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Witches of London #4
Witches of London - Love Spell
Cursed to fall for Mr Wrong, London’s sharpest trader discovers love is the ultimate insider tip.
In the bustling heart of London’s financial district, Timo Volkov’s life as a high-powered trader is about to be turned upside down.
When a chance encounter with a witch leaves him cursed to fall for the most unsuitable partner, Timo finds himself irresistibly drawn to Noah Cerveny, a shy junior employee from Alaska. It’s a match that couldn’t be more inconvenient — Noah is deeply closeted, still reeling from a traumatic past, and his visa is about to run out.
As Timo’s cynical facade crumbles in the face of genuine attraction, Noah must not only stand up to his overbearing boss but also confront his own demons. With time running out and the stakes higher than those of any market trade, can these two polar opposites find a way to break the curse — or will they discover that sometimes love is the most powerful spell of all?
Love Spell is a bewitching gay romance that proves even in the world of high finance, the heart has its own magic.
In the bustling heart of London’s financial district, Timo Volkov’s life as a high-powered trader is about to be turned upside down.
When a chance encounter with a witch leaves him cursed to fall for the most unsuitable partner, Timo finds himself irresistibly drawn to Noah Cerveny, a shy junior employee from Alaska. It’s a match that couldn’t be more inconvenient — Noah is deeply closeted, still reeling from a traumatic past, and his visa is about to run out.
As Timo’s cynical facade crumbles in the face of genuine attraction, Noah must not only stand up to his overbearing boss but also confront his own demons. With time running out and the stakes higher than those of any market trade, can these two polar opposites find a way to break the curse — or will they discover that sometimes love is the most powerful spell of all?
Love Spell is a bewitching gay romance that proves even in the world of high finance, the heart has its own magic.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 4, 2025
I was excited to dive into this book since it's the first book by Voinov in ages. Sadly it didn't live up to my expectations.
What started like an unhinged romantic comedy ended up being just an average romance, a mid one at that. I don't wanna be too harsh because i understand Voinov comes from a very long writing burnout so it's great he managed to overcome it and be back into the publishing world. However, i have to be honest with myself and the few people who read my reviews thus cannot pretend i liked reading this much.
What stuck out to me was how the main characters explained stuff or ran in circles mentally about issues that had little reason to be explained or would have been more impactful if they were shown instead. I felt these paragraphs interrumpted the rythm of the scenes many times which was grating.
As for the characters, both were annoying as fuck. I didn't want Timo to be a likeable multimillionaire so his narcissism and lack of empathy didn't bother me. When he was acting all weird under the spell he was hilarious, on the other hand Noah was... basic, but his rejection towards Timo advances were entertaining while they lasted. Actually i really wanted both to discover it's all the love spell fault and then realize they're too uncompatible and both part ways haha. They simply weren't made for each other in my opinion, but ultimately this was a romance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ so at least in the very end they finally talked things out and both decided to be better for each other yay! the power of love. Meanwhile, the side characters were paper thin, which was uncharacteristic of how Voinov usually writes his characters. I didn't feel much of the camaraderie of the 'Wolf pack' despite the descriptions of so called activities they do together, etc. Most of their interactions were all related just to what's going on with the main couple and that's another thing that annoys me when reading a romance book, i prefer when the side characters have things to talk about besides the couple.
In summary, sadly this is the type of book you forget about when you close it. Not my fav from Voinov and i hope this doesn't become one of many in the future.
What started like an unhinged romantic comedy ended up being just an average romance, a mid one at that. I don't wanna be too harsh because i understand Voinov comes from a very long writing burnout so it's great he managed to overcome it and be back into the publishing world. However, i have to be honest with myself and the few people who read my reviews thus cannot pretend i liked reading this much.
What stuck out to me was how the main characters explained stuff or ran in circles mentally about issues that had little reason to be explained or would have been more impactful if they were shown instead. I felt these paragraphs interrumpted the rythm of the scenes many times which was grating.
