ARC Review : Witch Please by Ann Aguirre


Witch Please by Ann Aguirre
Genre : Paranormal Romance
Publisher : Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date : September 7th 2021
 
Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls in this adorable witchy rom-com with:

• A bisexual virgin baker with a curse
• A witch looking to avoid romantic entanglements
• And a chemistry between them that causes literal sparks

Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch—daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family “feedback,” Danica made a pact with her cousin: they’ll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving any of the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs. Danica is more than a little exhausted navigating a long-standing family feud where Gram thinks the only good mundane is a dead one and Danica’s mother weaves floral crowns for anyone who crosses her path.

Three blocks down from the Fix-It Witches, Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy’s bakery, has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all he’s got left is his sister, the bakery, and a lifetime of terrible luck in love. Sure, business is sweet, but he can’t seem to shake the romantic curse that’s left him past thirty and still a virgin. He’s decided he’s doomed to be forever alone.

Until he meets Danica Waterhouse. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, she’s the one. To her, he’s a firebomb thrown in the middle of a family war. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever? 

 

Ah! This was such a cute and steamy read! I had totally requested this on Netgalley just for that cover alone! It was so pretty and cute, and additionally, I've read and loved Ann Aguirre's other UF and Sci-fi books(especially Strange Love) so I was excited to see her take on a paranormal rom-com!

Danica comes from a family of witches and she runs a magical tech repair shop along with her cousin - Clem. They're both witches who do tech magic, but in her family, her grandma is the only one who practices magic while her mother married a mundane. So, she has always felt the pressure from her Gran to marry a man who practices magic, instead of a normal human being from whom she'd have to hide her magic. She and her cousin have also been warned by their Gran that if they marry a mundane, they might lose their magic, so they're stuck between two worlds.

And then we have Titus, who is an adorable, bisexual baker who has never had much luck with love(Is it a curse? You never know lol!). He runs a bakery in town along with his sister after the loss of their mom and their dad has remarried and started his own family, which leaves them feeling hurt and lost. When he comes into Danica's shop to get his oven fixed, sparks fly - literally! It's attraction at first sight for these two! But, what will a witch who's torn between her grandma and her promise to her cousin, and a baker who's cursed in love do when they find themselves falling for each other? 

Danica and Titus were so cute together! I loved their hilarious interactions and the witty quips that they threw at each other! They've both been hurt by previous romantic relationships, but they're willing to take a chance on each other. The development of their relationship was adorable and the sexual tension was amazing. Also, Titus is a virgin! Gah, this guy was so sweet and perfect, and I was falling for him right alongside Danica!

But they do have to face a few challenges before they can get together - mainly Danica's grandma. Danica's cousin, Clem also has a problem with him initially because of their pact, but she does manage to get over it when a witch hunter ends up coming into town. So, Danica not only has to face threats from her grandma when she doesn't follow her wishes, she also needs to safeguard herself and her witch friends from the hunter.

Danica's group of friends and witches were also amazing and very supportive of her! I also loved Titus' sister as she was hilarious and sweet. On the other hand, I really didn't like Danica's grandmother, especially after she started threatening her with Titus's safety. I was waiting for Danica to go against her Gran and I was pretty surprised when some secrets are revealed towards the end.
It was a little hard to believe that they didn't think about talking to her mom before this and they completely believed whatever their Gran had told them.

As much as I loved the story and the relationship between the main characters, I was a little dissatisfied with the ending. It felt a little incomplete to me as there wasn't much of a confrontation with the Gran and there is still the witch hunter left in town(who will have a romance with Clem, I suppose?). I also didn't like the fact that though Danica and Titus came together after resolving their issues, she never reveals to him that she's a witch. So, he's essentially in the dark like her dad? I was hoping for Titus to have some magical powers too, as that would have made the story a bit more interesting!
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to reading Clem's story in the next book! Let's hope that these loose threads at the end would have been tied up by then!

*I was provided with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after


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