Series: A Cupcake Coven Romance #2 (Standalone)
Publication Date: 25th July 2023
Genre: Contemporary Witchy Romance
3.3 Stars
One Liner: Okayish; got its moments
Bailey Tomlin’s life feels worse than a rollercoaster ride. She has to deal with her wedding preparations, her fiancé and his rich family, her adopted mother, the entry of her birth mother, a handsome stranger from 1930, and her newly active witchy magic. Thrown in a talking parrot to up the stakes.
Phew! Bailey’s birth mother, Esme, is a witch and tells her that she, too, has powerful magic in her blood. Bailey knows she has to keep it a secret from her in-laws. However, that’s not the only thing she has to hide. Seton Atterbury from 1930 has entered the present time, no thanks to one of Esme’s time travels. Bailey wants to help him find a way back, but things get complicated too soon. Where will this lead to – disaster or HEA?
The story comes from Bailey’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
After enjoying the first book in the series, I was excited to find book #2, though I couldn’t exactly determine who the characters are. Luckily, Gwen and Griz make an entry pretty soon, and then I remembered that Esme is their scary aunt. Bailey is Esme’s daughter with Odin, the one she had to give up for adoption.
Also, this book works well as a standalone. Reading book one is not necessary as there’s enough info to understand the relationships between the recurring characters. Bailey’s story is quite independent and has no mention in the previous book (as far as I know).
The premise promises fun, with a good dose of drama and magic (romance, too, of course). While the book is entertaining in bits and pieces, it doesn’t live up to its potential on the whole. The issue is with the character development, especially of our lead pair. Bailey just couldn’t make me feel for her.
Django, Bailey’s parrot, is fun. His sassy comments and antics are good to read. The magic elements are also well-done and align with the theme. This magic is far from perfect. It’s messy and chaotic as the characters (except Esme) haven’t had magic for a long time. Gwen and the others are better now but not great.
Wes, Madeline, Olivia, et al. are pretty much one-dimensional. There isn’t much to connect with them or even know them. I did feel a little bad for Wes, but with Mad in the picture, it’s hard to empathize with him fully. Healthy boundaries are essential in every relationship.
Since the story comes from Bailey’s perspective, there isn’t enough to see others as anything more than cardboard cutouts. Furthermore, we pretty much know what will happen at the end. It’s evident from the premise (if you are a reader of this genre). Of course, I’d have liked it if Bailey did the right thing instead of justifying certain things.
Unfortunately, the romance doesn’t click. With so many threads, there isn’t time for any organic growth. The whole thing feels rushed and chaotic (just like the rest of the book). As much as enjoy light reads, I do like some depth to do justice to the plot. Give them more time with each other, at least!
Despite not finding it great, I still enjoyed the book and liked refreshing my memory about the core subplot. Looking forward to seeing where it goes next and how the family can clear their name. Tannith gets her due yet again, though she’ll be back, intent on vengeance.
To summarize, The Witch Hitch is a lighthearted witchy romcom with some interesting moments. It deals with a few themes like family, relationships, love, etc., but doesn’t have enough to provide a much-rounded story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheWitchHitch
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