Petits pépins et autres sorcelleries: Magie et mésaventures 1

Good Bad Magic #1

by Isa Medina

Un soupçon de magie, une pincée de thé... et un meurtrier à démasquer.


Je suis une sorcière. Pas la plus puissante, mais comme le disait toujours ma grand-mère : la gentillesse vaut bien plus que le pouvoir. Son rêve ? Ouvrir une boutique de sorcellerie. Alors quand l’occasion se présente, je fais mes valises, je traverse le pays... et je m’installe sans me poser de questions.
Spoiler : j’aurais peut-être dû y réfléchir un peu plus longtemps.


Le séduisant chasseur de primes du coin me soupçonne de préparer un sale coup. Mes clients ne veulent que des sortilèges interdits, quelqu’un essaie de saboter ma boutique, et comme si ça ne suffisait pas... on a trouvé un cadavre dans ma baignoire. Charmant, non ?


Mais comme disait grand-mère : rien ne résiste à une attitude positive, à d’excellents produits de nettoyage, et à l’anéantissement de ceux qui me veulent du mal.


#SlowBurn #Sorcières #Magie #CosyMysteryParanormal #GrumpySunshine #Humour

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Magic, Mystery, Romance

Paperback

First published October 13, 2023

About the author

Isa Medina loves writing and reading Urban Fantasy books, playing MMORPGs, and scouring the Internet for pet pictures and beautiful art.

As a child, she was first introduced to the world of Fantasy through Dragonlance and she has never looked back. She also has a soft spot for Gothics and treasures all her old Victorian Holt paperbacks. If it has Fae, ghosts, vampires, demons, mythical creatures, or magic in it, she's all in.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. And look how GORGEUS that cover is! Stunning.

I didn't want to stop reading, couldn't stop reading. This was the perfect cosy read. Medina's main character, Hope, is laugh out loud funny. I'm not exaggerating. I caught myself chuckling, snorting, and laughing on most pages.

Medina's voice is incredibly refined, perfect for urban fantasy and its adjacent genres. Here in Good Bad Witch, we've got an interesting cast of paranormal characters (witches, shifters, mages, demons, and more) in a small town, complete with a body in Hope's bathtub.

Hope just took over the local witch shop, and already there is a one star review, and how will she explain any of this to the Council without losing the shop again?

Hope is not a powerful witch, she's out of her depth, but her positive attitude more than makes up for it.

What else is there to say? Oh yes. There is a dog called Fluffy.

The romance is a slow-burn, but Ian's grumpiness is adorable, especially paired with Hope's sunshine nature.

Good Bad Witch is a delightful mystery, full of humour and banter. The perfect comfort read for a day when you don't want to deal with too much angst and darkness, and are instead looking for tons of heart, found family, and adorable pets.

I read an advanced review copy, but will also buy the book because I genuinely loved it. My review, as always, is honest.

[Jai M {Cat Crazy Dragon } · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ overall. [2.5, 3, 3.5, 4 ⭐️ moments] It’s a fun kinda roller coaster!

The conclusion for this, not the cliffy-next-book-ending, was definitely 4⭐️.
However, there was also moments more equal to 3⭐️’s, as well as some 2.5⭐️ moments.
So I’m rounding this up to somewhere in between.

Beautifully written, with easy to read dialogue, flowing, natural conversations, good pacing, original storyline, all up, so much to love.
While there were some minor typo issues and a few medium-ish info dumps, to be fair, any issues I had, were about personal preference.

We get dropped straight in, which on its own I have no problem with.
The problem is that bad things happen right from get go, one after another, before we’ve developed a care for the FMC.
Clearly meant to be part humorous, but we have no relationship or reason to care…

Plus, the bubblegum, cheery-ditzy personality, with no counter balance until much later, made it difficult for me to like her initially.

The humour was hit or miss for me.
When it hit, it was LOL, but when it missed, it felt a little young, and or, cringe.
A lot of slap stick, and miscommunication, or manipulation.

One scene is innocent, but potentially appears other, so is hilarious in its suspicion.
Another, also innocent, but appears curious, but not suspicious, so the rude response is just that, rude, not funny.

