4 out of 5 stars
E-book. 227 pages. Published October 19th 2021 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
A month ago, Jordan Bryne and his coven of hedge witches cast a spell that went hideously wrong and captured two of their number in a pocket of space and time. The magic is beyond their capabilities to unravel so, in desperation, they send up a beacon for supernatural aid.
They don’t mean to yank someone to their doorstep from hundreds of miles away.
Once Macklin Quintero gets past his irritation, he accepts the challenge. The tiny coven in the Sierra foothills is a group of the sweetest people he’s ever met, and he’s worried—the forces they’ve awakened won’t go back in their bottle without a fight.
But he also wants to get closer to Jordan. Mack’s been playing the field for years, but he’s never before encountered somebody so intense and dedicated.
Jordan might quietly yearn for love, but right now he’s got other priorities. The magic in the cul-de-sac doesn’t care about Jordan’s priorities, though. Apparently the only way for the hedge witches to fix what they broke is to confront their hearts’ desires head-on.
Likes:
- Jordan is the kid from Bewitching Bella’s Brother.
- Jordan and Mack were both interesting guys.
- Story starts off right where the last book ended.
- I was already hooked from last book’s cliffhanger.
- Everyone’s emotions at the start of the story were justified.
- Mack realizes that the coven is good people quickly.
- Jordan is neurodivergent.
- Cameo by Asa and Sebastian.
- Mack’s foreboding feelings kept the tension high.
- Good ending.
Dislikes:
- Mack ignoring Jordan’s comments that he didn’t have time for romance multiple times.
- The attraction felt poorly timed.
- Took me a while to get into the romance.
- So much going on with the plot it felt a little chaotic at times.
- Wizards seem like assholes.
- Alistair.
I was glad to be able to start this book right away after finishing Pentacles and Pelting Plants, since there was a cliffhanger. And I was also glad to see that this book picks up right where the last book ended. The coven asked for help, and the magic delivers Mack.
Needless to say, Mack’s not exactly thrilled at having been kidnapped by the magic. His feelings felt justified, so despite the fact that he came off as an asshole, I didn’t mind. I’d be pissed too. I was glad that Jordan stood up for his coven, and that it didn’t take Mack long to realize that the coven was full of good people who were just trying to fix their mistake.
Mack agrees to help, which is good because the situation with Dante and Cully is getting dire. This puts everyone in the coven under a lot of stress, Jordan most of all. He’s the leader, he was the one who brought them all into magic, and he was the one who wanted to cast the spell because of his own hurt feelings. He’s not in a good headspace, which is why the attraction between him and Mack felt ill-timed.
Both men feel the attraction, but Jordan wants to stay focused on helping his friends. He tells Mack multiple times that he doesn’t have time for romance right now, and Mack ignores him, going so far as to shush Jordan the third time. That really pissed me off, and significantly lowered my opinion of Mack. Plus, it made it hard for me to get into the romance until much later into the book.
There’s a lot going on plot-wise, which made the story feel a little chaotic at times. It was all interesting, but there was a lot of time skips and single paragraphs glossing over large chunks of time to fit everything in without dragging out the boring parts. Luckily, Mack’s foreboding feeling kept the tension high.
I was so excited to realize that Jordan is the kid from Bewitching Bella’s Brother, and that Asa and Sebastian got a cameo appearance. Talk about connected stories! I liked that Jordan’s childhood love of bugs ended with him becoming an entomologist. I also liked that Jordan is neurodivergent but that there’s no discrimination or stigma that takes place on-page.
Mack’s family issues were an interesting addition to the story. His father’s an asshole, and it seems like most wizards are as well. I liked that Mack was able to get some resolution with his family. It’s far from perfect, but it ended on a hopeful note.
In fact, the book’s overall ending was hopeful, but a lot of things still need to be dealt with. I’m definitely looking forward to Dante and Cully’s story. There’s a lot of unknowns about them and their situation. Hopefully, the next book will have less of a hectic feel to it than this one, and will wrap up the series well.
Be sure to check out my reviews for the rest of the series – Shortbread and Shadows (Hedge Witches Lonely Hearts Club #1), and Portals and Puppy Dogs (Hedge Witches Lonely Hearts Club #2)
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