I loved everything about this! I really was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. The characters, the plot, the animals, the romance. Leah and Gabriel are a perfect match and watching them fall in love was a joy. There were great moments of vulnerability that gave authenticity to their romance. Leah and Gabriel learned each other in a way that can be missing from a lot of romance books. Sophie H Morgan writes amazing relationships and not only romantic ones. I am a fan for life after this book and I already can’t wait for the next one. This was the first book I’ve read in this series and by this author but it will not be the last!

A little slow for me. Really love anything witchy when it comes to my romcoms but I just didnt find myself in love with the characters and their chemistry was nothing to write home about. I did love the plot and setting - just wasn't for me!

De-Witched is the second book in the Toil and Trouble series. This book has an equally cute vibe as the first book, and in this story, Leah takes ths lead! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Leah and Gabriel's dynamic, as their relationship perfectly balances sunshine and grumpiness. Their witty banter was also fun to read. Initially, I expected Kole to be the main male character, but after reading this book, it made more sense for Leah to end up with Gabriel. This is another cozy witchy read in the series!

Thank you to NetGallery and to Harlequin Publishing for giving me a copy of the book,

This is everything I was hoping it to be after reading the first one. Sunshine VS Grumpy with a sprinkle romantic spice and magic to soothe the soul! This is an easy read but also note if you feel like you're missing something it's for a reason that's going to be wrapped up and explained in the book!! A cozy fun read with lovable characters that have to work together as a team despite differences. It also leaves you excited for book 3.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

Leah Turner isn’t supposed to know about magic… and yet, she’s well aware that 1) magic is real and 2) the magical world generally doesn’t trust humans. As a co-owner of a bar with her two best friends who happen to be witches, Leah’s well aware that her knowing about the magical world could have dire consequences.

Gabriel Goodnight thought he had the CEO position of Goodnight’s Remedies in the bag. Instead, he’s told by his uncle, the acting CEO, that there is a clause in his father’s will that states Gabriel must live amongst humans, without magic, for three months before he’s given the keys to the family business kingdom.

As part of Gabriel’s non-magical trial, he begins to work at Leah’s bar, Toil and Trouble. A true curmudgeon dressed in a three-piece suit, Gabriel doesn’t take too kindly to having to live his day-to-day without the ease of his magic. Couple this with Leah’s constant cajoling and teasing, and Gabriel is the grumpiest of grumps. After a failed attempt at bartending resulting in a few too many poor reviews, Gabriel finds that he fits better working at an animal shelter. Here he spends his time bonding with the animals and making a best friend out of Chuck, an incredibly adorable and overly-enthusiastic labrador. During his time at the shelter, Gabriel’s heart seems to thaw a little bit, and his relationship with Leah slowly heats up. Will he be able to keep his feelings for Leah tampered down? Or will they hinder Gabriel’s position as the next CEO?

This was a fun, cute and magical romance! I loved our FMC’s personality and how she dealt with our grumpy MMC. The spice was fun and I thought the tension of the secret magical community coupled with some secrets were some fun added tension.

I recommend this to lovers of rom coms, fans of Bewitched and lovers of rescue animals!

Tropes in this story:
✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Extreme grumpy / sunshine
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Found family
✨ Magical secrets & deceit!

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley, but my review is all my own.

Leah is a part owner of a bar, and volunteer at her favorite animal shelter. And she's human. Gabriel is a warlock who doesn't like humans, whose family created one of the biggest beauty company, serving both humans and witches alike with products do magical things with a person's health, sometimes even literally. Then his uncle tells him the last stipulation before he can take the job as CEO, he is taken aback. Live for 3 months with HUMANS? That's just crazy! But he gets a job at the bar Leah co-own with a couple of witches.

This is a sequel to a book I read last year (I think). This love story was cute. Classic opposites attract kind of stuff. I think of you think about it a certain way, Gabe comes off as pretty racist, so that's not exactly cute, but it's more described as a misunderstanding of humans. But yeah, he pretty much hates humans at the beginning.

