at the peak stubbornness of the main character to be standoffish and angry to avoid the vulnerability that would open her up to heartbreak, we start delving into her character growth. So that was good to see the journey and not just the cliche “I’m angry” and 3rd act “I forgive him” out of nowhere. Instead there was a lot of internal work and they didn’t wait that long to mend the relationship, but there was still work to do.
All this with the backdrop of a witch world politics and battles with evil that kept the plot moving.

I’m unsure if I’ll go back to read the 2 books I missed. However, I am going to pick up the next one that I assume is Georgie’s book. I’m hooked on this conspiracy/prophecy storyline and I must know how it ends lol.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy.

This book had many great things and will be good for anyone’s fall tbr! It is the third book in the series and I was not aware of that at the time but I will be going back to read those as well. I do think it cozy and good for many girlies.

This was a fun, cozy story with just enough tension and mystery. It’s the third book in a series, though I read it as a standalone. I wish I’d had the time to read the previous two books first, but that didn’t pan out for me. That being said, I’m sure I was missing some backstory and history that would’ve enriched my reading experience.

I really loved the cozy setting and the witchy vibes. I like the MCs together, and I think I was more convinced of Zander’s change in personality than I was of Ellowyn’s. For some reason, her complete turnaround didn’t quite land with me. It didn’t really take away much from my experience of the story, though.

The ghosts were one of my favorite parts of the plot. I loved that storyline.

I liked this book enough for it to make me curious about the rest of the series, and I might go back and read them when I’m caught up on ARCs and in the mood for another cozy read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the author for supplying me with an advanced copy of the book. Al thoughts and opinions are my own.*

This book is a perfect witchy, cozy, romance and will make a great fall read. I have not read the previous 2 books in the Witchlore series, but now I have to because I loved this one.

Truly Madly Magical by Hazel Beck, book three in the Witchlore series, was an amazing story that I could not put down while really making me think; wondering if this could really happen. This time we focus on Ellowyn, a half-witch cursed to never tell a lie, and is part of the Riverwood coven, along with her friends. The Riverwood Coven's bid for ascension as they, along with the Joywood Coven, are called to begin the steps toward the vote, which will take place on Samhein. The Joywood, the ruling coven of witches, try very hard to weaken the Riverwood through Ellowyn and her self-doubt due to her half-human status. She is forced to understand and accept her half-human status and focus on the strengths from it, rather than her imagined weakness from it. Ellowyn and Zander must not only deal with the decade-long resentment created by a misunderstanding of what she wanted and Zander's intentions but also a secret that will affect their lives indefinitely. Through it all, Ellowyn begins to understand that her powers are stronger than she ever imagined as she juggles her own feelings of self doubt, facing her past, and more. As the Riverwood Coven prepare for acception, the Joywood show their true, dark colors, allowing witchkind to see them for who they really are.

Hazel Beck wrote a story that shines with humor, romance, and gothic danger; presenting a cast of characters to cheer on, love and enough magic and suspense to keep the pages turning. I absolutely love this story with lots of twists and turns, second chance love, ghosts, a statue that comes to life, evil trying to kill Ellowyn and so much more. The way these books connect through an overarching plot line, continuing from book to book as well as each having a romance plot, featuring a different couple in each book keeps me turning the pages. I could conjure up the next story in this series and hopefully learn more about Georgie's relationship, the "silly little fairy tale," and the significance of newel post.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #HarlequinTrade

Truly Madly Magically
By Hazel Beck
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

Happy Pub Day to @hazelbeckauthor! 🎉

I have been fully immersed in the St. Cyprian world for the past week+ and I am so excited for others to be able to dive in to this third book in the Witchlore series.

