4.5⭐ rounded up to 5. This was the absolute perfect read for a witchy fall weekend getaway with bestie @vero.g.reads. A true love letter to Halloween!

❤️ Atmosphere and witchy vibes
❤️ Loveable, well-rounded characters
❤️ Interesting worldbuilding and lore
❤️ Abundance of magical and paranormal elements
❤️ Swoon-worthy MMC
❌ That asshole sister Miranda
❌ Unpunished bullying/violence
❌ Some inconsistencies (insufficient editorial rigour)

Trigger warnings: death and grief, death of a parent, gaslighting and bullying, blood, injury detail.

Plot:
Hecate (Kate) Goodwin is the first hedge witch in over 100 years. Unaware of her fame, she lives in a secluded cottage with her black cat Merlin, foraging herbs and creating tinctures to sell at her apothecary. One day, her solitary routine is disrupted by a ghost from her past: tall, dark, and handsome Matthew Cypher. Kate is forced to play host to her rival coven’s heir after he asks for sanctuary. As she and Matthew prepare her family home for a Halloween gathering, and eventually grow closer, Kate realizes that her coven’s elders have been keeping dark secrets from her and that she is in great danger.

With only 304 pages, this short cozy read kept me on the edge of my seat with mystery, forbidden-love romance, witchy vibes, betrayal, both creepy and whimsy details, and more. The only thing that bothered me was that some characters acted in unforgivable ways and the issues were forgiven after being barely addressed. I can’t deal with glossed-over bullying or violence.

Characters:
Most of the characters were well rounded and likeable. I enjoyed Kate as an FMC, and Matthew made me weak in the knees with his smirks and overprotectiveness and pumpkin-carving skills. I loved Ginny and would have liked to see more of her.

Writing:
I enjoyed Kinney’s writing and would read more from this author. Perhaps this was fixed in the final copy, but there were also some inconsistencies that should have been addressed during the edition process to make some parts of the story more believable: characters taking *very, very little time* to clean and decorate a whole manor, being madly in love after only a few days, typo in a French word, making it sound like maple syrup comes right out of the tree (snort).

This book promised to be a love letter to Halloween and wow! It most certainly delivered.

From the very first chapter you're transported to this wonderful, cozy, witchy world. I was immediately enthralled by Hecate and her coven, with all their varying types of magic. Woven together is a tale of mystery and traditional Halloween festivities, bound to keep you reading while you snuggle under the covers and unravel the secrets that have been kept from Hecate. Even if I hadn't read this while Halloween draws near, I most definitely would have felt like I was living in autumn.

Now, I'm not normally one who is into the romance aspects of books, but I found myself rooting for Kate and Matthew. Though I must admit, their relationship, particularly Matthew's feelings for Kate, seemed a little rushed, somewhat forced. But I was so captivated by the story that such minor things really didn't dampen my reading experience.

One last thing: Thanks for the recipes! I didn't expect to find dinner ideas, but brown butter brussel sprouts and bacon ravioli sounds amazing.

I will, without a doubt, be keeping my eye out for new stories from Wallis Kinney!

Fun, cozy, atmospheric fall read! Would recommend for anyone looking for a witchy autumnal book with romance, magic and detailed food descriptions that will make you hungry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

To start, a beautiful cover. In this cozy magical realism novel, the reader follows Hecate Goodwin as she approaches Halloween and her 31st birthday. The atmosphere of Hecate’s cottage and family home, the apothecary in the town of Ipswich, and her passion for baking fall themed meals really gets the reader in the mood for Halloween.

The magic system is interesting and easily understandable. I loved how the majority of the characters were female, and I had a good time unraveling their relationships with one another and understanding the coven politics.

Hecate and Matthew’s relationship was heartwarming and endearing, if not a little rushed. I wished they had been given a bit more of a backstory, instead of meeting once ten years prior to the novel’s events. I think it would have made their ‘insta-love’ a bit more believable.

My only complaint lay with the pacing. Times where I hoped for more detail and for the scenes to last longer - such as Hecate’s final confrontation with the King Below – were blown over too quickly, and sometimes lacked suspense. Other than that I had a great time reading this cozy witch story, and thought the recipes added to the end pages were a great autumnal touch!

Thank you to Alcove Press, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this story and provide my unbiased opinion.
The perfect read for Fall and Halloween season!
A Dark and Secret Magic follows the life of hedge witch Hecate Goodwin, in the countdown to Halloween when she will be locked into hedge magic for the remainder of her life. But when she is visited by an elder of her coven with a cryptic message and an unwanted but handsome houseguest arrives, she begins to feel like the path her mother set her on may not be the one she wants.
There was so much to like about this story. As a lover of cosy fantasy, I enjoyed the slice-of-life elements like crochet, cottagecore & baking, but it was also packed full of witchy vibes that definitely gave Practical Magic. The settings were atmospheric and the pacing was good (if slow for someone not used to the genre) and I was able to float along with it. I really liked the ending and the romance within the story.
Extra points for Merlin the cat.

