Back in a Spell
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

In the third Witches of Thistle Grove tale, following From Bad to Cursed (2022), Nina Blackmoore--a powerful witch and descendant of sorceress Morgan le Fay--is still depressed a year after the woman she loved dumped her a week before their wedding. Her normie (non-magical) best friend advises her to pick someone on one of her dating apps who could be fun but offers no potential for a serious relationship. Morty Gutierrez looks like the "embodiment of a dare," a nonbinary normie who should be a good time. But she learns on their first date that Morty hates the Blackmoore family and lawyers, and since Nina is both, they're done. Then Nina has a dream about a goddess at the bottom of the lake who gives her a coin. The coin follows her into the real world, magic goes awry at the Blackmoore's entertainment business, and Morty suddenly and scarily acquires magic. With catastrophe for Thistle Grove in the making, Morty and Nina must cover new ground. With each book in the series, Harper's characters and community inspire more delight.

Harper's charming third Witches of Thistle Grove romance (after From Bad to Cursed) continues to plumb surprising emotional depths while maintaining a lighthearted rom-com vibe. Responsible pansexual witch Nina Blackmoore agrees to a blind date with spontaneous nonbinary bartender Morty Gutierrez, not realizing he's from the same Gutierrez clan that her powerful family have been harassing into selling the bar. The date's a disaster--but mystical forces are at work to keep this duo from calling it quits. After witnessing an apparition in the town lake, Nina wakes to find her powers are wildly magnified. Worse, somehow Morty now has powers of his own. The only way he could have acquired magic overnight is if the pair of them are witchbound, the metaphysical equivalent of marriage. Though Nina is desperate to regain control over her power and halt the connection rapidly growing between her and Morty, she also welcomes the unexpected benefit of the bond: having someone she can be herself with, who helps her to confront the damage her self-centered mother has wrought on her life. Harper doesn't hold back in showing the effects of being raised by a narcissistic parent, grounding the witchy story in heartfelt reality. This is sure to enchant series fans and new readers alike. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Jan.)

Powerful witch Nineve "Nina" Blackmoore is reeling from a broken heart after being dumped by her fiancé. After a night at the bar with her best friend, she agrees to a blind date with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary owner of a local pub, the Shamrock Cauldron. After an awkward first date, Morty, who previously knew nothing of the magical world, begins to develop magical powers, and Nina finds that her own abilities have become stronger. The two must navigate their newfound powers while delving into the truths of long-held family secrets. Harper's third installment in the "Thistle Grove" series (following From Bad to Cursed) is a delightful and heartfelt romance full of passion and sorcery. Narrator Carlotta Brentan brings the entire cast of characters to life by deploying different voices and mannerisms for each. Her portrayal of the undeniable connection between Nina and Morty is especially affecting. Listeners looking for romance that also shows personal growth will enjoy, as Harper focuses not only on romantic love but also on platonic love between friends. VERDICT Harper's thoughtful yet action-packed story is a must-add to any romance collection. Recommend to fans of Elizabeth Bass and Karen F. Williams.--Elyssa Everling

Reeling from heartbreak, a witch finds new love with someone entirely unexpected and has to decide who she truly wants to be. Nineve "Nina" Blackmoore steps into the spotlight in the third installment of the Witches of Thistle Grove series. Dumped by her fiancee, Nina feels unmoored, and the winter season is adding to the blues. She is convinced by her best friend to go on a low-stakes date to get back into the groove, and bar owner Morty Gutierrez, pansexual like Nina and fluid with his gender expression, fits the bill. Although they're attracted to each other, the date doesn't go well. But the next day, when Morty--hitherto unaware of the existence of witches--wakes up with magical ability and Nina's own magic is inexplicably stronger, the pair are thrown together once more. As they explore these new powers, their feelings grow, and Nina starts to evaluate other relationships in her life. The delightful lore of charming Thistle Grove continues to grow in this evocatively written story, although this tale is quieter than the previous installments, with most of the focus on internal emotions, personal growth, and response to trauma. The bond between Nina and Morty allows them to experience the other's emotions, which amplifies their connection and also makes the bedroom scenes sublimely hot. While the romance is important, the meaningful and inspiring broader story is of Nina learning about herself and choosing what to stand up for. Another enchanting visit to Thistle Grove. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In the third Witches of Thistle Grove tale, following From Bad to Cursed (2022), Nina Blackmoore—a powerful witch and descendant of sorceress Morgan le Fay—is still depressed a year after the woman she loved dumped her a week before their wedding. Her normie (non-magical) best friend advises her to pick someone on one of her dating apps who could be fun but offers no potential for a serious relationship. Morty Gutierrez looks like the embodiment of a dare, a nonbinary normie who should be a good time. But she learns on their first date that Morty hates the Blackmoore family and lawyers, and since Nina is both, they're done. Then Nina has a dream about a goddess at the bottom of the lake who gives her a coin. The coin follows her into the real world, magic goes awry at the Blackmoore's entertainment business, and Morty suddenly and scarily acquires magic. With catastrophe for Thistle Grove in the making, Morty and Nina must cover new ground. With each book in the series, Harper's characters and community inspire more delight. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.

