This Spells Disaster

July 17, 2023
Martin (the Miss Misery series, written as Tracey Martin) delivers a cozy, magic-laced queer contemporary that crackles with wit and heart. Twenty-something potion maker Morgan Greenwood is messy, loud, and lives life large, despite the specter of a nasty ex who did a number on her self-confidence. That lack of confidence is why she can’t bring herself to act on her crush on bartender, sweetheart, and retired competitive spellcaster Rory Sandler. It’s thanks to tequila that Morgan dreams up the idea to pose as Rory’s fake girlfriend to get Rory’s well-meaning but pushy parents off her back during New England’s annual witch festival. The ruse works well, with Morgan even hoping that Rory might return her affections—until she starts to worry that Rory is under a love spell. To break it, Morgan must prove their incompatibility even while continuing to convince their friends and family that they are madly in love. Martin places a strong emphasis on consent throughout the narrative, creating an incisive examination of how societal pressures color personal experiences and expectations. That it doubles as a sweet love story is the icing on the cake. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co.

August 1, 2023

Spell-casting champion Rory Sandler has abandoned the high-stakes world of competitive magic to tend bar in a tourist town on the Maine coast. Local self-proclaimed "messy" potion maker Morgan Greenwood has a crush so bad she can't talk in front of Rory. But when one too many margaritas and Rory's familial pressures intersect, Morgan offers to be her fake girlfriend for the New England Witches' Festival. When Rory likes her back, Morgan thinks that her luck has finally turned, until an ingredient mix-up makes it seem like Morgan might have deliberately given Rory a love potion, breaking a sacred Witch Council Law. Keeping up their dating charade, while also proving to Rory that they're incompatible, in order to break the love potion's spell, is harder than Morgan ever thought possible. She just can't help falling for kind, smart, funny Rory. While the novel's early worldbuilding is a little slow and the use of the miscommunication trope falls a little flat, Martin deftly handles heavier issues of consent and the burden of expectations. VERDICT This queer, witchy rom-com from Martin (who also writes as Alanna Martin) should be fun for fans of Lana Harper and Erin Sterling.--Lacey Tobias

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2023
In a pleasantly witchy Maine town, two twentysomething witches, Rory, a world champion spellcaster who has thrown competition aside to tend bar, and Morgan, who keeps a low profile while working in her family's potion shop, agree to pretend to be in a romantic relationship. Rory wants to stymie her parents' matchmaking attempts at the witches' festival they will all be attending. Morgan, who has long had a crush on Rory, thinks she may have accidentally added love potion ingredients into a lotion she made for Rory, further complicating their ruse. This all leads to a comedy of errors as they stay with Rory's family and the male witch her parents want her to partner with. Martin's delightful debut feels like a party, but it has a deeper layer as Morgan and Rory learn that success doesn't always mean fame and fortune. Martin's romance is an enjoyable romp for readers looking for queer love stories and who like a little witchy magic with a sweet romance.

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