Small Town, Big Magic: A Witchy Romantic Comedy (Witchlore, 1)
There's no such thing as witches...right?
Emerson Wilde has built the life of her dreams. Youngest Chamber of Commerce president in St. Cyprian history, successful indie bookstore owner, and lucky enough to have her best friends as found family? Done.
But when Emerson is attacked by creatures that shouldn't be real, and kills them with what can only be called magic, Emerson finds that the past decade of her life has been...a lie. St. Cyprian isn't your average Midwestern river town--it's a haven for witches. When Emerson failed a power test years ago, she was stripped of her magical memories. Turns out, Emerson's friends are all witches.
And so is she.
That's not all, though: evil is lurking in the charming streets of St. Cyprian. Emerson will need to learn to control what's inside of her, remember her magic, and deal with old, complicated feelings for her childhood friend--cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North--to defeat an enemy that hides in the rivers and shadows of everything she loves.
Even before she had magic, Emerson would have done anything for St. Cyprian, but now she'll have to risk not just her livelihood...but her life.
What you can expect from Small Town, Big Magic:
Don't miss the epic conclusion to the Witchlore series, DRAGON FIRES EVERYWHERE, where a witch accidentally frees an imprisoned dragon shifter and ignites a love that can't be extinguished...
Emerson Wilde has built the life of her dreams. Youngest Chamber of Commerce president in St. Cyprian history, successful indie bookstore owner, and lucky enough to have her best friends as found family? Done.
But when Emerson is attacked by creatures that shouldn't be real, and kills them with what can only be called magic, Emerson finds that the past decade of her life has been...a lie. St. Cyprian isn't your average Midwestern river town--it's a haven for witches. When Emerson failed a power test years ago, she was stripped of her magical memories. Turns out, Emerson's friends are all witches.
And so is she.
That's not all, though: evil is lurking in the charming streets of St. Cyprian. Emerson will need to learn to control what's inside of her, remember her magic, and deal with old, complicated feelings for her childhood friend--cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North--to defeat an enemy that hides in the rivers and shadows of everything she loves.
Even before she had magic, Emerson would have done anything for St. Cyprian, but now she'll have to risk not just her livelihood...but her life.
What you can expect from Small Town, Big Magic:
- Witchy Rom-Com
- Found Family
- Friends-to-Lovers
- Opposites Attract
- Chosen One
- Slowburn
Don't miss the epic conclusion to the Witchlore series, DRAGON FIRES EVERYWHERE, where a witch accidentally frees an imprisoned dragon shifter and ignites a love that can't be extinguished...
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
Small Town, Big Magic follows Emerson Wilde as she begins her journey into witch hood alongside her friends to fend off dark magic and the pending apocalypse.
Storytelling
Small Town, Big Magic is really such an engaging read for me. This is a book that the publisher decided to label as romance, except I don’t particularly see this book as a romance. This is more like a witchy cozy read that focuses a lot on the storytelling first and the romance second.
But that’s what made the story really good. Beck decided to focus on building up this story. So we follow Emerson as she discovers not only is she a witch but has always known she was a witch. That was until the coven decided she wasn’t powerful enough to contribute. This led to the coven rewriting her memories and making her forget magic altogether.
She has always been at odds with Mayor Skip ever since childhood. Still, now she discovers he dabbles in dark magic. He’s trying to kill her, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Emerson finds an impending apocalypse that has been affecting the town. And Emerson being Emerson, decides to take on herself. Emerson decides this is something she needs to challenge and fix to prove to everyone that they were wrong but also prove to herself that she has worth.
It’s such an engaging story to follow the magic to see the plot build and rise to the occasion while allowing that slow-burn romance to really take effect and latch onto the characters.
Characterization
Really the characterization is the star of the novel. This is very much a character-driven story. There are times when Emerson is a little insufferable. There are times she comes off as egotistical and narcissistic. We understand that Emerson is a feminist, she understands her family history, and that the Salem Witch Trials was just a power trip for men to subjugate women. However, being a feminist does not mean she cannot ask for help.
Emerson has always been the worker bee of this group. Emerson organizes everything and plans things out to a “T.” She even makes a plan for the plan. Emerson is the woman everyone goes to because of her thoughtfulness and determination. Ultimately this makes Emerson a captivating character.