"Truly Madly Magically" jumps in a few months after Beltane and tells Ellowyn & Zander's story amidst the ongoing battle against the ruling Joywood coven. Ellowyn, the half-human-half-witch owner of the Tea and No Sympathy shop, has to face reality and tell her high school ex-boyfriend & fellow member of the Riverwood coven, Zander, some big news. (See hashtags ⬇️ if you do not like to go in blind.) Together they have a new journey to navigate, all the while juggling their responsibilities to the coven, their loved ones, and the people of St. Cyprian. Also, if this Dermot Kennedy song, "Power Over Me" is not Zander coded I do not know what is!

Maybe I'm just happy here in my witch era, but I absolutely love these books. The therapy rep and wisdom built into each story is beautiful and a wonderful model of healing work. Love - especially the love we give ourselves - is a type of magic. ✨ I loved this second-chance romance & the beautiful way this author team portrays these characters. Thank you @netgalley & @harlequinbooks for the advanced egalley!

A few (spoiler free) favorite quotes & some hashtags below (avoid the hashtags if you like to go in blind):

"Sometimes it’s not about how badly you mess up, it’s about facing it when it hurts the people you love."

"But now there are also a million versions of different future mes that stretch out before me."

"She’s part of me, that girl I was, but I am so much more than she could imagine I’d become."

"Because love never really goes anywhere. It’s inside us. It’s the sunrise on a still morning. It’s the stars in the sky. It’s the scent of lavender on the breeze when no lavender is growing. It’s the way a bright blue bird appears on a windowsill in a cold winter, reminding you."

Ah, to be back in St. Charles — I mean St. Cyprian! I was looking forward to this next entry in the Witchlore series, which focuses on the half-witch cursed to speak only the truth, Ellowyn. I enjoyed her perspective/voice, and the overarching coven vs. coven plotline was engaging as always. Unfortunately, the romance in this one didn't really do it for me. I think a big reason for that is it felt inevitable due to (spoilers!) Ellowyn's pregnancy. Like, obviously they were going to get together in the end. It made the arguments between Ellowyn and Zander fall a little flat for me. But if the surprise pregnancy trope doesn't put you off a romance, then definitely give this one a shot!

"Truly Madly Magically" was a wonderful paranormal romance with big cozy vibes. Each book in this series has improved on the last, and it was been truly delightful to see this pair develop as authors.

First and foremost, readers should be aware that this is an accidental pregnancy romance. I know that this trope isn't everyone's thing, but I happen to be a big fan of it. With that said, there is a lot that can go very very wrong with this trope (that I think turns so many off from it), and I think this book handles it very well. For those who would typically steer away from this trope, I will say that while the pregnancy is a part of the plot, especially the romantic plot, the experience of pregnancy and parenthood itself is not the main focus.

While I'm not usually a huge fan of second change romance, I loved Ellowyn and Zander. I loved how the authors showed how both of them (but especially Ellowyn) had grown since their break up and how their development in the past decade allowed them to finally be together. I didn't think their relationship felt forced by the pregnancy, which I think can be another common issue with accidental pregnancy romances.

Like the previous installments in this series, I think some of the plot details were sacrificed for the romantic plot. While the fantasy portion of the plot was not the most compelling, with this installment I felt able to suspend my disbelief a little more and just go along for the ride. There was definitely a lot of hints and clues dropped for future books, which I think was a lot of fun.

I really enjoyed this one, and I can't wait to see this crew again in the next installment.

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

The Witchlore series just keeps getting better and better.

In the third book of Hazel Beck’s Witchlore series, we are plunged right back into action after the adventures in the second book. We pick up a few months later when the new coven is trying to figure out what happens next in this battle for witch dominance. Ellowyn, the half-witch, half-human of the coven has her own issues she’s dealing with that involve her first love, and first heartbreak, Zander.

I love Ellowyn and Zander. They’ve been fierce and funny characters since book one: both outspoken and both loving to hate each other so much that you can’t help but wonder, is this an act? This is a fabulous second chance romance. The dynamic duo behind Hazel Beck dive deep into the reasons behind their first split as teens, and look at the growth the two of them have gone through since then. Why they get back together makes sense, and the work they do as a couple throughout the book is realistic but also very swoony. If you want to see a couple work hard to make their relationship work, then you need Ellowyn and Zander in your life.

