This is book three of the Mysteries of Mystic Hills series and the main characters is Belinda, whose own mother got her to leave Mystic Hills and then wiped her memory of her then boyfriend Reed and of magic and this hidden magical town. When she returned, with most of her memories still missing, after her mother’s promise to return them turned out to be a lie, Reed wanted nothing to do with her. She had totally broken his heart and his thoughts for the future. He now has a girlfriend Jezelle, but is not in love with her. Belinda has been asked out by the local doctor, Bram, and is supposed to be going out on her first date, but he never shows up. When she calls him eventually, he has no memory of any arrangement and cuts her off quickly. She decides to go out for ice cream to wallow with some of her housemates, Sadie and Dave, while Reed’s father Victor stays home. They end up at Chand’s and start to realise something is a bit off, some of the staff haven’t turned up and couples are acting oddly. Everything was going fine until an hour later when Bram turned up with a beautiful fairy on his arm, his former girlfriend, the first he had fallen for since his wife died. When Dave turns round and asks what Sadie’s name is, knowing she is Belinda’s friend, Sadie and Belinda know something is definitely wrong. Adding to which is when Reed comes and sits at their table as if Belinda is still his girlfriend and kissed her!
When Jezelle phones Reed, wondering where he was and he what he was doing, Reed doesn’t understand what she is talking about. Thankfully Belinda takes his phone and talks to her. Jezelle is dealing with her ex-Manuel, who has turned up professing his love, then married another woman who could give him full fairy kids. It seems whatever is happening is only affecting men in the town, but is widespread. A powerful witch must have done something and they need to figure out who to speak to about it all and see who can help sort it out. Belinda suggests talking to Yelena, but Jezelle tells her the mayor’s wife is probably more influential. It seems all the men have forgotten at least the last week and get a headache if they try to remember anything. Yelena turns around and accuses Belinda of being behind it all, so she could get Reed back! The next day, Penny Castor has turned up with Belinda and blame Belinda again, saying it all seems to have started at her tearoom. As she is busy trying to figure out what is happening, the mayor calls her in to find a powerful object that seems to have disappeared and is needed at the upcoming Summer Solstice FestIval, to protect the town. Without it, humans would be able to find and enter the town something most don’t want. The mayor and his current wife have a huge hold over the town and who can live in it!
She is getting mixed messages about what she should do about Reed and their relationship, with even her closest friend telling her she will be seen as weak if she gives him up again. She was raised to believe in right and wrong, so doesn’t want to take Reed from Jezelle, and knows that once he gets his memories back, he would hate her for dating him when he was with another and after she broke his heart. He had told her he could never be with her again, once she came back, never knowing if she would leave again after the summer, for her teaching job in the mundane world. Thought of the emotionally charged sprite pieces of artwork possibly having carried a huge spell, leaves them chasing around all the locations of businesses who were given one by the mayor’s wife. A death tied to the mayor and his current wife, soon raise questions from Belinda about why no investigation or charges are brought. But when people become too powerful, no one has a chance to challenge them without putting themselves in danger! A wonderful twist at the end as the powerful object is found and something weird happens when Belinda touches it. She has a lot to struggle through personally and with her choices as to whether to stay in this odd town into the future. Another adventure for Belinda and her friends, this one pulling at the heartstrings a bit and bringing her to a powerful ally for the future.
I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.