Back in a Spell (The Witches of Thistle Grove)

Product Information

Giorgina is a working class woman who wants to do something to help women, so is pulled towards Malak with some help from a friend. She can’t deny that her enhanced abilities make her feel amazing, but when she learns the truth about what is really going on, Nina will have to decide if she should claim the power for her family alone, or if she must put the needs of the town before herself.

nina just got out of a shitty relationship so she goes on a dating app to find someone she's not even remotely interested in to pass the time and get over her ex. But, later, Morty gets magical powers and Nineve’s powers become much stronger, and she has magical dreams. The thing that made this most unbelievable is the constant use of phrases like “I know you” even when followed by “or I’m starting to”. This is almost more of a coming of age/ finding yourself story than it is a romance, although the romance aspect is great.

Nineve "Nina" Blackmoore is a fancy badass and I've enjoyed her in the other two books but getting to really meet her and her super dorkiness was perfecto.

FWIW, the blurb refers to Morty as non-binary, but the book never uses that term, either by Morty to describe himself or from others (at least in the review copy I had). And then bring in Morty, a normie we already learned to love in the other books, and I fell in love with his humor and true admiration for all things magic.We are told that the nonbinary love interest in this book uses he/they (meaning that both he/him and they/them can be used).

But when Morty begins developing magical powers—something that usually only happens to committed romantic partners once they officially join a founding family—at the same time that Nina’s own magic surges beyond her control, Nina must manage Morty’s rude awakening to the hidden magical world, uncover its cause, and face the intensity of their own burgeoning connection.In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself. She’ll have to help Morty navigate the witchy world and figure out what is going on with herself without displeasing her emotionally abusive mother. Nina and Morty are able to work past their rocky start pretty quickly, largely on the strength of their incredible attraction to one another and the fact that their mental link means that the sex between them is incendiary.

I would highly recommend this series as a whole, but I would like to remind everyone that these books, although part of a series, still work pretty well as standalones.For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood. Nehal, on the other hand, is a noblewoman from an old family who is married off to settle her father’s debts. There is a scene in the book where Nina asks Morty about his pronouns and they say how they mostly use "he/him" because of his family but use "they/them" at bars and with friends. We review primarily romance featuring men, but we also review all kinds of LGBTQ romance here, as well as literary fiction and non-fiction. We also see Nina face situations where she tries to be conscious of her privilege, her more selfish instincts, and her negative reactions.