Spookily Yours

Witches of Pleasant Grove #1

by Jennifer Chipman

My cat is a demon.
No, that's not a joke. An actual, real life demon. And he needs my help to break a curse.
But what happens when that turns into more?
It can never be forever, and yet... I'm falling in love with him anyway.

Spookily Yours is a spicy, open-door Halloween themed novel, featuring a witch and the demon who falls in love with her. This book is a complete standalone with a HEA guaranteed.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Halloween, Paranormal, Witches, Paranormal Romance, Romantasy

244 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2023

Reviews

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

✩ 4 stars ✩

“What do you think?” She looked up at me, and I nodded. “Perfect.” But I wasn’t talking about the pumpkins.

What to Expect:
➼ Demon x Witch
➼ Fated Mates
➼ Forced Proximty
➼ Magic & Curses
➼ Small Town
➼ He’s Stuck in Cat Form
➼ Sisterhood
➼ Demon Prince
➼ Touch Her & Die
➼ HEA
➼ Dual POV

Was it cheesy? Yep. Did it have typos and abrupt chapter transitions? Absolutely. Did I love every second of it? You betcha. Okay well… almost every second of it. The public sex/claiming in the Ballroom was pretty cringe and completely avoidable since they came directly from a bedroom. Why not just bite her there? Other than that, it was very fluffy, but I had a great time!

I loved that this was written in Dual POV and that we got to hear how obsessed he was with her from the jump. He was very protective of her in a way that felt sweet rather than cavemanish. 👌🏻 I also loved how excited he was to experience all the things that she loved with her. Swoon 🫶🏻. He kept some things from her but when the truth came out, they both communicated and handled it maturely! What?! That never happens! 👏🏻👏🏻

I was leaning towards 5 stars in the first half, but the last 20% just didn’t quite deliver a 5 star worthy performance. I’m on the fence about reading the second book. That relationship was very rushed and I just don’t see that book being a winner. Never say never though. 🤷🏼‍♀️

*Heads up that if you don’t like a lot of mate talk, i.e. my mate, you’re mine, my little witch, etc. then this is maybe not the book for you. I personally love it but I know a lot of people aren’t fans.

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼

Pre-read: Finally started this a few days ago! I meant to read it in October but Rewitched took me FOREVER to finish and then I had a long stretch of migraines and sinus headaches during the first half of this month. 😓 I’m about 30% in now and I feel pretty confident I’m going to love it! Not claiming that this is award winning writing, but the MC’s are just so stinkin cute and the cozy vibes are vibing. Aiming to finish before the end of the month!

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spookily Yours is an adorable witch x cat demon romcom, with a very simple and lighthearted plot; however, the story was a little too sweet for my tastes... Like I get instalove and instalust and can even find it endearing in some cases, but, combined with the juvenile writing style I could not get on board with the story and romance. The characters acted like they were in highschool and because of that, the smut was not smutting, and I found most of the book to be very cringey. I think if you can overlook the writing then this would be a very fun and sweet halloween read; but this is just not for me. AT ALL.

[Jan Agaton · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the cringiest books i have EVER read. writing is awful from atmosphere to characters to sex scenes especially.

why is your dick tip "weeping & begging for release" or whatever. why don't you say "i" before your dirty sentences. why does being "basically pressed up against her womb" make you harder. why did you call it a "back hole."

i have SO many questions & this book almost single-handedly ruined the halloween spirit for me.