4,5 stars for this autumn gem!

Let’s start with a huge thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press and Wallis Kinney for letting me read this arc. And now on to the book…

I loooved it! It’s spellbinding✨
This book is the perfect autumn read 🍂🍄
It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for (for a long time).

If you’re wondering what I loved about it?
It’s cozy, there are witches and witchcraft, the story takes place around Halloween, it has believable and sympathetic characters and there is also romance.
But no smut, which I think is a huge plus. It’s not that I’m a prude, but for me a story doesn’t always has to have smut. Let’s be honest; most books nowadays don’t go without. Smut sells.

Besides all things above, I also fell in love with the world Kinney has created. The story is written very visually. And I would love to live in Kate’s cabin in the woods.

Conclusion;
If you’re looking for an autumn/Halloween read with cozy vibes? Than this is a must read! ✨🍂

The story is full of magic, intrigue, coziness, and romance. I enjoyed the story and the characters were fun.
It was a delightful read that kept me entertained from the beginning until the end. The writing is good and the story is well told. Sometimes with some bits of info dumping, but overall it progressed steadily.
It embraces the Halloween season and the story gets suspenseful and thrilling at some points. I liked how Kate slowly solved the mystery and learned to deal with the truth. It is a heartwarming story that is just perfect for a spooky season!

This is a perfect fall book. One that brings all the witchy vibes along with a past frenemy. Cate had her life predicted to her. Her magic as hedge witch seems odd, there has not been one in her family for years, but at this point in her life she has embraced her magic and is ready to commit in the upcoming ceremony. When Matthew shows up again in her life she starts to question why her family is so set on her being a hedge witch, that and uncovering a mysterious grimoire shows Cate that maybe her family has a dark history she was unaware of.
This book is filled with magic and of course romance. Together they blend into a lovely story.
Thank you so much to Alcove Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I LOVED A Dark and Secret Magic - this is perfect for folks looking for a Halloween read and lovers of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The story follows a hedge witch who serves as a healer for her coven, and her magical expertise is very rare. When a friend from the past returns as she prepares for Samhain, she learns a lot about her family's history and her own magical ability.

This has everything for a fall read - a hallowen festival, magic, a forbidden romance, and lots of witches. I adored it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alcove Press for granting me access to an ARC!

This was super cute and fun. I loved the fairytale retelling aspect of it. Cate and Matthew were super precious and I adore how he adored her. This was a very light Halloween/fall/spooky season read. A little cozy fantasy romance that was a lot of fun and had a surprising amount of fun little twists. I also love how dark/blood magic was explained and used in this book. I loved the mythology surrounding the story and the little village setting with all of its little quirks and traditions. I liked that Cate had friends and didn’t have a perfect relationship with her sisters, It had one of the most realistic sibling relationship dynamic I’ve read, I also like that Matthew was unafraid of being offended and that he actually talked about what he could. Overall it’s a. Cute little Halloween romcom it almost has Pratical magic feels to it.

3.5 Stars
If you're a fan of Charmed or the cozy vibes of Legends & Lattes, then A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney is sure to draw you in. It's a blend of cozy mystery, witchy autumn aesthetics, and a dash of Halloween magic, perfect for anyone who loves the idea of foraging herbs by day and dealing with dark tomes by night.

The story moves at a comfortable pace, and the atmosphere makes you want to put on your comfy socks to sit by a fireplace with a cup of coffee, this makes it an enjoyable seasonal read. Kate’s journey, juggling family expectations, trust issues, and magical responsibilities, keeps things interesting. However, the slow-burn romance didn’t quite land for me—it felt a bit dragged out, and I found myself more invested in the magical elements than the love story.

Overall, it’s a charming and atmospheric read that’s perfect if you’re in the mood for something light and witchy.

BOOK: A DARK AND SECRET NAGIC
AUTHOR: WALLIS KINNEY
PUB DATE: 08 0CTOBER 2024
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was very good and I really enjoyed it. But, I felt like the romance part was lacking, I would have preferred it if I had the MMC's POV too. Regardless, I kept turning the pages because of the book's main theme.
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The FMC, Hecate (Kate), is a hedge witch who lives in isolation(practically) because she thinks that's what her duty entails. She was totally unaware of how much she could do as a hedge witch, and it was interesting to read as she started discovering more things she could do thanks to Matthew, the love interest.
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Kate was restricted from being her best self because of her mother. As I said, I enjoyed discovering Kate's purpose alongside her. That was the main reason I liked this book. I was trying to understand who the King Below was and how Sybil, Kate's mother, was involved.
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It was nice to understand the different types of witches and their duties. The author really did a good job in building this paranormal world. It was exciting. Because I really understood the duties of the Hedge witch and a Necromancer, Matthew's Magick, and the side character magicks.
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Matthew was okay, at the end. I didn't really trust him in the beginning of the book, but he redeemed himself. Kate and Matthew fell in love years ago, but their relationship was cut short by her mother. Matthew chose the ultimate decision at the end.
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I would have liked an epilogue. The ending was a happy one, but I was not satisfied with it, and it was kinda confusing. The epilogue would have clarified some things for me.
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I really liked this book, and you should definitely read it.
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"A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate's solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven's annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate's birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate's past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate's duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul - he's a practitioner of forbidden magic who's tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew's arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother's. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long."

