This was so cute.
I read The Witch is Back last year and immediately fell in love with the writing style, so when I saw that De-Witched was on Netgalley I was so excited!
This book met my expectations and then some, anyone who knows me knows I am a HUGE fan of witchy rom-coms- it's easily one of my favourite genres. This one was so cozy!
Gabriel Goodnight is a stick in the mud to say the least- better known as 'the warlock of contempt' he is all work and no play. Enter Leah Turner, 1/3 owner in a witch themed bar with her best friends and animal shelter volunteer extraordinaire, she is everything that Gabriel is not. So when Gabriel is sent to live with humans for three months to fulfill his contract to take over his parents company, Leah because a guiding hand and thorn in his side.
The dynamic between these two was precious, Gabriel truly embodied the grumpy of the grumpy/sunshine trope (one of the best tropes ever). Leah dragged him out of his shell again and again and it was so cute to read.
If you are a fan of found families and angst this is the book for you.

3.5 Magical Stars!
3 Spicy Chili Peppers

The first book in this series blew me away. So much so that it ended my romance hiatus last year that I was going through. Sophie H. Morgan has such a talent for writing and the way this series sucks you into their world is nothing short of magical.

Here's how I'm feeling:

Friendships: Still completely loving Emma, Leah, and Tia but in this book, Bastian got a little boys' club with Henry and Gabriel... and to say I was obsessed with THAT is an understatement! They are fiercely loyal to one another and would take torment, and ridicule, and may even die for each other. They are the ultimate found family and they're all so cute.

Gabriel: Okay, here's my controversy - I was under the impression that this book's MCs were going to be Leah and Kole. Instead, Gabriel was introduced and I couldn't stop thinking about how hurt Kole would be or how their flirty witty chemistry was perfect in the first book. It was chalked up to a sibling-like relationship. Understandingly, Sophie H. Morgan is clearly going to give Kole his own book so I'm not that upset. Plus, you learn to genuinely like Gabriel, especially when he's around Bastian and Henry, She's very stern and stoic otherwise. Her also gave off neuro-divergent tendencies. I don't know if that was the author's intention but it made me like and appreciate Gabriel more. I could relate to his logic.

Magic: Once again, there was just enough magic to make it interesting but it didn't overpower the book and I love that!

Cover: No notes! I love it.

Big thank you(!) to Sophie H, Morgan, Harlequin, and NetGalley for this eARC. I cannot wait for the next in the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to review De-Witched by Sophie H Morgan. This book was lots of fun. Leah is a human who knows about witches because of her two best friends/ business partners (they own a bar). It is apparently a big no no for humans to know about witches. Gabriel Goodnight is a snobby warlock that hates humans. But in order to become CEO of the family business (it makes slightly magic remedies for humans) Gabriel has to have his magic bound and live and work with humans for three months. Not surprisingly the two clash in the beginning. But Leah has a big heart and recognizes a fellow lonely person, so she barrels through hi defenses and they become friends and then lovers. The banter is witty and the steam is steamy. The characters are all people you would want to have a beer with. (It’s is very much found family centric). It is not life changing, but it is a great rainy day magical read.

Leah takes a huge risk sneaking into a witch high-society masked ball. She also promised to follow to simple rules: 1. Do not draw attention to yourself and 2. Do not talk to anyone. She then takes a bigger risk by by talking to Gabriel who is a higher family warlock. As much as she wanted to show him who she was she had to flee the ball before anyone discovered her secret. Gabriel in order to inherit his family business will have to live among the humans, for three full months and he has to do this without his powers.

This is definitely a grumpy x sunshine book which is one of my favorite tropes. I also likes how the MMC was the one with powers when typically I feel like the female is the witch in these types of stories. The magic system was fun and seeing how the magic system interacted with the non magic world was interesting. The mystery aspect of this book was lacking a little bit for me because it just didn't feel like there were enough stakes. The relationship between the characters was good and you got to see how they were working on improving individually which led to them working together and stronger. Overall this book is a fun little cozy romance filled with magic hijinks and forbidden romance.

I loved this book! It begins with Leah knowing the big witch secret...which she is not allowed to know.

Gabriel, a very rigid warlock, learns he has to live among humans, without magic, for 3 month in order to become CEO of his late parents ' company. When he starts working at Leah's bar, he's a hot mess, but Leah is smitten.

What follows is filled with magic, hijinks, and a forbidden romance. Inloved the characters and the craziness of the witch world.

If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. While this is the author's second novel, she writes like a seasoned professional and is an author whose work I'll be following.