I found the mysterious stuff that happens a little weird, and kind of unnecessary, though it sets up the ending confrontation. It almost seems like that storyline is more afterthought than anything.

I enjoyed it overall, though there's parts I might've done differently.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

"De-Witched" is such a fun read! We return to the world of the Toil and Trouble first introduced in "The Witch is Back" for the story of human Leah and warlock Gabriel. Gabriel has a longstanding antipathy towards humans, but in order to take over as CEO of his family's company, he must live amongst humans - with only minimal magic = for three months. So he ends up at Toil and Trouble, a bar owned by two witches - and Leah, who is not supposed to know about magic but definitely does.

Leah and Gabriel are very much an unlikely couple. Gabriel is not just grumpy but antisocial. He lets almost no one get close to him and he thinks he likes it that way. Leah is sunshine hiding pain - putting up a happy front as to not give anyone any idea that she is constantly afraid of being left or being excluded. It is unsurprising that both Leah and Gabriel find solace in shelter animals, and eventually each other.

Gabriel has to rethink many of his biases and Leah has to face up to her own insecurities, They are eventually able to create a strong bond between them, one which accounts not only for the attraction and chemistry between them but also for their emotional connection. There is a third act separation but not as aggravating as some. The banter between Leah and Gabriel is sweet and there are excellent examples of friendship between Leah and her fellow bar owners. A lovely way to pass some time.

4.5 stars rounded up top 5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own,

Delightful is the best word for this book. It's a great book in a great series. I had high expectations after the first book, The Witch is Back, but I was happily surprised by how much I loved this book, maybe even more than the first one.

It took ma a bit longer to warm up to Leah, but the grumpy/sunshine magic will almost always win me over, and this one along with the banter and layered complex characters really made it a notch above the rest. The book is funny, but tackles serious themes without making them too cute or too dark. All the characters feel fully developed and the world built is unique but not too complex.

I can't wait to dive back in with future books in this series. Please let there be many many more to come.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

I recently read the first book in this series and knew I had to request the second. I loved both -- I know people expected Kole to be the MMC for this, but I ended up glad he wasn't. I loved Gabriel and his growing love for shelter animals. He was a perfect match for Leah.

As a second installment, this also left me really excited. for the third book. I'm guessing it will focus on Tia but there are some hints that it may also center Kole (if the author wants to leave us hanging for longer about Tia and her ex!). I'd be good either way, but please write quickly LOL.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an e-arc!

This is such a cute grumpy/sunshine romance with a little magic. If you liked the first one, you'll like the second one too. I really loved that the author is starting to dip a little bit more into the rich settings of both Chicago and New Orleans (though I hope book 3 will feature some Chicago and/or New Orleans classics as far as food goes). I also noticed that there were fewer Britishisms that crept into this one (but there are still a few, notably saying kilograms when USAmericans use pounds).

I also need you to know that if something starts driving you crazy, it's probably part of the plot and will be resolved! That was the case for me with the first book and this one.

That said, I found the overall plot resolution a little under-foreshadowed. Additionally, I think the friends all infantilize each other a fair amount. Even the one that was infantilized by the others is out there treating this protagonist like a child. I cannot fathom the way they acted about a kiss when they're in their late 20s-it's very over-the-top and feels more appropriate to teenagers.

Overall, a very fun read, and I highly recommend it!

Who knew that Leah wasn't just a human that worked with witches. You soon discover that she has a strong personality, and she isn't shy about wanting to make her way through the world. The first book make you love the trio, but this book gives a deeper look into how amazing and complicated their relationship can get. It is rare to have so many feelings while reading, but this book made my pulse quicken and made tears come to my eyes. With every page turn, I didn't want the book to end. Great plot twists. Hope there is a third book with the trio.