You have an awesome, snarky, sarcastic character. But they talk as if maybe they are a friend after all, then 2 comments later, deliver a line that is truly hurtful. Our FMC says as much, but then bounces back.
I’m not laughing here.

However, you know how you have those moments where you’re screaming it’s so obvious, or why aren’t they asking this, etc.? All plot devices intended to drive a story, just not done well enough…
Weeeell, here, our cluey FMC asks those questions, makes the observations, notices the obvious.

It’s AWESOME!
Not always right away, but close enough.
The only blatantly obvious one she misses, is the Uber baddie. An oversight the baddie notes at the end.

I love that sneaky, make fun of yourself, style of humour. If only the author had included more of this…

One of the funniest lines is when our plucky FMC makes fun of herself, talking out loud, noting how ridiculous she is.
Just once, not the overdone lines, where the author offers 5-7 different option, as she does at other sections. 😳🙄

We needed more interaction with the dogs, a better arc.
Moreover, I’m not a fan of perfect dogs through…love 🤷‍♀️…That kind of prefect obedience requires continuous training…or magic.
Didn’t see either, or just a hint of something, to make them more than story props.

The ending was so brilliant, fun, quirky, messy, and original [minus the soooo obvious baddie 😂🥱 which was kinda fun in its on the nose way…].

Didn’t like the cliffy, mostly cause I was just starting to like this character, and didn’t like having to question that. 😬

So, would I recommend this?
Easily!
Definitely read this. The teething problems this new series has [for me] , are just that, and easily overcome in time.
Plus, no doubt the humour as is, will suit many, as will the cutesy moments that I cringed through 😬

Give it a go and decide for yourself, it’s worth it.

p.s. this is straight up urban fantasy, the romance will obviously happen..later…much later 🤷‍♀️

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet little confection of fun. It’s a totally surface story and the villain is blatantly obvious if one uses even a modicum of thought to question intent. Still the characters carry the day. I absolutely adored Hope and her optimistic attitude and Ian is a great, yet enigmatic character, as well.

SO… if one is looking for a read that requires very few brain cells, can deal with some eye-rolling, this story really is a great little escape.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, light hearted read. Sometimes it’s nice to read a paranormal book that doesn’t have a questionable red flag male lead. Or a snarky heroine that runs her mouth and is super powerful (but is hiding her true powers). No, Hope is not a powerful witch but she tries her best. Quality over quantity she says! The villain was easy to figure out but I was already invested in Hope and her journey to make not-so nefarious potions for her very nefarious clients. Will continue the series.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope Avery is the witch who gets the chance to run her own witch shop, just like her grandmother dreamed about. But someone is trying to sabotage the dream. She gets bad reviews online, clients who wants her to use bad, forbidden magic - and a dead body in her bathtub. As a newbie in town she doesn't know who she can trust, but Hope is convinced that positive thinking will take you far!

This is both funny and exciting, full of witches, shifters, demons and other magical beings. Hope seems a bit naive at first, but she soon gets a handle of most things, although her magic isn't that powerful. The interactions between Hope and Ian, the local bounty hunter, are wonderful, and his dog Fluffy is the cutest! I would have loved to get Ian's POV as well, not just Hope's, but I like that it's in first person.

Some things I expect, but I also get surprises along the way. Just like Hope I don't know who to trust, and it makes it more interesting. I don't always think that she makes the right decisions, but I can still relate to those choices. I'm looking forward to following the good witch on more adventures in the future!

* I received an ARC from the author and I'm giving my honest review. *

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars. This was a fun book and the pace was pretty steady throughout. As a debut to a new series it was good and there’s not really any huge big baddie around the corner. I wanted the MFC to be a little less ditzy and really have it together with her magic but maybe that will come later in the series. Fluffy is the tiny hero of this book ❤️❤️ Hope Avery is a character that may grow on you so long as the author gives her character room to grow and doesn’t allow her to stagnate. It’s a lighthearted series so I’m willing to try it.

[Kreela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope: the endless optimist. She “wins the witch lottery” and is allowed to take control of a tea shop called Tea Cauldron without the outstanding powers she should have. I can only imagine all the other witches turning it down on the sly. But Hope has my favorite power: affirmations. They work. If you are depressed, forcing yourself to smile every morning eventually can retrain your brain (it helped me!).

