October had its ups and downs from reading-wise. I was really in the mood for a cozy, autumnal witch book, and I kept starting books and not finding what I was looking for. I reread a couple of favorites and enjoyed some new books too:
Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist by Ali K Mulford and K Elle Morrison (F/F paranormal romance): When witch Jordyn gets drunk and conjures up the ghost of her ex to say goodbye, she gets more than she bargains for because Lou, the very snarky ghost, refuses to move on until Jordyn does. Lou pushes Jordyn to ask out Harlow, the human who just moved to the magical town to work in her sister's cafe. What follows is an adorable romance with Lou causing as many problems as she tries to solve as Jordyn and Harlow get closer. There's also a bit of a mystery about how Lou died. Seriously cute witchy fall romance and just what I was looking for.
Troth by EH Lupton (M/M historical fantasy romance): I was so excited for this third book in the Wisconsin Gothic series to come out, and it did not disappoint in how it continues Ulysses and Sam's story. I don't want to say too much because of spoilers—definitely start with the first book in this series, Dionysus in Wisconsin, or you won't understand what's going on. Highly recommended unique historical fantasy set in 1969/1970 Wisconsin involving magic, gods, and cults with a romance between an archivist and grad student.
A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney (M/F paranormal romance): I'm not going to lie, the first thing that drew me to this book was the gorgeous cover, but, despite a slightly slow start, I ended up loving the book just as much. Kate, whose real name is Hecate, lives a solitary existence as a hedge witch on the edges of her coven and her family. Then her older sister gets in touch, telling Kate to make all the preparations for the coven's Halloween celebrations. At the same time, Matthew, a practitioner of magic forbidden by Kate's coven and someone who lied to Kate in the past, arrives on her doorstep, and Kate finds a book protected by blood magic and inscribed in her mother's handwriting. As she and Matthew grow closer, Kate begins to discover a web of things that have been kept from her about her family, coven, and her own magic. Lots of cozy autumnal witchy vibes here. Perfect for October and just lovely.
Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas (YA trans M/cis M fantasy romance): Celestial Monsters is the concluding book in the Sunbearer Duology and should be read after the first as it picks up the story right after the catastrophe at the end of The Sunbearer Trials with Teo, Aurelio, and Niya preparing to journey out into the wilderness to save the world. The book is a fitting conclusion to the series, in plot, character development, and romance. The world, based on Mexican mythology, is as interesting as it was in the first, and the cast of characters is extremely inclusive.
The Wedding Witch by Erin Sterling (M/F paranormal romance): The Wedding Witch is the third book in this witchy romance series. Each of the three books centered on one of three brothers, this one on the reclusive middle brother Bowen. In it, Bowen and Tamsyn, the procurer of magical artifacts he's been working with and falling for, are thrown back in time because of a powerful spell and end up pretending to be a couple while figuring out how to get home and set things right. It was a lot of fun, and might be my favorite of the series, even though it's set at Yule and doesn't have the autumnal vibes of The Ex Hex and The Kiss Curse.
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