This book did not disappoint. I was so excited to go back to this world. The characters first meeting was so romantic. I enjoyed this story just as much as the first one. I hope there will be more in this series.

If you like grumpy/sunshine and witchy reads check this one out!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The perfect cozy book to read in the fall!

Leah, a human, took a risk by attending a ball with witches where she promised not to draw attention to herself or talk to anyone. Her plan fell through when she talked to Gabriel, a very powerful warlock who doesn’t like humans at all.

They end up working together and being around each other and have to figure out their differences.

I LOVE a good grumpy sunshine and this did not disappoint!

Gabriel was the grumpiest grump to her sunshine. They came from completely different backgrounds and at times it felts like they would never be able to overcome that! He didn’t like humans and she IS a human?!

This was a quick cozy read and I loved it!

It’s coming out in August which is a perfect time for this book - in the Fall/ around Halloween!

The story moved along quickly with characters that were likeable and easy to root for

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Grumpy sunshine
Cozy
Part of a series
Opposites attract

I enjoyed this second book in the series - I like Leah a lot, and grew to like Gabriel too. The dogs were probably my favorite part.

Did think the time in which they got the super successful fundraiser together was way too short, but I waved that a way as book magic.

Looking forward to Tia and Henry next!!

I really enjoyed this. Leah is the sweetest little thing and Gabriel is a broody little thing. Giving HEAVY Dramione, which I adore because I love finding them in other characters.

Leah was so lovely to read, super enthusiastic and passionate but also down to earth and expressive. Gabriel is the absolute polar opposite: cold, stand-offish, very dry but he grew on me so quickly. He admits quite quickly that he's not very good at dealing with people and I was SOLD. They felt perfectly balance and also utterly chaotic and overall wildly charming. So cozy, a bit of a mystery, a bit of adventure, a bit of witchcraft. Loved!

Read if you enjoy: enthusiastic x tired, grumpy x tired

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Romance for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book it was a fast and sweet read. I would describe this as a cozy witchy romance that would be fun to read in the fall.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in the series so i definitely need to go back and read the first book, and if there will be a third I’ll be reading that too. Leah and Gabe had me falling in love with their grumpy/sunshine dynamic and the fact there was a black lab in the book just had me hooked even more.

The writing had some highlights and spelling errors I would just double check on, but it was a smooth read that was a nice break after a work day. The plot twist at the end was unexpected, which I personally enjoyed that it wasn’t stereotypical.

[Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Romance for the eARC in exchange for an honest review]

I am someone who loves a cozy, witch romance and this book is just that. It's an easy read and can be read as a stand alone, though it's the second book of the Toil & Trouble series. This book has the FMC as a human and the MMC as a warlock, which is a different take on witchy romances.

Since humans aren't supposed to know about witch society (Leah has to pretend she doesn't know anything about it), there's some magical elements but not a ton.

This is a grumpy/sunshine slow burn romance. Leah and Gabriel butt heads (he *really* doesn't like humans) but the more time they spend together, the more interested they become. I truly appreciated all of the growth Gabriel showed over the course of the book.

The secret villain kind of comes out of left field for me (maybe a little bit forced). The book focuses on Leah and Gabriel so the 'villain' becomes sort of a side plot.

Loved this so much, i want october to be here to reread again, such a witchy fun read for cozy feelings, definitely fun and would be recommend 100% . Maybe even see if i can get it picked by the book club 😅

This was a DNF situation for me. I wanted to love it. I did not enjoy the way the characters talked at all. It just couldn’t keep my attention.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"De-Witched" kept me entertained through the entire book. I couldn’t set "De-Witched" down after I started reading it. The story moved along quickly with characters that were likeable and easy to root for. It transitioned nicely from the first book in this series. The right amount of review from the previous story, "The Witch is back," was provided. It was wonderful to read a story with the main character having a good attitude and was not always angry. The other main character's development and growth was also fun to read. I had a few chuckles while reading "De-Witched". The ending was very satisfying.