Celestine MartinRezensionen

There was a lot to like about this book but I became increasingly annoyed as the book went on with both people making decisions for the other instead of USING THEIR WORDS. Seriously, talk. I really like Freya Grove, especially all the magical folx living there. It does seem like this book is setting up a series as there are unresolved family issues at the end of it. Hoping the next book moves better.

ETA: It does.

Dnf stopped @130

I love magical realism and urban fantasy. The world as we know it with some magical-fantastical sprinkles. The cover and the merfolk drew me to this story. I also connected with Alex about feeling like your hometown can feel too small.

Unfortunately, I found the execution too dry and the characters a bit too dull. However, this is a very cozy, lighthearted, and low-stakes read that will definitely appeal to others.

Major Hallmark vibes + mythical and paranormal creatures around doing the mundane + baking + wedding planning + interior design

Kiss and Spell
Elemental Love, Book 2

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Dates Read: 10/11/23 - 10/16/23
Stars: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Henriette Zoutomou

The Characters:

Ursula Caraway
Prince Xavier Alder
Ursula’s mom, cousins and half-sister and Xavier’s godmother (no I do not know any of their names right now)

The Story:

I’m very torn. I still do not like Ursula. I know she is trying to make amends for her behavior in book one but she’s not putting in that much effort to me. Refusing to see the person you offended the most gives lack of effort. On the flip side I like Xavier. His gentlemanly ways were charming. Their story was slightly better than okay but not memorable.

The Random Thoughts:

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me. It was a cute rom-com that I didn't mind picking up and kept me entertained but it wasn't hard to put down either. I wanted to see how it would all work out but I wasn't on the edge of my seat either. I felt like it was a little short and could have benefited from another 50 to 100 pages to add some more details and depth to the story. There was a loose end to the story but I felt that may have been done on purpose so the author could continue in the same world with other characters.

Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin
2nd book in the Elemental Love series. Witchy paranormal romance. Diverse own voice. Can be read without reading the first but it is the same family, yet doesn’t really overlap much.
Prince Xavier Alder of the fae is cursed. He needs to find the perfect kiss to be able to go back home. For now he’s trying dating apps on the New Jersey boardwalk.
Ursula Caraway wished for happily ever after when she thought she had found her perfect man. That wish caused the relationship to fall apart and now Ursula is reading fortunes on the boardwalk “free with purchase”. She meets Xavier by chance when he gets lost and walks him down the boardwalk in the right direction. She offers to help him find his perfect romance and gets tangled up in attraction and longing herself.

An adorable and witchy story with Ursula and Xavier looking for something like love, and finding fascination in each other. She’s a romantic while he doesn’t believe in love. Expectations may need to be juggled a bit.
Cute, campy and lovely.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley and the publisher.

This book is focused on the romance story between a human witch heroine and a cursed fae prince hero. The hero is cursed by the Fae Queen to remain in the mortal world to find the "perfect kiss" and arrived at the heroine's hometown to find it. The heroine is trying to find herself again after being jilted by her ex-fiancé. The hero and the heroine struck a friendship to help each other but end up getting romantic feelings for each other. For the hero and the heroine to a future together, they must first face their own issues and other obstacles before they get their happy ending.

This is the second book in the ELEMENTAL LOVE series. Set in a charming town with some supernatural characters, the romantic story features lost souls trying to find themselves in love and life. The heroine went through a life-changing situation in the previous book that she's dealing with the consequences in this book, making her grow in character. The hero also changed in this book, from not believing in love to finding it with the heroine. Along with the main couple are secondary characters that surrounded them, including the heroine's family circle and those close to them. The story has a nice vibe, and I enjoyed the author's writing style. This book is an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more future works from the author.

** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Witchful thinking is the story between Lucy (a witch) and Alex (a merman!), and it takes place in the delightful Freya Grove. Our two leads were best friends in High school, and there was always a hint of something more which was never explored. Eleven odd years later, Alex comes back into town, and with the help of some magic shenanigans, those sparks get explored.

I really wanted to love this! The blurb was so sweet and to be honest, minus the quite frankly annoying cousin on many fronts, the people there were easy to root for. Alas, something was missing. I do not know if it was the pacing, lack of magic, or sometimes vague descriptions/renditions; but in general the beats felt like they were just slightly out of step.

I am still interested in other books in series and hopefully some of the above issues would have been worked on.

A huge thanks to Forever book and NetGalley for the ARC.

I wanted to like this one so bad! The premise immediately hooked me and the story overall was really cute. Every witchy-related part of the book was so well done and fun, but I had some issues with the pacing. Some of the scenes felt like disparate parts, rather than coming together into a cohesive plot. It gave me the vibe that it was padded for runtime somehow.

Also, there's a pretty big subplot with one of the members of Lucy's coven that's just abruptly dropped at the end, despite it being a big point of conflict for some of the characters. I think this was meant for a sequel tease, but it still felt too open ended for this book's arc. Alex's hang-ups didn't always feel super believable to me, he would say he'd feel one way but then would act the complete opposite. I dunno.

I believe this was a debut, and I'd be interested in more of this author's work, but unfortunately this one fell flat for me.

Witchful Thinking
Elemental Love, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: Cover lust.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: LV-CC Public Library
Dates Read: 3/12/23 - 3/13/23
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Zara Eden, Cary Hite

The Characters:

Lucinda “Lucy” Caraway:
Alexander Dwyer:
Ronnie, Grandma, Tita Rosie, Jay, Jay’s brother, Lila’s business partners, so many other characters

The Story:

This was the whimsical love I didn’t realize I needed. This book just hit at the right time for my moody reading heart. It left me with a happy sigh and a healthy dislike for Ursula’s selfishness. I love how family oriented Lucy’s support system is. I look forward to more from this world.

The Random Thoughts:

Thank you Goodreads and Forever for an ARC of this wonderful story!

Our author, Celestine Martin, has an incredible ability to transport you into the magical world of Freya Grove. We meet our protagonists right away during a Founders Day Festival that lasts an entire week. You're immersed in the neon lights, smells of fried foods, mystical beings, and the sounds of clinking rides around you.

Lucy Carraway, our witchy main character, receives an email requesting a blurb on what she's been up to over the past decade since she finished school and finds herself wishing she had more to share.

Enter Alex, Lucy's crush that got away. He's back in town to celebrate his birthday with his parents who bribed him to return with the promise of cake. He wasn't expecting to run into Lucy again after all this time. He wasn't expecting to feel the same spark they had either! (The intimate tension between these two was so intense, I swear people around me could sense it!)

Can our witchy friend find a way to make Alex stay this time?

When a wish spell between her sisters and cousin gets a little out of control, Lucy finds herself up to her eyes in crazy new experiences she only ever dreamed of doing, including spending more time with our elusive merman Alex.

It was a really fun, cozy, magical read with a few NSFW scenes sprinkled in to really drive home what magic, especially the magic of trying something new, can accomplish.