Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin
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Web ID: 15011231Ratings & Reviews
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Cozy Romance
This is a great fall read. It's a cozy romance with a dash of magic. The characters are loveable and well developed. The pacing is good. Overall, a welcomed addition to the romance genre and to my bookshelf.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
For the Summer Witches
I'm very much a Summer girl. Give me the long days, and all the sunshine. But I know many people are looking forward to the start of Autumn. Especially since Starbucks dropped their fall menu last week. I'm not one of them. Ready to dive into witchy reads, but it's still too hot outside? I've got the perfect book for you - WITCHFUL THINKING by Celestine Martin. It's a novel that takes place during the summer in a city along the New Jersey Shore. Lucy is a witch that's fallen into a rut. Along with her two sisters, and cousin, they cast a wish spell hoping to change their lives. Alex is a merman that has trouble staying in one place, but returns home for his birthday. It's friends to lovers (and maybe they've been strangers in the past years). With that slow burn angst of do I say something about my feelings? What will it take to keep the other? It's also about going after what you want, and seeking out what you need. Wish fulfillment and fantasy. I happened to start this book while at Disneyland, and as soon as I learned that Alex was a merman, I knew I needed to do my best to get a photo of the book with Ariel. I told her about the book - how the hero was a merman, and that there also happened to be a land witch named Ursula. She's going to try and figure out how to get her hands on the book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cute, light, short read :)
Witchful Thinking was a cute, light, short read that featured some of my favorite tropes such as: •fake dating •slow burn romance •small town romance •paranormal romance •second chance romance •forced proximity Let me start by saying that I tend to read ebooks or physical books along with the corresponding audiobook because I feel like I personally get more of a comprehensive grasp on the story that way. Well, it didn’t seem to work for me this time… I attempted to listen to the audiobook along with the ebook but I just couldn’t get on board with the narrator and her dragged out sentences like it was all meant to be seductive or something. Listen, I’m not saying that it was bad narration per se but perhaps it might help if you increase the speed (honestly, I didn’t have enough patience to play with the speed at that point & promptly returned the audiobook for my Audible credit back since I barely made it a couple chapters in before calling it quits & just finishing the ebook on its own). Anyway, back to the story itself… I won’t tell you the synopsis since I’m sure you’ve already read it and that’s why you’re checking out the reviews. I’ll just mention a few things that I liked about this book. For one thing, I’m a sucker for a slow burn romance and let me tell you, this was definitely SLOW BURN. I also liked that it had plenty of banter and steam between Lucy, our resident witch & Alex, the nomadic merman from Lucys’ past. Please know that this is not fade to black so if you’re not okay with intimacy on page, I suggest you either browse and skip those moments or skip this book altogether. Now let me try to calm my ramblings a bit. I read this as more of a contemporary than paranormal romance though because the magic was very sparse & didn’t seem to have any rules. I wanted there to be more to the magic system so it was more fleshed out. I really liked how everything magical in their small town was normal & not hidden away super secretive. I don’t want to go into every aspect of the book but those are most of the points that I liked & wanted more of. I hope you decide to pick it up and give it a chance. I think most people would like this as long as it’s not taken super seriously. I don’t regret reading one bit :) Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cozy, slow burn, small town romance
4/5 Stars 2/5 Steam Rating Debut Novel; Alternating 3rd Person POV This is a perfect read for anyone that loves a good cozy, slow burn, small town romance, with a touch of magic. I loved the idea of a romance between a witch and a merman, that’s not something you see often. I expected it to be a bit more of a Halloween read since it was published in September, but it felt a bit more like a summertime read since that’s when the whole story took place. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I had two main things that prevented me from giving it a 5star rating. First, I felt like the sexual tension was great, but it was just a bit too much of a slow burn for me. I also wished that there was more magic involved within this story. It honestly felt more like a contemporary romance centered around a wish, not a paranormal romance. If you would’ve removed the “paranormal elements” within the story, it wouldn’t have looked that much different. I quickly grew to adore Lucy & Alex as characters. I’m hoping that Ursula will get a good redemption story; she was so easy to dislike. There were so many great characters in this book, I can see this evolving into a great series of interconnected stories. Thank you publisher for gifting me this book. This opinion is my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So much fun & very unique!
