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I love a good witchy romance novel, and this one was absolutely amazing.
Riley and Mila stole my heart from the very beginning, and I was rooting for them from start to finish.
Now, if you know me, you know I love a good police romance—even though I know it’s a bit controversial at the moment.
But Riley pulled it off, and I literally had to pace myself while reading. Plus, we get two bonus chapters—one that’s very steamy and one with closed-door romance.
This book follows Riley, who is the Chief Inquisitor at the Department of Magical Justice—a magic-aligned agency that deals with crimes committed by witches.
The story takes place in this book’s version of Salem, where witches and humans coexist.
The catch? Humans cannot know that witches exist. So, witches cloak themselves, and over time, there have been some who have tried to break that secrecy. That’s where the Department of Magical Justice comes in. They’re essentially the prosecutors who handle witches who go rogue.
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Riley, as the Chief Inquisitor, is at his mother’s house one day when he gets called in for an attempted murder case.
That’s when he meets Mila, a single witch who was just experimenting with some magic-infused baked goods but somehow gets tangled up in the whole crime.
I don’t want to give too many details because you need to experience it for yourself, but just know that Mila is the prime suspect for a while before she’s cleared.
Eventually, she and Riley have to work together to find the real killer and over the course of three or four days, they fall in love.
It’s not often that I read a book and genuinely wish I could see it on screen (because, let’s be real, I don’t watch a lot of movies). But this is one I can absolutely imagine as a movie.
Everything just works—the main characters, the side characters, the familiars, the setting—everything is amazing.
Also, I haven’t read a cozy mystery in a long time, so this was the perfect reintroduction to the genre. I even bumped a few more cozy mysteries up my reading list and plan to read them in the next few days.
This was also my first witchy romance from this particular author, and let me tell you, it was amazing from start to finish. I already know I want to check out more of her books.
The balance of dialogue and exposition was so well done that I felt like I was there in Salem with Riley and Mila, following them as they ran from place to place. And honestly? That’s all I ask for when I read a book.
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Another thing that absolutely made this a five-star romance for me was the chemistry between Riley and Mila. You guys, I am literally holding myself back from dropping spoilers, but these two connected from the very beginning.
Every single chapter built their romance so beautifully. I loved the way they communicated, the way they got each other, and while the book is on the shorter side, you really see their romance bloom naturally—slowly but surely.
I should also mention—this is a Christmas cozy mystery. So, if you’re looking for something sweet, light, interesting, and packed with amazing characters to add to your holiday reading list, this is it.
It also has a lot of fade-to-black romance scenes, and I promise, none of them are awkward. We get plenty of swoon-worthy romantic moments, cuteness overload, and lots of implied tension. There’s even some fun sexual innuendos sprinkled throughout, and I ate it up.
So, if it’s not obvious already, I loved this book. I can absolutely see myself coming back to it in a couple of years because it’s just that good.
This is a new-to-me author, but I’ll definitely be checking out more of her books.
And if you want even more amazing witchy romance novels, I’ve written a whole post listing my favorites, so be sure to check that out.
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