[Alyssa Nieves · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a cute and easy read! Perfect for spooky season! 🎃🖤

[Ksenija Ilic · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing spooky about this book is the fact that it got published

[Lorena ♡ (semi-ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, after giving it a re-read, turns out this one's not a 5 star, it was just the euphoria of the moment 😔 but i still recommend it 🫡 (i'm rating it 4 starts duh, of course i recommend it). it might take you a little bit to get into because the writing still needs some work but once you do it's super cute and just what i stated in my original review. very sweet and cozy if you're looking for something like that this spooky season 🎃

---
original review:

No coherent thoughts, just rambling, so some notes:

- Damien as a cat was insanely adorable.
- He's so cute. She's so cute. They're so cute.
- He kisses her knuckles when he holds her hand!!!
- Willow teaching him the Halloween-related stuff she does during october and Damien tagging along and trying everything she's interested in... my loves.
- He's so down terribly for her, I love it.
- They're so hot together too omg.
- The "look how well you're taking me" line will always have me blushing and kicking my feet.
- A face-sitting scene from his POV... that's all I've ever wanted.
- "My little witch" *swoons*
- She thinks he's adorable because of how much he wants to protect her and never fails to mention it.

My favorite book of the month, for sure, and a new comfort read. I tried another book by this author earlier in the year and although the premise was cute the writing needed some work, but time has paid off because the writing in this one was so much better and I flew through it!!

series ratings:

1. Spookily yours → 4 stars
2. Wickedly yours → dnf

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed something light, and this felt right.
I love it when a book delivers on the vibes.
The mmc was all in with our fmc.
"It didn't feel like much of a life until I met you"
Cute, cute & cute.

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been so cute if the writing flowed :/ It felt very immature despite the spice level. While I appreciated the low stakes, I do prefer a bit more… I don’t know, direction? behind a story.

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars.

The vibes of this book reminded me of Fernanda Dias's Witch Bunny animation. 🥰

A Halloween book being read in spring? Sounds like exactly something I would do. Oh wait, it's already me who's reading it. 😅

[Fernwehwelten · Rating 1 out of 5]

„Und wieso und von wem wurde Damien überhaupt erst [in eine Katze] verwandelt?“ Das ist die Frage, auf die der Klappentext endet. Joa. Voller Bitterkeit kann ich sagen: Die Frage stelle ich mir ebenfalls. Auch noch nach Beenden des Buchs. Weils nie erklärt wurde. Wie so vieles andere. Hier ein paar Notizen:

Die Sache mit den Charakteren

“Meine kleine Hexe”
vs.
“Aber ich bin überhaupt nichts besonderes. Und du bist… du.”

1. Willow, die Hexe: Naive, eindimensionale Protagonistin. Hauptmerkmal: Sie steht auf ihn und liebt alles mit Kürbis, weil irgendwie muss es ja noch Herbstbuch sein.
2. Damien, der Dämon: Übergriffig, impulsiv, ohne jede Tiefe, reaktiv statt reflektiert. Kurzum: Manchild.
3. Nebenfiguren: Flach & blass - nur dafür da, um schnell wieder fallengelassen zu werden & als Basis für den Folgeband zu dienen.
Folge: Ich war emotional null invested. Kein Mitgefühl, kein Interesse, kein Verständnis, kein Kribbeln. Nur Genervtheit.


Die Sache mit dem Plot und Worldbuilding

Aber es gab einen Grund, weshalb ich noch nie einen Dämon gesehen hatte. Uns wurde beigebracht, dass sie böse waren. Dass man sich vor ihnen fürchten musste.

1. Fehlende Erklärungen: Dämonen & Hexen = Feinde. Hölle ≠ Dämonenreich. Warum auch immer. Braucht wohl keine Erklärung, wenn’s nur oft genug wiederholt wird.
2. Logiklücken: Inkonsistente Beschreibungen & Handlungen zur bucheigenen Lore, ständiges Brechen mit allen Regeln.
3. Kein Kontext: Eine tote Frau im Blutbad. Ein Fluch der aufgelöst werden muss. Wo beides herkommt? Egal!
Folge: Spannung, Tiefe und Tragweite fehlten mir. Statt glaubhaftem Worldbuilding fühlte es sich für mich wie eine fadenscheinige, lieblose und lückenhafte Kulisse an.


Die Sache mit der "Romance"

“Sollte ich mir Sorgen machen, wo du in diesem Outfit hingehst?” […] “In die Bar. Luna will ausgehen.” […] “Ich komme mit”, sagte er auf eine Art, die keinen Widerspruch duldete.