This is primarily a feel-good novel. Dead body in the bathtub? No problem. Hope has a spell for this. She needs dirt from an old cemetery for the spell? No problem. She will cupcake and sandwich her way into the grumpy bounty hunter’s family cemetery. No customers? No problem, she will ask anyone who enters the shop to stay, including another shopkeeper’s assistant, Dru. Both Dru and Ian, the bounty hunter, are grumpy, but a new day, a new hope!

When Hope finds a dark mage at her gate, she figures out a way to appease him without black magic, and I love every gifted-intuition moment.

❤︎ The Romance: ❤︎
===========================================
❦❦ Ian is that grumpy and almost-cold male with muscles that can individually flex. He is a shifter who refuses to shift, and he left the pack’s control to his equally grumpy and cold brother. But he is not really aloof, since two younger males joined him rather than the pack. It’s like having two teenage sons! And I just melt over his protectiveness when he loans Hope one of his two dogs, Fluffy.
[] They share experiences. It’s a slow-burn with no instalove.
[] Hope moons over him.
[] He shows his interest in his actions, not words. ❦❦
==========================================

I like her. I want to add a nice affirmation of my own, from an exercise class: “Power up!”

[Katja · Rating 5 out of 5]

No dogs die in this book.

Review of an ARC copy.

I have been pondering what to tell you about this book; to help others know if this is the one for their current mood and life situation.

When the world around is depressing enough, Hope (pun intended) with her shenanigans and ridiculously positive attitude towards life made me feel... light, cozy, positive and bubbly.

Do you want a modern woman who definitely can solve her own problems, but isn't above asking and receiving help when needed?

Do you want a slightly mysterious man (whom I keep seeing as an athletic broad shouldered bald black man in my mind's eye despite very clearly being described otherwise when we first see him) — with huggable dogs — entangled in the protagonist's life?

Do you want wicked witches, potions and magic?

Werewolf drama?

Hot beverages and sweet things to nom?

All that and more.

Some things do get a bit dark, but they never overrun the overall fun mood, which I love.

I recommend this for anyone looking for a moment in a mundane supernatural place, where everyday life gets transformed by the connections you make and chances you take, where positive attitude is everything and all of the dogs stay alive.

Medina's stories have filled a hole in my comfort and joy seeking soul. Good Bad Witch is no exception.

[Susan Reads Cozies · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book had so much to offer, and it kept me wanting to know more. The story starts out with Hope trying to understand why she got a one-star review for her new tea shop. I love that the story had me rooting for Hope. She is trying to make this shop a success. She is trying to find out why people keep coming to her for dark magic. She wants to find out who murdered the guy in her bathtub. One of my favorite things in the book is Hope’s positive affirmations from her grandmother. Hope had me wanting to say some of my own affirmations.
 
There’s also the mystery of what characters you can trust. I felt like I did not know who Hope could trust or not. I like when I am surprised to find out that I would have trusted all the wrong people. For me, that means the story was written well enough to where I did not realize it was happening or there was something else drawing my attention away. I was just as shocked as Hope was when she figured it all out.
 
Let’s talk about Ian! He is the bounty hunter, wolf shifter that owns the cemetery. Ian is the mysterious loner type which makes this so worth it. We get to see a little more of who Ian is as the story goes along. I like that he is standoffish at first but then we get to see a different side of him. As I said before- totally worth it!!
 
I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Giarra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zusammenfassend: Nett, mehr aber auch nicht.

Es geht um die Hexe Hope, die entgegen jeder Erwartung die Chance auf einen eigenen Hexenladen erlangt und versucht diesen möglichst erfolgreich - auch bedingt durch den Druck des "Councils"- zu führen. Es stellen sich ihr allerdings einige Hindernisse in den Weg, die es zu überwinden gilt.

Im Prinzip fasst es das Wort "nett" wirklich im Kern zusammen. Es fehlt allem etwas an echter Tiefe und dem Grund mitzufiebern. Alles wirkt wie eine Schablone des cozy-magischer-Laden-Tropes gesprenkelt mit nur teilweise zündendem Humor, der aber zumindest an einigen Stellen dann doch sehr charmant ist. Gerade Hope agiert aber stellenweise schlicht und ergreifend nicht besonders schlau, das war etwas schade. Da hat man gemerkt, dass der Plot gewisse Richtungen erforderte, weil sie grundsätzlich eine intelligente, kreative und fröhliche Hexe ist.