This story also has a ton of action as Ellowyn, Zander and the gang that now make up the Riverwood coven come face to face again with the terrible Joywood coven in a big showdown. This is the third in the series, with one more to come, and I do think you should probably read them all, firstly because they are delightful, and secondly because the plot builds throughout the books. There’s a lot of politics and back story you need to understand to really enjoy these books and the strong cast of secondary characters in the pages. I love that even though this story focuses on Ellowyn and Zander, we still get a lot of page time with the rest of the coven as well as some other characters we’ve gotten to know over the series.

Truly, Madly, Magically is a fabulous installment in the Witchlore series. I’m already impatiently waiting for the final book!

Book number 3 in the Witchlore series tells the story of Ellowyn and Zander (finally!!!). Those who have tuned in to the first two books will already know these two have a ~rocky~ past to say the least so I was very curious and excited to dig into that history. But why don’t we throw in a pregnancy too?

That is how the novel starts, Ellowyn contemplating if and how she should tell Zander, her parents, and her coven/best friends. All of this gives her anxiety but especially Zander, who is the dad despite the fact that the two have hated each other for the better part of ten years. But each Beltane night they get together and I guess their magic didn’t stop this oopsie!

Zander and Ellowyn as a couple always intrigued me bc u just KNOW they are going to end up together from book one. But why do they hate each other? We do learn pretty early it has to do with how Zander broke up with her, but it takes us awhile to learn the why. And the why was a bit odd to me but there is a part where I guess he CANT talk about it so that explains why it’s been a mystery for 10 years. Still don’t know if I like it.

But still why the intense animosity? Their arguing (IN PUBLIC) and insults and tension all seemed too over the top for me. Especially after… let me say it again… 10 YEARS. however if you like a good enemies to lover (or lovers to enemies to soon-to-be parents to lovers again?) story this is for you!

I can’t lie aside from the dramatics I did like them as a couple. They have all this history! Maybe that makes their love seem more believable rather than the other two books as everything happens so fast.

The best part though was the witchy drama. What will the Joy Wood do next?? Many many evil things of course. How will the River Wood coven stop them? With teamwork!!! (Sorry I’m cheesy) AND help from a couple ghosts (maybe my favorite characters).

Those who enjoyed the first two, I don’t think you will be disappointed. Those who didn’t enjoy the first two, maybe you found the main characters annoying. While Ellowyn can certainly be annoying in her own way, I found her to be way less obnoxious than Emerson and Rebecca. Give this a chance!

The lil nerd in me is really hoping for a Georgie story next!!! 4 stars

I was so excited to dive back into the world of St. Cyprian and catch up with the characters I fell in love with 2 years ago with Small Town, Big Magic and subsequently, Big Little Spells. Hazel Beck gifted us all with another amazing story of friendship and family. I found myself so immersed in the story I was laughing with the characters in the silly moments and crying with them through their hardships. I cannot reccomend this series enough if you love cozy, witchy, gilmore girls vibes with a core theme of unbreakable friendship and found family. I cannot wait to read the next book these amazing women create for us!!

First and foremost - it's important for readers to know that this book has the "surprise pregnancy" trope. It's a love it or hate it thing, and I haven't seen that mentioned regarding this book. However, it's introduced right at the beginning and the rest of the plot is heavily woven around that part of the story.

I've read the first two books as well, as this is an interconnected standalone series, and have been so curious about Ellowyn and Zanders' history. It's got lovers to enemies to lovers combined with fighting as foreplay and I loved their chemistry and angst and the tension between them! However, this book is closed-door on the spice, so if you're looking for a spicier read, this isn't it.

