Back in a Spell

The Witches of Thistle Grove, Book 3

By: Lana Harper

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

An awkward first date leads to a sparkling romance between one of the most powerful witches in town and a magical newbie in this rom-com by Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch.

Even though she won’t deny her love for pretty (and pricey) things, Nineve Blackmoore is almost painfully down-to-earth and sensible by Blackmoore standards. But after a year of nursing a broken heart inflicted by the fiancée who all but ditched her at the altar, the powerful witch is sick of feeling low and is ready to try something drastically different: a dating app.

At her best friend’s urging, Nina goes on a date with Morty Gutierrez, the nonbinary, offbeat soul of spontaneity and co-owner of the Shamrock Cauldron. Their date goes about as well as can be expected of most online dates—awkward and terrible. To make matters worse, once Morty discovers Nina’s last name, he’s far from a fan; it turns out that the Blackmoores have been bullishly trying to buy the Shamrock out from under Morty and his family.

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. But what happens when that connection is tied to Nina’s power surge, a power she’s finding nearly as addictive as Morty’s presence in her life?

©2023 Lana Harper (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The third in Harper’s ‘Witches of Thistle Grove’ series is just as suspenseful and action-packed as the first two installments.”—Library Journal, starred review

“This is sure to enchant series fans and new readers alike."—Publishers Weekly

“The delightful lore of charming Thistle Grove continues to grow in this evocatively written story... 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.”—Kirkus Reviews

found at target

i found a paper copy at target not knowing it was part of a series, but i love it. gonna have to get the rest of the books to read about the other residents of thistle grove

LOVED IT!!!

I’ve been waiting for this book to come out and I wasn’t disappointed. Now I have to wait for the next chapter 😭

A Charming Continuation of the Thistle Grove Story

We loved this book just as much as the others. It’s great how the author is going through and telling stories of the happenings in Thistle Grove through the eyes/perspective of other families. A lighthearted and just spooky enough read to get ya ready unto all the Autumnal reads. Can’t wait for the next in the series to be released.

amazing author

I love the way the stories are told and characters all well written. I read the book in 2 days, I just couldn't put it down!
Can't wait for the next one.

Loved the continuation

Every time another witches of Thistlegrove book drops I get so excited. The books function perfectly as stand alone a but I find that it’s best to read in order to get a full understanding. The only note i have is that sometimes the descriptions of everything are a bit long winded as someone who has read the others in the series. Overall great and I’m excited to get the new book!

Super cute and sexy

This book was just right for me right now. Not super emotionally demanding but still meaningful. I liked the pan4pan relationship as well and Morty’s fluidness. Like the 1st book it’s a bit corny but in a fun way. It’s nerdy and cute and a good light read. Totally recommend it!

Favorite one so far!

I love all three books in this series, but this is my absolute favorite! It was romance, passion, and action from the beginning and I couldn’t stop!

Another win for Thistlegrove

I adore the Thistlegrove witch stories. This was no exception. This time we turn for an inside look into the prestigious Blackmore clan. The book had enemies to lovers, romcom, romance and definitely gave characters-that-need-therapy vibes. Also, very spicy. The chemistry between out love interests was well written and well read.

Fell a Little Flat...

***3.5***

The overall premise of this book was great. It just fell a little flat for me. There are a couple reasons why this wasn't a full 4 or 5 stars. The main one of which has to do with the dubious consent surrounding Nina and Morty's relationship. They are magically induced into having a deeper connection which causes them from not liking each other, to having sex in about .5 seconds. It also doesn't really feel like their relationship progresses all that much and then they're choosing to remain "witch married" to each other at the end. While I did love both Nina and Morty as separate characters, and they both grew tremendously over the coarse of the novel, I just didn't get the romance out of this one that I was expecting. They had some sweet moments together but overall it fell a little flat for me.

Another issue that I had with this was Morty's non-binary representation. I am not non-binary but I was excited to see a nonbinary character in a popular romance series as the love interest. It's not something you find often, if ever in traditionally published romance. Morty uses he/they pronouns but I don't think that there was a single instance of Nina or even for that matter any other character calling Morty by a they/them pronoun. Morty was also described using only masculine terms such as having a “boyish face”, and “boyishly delighted grin.” There are also many points where Nina refers to Morty as a man, particularly in their sex scenes. She even thinks to herself that it’s been a while since she’s been with a man when she's about to perform oral sex on Morty. I think that all of this took away from the non-binary rep and it came off feeling like Morty was really just the standard male love interest in a romance novel.

Overall, this was just okay. I will continue on with the series and am hoping that the next book is better.