Es liest sich zwischendurch allerdings super weg.

[Katyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was cute, I found the FMC to be a bit too much - she's super sunshine dialed to 1 million, to the point where she's pretty brainless.

The dark magic situation was completely handle-able at any point if she just acted like an intelligent adult - it only became a total clusterfuck when she decided to hide it and play along. It honestly made her a moron.

Also, I spotted the bad guy super early, and it was pretty cliche.

It's potentially fun, as long as the FMC stops being brainless. She did promise not to lie to Ian about this dark magic stuff anymore - she promised they'd work together from here on out - so I'm hopeful things will shape up in the next book.

[Motive of the Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I'm a big fan of cozy mysteries and paranormal mysteries, so this was the perfect choice.

Hope isn't a very powerful witch, but for sure she is determined to proof that you don't have to be powerful to be successful. Sometimes her actions were super goofy and irrational as for witch, but it was so funny...Be honest, who didn't freak out when finding a dead body in the bathtub? I won't be the first who will judge here. Hope is a perfect cozy mystery main character. Not super powerful, not very oriented in the paranormal world, but very charismatic and a little bit crazy, positively crazy.

Ian, our local retired bounty hunter shifter, is so grumpy and I love it. He has a two dogs, and Fluffy stole my whole heart, she is the fluffy bowl of love and joy.

I love how Isa created the relation between Hope and Ian. It's pure sunshine-grumpy theme and it's so funny and adorable.

Plot is 10/10. First time from a very long time, I met in a book motive where the main area of events is contaminated by black magic. It added a lot of interesting moments to the plot and makes Hope's life even harder.

Finally, the old tea shop owner. Her death and events around the shop during her time as a witch in charge were the best part. Even, if for me it was a little bit predictable, but still it was relaxing to see how Hope is connecting the different pieces of history to get to the main reason, why all weird things are happening around the shop.

I can't wait for more books about Hope and Ian, and small tea shop.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than I expected

To be honest I am not big on shifter stories. Perhaps I have witch blood in my ancestry. Regardless, this is a well written story with believable and endearing characters. The plot is straight forward, the premise is to help others but also to do no harm, and the ending is a cliff hanger. Still I definitely recommend this book.

[Clarabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope vient de s’installer à Olmeda pour reprendre la boutique de sorcellerie mais déchante rapidement en accumulant les pépins, à savoir un cadavre dans sa baignoire, des clients adeptes de magie noire, un mage intimidant, un alpha peu commode et un conseil soucieux de ses ventes. Rien ne se passe comme prévu.

Mais comme elle n’est pas du style à renoncer, elle va faire face aux épreuves et se faufile en pleine nuit dans un cimetière sur une propriété privée. Elle se heurte à un type revêche qui ne veut rien entendre de ses déboires… (mesdames et messieurs, je vous présente Ian Cavalier, chasseur de primes à la retraite). Jusqu’à ce qu’il commence à se raviser.

La relation entre ces deux-là est très prometteuse. Pas de romance, pas de désir obsessionnel. Simplement un travail d’équipe pour la bonne cause. Et puis, Hope est une héroïne attachante. Toujours pleine d’humour et d’optimisme. On sent bien qu’il est en territoire glissant et qu’il pourrait briser sa façade de rustre taiseux à force de la côtoyer. J’aime beaucoup leurs échanges et leurs rapports sans ambiguïté.

Sinon la mise en place de l’histoire est entraînante. L’ambiance sorcellerie avec petite ville et communauté paranormale est bien balancée. La galerie des personnages me plait énormément. Même les petits toutous sont craquants. L’intrigue se lit vite et bien. J’ai vraiment passé un très bon moment. Et j’ai hâte de lire les prochains tomes.

[Susan1566 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope is a very weak witch who inherits a magic shop due to a lottery. She’s excited for her new life but it’s difficult. Her first customer leaves a one-star review, she finds a body in her bathtub and no one seems willing to help her, especially when it disappears. Finding friends isn’t easy, neither is getting the shop doing a good business.
This book is about Hope’s struggles, meeting new friends, figuring out the mystery around the dead body, dealing with a shifter bounty hunter who she can’t tell if he likes her or not. There is also an adorable white dog named Fluffy that steals every scene she’s in.
There is a little action, a little mystery, a possible romance, humour and a good story.
This was a quick, easy, fun read with an interesting ending. Looking forward to book 2.