Book Rating: 4/5 Audiobook Rating: 3/5 I thought that Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin was such a fun read. It's a romance, but it's also filled with witches, goblins, and mermen among other things, and is one of the more unique books I have read. If you want some Halloween elements while still being able to read a romance, this is a good one and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The setting is a magical place called Freya Grove, and I loved how Martin brought it to life along with her characters. The story alternates between Lucinda and Alex's viewpoints, while also being broken into months. The physical copy has a lot of nice touches and it made me feel happy just to look at it (totes buying a copy). And what can be better than a hexed house? I honestly would have taken even more descriptions of the local inhabitants as well as Alex's house for that matter. Now we get into the audiobook which unfortunately was a tad disappointing. Lucinda is narrated by Zara Eden while Alex is narrated by Cary Hite, and even though I loved having 2 narrators, Eden just did NOT do Lucinda justice. Sometimes she was good, but for the most part, her narration was very stilted, and it didn't sound like she actually knew how she should be reading her parts. A lot of inflection at times none were required, weird pauses, fast and slow talking, etc. I see that she doesn't have too many audiobooks under her belt, so she could be just starting out which honestly wouldn't surprise me. On the bright side, Hite did a great job as Alex, and I definitely preferred listening to him over Eden. I can't in good conscience recommend the audio for Witchful Thinking, so if you do this one, I would read it. And I am hoping Martin's future books will have someone else for the female viewpoint. This is a debut that is funny as well as full of family drama and a dash of steam. I am really hoping for a series now! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Joyful & lighthearted romance
Witchful Thinking is a joyous and lighthearted story of romance with a touch of magic. When Lucy participates in a wish-granting spell, she never expects it to have the enormous impact on her life that it does. Fate brings her long-lost friend Alex, who is also a merman, back into the magical town of Freya Grove. Freya Grove has always had a healthy mix of humanity and magic. Alex has recently been given a house, which he intends to sell as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Lucy now finds herself being challenged to embrace all the items on her wish list. Can they rekindle their romance from long ago? Lucy and Alex were a very cute and sweet couple. I have never seen a witch and merman pairing before and I loved it! The atmosphere in the book is cozy and warm. There are lots of little hints about the magic behind Freya Grove and I would love to see more about that. The writing at times felt a touch underdeveloped, but overall found this to be a quick and magical read. I would recommend Witchful Thinking for those who love second-chance, slow-burn romance, and sprinkles of magic! I’m looking forward to seeing what other effects the magical wish has for Lucy’s other relatives.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Perfect for Halloween Reading!
While this isn’t my usual type of romance read, Witchful Thinking was such a fun read! It’s set in the mystic seaside town of Freya Grove where seeing witches and mermen is not unusual. As we head into the autumn, I think it’s a wonderful world to visit. Lucinda is a witch who just happens to also teach high school. She lives with her sisters in the home that she has inherited – complete with all the recipes for spells. She also feels like she’s in a rut – nothing exciting ever happens to her. Her sisters are also wishing for things to change in their lives, and her cousin Ursula wishes for her upcoming wedding to be a wonderful event. They decide to perform the wishing spell that should allow them to have their wishes fulfilled. Alex is Lucinda’s high-school crush who has been travelling the world for the past decade. He’s recently returned to Freya Grove upon the request of his parents who have purchased him a dilapidated, haunted house for his birthday. This gift is not what Alex wants as all he sees is responsibility. After the summer he wants to return to a life of swimming around the world. What he doesn’t count on is falling in love with Lucinda who helps him to decorate the home. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. The characters are well-written and likeable and the setting was a fun place to visit. Given that Lucinda has two single sisters, I hope that this book might be the first in a series. I recommend this book to anyone that wants a little magic and fantasy in their romance books. I received an early copy of this book but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book
Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin is a great contemporary and paranormal romance that has magic, witches, mermaids, and love all around. I really enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by this author before, and I look forward to future books from her. I was definitely entertained. The narrative was easy, relaxing, fun, flirty, and engaging. I enjoyed the alternative point of view chapters from the main two characters: Alex and Lucy. Both are likable, realistic (well as far as magic and mermen can be), and bring a complex past to the table. Both are now brought together on their hometown of Freya Grove and both are at pivotal moments in their lives…a crossroads of sorts. They are brought together by chance and magic, but they find that they compliment each other far better, and have more in common for the long haul than any magical spell and potion can create. I really liked the full character cast, and there are definitely enough engaging characters that subsequent books could be created. The Caraway sisters are fun! I enjoyed the nice balance between heat, romance, real life, and the paranormal threads. I also enjoyed the sweet ending. 5/5 stars
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com