Sapphic, Witchy, Fake Dating...So Much Fun!
This Spells Disaster
LGBTQ Romance, Romantic Comedy, Paranormal Witches & Wizards Romance, Lesbian Romance
Berkley
September 12, 2023
ebook, paperback, audiobook
366
“With classic rom-com hijinx and herbalist witchy vibes, this novel will have you happily spellbound.”—The Boston Globe
Fake dating gets a magical twist in this enchanting queer romantic comedy where a witch worries that the real feelings brewing between her and her crush were sparked by an accidental love potion, and the only way out of the disastrous spell is a healthy dose of the truth—drink up, witches.
Potion maker and self-proclaimed “messy witch” Morgan Greenwood is sure she was hexed at birth. Not only did she drunkenly offer to fake date the woman of her dreams during the biennial New England Witches’ festival, but Rory Sandler, spellcasting champion and brilliant elemental witch—for reasons known only to the Goddess—accepted. It’s like every good luck spell Morgan ever cast came through at once, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict this charade will end with a broken heart.
Or is the magic between them real? As Morgan and Rory prepare to fool everyone at the festival, their relationship starts to feel a whole lot less fake—right until Morgan realizes she might have screwed up the common relaxation potion she made for Rory and given her a love potion instead, breaking one of the most sacred Witch Council Laws.
To fulfill her promise to Rory, Morgan must somehow keep playing pretend while under the watchful eyes of Rory’s family and legion of fans. But to break the love potion, she’ll also have to prove how incompatible she and Rory really are. For a screwup like her, ruining their relationship should be easy—except every day, Morgan is becoming more bewitched by Rory herself.
“It was the perfect night for a mess, and Morgan Greenwood was precisely the sort of witch who couldn’t resist a good mess.”
This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin is such a fun, fake dating, witchy romance. If you’re feeling the need to find a read that will start off your Sapphic September and gives all the witchy vibes, then this is the book for you.
Set in a modern but magical equivalent of New England, This Spells Disaster follows Morgan as the narrator and protagonist. She’s a messy witch, a potion maker, and has taken one too many strikes to the chin so her confidence is at the bottom of the cauldron. After a margarita-fueled evening at the local bar that Rory Fucking Sandler (read the book, then you’ll get the reference) works at, Morgan offers to pretend to be Rory’s fake girlfriend at an upcoming local event for the witch community.
“Thinking about kissing Rory wasn’t difficult, after all. She likely had entire lobes of her brain dedicated to it.”
Morgan is so earnest in her feelings! I just love when a character is a bit of a mess around their love interest. After a mix-up with a calming potion that may or may not have been a love potion, Morgan doesn’t trust that Rory’s feelings are as genuine as her own. While I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope, I feel that Tori Anne Martin handled this in a way that fit both Morgan and Rory well. This fake dating trope is one of my favorites and the sweet, sweet tension build up between both Rory and Morgan truly checks all the boxes but be aware that it is a bit of a slower start. Once the plot picks up, I was wrapped up in the world and loved it.
There is a whole cast of characters that will inevitably become fan favorites, but ultimately, I loved our bisexual main characters: Rory and Morgan. These two women are opposites attract and their quirks offset in such a great way. Can we make “the type A, organized one falls for the messy, anxious one?” because that’s a trope that I’ll read all day. This Spells Disaster has it in spades.
This Spells Disaster is available now, and I guarantee that you’ll want to add it your shelves immediately. Congrats on a wonderful new release, Tori!
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