The book that has all the seasonal vibes you are looking for.

This was a delightful slow burn. As always, I enjoy a charming, cozy small-town witch tale. With romance, familiars, family secrets and a hint of dark magic, what else could you want? This is the perfect book to snuggle up with on a chilly evening.
Can Kate rely on Matthew when he unexpectedly arrives at her doorstep? Can she fulfill her older sister's Halloween demands? All while staying true to herself?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Holy cow! This was so good! I really was on board for a small town cozy mystery, but this ended up being part cozy, part romance, part horror fever dream.

I can overlook the insta-love in exchange for a book that literally had my heart racing. 4.5 stars.

🍂Thank you Netgalley,Alcove and Dreamscape for my EARC and Audio ARC🍂

-Witches
-Elemental Magic
-Covens
-Halloween time
-Dark magic
-Cozy fall vibes
-A Calling to be heard or not to be heard
-Lots of Magic Cooking involved

This is the perfect fall book you have Hecate and her snuggly black cat in her cottage as she lives as the only hedge witch in her Coven of the Atlantic Key!

She has 2 other sisters that take up different forms of Elemental magic! Its her birthday in 7 days on halloween she will be 31 and will finish her birthright of giving half her magic to the coven while strengthening her first and only magic Nature but things take a turn for the worst or the better when her first love comes into the picture and she uncovers a great toll of secrets her mother kept from her

This story has great bones as a lover of anything fall I literally cant wait to go shopping for fall things and make so many the things that Hecate made in her cottage. Collecting pumpkins and decorating for her rituals was truly mesmerizing! This is where i got the Nostalgia of Practical Magic 🧡

The greater calling of the story was very interesting to watch unfold i kind of picked up on alot of context clues so i knew most of what would happen but none the less a fantastic story that i finished in just a few days!

This is the perfect story to read or listen to while carving pumpkins, baking remarkable fall cookies or just walking through the park while the leaves change🥰🎃

I received an advanced copy of A Dark and Secret Magic from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily
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If you're looking for a cozy fall read, look no further than A Dark and Secret Magic. This book was everything I could have hoped for when I read the synopsis, with complex characters and a compelling plot. While it did take a little while to get into, I was eventually sucked in and couldn't put the book down.

I found the characters to be very well done. They were rife with emotion and depth. Kate and Matthew were an adorable couple, even if their relationship moved a bit too fast for me. The happiness and hurt they go through felt real, coming through the page to hit me like a ton of bricks. And it wasn't just the main characters with that depth. Every character that I came across had just as much thought put into them, making them real whether they graced a single page or multiple.

The plot moved at a steady pace, keeping me interested throughout the whole story. I enjoyed the witchy aspect of a contemporary town. It made everything seem more realistic while keeping its whimsical, fantasy vibe. I wish it had been longer, as I felt that some of it was rushed, and I would have liked more depth and information on what was happening.

A Dark and Secret Magic was the epitome of a cozy read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for that type of book.

This book was cute and absolutely perfect for fall. Quite literally could not have better fall vides. It has some greek retelling hints, which usually isn't for me, but the way the other vibes washed that out was perfect. Mathew and Kate had great chemistry, and the amount of spice was well done. Will definitely be recommending this book at the store when it comes out!

I *adored* this book!!!! It has everything you'd want in a cozy, witchy, autumn-filled book. The setting of the cottage and the manor is perfect. Hecate - or Kate - Goodwin is a witch within a coven, the Atlantic Key. Along with her sisters, her late mother, and her coven, they live in what is presumed to be a small town. This book very much reminded me of another book about witches, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, which has similar themes and elements. This isn't a bad thing though! I loved ADOW and this book gave all the same beautiful energy. I only wished the MMC wasn't also named Matthew in this book! Nevertheless, the story was paced really well, the few twists are good, and the slow burn enemies to lovers is SO good. The magic system was really well done, too. I REALLY hope this isn't the last we hear of Kate and Matthew.

Oh this book was good. I love the magic system in this book, the complex relationships between sisters and mom, and the romance between Matthew and Hecate. This book was both cozy and serious. The description of their holiday and the celebration of Halloween was so cool, and I loved the pumpkin carving competition. I found myself giggling and kicking my feet in parts, then sobbing in others. It was just, perfection.