[Tournebize Viktoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé cette lecture très agréable et le terme cosy convient totalement ! J'ai aimé l'ambiance, l'enquête et les personnages.
A un moment donné - avant l'attaque du métamorphe - j'ai trouvé la lecture un peu longue, mais après ça, tout a filé et j'ai adoré la fin.
J'ai trouvé ça super de lire un livre avec une sorcière peu puissante -mais très positive.

PS : Je n'avais pas vu que c'était un tome 1, je ne m'attendais donc pas à cette fin !!

[Jillian K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal! Hilarious! I absolutely loved this book. Ahh it left me with a crush, curious, and wanting more. Holy cow, an outstanding start to a new series!!!!! I love anything Isa writes but man, each book, each series gets better and better. I love and highly recommend anything from Isa Medina!!!!

[Lynn Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic read

I was immediately hooked by the blurb and the book did not disappoint. Fab mystery with great characters and a twist that kept me guessing.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. Absolutely loved fluffy she is just a perfect fur baby. The mystery and twists and turns and the reveal was wow. And that ending omg can't wait to read book 2.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franchement, je ne sais pas quoi en dire à part que je me suis vraiment amusée, j'ai bien ri, même si certains événements étaient évidents, et je l'ai vraiment lu rapidement. C'est fluide, sans prise de tête, et le personnage principal est vraiment top ! C'est sûr que je souhaite découvrir la suite ! Une petite urban fantasy sympathique !

[Sanha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all Isa Medina's books and thoroughly love them! Magical Artifacts was such a fun and quirky series and Mortal Secrets hooked me from the beginning - making Isa one of my always-buy-her-books author! This new series starts much slower and it was almost halfway through that I got more interested in the story. I think I didn't connect so well with the main character and it was mostly the mystery that kept me going. I can't really put my finger on it, but I think Hope was overall a bit of a bland character. By the end of the book I was not very impressed with the male protagonist either. Something about him does not seem to fit. I don't know, he just does not seem to have what it takes to be a main character. Not yet at least and I hope Hope will also become a bit more interesting as the story continues. The little twist at the end was good though, didn't see it coming until it was in sight! In the end, I did enjoy the book and will read the next installment as well.

*I received this book as an ARC*

[OnTheSamePaige · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waited until I was in the middle of book 3 in this series to review this, so I have some thoughts. I will try not to spoil, while giving you the vibes. I listened to the audiobooks, which were fine.

First, DON'T read these for romance, there is barely any, though they pretend that there is. I'm half way through the 3rd book, and we've had a total of 2 kisses, one of them a pop on the lips. It's bananas-chaste and the talk isn't romantic either. Mostly, she just thinks about how hot he is. That's it. He mostly exists as a character because she needs help with EVERYTHING.

Second, she is a total doormat, though they pretend she isn't. You know how straight off the bat in here, people come in and treat her like dirt and she doesn't communicate well with them or stand up for herself? That never changes. She helps nasty people do awful things.

Third, the author acts like our heroine is a goody-two-shoes, but she's incredibly selfish. She doesn't do what's right, or best, she does WHATEVER will let her keep her shop. Her justifications are gross. She has one moment of self reflection and clarity, then immdiately talks herself out of it.

I don't have much positive to say, but the story seemed like it was going somewhere in this book, so I kept going. It was ok. The next book was frustrating, and I'll likely finish the third only because I currently have no more audiobooks available for the month.

[2TNWalkers · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like surgery sweet doormats this the story for you…super childish and boring..thought character was in mid 20 acts more like clueless unthinking 16 year old. Redundant statements of what would grandma do…blah blah blah..

[Swalsk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't in the mood for it I think. Skipped through most of it. Maybe I'll return to it at a later date.

[TribuneDeLaBrune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si vous cherchez une lecture cosy, avec un peu de magie et un charmant jeune homme, « Petits pépins et autres sorcelleries » pourrait vous plaire. Si les fins prévisibles ce n'est pas votre tasse de thé alors montez sur votre balai et partez à la découverte d'autres livres. D'ailleurs, si comme moi, vous n'aviez pas remarqué que c'est un premier tome et qu'une suite suivrait... bienvenu-e !

J'ai beaucoup apprécié le mélange entre une ambiance cosy et un peu de "gore". Je mets gore entre parenthèses car justement c'est très léger. Le gore est amené de façon cosy et drôle ce qui ne choque pas du tout. Il n'est d'ailleurs pas très présent. L'histoire se concentre sur la résolution de l'énigme (savoir qui tente de saboter Hope) et le lien qui se tisse entre Hope et Ian. Nous ne sommes pas en reste d'humour dans cette histoire : Hope a beaucoup de répartie comme en atteste la citation de cette chronique.

Ian c'est un peu le grumpy de cette histoire. Il est très bougon et ne sourit pas facilement. Cependant, le charme de Hope opère et très vite il commence à se dérider et à lui venir en aide. Il est très mystérieux et j'ai beaucoup aimé en apprendre plus sur son histoire personnelle. Hope s'est un peu plus la sunshine de l'histoire (même si je ne suis pas sûre que ce soit un livre grumpyx x sunshine). Elle est beaucoup plus joyeuse et naïve. Elle a le côté plus rigolo. Ce duo à caractère pourtant très éloigné va porter l'histoire jusqu'au bout. J'ai vraiment aimé les passages où ils étaient ensemble. Il a vraiment une belle alchimie. Par contre, dès qu’Ian est absent ça fait un petit vide dans l'histoire. Sentiment que Hope ressent également et que l'auteur nous transmets parfaitement (si on s'est attaché-e à Ian évidemment). Côté personnages secondaires : ils apportent une petite touche à l'histoire notamment Druscilla. Les autres sont présents sans que trop n'en soit dit sur eux. Avant de comprendre qu'il y aurait une suite, j'étais un peu frustrée par ce détail... mais finalement, j'espère en apprend plus dans les prochains tomes.

Petit bémol de mon côté, j'ai très vite compris qui était derrière ces sabotages et aussi une bonne partie de l'intrigue avant la fin. Je serais curieuse de savoir si vous aussi ? Cela ne m'a pas empêchée d'apprécie ma lecture.

Je suis un peu restée sur ma faim concernant le développement de l'univers. J'aurais aimé en apprendre beaucoup plus sur l'histoire des clans et comment ils fonctionnent. Comme il y aura une suite je suppose que cela y sera développé. Je vais donc m'y intéresser de plus près !

Petit remerciement à l'auteur pour la référence en page 209 du "bibliothécaire charmant" (étant moi-même bibliothécaire je suis contente de voir une description différente que celle d'une vieille mégère à chignon et lunettes). Je pense que cet ouvrage peut vous plaire si vous cherchez une lecture sympa, sans prise de tête pour la saison de l'automne. Il ne faut cependant pas trop en attendre. En conclusion, c'est un petit cosy mystery très sympa avec beaucoup d'humour, parfait pour la période de l'automne.

Si vous souhaitez accompagner votre lecture d'une petite ambiance sonore, Ian fait référence à la musique Fly me to the moon de Frank Sinatra durant la lecture. Imaginez-le chanter cela et fondez pour son côté grumpy !

[NyxShadow · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2025/10/rev...

Un roman qui me promettait de la légèreté et de l'humour, dans un univers de magie : je dis oui.
Hope est un personnage très très très gentil. Elle déborde de positivité et je dois avouer que ça passait mal !
J'ai eu beaucoup de mal au début du roman. Apprécier le personnage principal est souvent un bon moyen de rentrer rapidement dans l'intrigue. Ici, elle est tellement positive qu'elle en donne des caries ! J'ai posé le roman, lu autre chose (de très sombre) avant de le reprendre.
Petit à petit j'ai fini par rentrer dans l'histoire, principalement lorsque les personnages secondaires prennent davantage d'importance. Cela contrebalançait l'overdose de positivisme de Hope et rend l'ensemble plus agréable.
Toutefois, cette appréciation est très personnelle. Retenons surtout qu'on a un personnage qui n'a rien de badass, ni de l'héroïne qui se retrouve au centre d'un tour du destin.

Hope est ici l'archétype de la fille normale (dans la communauté magique), légèrement naïve et maladroite. Ni parfaite ni nulle, mais sur un entre-deux tendance "mon pouvoir me permet de faire griller mon pain mais pas de faire des pâtisseries de ouf" (la comparaison n'est pas de l'autrice XD).
J'ai eu un peu de mal avec son histoire car si je suis bien elle a perdu sa grand-mère à 8 ans et est dans une famille normale, donc quand a-t-elle pu pratiquer la sorcellerie ?

Mais passons au reste du casting : des voisins indifférents ou méfiants (décidément pas facile de reprendre l'affaire de la gentille mamie gâteau du coin), un cadavre qui joue à cache-cache dans sa baignoire et des loups-garous sur la retenue.
Hope n'étant pas du coin, on découvre avec elle les personnages qui l'entourent et ce qu'ils sont. J'ai beaucoup aimé les premières interactions avec le male-interest. La meilleure copine est trop sympa mais colle avec la personnalité de Hope. La vendeuse d'à côté est certes un peu revêche mais finalement intéressante avec son efficacité flegmatique.

Dans l'ensemble on a un mystère qui plane mais ce qui est le plus important reste Hope, son attitude, son évolution et ses relations avec les autres. Petit à petit elle se fait sa place et s'accroche. Elle est déterminée à réussir et à vivre son rêve. Si elle manque de puissance magique, elle s'en accommode et gère plutôt bien les différentes situations qui se présentent à elle.

Un roman accessible à un large public (rien de choquant, pas de spicy). Leger, distrayant, j'ai finalement passé un bon moment. J'ai fini par me faire à la personnalité solaire de l'héroïne et je pense que j'apprécierai lire la suite de ses aventures.
Pour ceux qui aime l'urban-fantasy tendance magie/métamorphe, avec un peu de mystère, un soupçon de romance naissante et surtout une volonté de proposer une intrigue légère et distrayante.

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, A LOT! And how could I not? There were so many delightful moments, so many comical moments and a dog called Fluffy! I loved the mystery thriller element and the spectacularly concealed "who dunit" The suspects were scooting around my head and I started grasping at one after another, convinced it was "her", discarding "her", convinced it was "him" until my brain was " catching and releasing" suspects, much like a fisherman, only to have me go back to suspect one, them two, then...yeah, Ms Medina kept me on my toes, dangling the would be suspects under my nose and promptly snatching them away all over again! It so added to the intrigue! But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me begin from the beginning. A beginning that immediately plunged me into the thick of it, a dead body in a bath would do it.

A rather naive witch, mediocre in magic, lands her dream job, running her own little shop, brewing and selling tea and of course, portions, serving both humans and supernaturals. Except, patrons are few and far between, almost non existent and she needs to make a success of the shop or it will be taken from her. Moving to a new town is challenging enough but when everyone practically ignores you, looking at you with suspicion, yeah, not so great. Ok, so, dead person in the bath.. well, this person keeps appearing and disappearing, so who believes you? Why, no one! Then there's this mysterious man with 2 dogs, and there's the rather scathingly abrupt manager of the shop next door, yeah, great welcome committee! Thankfully for Hope, that's our naive witch, has a friend, Vicky, who's so exuberant and a great friend..... Oh how I loved seeing her bumbling about, and slowly showing her mettle, yes, there's a very strong backbone there, and I loved her daily affirmations, after all, Gran told her how important positive thinking is....

Now Ian, mystery guy with the dogs, is unapproachable, stoic and full of his own issues but hey, he's really a cool dude, once he allows the shutters to be opened.... love how unexpectedly he comes to Hope's aid, yeah cool dude! And there's Dru...her abrasive manner is so comical at times, I wasn't sure if she was friend or foe, but I was pleasantly surprised at what she actually was. I loved Vicky's character, so much fun, ALL of her.

In fact, this book WAS fun, a delightful easy read but with a whole lot of mystery and mayhem, of hidden truths, of a maybe brewing romance, of conviction in what is right. I'm always rooting for the underdog and Hope had my full support! She might not be very powerful, she might be out of her depth, she might be naive and trusting but she's a whole lot of sass, determination and all round awesome! I'm so looking forward to cheering her on in the next book!