As for the characters, both were annoying as fuck. I didn't want Timo to be a likeable multimillionaire so his narcissism and lack of empathy didn't bother me. When he was acting all weird under the spell he was hilarious, on the other hand Noah was... basic, but his rejection towards Timo advances were entertaining while they lasted. Actually i really wanted both to discover it's all the love spell fault and then realize they're too uncompatible and both part ways haha. They simply weren't made for each other in my opinion, but ultimately this was a romance ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ so at least in the very end they finally talked things out and both decided to be better for each other yay! the power of love. Meanwhile, the side characters were paper thin, which was uncharacteristic of how Voinov usually writes his characters. I didn't feel much of the camaraderie of the 'Wolf pack' despite the descriptions of so called activities they do together, etc. Most of their interactions were all related just to what's going on with the main couple and that's another thing that annoys me when reading a romance book, i prefer when the side characters have things to talk about besides the couple.
In summary, sadly this is the type of book you forget about when you close it. Not my fav from Voinov and i hope this doesn't become one of many in the future.
July 1, 2025
Love Spell (Witches of London, 4)
By Aleksandr Voinov
44 Racoons, 2025
Five stars
This entire series is slightly unsettling, and that’s not because Aleksandr Voinov doesn’t have good control of his narratives. The witches seem to make almost incidental appearances with far-reaching effects. In this case, it’s a witch (who never refers to himself this way) named Julian. A chance encounter with a rude Russian émigré triggers the story, and then Julian, for the most part, disappears. It is the forty-year-old Russian, Timofee Volkov, who takes center stage.
The incidental target of Timo’s attention is Noah Ceverny, a recent university graduate from the USA who, for reasons we learn eventually, is in his late twenties. Noah has been hired as a one-year “junior” in Timo’s high-powered stock-trading firm, known familiarly as the Wolf Pack (Timo’s surname in Russian is wolf). Noah is smart, and learning the ropes of market trading well, but he’s an introvert and not at all out of the closet. The sudden attentions of his extroverted, arrogantly self-confident boss are far from welcome. Noah just wants to keep his head down, learn as much as he can, and then return to the US when his visa expires to figure out what comes next.
So, as romances go, this is a pretty uncomfortable one, smacking of a workplace power imbalance and a suitor who has never failed to get what he wanted. It’s not that Noah doesn’t see Timo’s appeal, it’s that Noah’s own past (which we only learn in fits and starts) is complicated, and Timo makes no effort to understand his young beauty who has no idea what he looks like or how he makes Timo feel.
Now, let me be clear: Timo is not a bad man. He’s got his own dark past, and has fought to turn his life around, become a British citizen, and create a trading company that has made him a millionaire many times over. He may be ruthless and relentless, but he’s no criminal and he’s never cruel. His own fight for success has made him careless of other people’s feelings, because his personal freedom has come as such a high cost.
The quiet irony that Voinov gives us is that Noah is equally careless of others’ feelings; because he has built such a protective wall around his own emotions that he has a hard time seeing past negative potential in others’ interactions.
It’s a fascinating cat-and-mouse as the author tells the story through each man’s eyes. He doesn’t make it any easier for the reader than he does for his protagonists. If there is magic at work here, it certainly doesn’t smooth the path forward.
Now I think I have to reread the first three books, to see how the larger story fits together.
By Aleksandr Voinov
44 Racoons, 2025
Five stars
This entire series is slightly unsettling, and that’s not because Aleksandr Voinov doesn’t have good control of his narratives. The witches seem to make almost incidental appearances with far-reaching effects. In this case, it’s a witch (who never refers to himself this way) named Julian. A chance encounter with a rude Russian émigré triggers the story, and then Julian, for the most part, disappears. It is the forty-year-old Russian, Timofee Volkov, who takes center stage.
The incidental target of Timo’s attention is Noah Ceverny, a recent university graduate from the USA who, for reasons we learn eventually, is in his late twenties. Noah has been hired as a one-year “junior” in Timo’s high-powered stock-trading firm, known familiarly as the Wolf Pack (Timo’s surname in Russian is wolf). Noah is smart, and learning the ropes of market trading well, but he’s an introvert and not at all out of the closet. The sudden attentions of his extroverted, arrogantly self-confident boss are far from welcome. Noah just wants to keep his head down, learn as much as he can, and then return to the US when his visa expires to figure out what comes next.
