Recent Reads: Payback's A Witch by Lana Harper

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper 

Series: The Witches of Thistle Grove #1
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date:  October 5, 2021

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word in this fresh, sizzling rom-com by Lana Harper.

Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn't been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.

But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.

On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?

But most concerning of all: Why can't she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?

Review: 

Emmy never wanted to return to Thistle Grove, but here she is, drawn back by a sense of family duty to oversee a contest of magical trials for three other families of witches in their magical town. She also didn't expect to fall for someone while she was back either.

The book begins with Emmy re-entering Thistle Grove, the magic swarming her and an overview of her ‘escape’ from the town to normality of human life. Which is funny because she escapes to work for a human subscription box that provides witchy items to the world…so did she really ‘get away’? Anywho, every so often the families host a magical contest to see which family will be in charge for the coming year and the win also brings them prosperity and luck. However, for many rounds, one family has continued to take the title and it is starting to impact the other family’s livelihoods in their little town.

The three families that have been on the losing side (2 plus Emmy’s) have had enough, and it helps that the competitor has also broken the heart of someone from each family. They come together to take back the game and glory. As they do so, Emmy gets close with Talia and they form an intimate relationship through their bond with magic and the allure of bring back for Emmy.

I really liked everything about this book. It was funny, flirty, and a revenge story that involved witches and magic… if you know my reading likes… this is IT. 

The relationship between Emmy and Talia was super cute, it was quick but also a little slow at times. They are sexy, adorable, quirky, and radiate with each other. They had great chemistry and it flowed well through the plot. 

The magical elements of the story were also great. The background was explained well, and the magic system isn’t overly convoluted. The town and setting really drive a lot of this story and I really appreciated that aspect. It was perfect, like Salem, MA only cuter. A small town, full of witchy stores and lore… but then Castle Camelot. It seemed like greed really went to the Blackmoore brains and took over. A cute witch/fall themed town and…a medieval castle…seems like that would stand out like a sore thumb (and I love renaissance festivals and Medieval Times dining… just not mixed with my witchy small towns). 

Sorry… anyway. I loved all the characters. The friendships and family dynamics were as interesting as the romance, and they all had a place here.

Overall, this was perfection in a romance for me. Not too spicy but enough to pull the read through, the magic was great, and I love all things witch themed. This would be a wonderful read for the Fall/Halloween seasons.