In Allen's wrap-up to the "Black Girls Must Die Exhausted" trilogy, Tabitha Walker balances new motherhood, new job possibilities, new friendship issues, and an ultimatum from boyfriend Marc about their relationship, and she's beginning to wonder if she really believes that Black Girls Must Have It All (75,000-copy paperback and 20,000-copy hardcover first printing). In Central Places, a debut from journalist Cai, Audrey Zhou left Hickory Grove, IL, for a big-deal job in Manhattan but is returning home to introduce star-worthy fiancé Ben to her hectoring parents and ignored friends; she also reconnects with laidback Kyle, the only person who ever understood her. DeFino moves from The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (And Their Muses) to Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story, which features a widow whose mother and daughter conspire to get her dating again (50,000-copy first printing). In the New York Times best-selling Harper's Back in a Spell, puissant witch Nineve Blackmoore has been abandoned at the altar by her fiancée and ends up on an awkward and ultimately antagonistic first date with nonbinary townie Morty Gutierrez (angry that her family wants to buy out his pub); then Morty unexpectedly starts acquiring magical powers. In Lipman's genre-blending Ms. Demeanor, big-deal lawyer Jane Morgan loses both career and social life after a busybody neighbor reports her for having hot sex on the rooftop of her New York apartment building, then faces more trouble when the neighbor winds up poisoned and leaves a note implicating Jane (100,000-copy first printing). From Pen/Faulkner finalist Salesses, The Sense of Wonder stars Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, whose seven-game winning streak wins him the moniker "The Wonder"—all witnessed by sportswriter Robert Sung and studio producer Carrie Kang, with whom Won launches a relationship (50,000-copy first printing). In debuter Shroff's The Bandit Queens, a young Indian woman named Geeta is suspected of killing her long-vanished husband, which proves beneficial—no one wants to cross her—and then uncomfortable as other women push her for advice on getting rid of their husbands. After surviving his car's plunge off a cliff in Normandy, Charles Vincent, Steel's latest protagonist, is nursed back to health by a kind woman he stumbles across in a nearby cabin and realizes that he could vanish from his unhappy life Without a Trace. In Zigman's Small World, Joyce invites sister Lydia to move into her Cambridge apartment (if only temporarily) when Lydia returns east from California, but the two divorcees find their relationship disrupted by memories of their deceased sister (60,000-copy first printing).

In the newest in an ongoing series, Nineve Blackmoore's fiancée dumps her days before their wedding. Hoping to lift her despondency, her best friend encourages her to meet up with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary owner of a local pub, the Shamrock Cauldron. That goes badly as well. Morty realizes it is Nina's family that have been pushing hard to buy the pub. Instantly at odds, neither Morty nor Nina plans to see the other again. But something odd has happened. Morty develops magical powers, and Nina's magical abilities are suddenly supercharged. All the spells she casts are dangerously magnified and she seems to have become witch-bound to Morty, who is suffering a great disillusionment with the supernatural side of Thistle Grove and its secrets. When Nina finally discovers the startling truth, she must decide between losing Morty or losing her extraordinary powers while betraying her family in the process. While some inequities between magical and non-magical residents of Thistle Grove are explored, it doesn't overshadow the scorching chemistry between Morty and Nina. VERDICT The third in Harper's "Witches of Thistle Grove" series is just as suspenseful and action-packed as the first two installments.—Eve Stano

Harper's charming third Witches of Thistle Grove romance (after From Bad to Cursed) continues to plumb surprising emotional depths while maintaining a lighthearted rom-com vibe. Responsible pansexual witch Nina Blackmoore agrees to a blind date with spontaneous nonbinary bartender Morty Gutierrez, not realizing he's from the same Gutierrez clan that her powerful family have been harassing into selling the bar. The date's a disaster—but mystical forces are at work to keep this duo from calling it quits. After witnessing an apparition in the town lake, Nina wakes to find her powers are wildly magnified. Worse, somehow Morty now has powers of his own. The only way he could have acquired magic overnight is if the pair of them are witchbound, the metaphysical equivalent of marriage. Though Nina is desperate to regain control over her power and halt the connection rapidly growing between her and Morty, she also welcomes the unexpected benefit of the bond: having someone she can be herself with, who helps her to confront the damage her self-centered mother has wrought on her life. Harper doesn't hold back in showing the effects of being raised by a narcissistic parent, grounding the witchy story in heartfelt reality. This is sure to enchant series fans and new readers alike. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Jan.)