So, as romances go, this is a pretty uncomfortable one, smacking of a workplace power imbalance and a suitor who has never failed to get what he wanted. It’s not that Noah doesn’t see Timo’s appeal, it’s that Noah’s own past (which we only learn in fits and starts) is complicated, and Timo makes no effort to understand his young beauty who has no idea what he looks like or how he makes Timo feel.
Now, let me be clear: Timo is not a bad man. He’s got his own dark past, and has fought to turn his life around, become a British citizen, and create a trading company that has made him a millionaire many times over. He may be ruthless and relentless, but he’s no criminal and he’s never cruel. His own fight for success has made him careless of other people’s feelings, because his personal freedom has come as such a high cost.
The quiet irony that Voinov gives us is that Noah is equally careless of others’ feelings; because he has built such a protective wall around his own emotions that he has a hard time seeing past negative potential in others’ interactions.
It’s a fascinating cat-and-mouse as the author tells the story through each man’s eyes. He doesn’t make it any easier for the reader than he does for his protagonists. If there is magic at work here, it certainly doesn’t smooth the path forward.
Now I think I have to reread the first three books, to see how the larger story fits together.
July 14, 2025
The first half of this book is a little bizarre and unhinged in a good way. It builds tension and anticipation for what's to come, and subverts expectations. It's actually entertaining too. The big powerful boss falls under a love spell and creepily pursues his timid employee, in a way that made me cheer for the little guy who defied him at every turn. Do you ever want to punch the obnoxious character? Well, he gets punched. It's satisfying.
*Beware, spoilers ahead*
It all goes downhill in the second half. Instead of keeping me on my toes as a reader, the story dissolves into disappointing mush. I was totally been hoping for the curse to be suddenly lifted, and the characters finding their own way back to each other, somehow, overcoming all kinds of angsty drama... But alas, the employee finally succumbs to his boss' advances, and the MCs spend the rest of the story creepily blissful in each other's arms. They encounter only slight bumps in the road, but basically, all the plot tension fizzles out somewhere around 40% of the book.
*Beware, spoilers ahead*
It all goes downhill in the second half. Instead of keeping me on my toes as a reader, the story dissolves into disappointing mush. I was totally been hoping for the curse to be suddenly lifted, and the characters finding their own way back to each other, somehow, overcoming all kinds of angsty drama... But alas, the employee finally succumbs to his boss' advances, and the MCs spend the rest of the story creepily blissful in each other's arms. They encounter only slight bumps in the road, but basically, all the plot tension fizzles out somewhere around 40% of the book.
November 18, 2025
This is a wonderful addition to the series! Timo and Noah are the epitome of opposites attracting. This is certainly not love at first sight; they attract each other just as often as they repel each other, with hilarious incidents here and there, but the story ends on a high note. As usual, the world-building and characters are fantastic. Aleksandr Voinov is such a talented author, and that is evident once again in this story. The story is set in the financial world, with which the author is very familiar. The characters range from cynical and arrogant to too nice for their own good and everything in between. This makes the story realistic and lively. And then there are the Pagans and the question of whether they can actually cast spells. Is it fake, is it real? Whatever it is, it's certainly entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
July 16, 2025
I have read this book now at least 3x and it never gets old.
I love Timo, he may be one of my favorite characters. Honestly the whole lot of them bring something wonderful to the story.
I love how it’s both extremely funny and then extremely moving and heartbreaking at times.
This is a “can’t get anything done because all I want to do is read” kind of book. High recommend!
I love Timo, he may be one of my favorite characters. Honestly the whole lot of them bring something wonderful to the story.
I love how it’s both extremely funny and then extremely moving and heartbreaking at times.
This is a “can’t get anything done because all I want to do is read” kind of book. High recommend!
July 20, 2025
So I DNF’d this, my least favorite of the “Witches of London” series, my least favorite book written by Mr. Voinov. I didn’t care about either character, particularly not Timo. And Noah’s sudden turn seemed to come out of nowhere… If it was more of Julian’s work, don’t care
July 24, 2025
Was a struggle for me.
July 29, 2025
3.5*
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews