Nils and Beth are looking forward to another exciting year of buddy reads together, and have decided to kick it off with Isla Jewell’s upcoming cosy fantasy BOOKS & BEWITCHMENT

In this warm-hearted, witchy rom-com a young woman works to create the bookstore of her dreams, only to discover a powerful magic that’s been lying dormant-and a forbidden love she can’t resist. Perfect for readers of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic.

Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, if mundane, life in small-town Alabama with her pet cockatoo, Doris. But when her estranged grandmother dies, leaving everything to her-including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried-she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear never to set foot in. When she plans to turn the defunct video store she’s also inherited into a bookstore, Rhea’s lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help-and more than easy on the eyes. It’s just too bad he’s the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn rival in witchcraft.

Yet as Rhea makes plans for the bookstore of her dreams, she learns that her grandmother made a terrible choice, one that could ruin her own chance at happiness. As she gets ever closer to solving the mystery of what exactly is happening, each clue points to Arcadia Falls’ magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright and harness her newfound powers… before it’s too late.

Books and Bewitchment is due for publication on 3rd February – you can pre-order your copy from Bookshop.org

What are your expectations and what were your first impressions?

Beth: So Books and Bewitchment is the first in a new series by Isla Jewell, which is the pen name for Delilah S. Dawson. I’ve not read anything of hers but I’ve heard brilliant things, so my expectations for Books & Bewitchment are creeping up… initially I wasn’t going into this book expecting much more than a cosy fun read for the post-Christmas slump! Dawson typically writes horror, have you read anything of hers Nils?

Nils: I have not! But like you Beth, I’ve seen how popular Dawson’s horror novels are and looking at all the other titles she’s published over the years she’s quite the prolific author, so perhaps I’ve just never known where to begin. If ever I see a book that centres on witchcraft my interest is immediately piqued and then telling me it’s also about books, well then you have my full attention, so this one was definitely on my radar since it’s announcement from Titan. I didn’t really know what to expect, perhaps something in the vein of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

Beth: I was thinking about this actually – witchcraft as a theme in stories seems to be something I will never get tired of! As for my first impressions, in the past I haven’t been a big fan of this kind of light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek urban tone of narration; I don’t know if I was just in a more receptive frame of my mind this time, or if my tastes in general have evolved through reading more and more cosy fantasy. Regardless, I found myself becoming increasingly invested in the story until I couldn’t put it down and I had to force myself to take a day off so Nils could catch up!

Nils: Ha ha, yes! You did race ahead of me! 

I have read a fair few cosy fantasy books now, but not many that were quite as urban or contemporary in tone as this one. Therefore at first I was a little apprehensive that this book overall wouldn’t work for me as usually I find this type of writing jarring, yet the more I read, the more Rhea, our lead protagonist, won me over. I felt there was also a kind of Practical Magic vibe and the community of Arcadia Falls, where Rhea eventually moves to, had a Gilmore Girls vibe and both of these aspects really drew me in. 

Beth: I haven’t watched Gilmore Girls but I LOVED Practical Magic and its adaptation and yes!! You are so right, the feeling of the community you get from the book is definitely present here too!

What did you think of the main character, Rhea? Any other characters you particularly liked?

Beth: It was easy to sympathise with Rhea at the start as everything seemed to be going wrong for her – it felt quite clear to the reader that these events were more than simply bad luck at work, so when she is notified that her estranged grandmother has passed away and as next of kin Rhea has inherited her property, it’s suspiciously convenient that Rhea no longer has anything tying her to the town she lives in, so what’s stopping her packing everything up and heading to Arcadia Falls?

Nils: When we first meet Rhea it’s made clear that she’s in a job that’s not satisfying but at least it pays, she’s got a boyfriend who she doesn’t really want to be with nor does he treat her respectfully, and we learn that she’s very much struggling in life. Fate intervenes just when she needs it by giving her a reason to start anew and take more control of her own life. As a reader, I could deem that there was something pulling her in a certain direction, something magical, and this instantly made me compelled to follow her character on this journey and see where it all led. 

Beth: It was definitely compelling, yes! I loved Rhea’s resilience as one crazy situation after another is thrown her way (I’m avoiding going into these, because spoilers, but suffice to say it’s a lot). It’s all presented in a cosy fantasy rom-com kind of small-town whimsy, but when you stop and think about each circumstance, honestly, I think it would have had me running for the hills. She wasn’t entirely flawless either though, was she Nils? She was quite stubborn, and maybe a bit too soft with her sisters (although I couldn’t really fault her there). And she loved a pun… you know how I feel about puns!

Nils: Pfft! I love a good pun and Rhea came out with some fantastic ones! 

I do agree though, Rhea wasn’t perfect, she had absolutely no faith in herself, she wasn’t very decisive nor very ambitious and I felt she allowed her sisters to take advantage of her rather than helping them to stand on their own two feet. These are by no means bad traits, in fact it made Rhea relatable and a character I empathised with, but it did keep her stuck in a rut for so long. Yet that was the magic of this book, witnessing Rhea grow and pursue her dreams for the first time in her life was so empowering and simply fun to read about. 

Beth: Absolutely – and she had such a long way to come from too because it wasn’t a case of just learning to pursue her dreams, Rhea had to actually learn what her dreams could be to begin with. She’d never actually given herself the space to even have  a dream!

There were plenty of other characters who I thought were very well presented, the town was full of big characters! I particularly loved Shelby, she seemed so excited to have a new potential friend, and she seemed so kind and generous. It was hard not to appreciate her presence in Rhea’s new life!

Nils: In Arcadia Falls a lot of people have moved away, particularly those of the younger generation and therefore I loved that Dawson gave us a mix of a few young characters but also plenty of senior characters too. Shelby, like Beth mentions, quickly became Rhea’s friend, which was adorable, but we haven’t discussed Hunter Blakely yet, Beth! What did you make of him? 

Beth: He was so sweet, wasn’t he? There was a proper Romeo and Juliet thing going. I laughed when we learned his name though!

Nils: Ok, admittedly I didn’t like his name at all! It sounded quite… roguish?

Beth: It just seemed like the most American Hunk name ever! Like if you distilled every American male love interest from hallmark movies that’s the name he’d get!

Nils: Absolutely true! However on meeting Hunter, you discover that he’s incredibly thoughtful, caring, responsible and an all round nice guy. This is a rom-com so there is some instant attraction happening between Rhea and Hunter but actually their relationship is well played out and slowly built up through lingering looks, puns, banter and then eventually more. 

Beth: He was a fantastic character and a great love interest for Rhea, he sounded too good to be true but rather than feeling it was unrealistic, it just made me root for them more because Rhea deserves so much to be treated well and respected. But honestly the sexiest thing about him?

His house.

I want his house. 

Nils: Omg yes!! I want his house too! 

There are some characters, mostly senior, which we can’t discuss because of spoilers but I can’t not mention Doris, the very sassy Cockatoo! 

This is a story about witches and magic, and each witch has their own specific magical knack… What do you think yours would be?

Beth: I think it would be easy to say books, and I know Nils will probably think that for herself too. Thinking about it though, I’ve always been very good with directions and navigations – I’m pretty good at remembering routes when I’ve only taken them once before and working out where I need to go in unfamiliar places. I think if I had a magical knack, I’d be able to locate lost things, or find things I didn’t know I needed to help me with some problem.

Nils: You’re also really (and scarily) good at finding things out about people, so I think that would be part of your knack too! 

Beth: Ha! I didn’t consider that angle! I just really like a puzzle!

Nils: Aside from books, I love doing crafts, so I think my knack would involve either one of these. Perhaps I could find the perfect book for the perfect person just at the right moment they need it or I could have a knack for making cards that always make people smile. Something that uplifts others (and myself) would definitely be a knack I’d want. 

Beth: I was going to say it would be something creative for you! You’d know just how to spruce something up or make something decorative and give things a new lease of life!

