A Dark and Secret Magic

De: Wallis Kinney

Narrado por: Abigail Reno

A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate’s solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven’s annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate’s birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate’s past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate’s duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul–he’s a practitioner of forbidden magic who’s tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew’s arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother’s. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long.

©2024 Wallis Kinney (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Well thought out story

I really enjoyed this book, sometimes I would wonder at why a character was withholding information and felt like it was just a device to needlessly elongate the story, but I was wrong and it was a well thought out plot point instead. I loved the imagery in the writing, it was cozy, yet high stakes and beautiful. I especially loved *spoilers* that Matthew had always intended the outcome to be as it was, shown specifically when he brewed the tea with the ingredients he had said he needed from day one. Such a sweet detail. I always take a while to get into this voice actress as she can be a little stale, but usually by mid-book it no longer bothers me.

Amazing

What a great book I loved every minute I would recommend it to everyone that loves witchcraft and romance.

Perfection

Perfection! Highly recommend! One of my favorite audiobooks this year. Witchy, fall vibes, romance, magic, mystery…

The perfect cozy Halloween book

I loved the characters and the story was amazing. I listened to it during Halloween time and finished November 2nd so it was the perfect vibe.

cozy fall vibes

cozy fall vibes, love it! it was what I needed to get into the halloween mood this year! very comforting story! mysterious and fun!

Everything I wanted

This was everything I wanted in a witchy fall romance. If you enjoyed the ex hex series you’ll love this!

Great Story! Wish there was more!

Story flowed nicely very constant good world building perfect little twist and turns will definitely be on the reread, can't wait read more from this author! Narration was perfect.

A love story to Halloween

I love the rhythm of her writing. I can feel the cozy den and the hot tea. Her ability to fully describe a scene captivated me. Go read this book!

Fantastic Magical Romance

This novel is a well written stand alone romance with witchcraft, F/M. Hecate is an independent women, who knows herself. Mathew is a somewhat dark and definitely misunderstood hero, who teaches Hecate that not all she has been taught about dark magic is true. Their romance is at the heart of this story, but it is not explicite. A Dark and Secret Magic is a perfect read for someone new to the genre or readers with an Epic Fantasy hangover wishing for a cleansing break. The world feels like current day New England, but the writing avoids most technology. It feels natural enough, that I find myself expecting to see some magic this Halloween! A great book for anyone’s TBR.

Great book

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. And the ending was not so predictable. Great read.