However, one of her more realistic attributes is that she feels this need to show she does not need help. She’s got it into her head that asking for help even from the opposite gender or her romantic interest makes her weak and less then. That is not the case, and she comes to realize that.
The family unit here, those character dynamics, focus on building each other up. Her friends challenge her and call her out on her nonsense. Together, the love and devotion make this group of friends a family stronger than blood.
And even though Emerson can be a little egotistical and narcissistic, I appreciate that when her friends confront her about her behavior, she takes that. As a result, she improves upon herself, so there really is a lot of character development and character growth in this story, which makes for an overall enjoyable read.
Final Thoughts
Small Town, Big Magic is funny, witty, and romantic from beginning to end. Reading this book feels like you are wrapped in a wool blanket on a cold rainy night.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Small Town, Big Magic captures hearts with a fierce witch and slow-burn romance with the farmer, all while dealing with her hidden magic and impending apocalypse.
Small Town, Big Magic follows Emerson Wilde as she begins her journey into witch hood alongside her friends to fend off dark magic and the pending apocalypse.
Storytelling
Small Town, Big Magic is really such an engaging read for me. This is a book that the publisher decided to label as romance, except I don’t particularly see this book as a romance. This is more like a witchy cozy read that focuses a lot on the storytelling first and the romance second.
But that’s what made the story really good. Beck decided to focus on building up this story. So we follow Emerson as she discovers not only is she a witch but has always known she was a witch. That was until the coven decided she wasn’t powerful enough to contribute. This led to the coven rewriting her memories and making her forget magic altogether.
She has always been at odds with Mayor Skip ever since childhood. Still, now she discovers he dabbles in dark magic. He’s trying to kill her, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Emerson finds an impending apocalypse that has been affecting the town. And Emerson being Emerson, decides to take on herself. Emerson decides this is something she needs to challenge and fix to prove to everyone that they were wrong but also prove to herself that she has worth.
It’s such an engaging story to follow the magic to see the plot build and rise to the occasion while allowing that slow-burn romance to really take effect and latch onto the characters.
Characterization
Really the characterization is the star of the novel. This is very much a character-driven story. There are times when Emerson is a little insufferable. There are times she comes off as egotistical and narcissistic. We understand that Emerson is a feminist, she understands her family history, and that the Salem Witch Trials was just a power trip for men to subjugate women. However, being a feminist does not mean she cannot ask for help.
Emerson has always been the worker bee of this group. Emerson organizes everything and plans things out to a “T.” She even makes a plan for the plan. Emerson is the woman everyone goes to because of her thoughtfulness and determination. Ultimately this makes Emerson a captivating character.
However, one of her more realistic attributes is that she feels this need to show she does not need help. She’s got it into her head that asking for help even from the opposite gender or her romantic interest makes her weak and less then. That is not the case, and she comes to realize that.
The family unit here, those character dynamics, focus on building each other up. Her friends challenge her and call her out on her nonsense. Together, the love and devotion make this group of friends a family stronger than blood.
And even though Emerson can be a little egotistical and narcissistic, I appreciate that when her friends confront her about her behavior, she takes that. As a result, she improves upon herself, so there really is a lot of character development and character growth in this story, which makes for an overall enjoyable read.
Final Thoughts
Small Town, Big Magic is funny, witty, and romantic from beginning to end. Reading this book feels like you are wrapped in a wool blanket on a cold rainy night.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
I would actually rate this a 3.5. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will definitely read the second one. My biggest annoyance was the FMC. It felt like the fact that she was a feminist was POUNDED into my skull. I got it the first 16 times, it didn't need to be reiterated every time she made a decision.
It took me some time to warm up to this book as I’m not typically a fan of first-person writing, but it left me wanting to read the next book in the series so I would say it won me over in the end.
DNF’d so quick. Like a quarter of the way in. As a passionate feminist I love powerful female characters all about girl power but oh my god there is no subtlety here. There is no reason for her internal narrative to be 80% sticker slogans and explanations of how her feelings are feminist and not problematic. Emerson is absolutely one of the worst protagonists I have read in the last few years. I seriously can’t with this book.
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