Bewitched by the Wicked Witch: The Bewitching Hour

by Riley Hunt

334 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2025

About the author

Riley Hunt is the pen name of Trish Beninato. She writes both adult and young adult fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal with a little romance and strong female leads that kick ass all on their own. She lives in Maryland currently, but who knows where she will end up next, even she doesn’t know. She holds a master’s in Education with an emphasis on Reading Literacy, but instead writes the literature she once sought to teach. She is a wine and coffee enthusiast who overindulges way too much. A proud nerd to the core, you’ll find Star Wars and Marvel characters littering the shelves of her office; which she uses influence from as she writes her stories

Reviews

[Bookish_Aly_Cat]

I had an absolute blast read this book. Full of witchy mystery, missing girls, and a talking familiar it’s like this book was written for me since it includes everything I love. It’s the perfect cozy, witchy season read.

[Lou G]

This was a second chance romance with a difference - not something I come across all too often. Throw in some paranormal mystery, missing girls, and a whole town turning against Sage, the so called “wicked witch,” and you’ve got a story that really stands out.

Despite years of bullying from the townspeople, Sage is determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on. But at the same time, she decides - you know what? after everything they’ve put her through, she might as well lean into the “villain” role they’ve cast her in and live up to the reputation.
She’s teamed up with her ex, now an investigator, and of course, unresolved feelings start to bubble to the surface.
There’s humour, banter, and an underlying tone of strength and resilience throughout. Some of the curses literally had me laughing out loud.

It’s a fun, humorous, drama-filled romance - what more could you need for a cosy read during Spooky Season.

[Adena Lee]

What happens when a reputed bad girl decides to live up to her reputation? Lots and lots of mayhem. This book can be best summarized by this line: "... Callum and I had settled into a routine that involved considerably more magical transportation and significantly fewer assassination attempts ...". I won't say more (because of danger of spoilers) but I found Sage and Callum to be wildly relatable in the way that Buffy and Angel are relatable (while being nothing like me). This was so fun to read!

I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy Monterrosa]

I had such a great time reading Bewitched by the Wicked Witch! The mix of magic and mischief made it a fun escape, and I found myself smiling at the characters more than once. It felt lighthearted but still kept me curious about what would happen next. Definitely a story I’ll remember fondly.