1. Romance-Mechanik = Instant-Love: Kennenlernen → Fluch lösen → Tonnen an Spice (was ja scheinbar gleichbedeutend mit Gefühlen, genauer gesagt Liebe, ist).
2. Fehlende Auseinandersetzung: Keine Konfliktgespräche, keine Basis für Anziehung - außer Oberflächlichkeiten.
3. Stereotype & Red Flags: Doll stereotypisierte Rollenverteilung - Er ist stark, sie ist “putzig”. Eifersucht und fehlende Selbstkontrolle als Liebesbeweis.
Folge: Gefühlt ein stumpfes Abhaken oberflächlicher Klischees, die mich nur die Augen haben verdrehen lassen.


Die Sache mit dem Spice

“Ich möchte nichts zwischen uns. Nicht beim ersten Mal.”

1. Quantität > Qualität: 256 Seiten Buch - und darin ein unheimlich großer Spice-Anteil. Kein Wunder, dass für World- und Characterbuilding keine Zeit blieb.
2. Darstellung: Repetitiv & plump, gar langweilig. Liest sich eher wie 2010er Wattpad-Fanfiction.
3. Grenzpunkt: Manche Szenen waren für mich regelrecht unangenehm zu lesen, da ich sie durchaus problematisch wahrgenommen habe.
Folge: Riesige Enttäuschung, da das “Cosy Herbstbuch” eher ein Softporno war - und nicht mal ein guter, lol


Die Sache mit dem Schreibstil

1. Wiederholungen: Satzbau & Worte sind unfassbar repetitiv, was mich in meinem Lesefluss gestört hat.
2. Grundlegendes: Alles bleibt sehr simpel und blass. Details wechseln ohne Erklärung (z. B. Augenfarben). Es kommt keine Atmosphäre auf.
3. Gesamtwirkung: Der Stil wirkt auf mich nicht leicht, sondern regelrecht kindisch/unausgereift. Sehr schade.
Folge: Auf 250 Seiten fehlte mir jedes Anzeichen von Substanz. Sowohl stilistisch als auch erzählerisch.


FAZIT

SPOOKILY YOURS hat nur 256 Seiten - daher hab ich von vornherein jetzt keine hochkomplexe oder allzu tiefgreifende Story erwartet. Aber auch auf 256 Seiten kann man eine Geschichte schaffen, die immerhin in sich funktioniert, geschlossen und logisch ist. Oder zumindest eine, die einen Fokuspunkt abseits von Klischees hat - und abseits von Sperma, welche hier irgendwie sehr viele Thema war, lol. Sperma, das irgendwo herunterläuft. Sperma, das irgendwohin zurückgeschoben wird. Sperma, das dies und das und jenes. Hauptsache… Sperma.

Ihr merkt, ich werde salty. Und das möchte ich gar nicht sein, denn nur weil das Buch nichts für mich war, heißt das nicht, dass es nicht für jemand anderen genau richtig sein kann. Geschmäcker sind verschieden und möchte niemandem ein blödes Gefühl geben. Ich war auch einfach zusätzlich, dass mir das Buch an sich nicht gefallen hat, auch einfach herbe enttäuscht. Ich hatte ein bisschen Cosyness erwartet, ein bisschen Knistern, viel Herbst-Atmosphäre & Magie. Aber stattdessen gabs vor allem eins: Spice und Logiklücken. 🥲

Schade Schokolade, aber für mich hat’s nicht sollen sein. Ich hoffe trotzdem sehr, dass das Buch vielleicht manchen von euch besser gefällt 💗

[Lia Tinoco · Rating 5 out of 5]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN BESTIES. go read this now!!

i will not rest until every single one of you has read this.

[Jaden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less than 300 pages but felt like 600

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just so cute and made me want fall SO BADLY. The heroine is a witch and ends up adopting a cat that ends up being a demons he has to help get un-cursed. They fall in love as they do cute fall things together. The side characters were also so cute and I'm so ready for the next book in this series! I definitely recommend checking this one out!!

