If you could shake this book, autumn would fall out. What a fantastic, charming, and sexy read and Kate was such a likeable easy to follow protagonist, her LI did fall a bit short compared to her but it was still fun to read their back and forth banter. This is definitely an auto buy author!

A Dark and Secret Magic is witchy, mystical, twisty, and all things fall! I really enjoyed all of the cozy descriptions of autumnal foods and traditions as well as the bit of romance. Also love the cover, which conveys the spirit of this book perfectly. Would definitely recommend this for getting into the spirits of the season!

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Available on October 8th!

A hidden book heavy with dark magic, a handsome & charming blast from the past, a black cat named Merlin, & many different kinds of witches all set in the time period leading up to Halloween: you’re not going to want to miss this cozy & mysterious story as we head into spooky season!

Kate is a hedge witch who leads a simple life making things for the apothecary she co-owns, & she chooses to live in the gatekeeper’s cottage on her family’s property instead of the main house, Goodwin Manor. The manor has sat empty since her mother’s passing, but in light of another death in their coven Kate’s older sister is demanding she make the place presentable ASAP so they can host annual Hollween gathering. In addition to all of the many preparations she now must make, a man from Kate’s youth has invoked the right of sanctuary (a request she, as a hedge witch, cannot deny) so she has an unexpected house guest, & on top of that she finds an seemingly evil book with her mother’s handwriting in it…

I loved the many different kinds of magic (there was a BOOK WITCH!) in this book, & the cover is perfection. The fact that the chapters all have titles was something I really liked, & the recipes at the end of the book are going to keep me busy. The mystery aspect of this book & the lore around the eerie happenings was plotted in an intriguing way that had me turning pages, & I’ve already decided this may have to be an annual re-read kind of a story for me when Fall comes every year.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC! Hecate "Kate" Goodwin was decided to be the hedge witch years ago, as such, she has lived a fairly secluded life, but her quiet life is through for a loop when she is tasked with throwing the coven's Halloween party, a task her mother was responsible for prior to her passing. To make matters worse, Kate is first visited by the spirit of one of the coven's older members, followed by the arrival of her first love (and the first person to break her heart) Matthew Cypher. Soon Kate is juggling her responsibilites for the party, her feelings for Matthew, and a hidden family secret that threatens to destroy everything. Weaving magic with family secrets and a forbidden romance, A Dark and Secret Magic is a great read for fans witchy tales like Practical Magic and Garden Spells.

I love how this felt both cozy and like a witchy fantasy too. We had some higher stakes than I normally experience in cozy fantasies and I liked that. All the small details with the spells and food was an adorable touch. I did however feel like I was told there was a connection between our two MC's but I didn't quite feel it (He seemed very all in though). I did think our FMC didn't get answers to her questions until the very end and I couldn't help but feel that if I were in her shoes I couldn't move forward without at least more than what she got. Although this wasn't a win for me personally, it was charming and very magical. I love forward to seeing what Wallis Kinney writes next!

Thank you so much for my ARC!

The beginning of this book is slow, and as such I found myself almost wanting to DNF it. However, I ended up really enjoying this book, and as the plot unfolded things really got interesting. I really enjoyed all the characters and fall witchy theme of this book. I also found myself hungry reading about all the recipes Hecate was making. Overall, id recommend this book, but would warn that it takes a bit to get into.

Do you love fall? Halloween? Witches? The this is the book for you. Grab your coziest blanket, a warm beverage, and light the pumpkin scented candle to devour this delightful cozy read.

Hecate Goodwin, the first hedge witch in many years, finds herself navigating her first Samhain without her mother. Life gets turned upside down when a tall dark and handsome necromancer from her past shows up looking for sanctuary. Matthew has Hecate question everything she knew, as strange dreams and shadow magic invade her life. The King Below has come - is Hecate ready to embrace her true calling?

This was the perfect read as we enter the fall season. It’s easy and whimsical, we get mystery and magic, romantic tension, and of course all the Halloween vibes! I can’t recommend this enough for anyone who enjoys some light fantasy and romance!

Perfect cozy fall read. This is now my favorite witchy comfort book. The pacing is so well done. I loved the overall story. If you are looking for modern witchy, cozy fall vibes then I highly recommend this book. Everything about it had me not wanting to put it down. I did not want this to end. I will be reading this book every fall season.

This was such a warm and cozy read! Perfect for the Halloween season.

This book follows hedge witch, Hecate “Kate” Goodwin, as her sister asks her to prepare for their annual Halloween celebrations. But things change very quickly when a man for her past , Matthew Cypher shows up and it is her duty, as hedge witch, to host him. Secrets are revealed and dark magic shows its face.

The characters are well developed and I really enjoyed how the book was set in the present and the witches just lived among the humans, unbeknownst to them. This book was easy to read, and it is the perfect read for a rainy fall day to get you into the fall season- recipes included. Merlin was also an added bonus, precious little black cat!

Would love to see a second book come from this, but even without- the story wrapped up nicely and tied up any loose ends.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Alcove Press and Wallis Kinney for a chance to read this eARC.