Witches of course also have familiars; cats, birds and dogs all feature in Arcadia Falls but what familiar would you like to have?

Beth: I mean a cat would be an obvious choice, and if I’m able to choose between my Juniper and Lilith (both are black cats, too, so especially apt) out of the pair of them I think I’d prefer to be able to hear Juniper’s thoughts over Lilith’s. Lilith is just… daft… Another choice though would definitely be a raven. My social media keeps showing me reels of people training wild ravens and crows, they’re incredibly intelligent creatures so I think it would be very fun to have one as a familiar.

Nils: Don’t laugh but mine would be a dragon if I could have a mythological familiar, or a wolf!! Wolves are intelligent, cunning, good at sensing danger and finding things, and I’m not, so I feel a wolf being able to warn me of things inside my head would be useful! And the dragon needs no explanation because DRAGONS ARE THE BEST! 

Beth: Oh my god how did I not see you picking a bloody dragon coming, I should have put a caveat in the question!! I’m surprised by wolf though, I didn’t have you down as a dog person for some reason!

Nils: I love dogs! I mean I love animals in general, but dogs are so affectionate so I’ve a soft spot for them. 

Books and Bewitchment is the first in the ‘Arcadia Falls Series;’ where do you hope the series will go next? Do you think we’ll stay with Rhea?

Beth: I think Rhea’s story was wrapped up perfectly, so I’d be quite surprised if the series continued with her. I can imagine Jewell going in a direction similar to T. Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series, where each book follows a different protagonist. Rhea has two sisters so perhaps we’ll end up following them, but I hope we’ll have stories featuring Shelby or Nora – Nora was another character I found very intriguing. Her parents run a toy shop and are the most unpopular people in the town, and have treated Nora poorly over the years, so I wonder if there’s more to that story.

Nils: I think Beth is right, I think we’ll have the point of view of either one of Rhea’s sisters next. We’ve only met them briefly in this book, so I’d assume Dawson may want to flesh them out more. However, I wouldn’t mind a story featuring Edie, Hunter’s sister. She’s bookish too, so I think her narrative could hold similar qualities to Books and Bewitchment whilst also fleshing out the Blakely’s family.

Beth: Oh of course! Edie! See, there’s so much scope here! There are so many characters I’d love to see more of!

Nils: How would you feel about a timeline change Beth? Do you think maybe a prequel would work? I’d be quite interested in reading about Rhea’s mother as a teenager, struggling with her mother, Maggie, and not wanting to use her magical powers. 

Beth: When you said timeline change I thought you meant a jump into the future and I hate it when series do that, at least when they jump a number of years. A prequel though? That would be amazing! It would be great to follow Maggie and Tina and their friendship, and you’d have the added nostalgia of it being set in the nineties too! 

Overall thoughts

Beth: Books and Bewitchment surprised me in the best way, seemingly gentle and unassuming but capturing my heart in its warmth and sense of community. It certainly bewitched me, and sparked my imagination in the best way. Rhea is a truly relatable protagonist, a bookish main character is always going  to spark a connection; I feel like she’s waiting there in Arcadia Falls, ready to be your new best friend. I wish I could visit her shop, go to her book club. Books and Bewitchment is one of those stories you find yourself wishing was real. I’m going to be eagerly awaiting the next instalment, so I can return to this magical town and its wonderful characters!

Nils: Beth has put it perfectly because this book also surprised me in the best way. Books and Bewitchment is not just a cosy, witchy romance, it’s about starting anew, daring to dream and building a community. I loved it for all these reasons and so much more. I began by being entertained by a showtune singing cockatoo but it wasn’t long until I was enchanted by the Gilmore Girls vibe of Arcadia Falls, invested by a main character who was fun and charming, and a romance that was warming. This is a book you devour when you need comfort, when you need the embrace of a book and when you need to be whisked away to a place of magic and healing. 

Books and Bewitchment is due for publication on 3rd February – you can pre-order your copy from Bookshop.org