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

“on the bottom, damien. you were good i’m waiting for you to be great.”

does damien being in cat form all the time make willow a furry lover? let’s investigate.

[tania (semi-hiatus til december) · Rating 3 out of 5]

｡ ﾟ ꒰ঌ 3 stars ໒꒱ ༘*.ﾟ
this was such a cute, sweet (and also a bit spicy) novella, perfect if you're looking for a Halloween themed book. I actually liked it, gave me a moment of break from school, assignments, stress.
Not giving a higher rating cause it felt a bit repetitive, like we were out of things to say and also there were a few scenes that were...meh😮‍💨


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

my late halloween themed book🎃🍂 after all that philosophical talk, I feel a light fluffy book is very much needed!!

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

YALL, WHAT THE HECK!!!! THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST THING I EVER READ. This is just the second book I’ve read by Jennifer Chipman, and she kills it both times!!!! Like spooky, Halloween vibes? Yes. Amazing spice and dirty talk? Yes. An amazing love story? Yes. A perfect opening to another book? Yes. An absolute beautiful ending that made me cry? Yes. I thought this was going to be just a cute spooky vibey book, but I am SO FREAKING HAPPY it was more than that. And it was SUCH A COZY READ!! Damien was perfection. His cat form was perfection. Think Sabrina the Teenage Witch but with a better spicy twist. The fact that he saw her and was like, mine, i was like yessss!!!!! I loved Damien and Willow. I cannot wait for the next book. And this book just reminded me to read the rest of Jennifer Chipmans books. 🥰

Willow, a local witch, was feeling lonely without her familiar and on an impulsive instinct went to the local shelter. She didn’t expect to find a new cat, but lo and behold, she comes across a black cat named “Demon” and just knew she needed to take him home. But what she didn’t know is that she signed up for a lot more than a new pet, and that choice ultimately changed the trajectory of her life.


Favorite quotes/scenes:

“There was nothing quite as magical as getting lost in the pages of a good book. I’d always loved that feeling—looking up, and realizing I’d just spent the last three straight hours reading without a break.” - Preach🙌

“Oh my gods. “A cursed talking cat? What is this, Sabrina the Teenage Witch?”

“I found I didn’t like that, either. I wanted to stay by her side. Protect her. Even if I weighed ten pounds, I still had sharp claws. And pointy teeth. If anyone threatened her…”

“I’ve got you. Nothing will happen to you as long as I’m here, Willow. I vow it.”

“That was easier than I thought.”
“What?”
“To have you begging me.”
You’d like that, would you? Me on my knees for you.
“All you have to do is ask, witch.”
“Mm. You’d like that, would you, demon?”
“Be careful what you ask for.”

“I loved her smile. It made me wonder what lengths I would go to earn it, over and over again.”

“It didn’t feel like much of a life until I met you.” (Damien😭😭)

“Want you to come for me, Willow. Let me feel it on my tongue.”
“Oh, Gods.”
“No Gods here. Just your Demon.”
“My demon. I didn’t care what anyone thought—he was. Mine.

“He was perfect. How could he be anything but? He’d come into my life in the most unexpected of ways, but he fit so perfectly. Fit with me so perfectly.”

“Willow was mine. Her intoxicating coffee and vanilla scent had crept into my veins, and I couldn’t get her out. Didn’t want to get her out. I wanted to feast on her taste for the rest of my life. One human lifetime wasn’t enough. I needed more.”

“There was a rightness when we were together, a peace I felt anytime I was in his arms. Soulmates. It clicked in place. And I knew it was true. That this was real. That I couldn’t deny it anymore.”

“I’ve been in awe of you every single day since I first saw you. Your kindness, generosity… The way everyone loves you, because how could they not? You deserve better than me. But I want you, anyway. When I picture you with someone else, I want to tear them limb from limb. The thought of someone else touching you… No.”

“I know you have responsibilities and things, and that’s your home, but…”
“You’re my home now. My mate.”

“I stayed for you, little witch. Because I couldn’t bear to be apart from you. Because you’re mine. I’ve never had somebody of my own. Somebody to… Love.”

