Love’s a Witch by Tricia O’Malley

 

Title:  Love’s a Witch

Author:  Tricia O’Malley

Narrated by:  Imogen Church, John Hartley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 14 minutes

Source: Thank-you to @simonaudio for the review copy.

Did you read any books for Halloween?  I love reading magical books during the Halloween season.

Sloane MacGregor has returned to Briarhaven in Scotland to celebrate her twenty-fifth birthday, which is the birthday where a witch receives her powers.  She also hopes to work with her sisters to break a curse that haunts their bloodline.  Mayor Knox Douglas does not want the MacGregors in town causing problems, but he once had a crush on Sloane, and those feelings may still linger.  Will the curse be crushed?

My thoughts:

·       This was a cozy contemporary fantasy novel.

·       This novel was the first in the new Scottish Charms series.

·       My favorite character was Blue, the fire breathing ember wolf.

·       The story was told through a dual point of view with Sloane and Know narrating alternating chapters.  Narrators Imogen Church and John Hartley did an excellent job capturing the tone and narrating the novel.

·       This book had all the makings of a story that I would love, but it fell short for me and didn’t engage me.  I think the plot moved too slowly for me as it was setting up further books in the series.

·       I did enjoy the strong female characters and the entire town.

Overall, Love’s a Witch by Tricia O’Malley was a good cozy contemporary fantasy novel but didn’t quite engage me fully.

 

Spells and Sandwiches by Kate Moseman

 

Title: Spells and Sandwiches

Author:  Kate Moseman

Narrated by:  Hollie Jackson

Publisher: Fortunella Press

Length: Approximately 5 hours and 57 minutes

Source: Review Copy from NetGalley.  Thank you!

What is your favorite type of sandwich?  I really like a ham and turkey sandwich.

Zelda is in New York City to open a deli.  A vampire offers her free rent on her family’s old restaurant if she will repair a magic mirror.  This changes her life path, and she uses her magic to get through many zany situations.

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       Hollie Jackson had a great narrator performance with good voices for the characters.

·       This book was entertaining and amusing.

·       It was a cozy fantasy read.

·       The plot did not really capture my attention.  I needed more world building/explanation.

·       Zelda is a great well-rounded character.  She has a great dog named Jester.  There is another dog in the story named Georginia after Georginia Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

·       This novel was light on the romance.

·       This is the first book in the West Side Witches series.

Overall, Spells and Sandwiches was a cozy read for October.