[Reah N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read was lots of fun.

Hope is a witch. A good witch. She's been given a shop, which is her dream come true (also her Grandma's dream). Very quickly she discovers that someone is sabotaging her. She finds a dead body in her bathtub (it disappears when the police come), gets a bunch of negative reviews (but they're all from the same day) and is threatened by customers of the previous owner, who want their dark magic potions, which she is determined not to do. She's in over her head. She can't ask for help, though, not unless she wants to lose her shop. What would Grandma say?

Hope was a great character. I loved how she was a specifically weak witch, and despite that, she still believed in herself and managed to keep herself safe. Her relationship with Ian was sweet as well, if a bit quick. (And, he's also the most likely candidate for a love interest in future books in the series). Her positive attitude throughout was also great, as well as her determination to stay away from dark magic even when it would've been easier to just give in.

I'm curious to see where this goes.

Recommended for fans of urban fantasy.

Note on the series: this was like a more mature version of the Dragon Chained and Guild of Secrets. Somewhere between YA and NA. Both because Hope was an adult, and not a teenager, though her thoughts around Ian definitely were emotional and all over the place at times, and because the romance went a bit further than the other two YA series (as of book 4, it's gotten suggestive and heated but no further than kisses and desire for more, once with him undressed after he shifts). Also the dark magic and frequent murders help give it a darker tone, too.

Content:
Language. Dark magic. Murder. Blood. A few graphic stories of witches murdering. Both Hope and Ian are illegitimate.
Some minor innuedo.

[Lupi_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Overall thoughts: It could have been better, I liked the general idea of the book, and the plot was great.

This book follows Hope - a witch who lives off soda- who got the opportunity to run a teashop (that didn't sell a single tea bag during the whole book, just kept giving free cookies and drinks) after an old lady used to run it before she died. But upon arrival, she discovers a body in the tub. So being the "good" witch she is, she sets on the quest of finding the culprit along with her neighbor Dru and the very brooding and charming bounty hunter Ian.

What I liked: The particularity in the book was brilliant, I always love urban fantasy books because most of them have this secret society of supernatural communities that hosts all sorts of supernatural creatures. I adored that part, and I hope we get introduced to more species in the next book as well

What I didn't like: I think it was too bland, there wasn't enough flavor in it. And frankly, the ending was kind of predictable. I thought I was in for a huge revelation but sadly my theory was true (I mean it was waving at you with a neon sign), so that was a bit of a letdown. I almost didn't want to finish reading because it was kind of boring, it didn't have those elements that keep you hanging on every word. Some parts of the book felt unnecessary and didn't add anything to the plot (I'm guessing it has got something to do with the next book. I'm not sure)

Also, I felt disappointed because there wasn't any practical magic, I went thinking there would be some spell casting and people throwing things at each other or even maybe a wand, but alas.
The ending was ambiguous and left us on a cliffhanger (which I admit is my fault because we were warned beforehand). And this book in particular, is serving as the filler book for the next one which I hope would be a romance between Ian and Hope because this one had no romance in it.

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBOX contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

It isn’t every day that a low ranked young witch gets to take over a witch’s shop, but our MC is determined to make the most of the opportunity. If only her first ever rating wasn’t 1-star!

This has a cozy, fun opening, as our MC uses self affirmation rather than spells to calm her nerves, laying her hands on her grandma’s spell book as she recovered from the disappointment of her first ever review.

She’s only got 6 months to make her shop work, or it will go to another witch. Whatever is she going to do?

Our 1st-person pov narration does a wonderful job of introducing us to the MC and world of Good Bad Witch. She’s trying to look on the bright side as she wakes herself up for another day minding her shop.

She has a cherished friend. She has a mostly positive outlook, despite her anxieties, and that’s good, because it sounds like she has her work cut out for her.

This opening, in a word, is charming. It’s focused, but patient, engaging without coming on too strong, easy to read without being flat footed, and it takes care to introduce the reader to the bounds of magic in this world of witches and mages.

I won’t spoil the surprise at the end of chapter 1, but suffice it to say if it wasn’t for my other obligations, I would love to spend all day reading this. I HAVE to find out what happens next. I’m IN!