“I fell in love with you because you’re clever, and kind, and you never give up on people. Especially not on me. And I’ve never had anything that was mine before. Really, truly mine. Never had somewhere that felt like home before you. But fuck, Willow. I’d give up anything for you. Do anything for you. Burn down hell just for a chance—just for a moment with you.”

“You were something I never expected, never hoped for, but… I’d never trade you for the world, Willow. My mate. My beautiful mate.”
“Damien… I love you. So much.”

“I didn’t know what would happen next, what was coming for us in the future, but at least we’d be together. Where we belonged.” (Willow)

“I want that. A family, with you.
“You do?”
“Yes. Fuck yes, Willow. I want to do it all with you. Every little thing I’ve never experienced—I want to try it all with you. I want to see your world. To take you everywhere possible. And then show you mine.”
“I want that, too. An eternity with you.”
“Thank fuck. I love you.”
“I’m never going to get tired of hearing you say that.”

“Shall we?” (Damien)
“Yes.” (Willow)
To the future. To our life. To our family. To every blissfully perfect moment that would come, and every single one in between.

“I’d never expected to find my perfect man, let alone a demon. Never imagined that the cat I’d adopted would have been the male the fates picked for me. My mate. And yet, here I was. Living my perfect life. It was everything I’d ever wanted, and everything I’d never known how to wish for.”

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read more Jennifer Chipman books as soon as possible (once ARCtober is over). I loved how this was written and I loved the tropes in it even more, I devoured this in one sitting because the vibes were just immaculate.

Read this if you love
- fated mates
- roommates
- witch x demon
and cozy fall vibes!

This book delivers. It was short, sweet, and definitely not lacking in spice. Let me just say that demons know how to do things right, and Damien is one swoony demon who falls WAY harder for Willow than she falls for him (which I adore). My ONLY complaint is the overuse of Damien's nickname for her, sometimes it hits just right, and other times it seems a bit out of place. Other than that, I adored every single second of this.

I'm genuinely sad we have to wait a whole year to read the next couple's story! I'll be requesting that as soon as I possibly can because I just adored this, and I already know the next one will be good too. Thank you so much to Jennifer for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review! I'm so excited for everyone to read this!

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so comically bad I laughed basically through the last half of the book. Incredibly predictable and incredibly cringe. What I thought was going to be a cute, spooky easy read ended up being a waste of time and not even spooky in a good way… I can’t believe someone of yall read this book twice but at least it gave me a giggle

[Olivia Alonzo ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

that was so cute! a perfect romance for spooky season! 🧡

[Saskia M · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF on page 1. “Crunchy leaves littered the ground, giving a satisfying CRUNCH anytime I stepped on one with my boots.” Not 100% sure why but the use of crunch/y twice in one sentence really sent me over the edge.

[tobi10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine cozy Halloween Geschichte über eine Hexe und ein Dämon

In dem Buch Spookly Yours von Jennifer Chipman, geht es um Willow, welche mit ihrer Schwester Luna in dem Hexendorf Pleasant Grove lebt. In diesem Dorf leben sehr viele Hexen mit magischen Kräften, manche wie Willow und ihre Schwester beherrschen sogar Telekinese. Willows Katze ist vor ein paar Monaten gestorben und jetzt braucht sie eine neue Katze, aber eine neue zu finden ist gar nicht so einfach. Im Tierheim findet sie einen schwarzen Kater, den keiner mag, aber sie mag ihn und tauft in Damien. Aber Damien ist eigentlich keine Katze, sondern ein Dämon in einer Katzengestalt. Nur mit der Hilfe von Willow, kann er sich aus dieser Gestalt befreien. Schafft sie das oder muss er für immer eine Katze bleiben ?

