Witchy Coffee

     

Witchy Coffee
By  Erin Ritch

ISBN: 9798452026150
222 Pages
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: Death of a loved one

Synopsis:

Practical Magic meets You’ve Got Mail!

"Witchy Coffee is the perfect blend of bold women and magic vibes creating a page turner of curiosity, love and holiday fun."

A fanciful coffee shop run by magical women. A barista that’s still trying to figure herself out. And a small town named Windia where the residents drink coffee and get into everyone’s business.

When a stranger shows up in town and puts her family’s coffee shop in jeopardy, Florence Mackenzie has to step in and do something to protect them, whether that’s an Espresso Off challenge, sabotage, or a good old fashioned banishment spell. But after the Mackenize women try to create a buzz by experimenting with a new blend of coffee beans, the residents of Windia suddenly start falling in love with each other. Florence chalks it up to the spirit of the holiday season, but when she starts falling in love (with the competition, no less) Florence starts to wonder if there’s something more bewitching in the air - or in the coffee?

A clean witchy romance set on the enchanting Oregon coastline, Witchy Coffee is filled to the brim with magical hijinks, an authentic enemies-to-lovers romance, and the cozy atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest during the holidays. Settle in with a coffee and slip away to the little town of Windia, where the forest meets the sea and there’s a promise of magic in every corner.

My Thoughts:

Witchy Coffee opens in true Hallmark Christmas movie fashion, with Florence leaving the big city of Portland to head back to her small hometown of Windia to help out family for the holidays. She doesn't have a job to return to and is at a crossroads in her life, wondering what to do next. Back home she meets Richard, a lawyer representing a coffee shop chain that is attempting to buy her family's business. Florence's grandmother and sister-in-law see Richard as the opposition, and constantly attempt to drive him away, but Florence slowly starts to become friendly with him. 

This formula is well known and tried and true - girl comes to town to stop mogul from destroying her family's quiet hometown life and falls in love along the way. There are dozens of cliché Christmas movies that use the pattern. But it derails from that standard scenario pretty quickly and you learn that there is a lot more going on than what is seen at face value. Soon enough, Florence finds herself teamed up with Richard, working to stop an even bigger enemy. Magic gets involved. And things get cray. 

There are also family secrets that interfere with her mission - some things that Florence has gone out of her way to forget, and others that she never knew to start with. Amidst the chaos and laughs are moments that are heartbreaking and tragic. She soon discovers that keeping hold of the family business may be much more difficult than expected. But with the not always conventional support of her family and community she may just pull through.

Speaking of that support, the characters in Witchy Coffee are likeable and you want to empathize with them. Florence's grandmother in particular had a kind of energy that I could really appreciate. Not only were the characters well written, but so was the book as a whole, with detailed scenery that made you see the beauty of the Oregon coast. I was not previously familiar with this author, but after reading this book, I would happily read more.  

Overall, Witchy Coffee is a unique take on the magic/romance genre, and a fun read. There is a plenty of depth and drama, plus a good amount of humor.

Witchy Coffee was released on August 24, 2021 and is available at Amazon. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Parent's Guide:

This book is pretty easy to read and the story is for the most part fun. It has a few moments that could be seen as depressing, where it delves into the main character's loss of a parent and a sibling. But there are a good deal of laughs as well. There is nothing that I would consider too risqué for adolescents. This book is definitely teen  friendly in complexity and entertainment value.