The Toil and Trouble trio is back in Sophie Morgan's De-Witched! I loved the magical universe that Morgan created in The Witch is Back and how the magical world interacts with the human world. In this book, we follow Leah, the human owner of Toil and Trouble, and even though she's human, we still get to enjoy plenty of magic.
Leah Turner convinced her friends to let her go to a witch masked ball as long as she promised to be careful and not reveal that she is human. The consequences of being found out could be dire. While she doesn't get discovered, she does make an impression on a handsome warlock and he makes an impression on her. Fast-forward a few months to that same handsome warlock needing a short-term job in the human world and he decides Toil and Trouble would be the perfect place to lay low and "do his time" in the human world. Leah is thrilled even though she knows he won't recognize her. Unfortunately, Gabriel is not the charming Warlock that she met on the balcony at the party and he lives up to the nickname "Warlock of Contempt." He also really doesn't like humans...
I don't know how Morgan wove this enemies to lovers romance so seamlessly but she did! Their chemistry was on point and the relationship development was perfect. I can't wait for more in this series!

I wanted to like this one more than I did. The elements were there - grumpy/sunshine, witchy magic and sweet doggos.

Still, after 40 percent, the pull to read and root for the characters was gone. Some dialogue was too saccharine and the “mystery” was lackluster.

I wanted to finish it though, despite it not living up to book 1.

In this book, we follow Leah, a normal human, who wants to make a connection with a warlock, and Gabriel, a warlock faced to live in the human world for 3 months without power so he can inherit his family's company.

Gabriel ends up working at the animal shelter Leah works out, ultimately with them falling in love.

The concept of the book was cute, but very slow moving. Gabriel was a very still character and it was hard to connect with him.

Fun all around - witches, warlocks, secrets, and plenty of dogs and cats to join in and make the day. He has a secret, she knows the secret, he knows she knows, and mayne some of her friends know - and he has to pass a trial of the one thing he detests, while keeping the secret, and losing some magic - how does that darned toaster work anyway. Let the fun begin!

I've said this once and I'll say it again, I cannot stand books with FMCs who say "he's like a brother to me" and then pages later have flirty banter with the same guy and internally monologue that they weren't in the mood for the usually flirty banter right now. If you're usually flirting with someone you view as a brother, you've got issues.

I loved this book. It was so cute! I really enjoyed the writing style and the setting was perfect. The romance was so cute and the banter was top tier.

“De-Witched” is a fun and adorable romance featuring Leah (not a witch) and Gabe (a witch). I thought the storyline was clever. It was great to see the character growth and deeper themes play a part in the plot. I don’t always enjoy Grumpy/Sunshine characters but I really liked these two. Their personalities added to the angst of waiting for the moment when they finally get together!

For those who love:
🐾 Witchy Romances
🐾 High Society
🐾 Grumpy/Sunshine
🐾 Cinderella
🐾 Working at an Animal Shelter
🐾 the angst!!
🐾 Found-family friendships

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Super cute and hilarious witchy read! I loved Leah’s fierceness and how Gabriel allows her to be who she is!

These two had the odds stacked against them and even through Gabriel made a HUGE mistake, he rectifies it but the final say can only come from one family and forever might not be in the cards!

There was so much angst and the line between love and hate was a tight rope they both walked many times!

The whole group was very present and very hilarious. This little group always has me laughing and makes my heart full!

Mmm Gabriel. Gabe is the ultimate grumpy to Leah's Sunshine. This witchy RomCom is divine, it's funny and swoony. Gabriel is a Warlock pretending to be a human and Leah is a human pretend she doesn't know he is a Warlock what could go wrong.
Giddy happy dance!! Loved this book.

Known as the Warlock of Contempt, Gabriel believes in maintaining strict boundaries between witch and human societies. When a clause in his father's will requires him to live among humans for 3 months with no magic in order to lead the family founded company, he relocates to Chicago and encounters Leah. Gabriel and Leah are a grumpy / sunshine case of opposites attract. Even though they come from different worlds, they begin to see how they complement each other as they get to know and support each other. As they encounter people who are opposed to any friendship or romance, Gabriel and Leah are also forced to confront each believes is most important.

This is the second in a series by Sophie Morgan. While this works as a standalone, reading The Witch is Back first will provide helpful context by introducing the supporting cast of characters and background about Witch society.

Special thanks to the author and publisher for an advance copy. This is an honest review.

Another enjoyable witchy rom-com read from Sophie! I enjoyed getting to see Leah's story because I love a good interconnected standalone. Great banter!

I will post on release day on my instagram @thatbookishteach

Grumpy/sunshine alert!

This is the second book in the Toil and Trouble series. Leah is human but knows the huge secret about magic. She knows she can’t tell anyone, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to be a part of this world that includes her two best friends.

Gabriel does not like humans because they were responsible for his parent’s deaths. But he must live in the human world for three months to get the CEO position in his parent’s company.

Commence… grumpy/sunshine.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for De-Witched to come out August 20, 2024.