“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word in this fresh, sizzling rom-com by Lana Harper.”
This book is a blend of a lot of different elements – it’s paranormal, mixed with payback on a cheating ex boyfriend, a dash of Harry Potteresque wizard tournament and sizzle of a new lesbian romance. The main character, Emmy Harlow, is a witch but because she left her home town after high school, her powers are diminished. You see, her home town of Thistle Grove is a place of magical powers, founded by witches years ago. To tourists, it appears like any other picturesque place but the citizens all have special talents. Emmy left to get away from Gareth Blackmoor who cheated on her and broke her heart. She moved to Chicago and became a very successful businesswoman, but as the book begins she returns home to be the arbiter of the spellcasting tournament; this position is one held by members of her family for generations, and Emmy is unable to turn it down. Her plan is to spend time with her parents, get through the tournament, meet up with old friends, and then return to life away from magic again.
Naturally, this plan goes awry. On her first night home, she heads out for a late night drink and runs into Gareth (who doesn’t recognize her) and then Natalia Avramov who has just broken up with Gareth herself. Natalia is a witch who also communes with the dead, and she’s a captivating character. She convinces Emmy to team up with her and Linden (another old friend who ALSO dated Gareth and was dumped) to get revenge on the cheating bastard. Their plan involves the tournament, and hoping to embarrass Gareth by taking the top prize away from him. Along the way, Emmy finds herself less concerned about Gareth, and drawn more into Talia’s seductive charm. How will all of this play out and will she be ready to leave Thistle Grove again when it’s all over?
I enjoyed this book so much. The world Ms Harper has created is so magical, I just wanted to be there myself just to soak up the atmosphere. It’s told from Emmy’s perspective, but the other characters are well presented and the story flows pretty well. There may have been a few spots that dragged a bit, but overall it was a fun read. As for the romance parts, there’s not a lot of steamy scenes – more of a sexy slow burn.