I am very much enjoying the cozy witchy vibes this book has and it is a perfect book to cuddle up and read in the fall when weather is getting colder and leaves crunch under your feet. What really adds to the cozy vibes are the amazing food descriptions and I swear i got instantly hungry when reading these descriptions of various dishes.
Besides the cozy vibes, usually cozy fantasy books don't have quite a big mystery element to it which I really love here even if I didnt love all of the elements of it when it unfolded.

Why I took a stars off my rating, was the fact that I simply want to know more about the magical system and different witch types, mid-book I still felt like i was lacking information that the main characters just know as it's obvious them as it’s their enviroment, but definitely not to me and I just want to know more details faster so i could just enjoy the story and not try to piece together the worldbuilding things when the plot is getting more interesting and I would rather have focused on that.
The romance was cute, buuuut I was not a fan of the insta-love trope. Yes, they met years ago for a day and he fell in love and now after a week of party prepping both of them are head over heels? I think it could have been set up bit different and I would have enjoyed it more.

Overall I think it was a nice read, just not a full 5 stars for me for the reasons i mentioned but still an mouthwatering and cozy read

The cover drew me in!! The coziness and magic of it all. Sadly fell a little flat for me when it came to the actual story of it all but was sweet. Cozy and YA.

The perfect book to start off the cozy season!
Filled with witchy, cottagecore, romance and mystery. Although there were some higher stakes moments this was mostly a low stakes story.

I loved all of the characters and really connected with them, the world building was also so well done, I wanted to live in this town!

I highly recommend and the recipes at the end were an added bonus!

A nice cozy-ish fantasy that featured some delightful plot and characters. I really enjoyed the FMC / MMC but I wish the other characters were as fleshed out. I also absolutely loved all the recipes included in the back of the book! 4.5/5

Charming. Cozy. Witchy...
with just a pinch of dark magic and romance.

Picture this: fuzzy socks, a flannel blanket, a warm mug of "So Cozy Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate" and a furry companion joining you while you read this book... in a cozy little cabin in front of a crackling fireplace the week before Halloween. Seriously, this book is an ode to everything there is to love about the autumn season.

I enjoyed this story. While the stakes aren't particularly high, the plot is enticing, and you can't help but love Hecate our FMC and Hedge Witch. I was amused by the plot development, the little twists along the way, and the sweet romance within these pages.

Some of the characters did put a sour taste in my mouth with their treatment of the FMC - and although she pardons them in the story - I think they got off a little bit too easily. I did find there could've been a little bit more conflict resolution, and the ending is fairly fast-paced after a slow-building story, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The included recipes and descriptions of the food were just top-notch. I may have drooled a little.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓐𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

3.5 stars rounded up

A really cute, cozy, fall read that would be perfect to bundle up with as it nears Halloween. This book follows a witch, Hecate (Kate) Goodwin who lives in a witchy town, surrounded by witches that go all out on Halloween. However, as Halloween approaches strange things are occurring and then an unexpected guest suddenly shows up to make matters worse.

It's cute and low stakes despite the author trying to make it seem high stakes at times. You know its cozy so you know nothing bad is really going to happen which is nice. My main complaints with the book are the repetitive words/sentences that are used (I swear to god if she described his warm hand on her shoulder one more time!!) and how its an insta-love story. I suppose we can justify it as a 'soul mates' type situation, but it still is odd to see ppl proclaiming their love after just several days (and even though she knew him 10yrs ago, they only knew each other for a few days then too)

Overall enjoyable but near the end I was pretty over it, but I don't think thats fault of the author, just something I was getting bored with personally.

Thank you for the eARC, Netgalley & Alcove Press

Cute book. I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected it to be. Sorry, it fell a little short, and I was hoping for a little more than what it gave me. Loved the fall vibes and the witchy story. I just wanted more, and I was disappointed 😞

Thank you, Netgalley and Wallis Kinney, for the ARC. It was a beautifully written story.

4.5/5
This book was really great! It had everything you could want in a spooky Halloween centered book. Kate is a wonderful protagonist who didn't realize her life was about to turn upside down. What I thought was going to be a cozy Halloween story evolved into a mystery of Kate's past and finding out who she really is. The connection between Kate and Matthew was so good. It was definitely the perfect book to read to welcome the autumn season.

Unfortunately, it will be a DNF for me. I'm not usually one to not finish books, but sometimes they're not for me and I don't want to force myself because I know I'll finish hating it. I didn't feel that this book had a solid plot at all. Maybe it's the first book of the author and it needs a little bit more work. The writing was not bad, but not the best. I think with a little bit more it would have been better. But at the end of the day, this was not the story I was looking for and I just couldn't past the 45% mark.

I don't think this book was for me. I appreciate what it was trying to do, but it was the story I was anticipating and I found the writing to be juvenile.

I really enjoyed the plot line of this novel, with its different disciplines of magic and secrets that are slowly weakening the coven from within. I also enjoyed the aspect of dark or forbidden magic and the linked underworld that was uncovered as the story progressed.

I felt that the book could have been condensed to make it more readable and increase the pace of the plot. It was somewhere between a cozy fantasy and a dark mystery and may have been more cohesive if it stuck to one of these moods.

This is definitely a cosy read with minimal plot progression. The romance aspect was set up well, but felt that it could have been expanded in a bit. I enjoyed that the ending wasn’t conventional and it was fitting if a little bittersweet.

If you like cosy witchy reads, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review