Meine Meinung:
Die Geschichte lies sich flüssig lesen und hat mir beim Lesen gut gefallen. Es ist wie beschrieben eine Cozy Pumpkin Lovestory. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, das der Dämon so schnell zurückverwandelt wird, aber so war es. Auch danach war die Geschichte noch weiterhin spannend und schön geschrieben. Für die Halloween Zeit in der es auch spielt eine super Geschichte. Die Charaktere Willow, ihre Schwester Luna als auch Damien sind wirklich toll, so lieb und nett zueinander. Auch die Umgebung, wie alles schön herbstlich dekoriert ist und was es alles gab, es klang beim Lesen so lecker und gut, da wäre ich auch gerne gewesen.

Fazit:
Eine schöne cozy Halloween Geschichte über ein Dämon und eine Hexe, die sich verlieben. Dazu eine schöne Beschreibung der kleinen Stadt Pleasant Grove mit ihrer schönen Dekoration zu Halloween. Auch die Bäckerei mit den leckeren Köstlichkeiten hat dazu wundervoll gepasst, am liebsten hätte ich sie in Echt besucht. Eine klare Empfehlung von mir.

[MelCreepsItReal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute Halloween read! 🎃 👻

[Heather myfriendsdontread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute, fluffy, and mindless, Halloween romance 🎃

Our FMC is a witch who works at a bakery. Her familiar, a black cat named Binx, previously passed away leaving a whole in her heart. She decides to spontaneously adopt another black cat at the shelter.

But once she gets the cat back to the house, it starts talking to her.

The cat is actually a demon shifter that was cursed by a witch so he can’t shift back out of his cat form. So of FMC has to figure out how to reverse the hex.

Once she gets the spell to work, they very quickly fall in love with each other.

There is also the fated mate trope AND it was surprisingly spicy! 3/5 🌶️

It’s also a quick read and it’s on KU.

[Cas (Fia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun light hearted Halloween novella.

Demon and a Witch.
What would you do if you adopt a cat and it turns out to be a cursed demon that you eventually fall in love with?
The smut was very “you’re mine”, “he growled” and all that. And you know what? I didn’t mind it🤣

This was cute enough for the season and I liked a lot of it.
I just think I expected more.

Some parts were a bit too ridiculous and kinda childish for an adult smutty story. And also very repetitive, literally “she crossed her arms” happened 3 times on one page. But that could also be an editing issue.

Tropes:

🐈‍⬛ Fated mates
🐈‍⬛ Insta love
🐈‍⬛ Family drama
🐈‍⬛ Forced Proximity
🐈‍⬛ Small town

[Annie Ashbrook · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was fucking stupid. There is no way adult women are unironically reading this book and enjoying it. Maybe if I was 14 I could find anything to redeem this book but I’m not 14, so 1 star. I only finished it because I was gaslit by TikTok to read it and I spent $3 on it.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

anyone remember when I said I was gonna take my time reading this throughout October and then read it in 3 days???... 🙈

I freaking loved this book!!! It takes so much for me to finish a kindle book under a week so you can just tell how much I liked it!

[Crystal's Bookish Life · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so cute and cozy for about 75% of it. Very teenage romance vibes with all the fun Halloween activities.

But the lightning fast jump from sweet and cozy to our hero all of a sudden being dirty talking and dominant gave me whiplash.

I am begging for a bit more consideration being given to the tonal shifts in books like this because I've read several recently that follow this exact pattern.

Also the ending was rushed blah blah blah.

[Moon_child31 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25⭐️ 🐈‍⬛🍂🍁🍄🌓✨🔮

I thought this was going to be a cute and cozy read but it soon turned into smut lol
The beginning was better and more interesting than the rest of the story and I also think that him being cursed got solved really fast.

[Amanda | manda_reads_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It's such a cute and fun Halloween book with some spice too. The town reminded me of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls but make it witchy. I loved both Willow and Damien so much. Damien was so swoony, and he fell so hard from Willow. I couldn't get enough of this book I did not want to put it down. This book is perfect to read for spooky season. I can't wait for book 2 and to read more by this author.

[fromthestudyof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Cozy. Low stakes Halloween romance.

This book was candy for the brain. Will definitely be reading the next book in the series.