The story is somewhere between cozy and dramatic, with some parts feeling especially cozy, while others seem to be more intense, but this is definitely not a high stakes read. There were a few phrases that were a bit repetitive, but nothing that agitated me too much to make me put it down. There is still one character I can't stand (the FMC from the first book), but I enjoy the others enough that I can get past it. Overall, I really enjoyed the character development of our two MCs and the growth between the two of them.

Definitely a good read for those that love witchy romances and feisty FMCs with a hint of cozy fall vibes!

4.5⭐️

I enjoy this series more and more each book, and it was perfect to get me in the mood for the approaching spooky season! I love that we get a new POV each book because it really gives you a glimpse into the mind and life of each of these women in the little found family. I did not think I would love Ellowyn’s POV as much as I did. Her character development was fantastic and so was Zander’s. I was constantly dying to know how this group of witches was going to overcome the seemingly never ending conflicts and I was not disappointed with the result! The ending left me content but also yearning to read what I assume will be Georgie’s POV in the next book as she definitely has some secrets to unveil!

This one took me a bit to get into. I think I had a hard time remembering the characters and their relationships.
Anywho, I really liked Truly Madly Magically...Still not as good as the 1st one for me, though. I wish so much that GoodReads and other platforms would let you do 1/2 stars. I would have given it a 3.5. However, I couldn't justify rounding up to 4 stars for GoodReads sake.

The rekindled romance sucked me in.
While you can read this series as a stand-alone, it makes much more sense to read them in order. The world that Hazel Beck creates is cozy. One of my favorite parts about this series is being able to find myself back in St. Cyprian.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for a free copy of Truly Madly Magically in exhausted for an honest review.

My review is currently on GoodReads, and I will be adding it to my Instagram shortly. @relaxeswithbooks

#TrulyMadlyMagically:

Thank you @htpbooks @librofm for my gifted copies!

“Sometimes love is losing the people you need the most, and then honoring them by living on without them. Because love never really goes anywhere. It’s inside us.”

Hazel Beck has truly captured my heart with the Witchlore series. This is one that I always say is underrated and love to shout about it when the leaves start to change. Truly Madly Magically I think is going to end up being my favorite of the three.

I’ve always loved this series, but this one just hit a little different. I felt so strong, so empowered as a mother. As a mom, I sometimes feel weak, not enough, but then I think of all the amazing things I’ve been able to do and how I juggle things. Seeing Ellowyn understand how strong she is and how she’s not the weak link? Amazing. The ending of chapter 22?! OMG, straight chills.

Audio was wonderful! Natalie Duke did a great job of all the emotional magical fun. I’m thankful they kept the same reader throughout the series. I’ve grown to really think of Duke’s voice as this little misfit crew.

Out tomorrow, August 27th.

QOTD: What did you do this weekend?

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC 🧡
Pub date August 27!

This is the third book in the Witchlore series and it might be my favorite of the three!

If you love cozy witchy novels involving a ragtag group of friends embracing their powers and trying to take down a corrupt ruling witch coven, then you’ll probably love this series.

The story continues in Ellowyn’s POV, the half-human half-witch Summoner who’s been cursed to never tell a lie. We finally get the story behind her animosity and relationship with her ex Zander (which I’ve been dying for since the first book).
The tension between the two throughout the series and especially this book is amazing. I love all the characters and all of their quirks and I became so emotionally invested in all of their stories.

I loved all of the character’s familiars. They’re all so damn sassy. I wish I had an owl or a cat basically calling me an idiot in my head whenever I do something stupid 😂.

Even though this book includes one of my least favorite tropes (it might be a spoiler so I won’t say it) it was still so enjoyable.
It’s full of found family, powerful women, and second chance romance.

‘Our path is always clear.’

This series only keeps getting better. We’re seven months into the war for control of witchkind and the Joywood are determined to take out the perceived ‘weak’ link in the Riverwood coven, the half witch, half human, Ellowyn. But Ellowyn has a secret that makes her even more powerful than she realizes. A reason to live. Add in a couple of helpful ghosts, the love of a good man and a determined group of friends and you’ve got an amazing story! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Georgie...