Review of Payback's a Witch
Blurb: Emmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn't been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.
But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.
On her first night home, Emmy runs into Talia Avramov—an all-around badass adept in the darker magical arts—who is fresh off a bad breakup . . . with Gareth Blackmoore. Talia had let herself be charmed, only to discover that Gareth was also seeing Linden—unbeknownst to either of them. And now she and Linden want revenge. Only one question stands: Is Emmy in?
But most concerning of all: Why can't she stop thinking about the terrifyingly competent, devastatingly gorgeous, wickedly charming Talia Avramov?
Review: Emmy Harlow has left her witchy past behind and has a successful future in Chicago. Yet when she returns to Thistle Grove after nine years of self-exile, she finds she misses her family, friends, and picturesque hometown. The reason she never came back is because her ex, Gareth Blackmoore, dumped her since she isn't from a powerful witching family. Emmy has never gotten over feeling less than everyone else in town. It's her duty as the Harlow scion to arbitrate the traditional spellcasting tournament, and she allies herself with her best friend, Linden Thorn, and her new love interest, Talia Avramov, to help make sure the Blackmoores don't keep winning like they always somehow manage to do. Yet in a town full of raw magic, things don't always go as expected.
This is the first book in the NA paranormal romance series, The Witches of Thistle Grove. It's a random book I picked up from the library because I was in the mood for something light and fun, which it did deliver on. For those of you who like modern witchy stories and magic challenges, this is right up your alley.
I love the setting of the magical little town in the Midwest (two hours southwest of Chicago) and all the mystery surrounding it. It's beautiful and cozy, and I easily fell in love with it. A few centuries ago, witches were drawn to Thistle Grove because of the raw magic, and four powerful families created the town. The Harlows are the neutral bookish witches. The Blackmoores are power hungry and snooty. The Avramovs are like the Addams family of this series and into necromantic magic. The Thorns are into healing and green magic.
Emmy is smart and sassy, but there's a hurt in her which never healed from so many years ago. She grew up as a Harlow in a town where Harlows are the weakest witches and she was made to feel like she was never enough, especially by her ex-boyfriend, Gareth. That wound has affected her through life. I loved Emmy's little group of friends, and the tension between her and Talia was sizzling. I especially enjoyed Talia because she reminded me of an extroverted wolfish Wednesday Addams. There is one tiny spicy scene, but most of the story is focused on the tournament and everything revolving around it.
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