Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair

Clover Lake #3

by Ashley Herring Blake

Legacies and hearts collide when a woman embarks on a film project about an extraordinary family’s rich history in this bewitching romance by USA Today bestselling author Ashley Herring Blake.

Sasha Sinclair is used to being alone. Her parents, successful documentary filmmakers, died in a car accident three years ago, leaving her with a legacy she’s been unable to live up to. Instead, she spends her time with casual hookups and odd jobs as she travels around the country. But she can’t stop thinking about her parents’ dream project and is determined to make it a the story of Alice Bishop in Clare Mountain, North Carolina.

Margot Bishop is not a witch, contrary to the town’s century-long suspicion about her family. When her ancestor Alice Bishop showed up to Clare Mountain in 1901 and opened Thornrose Apothecary, the town was flummoxed by this strange enigma of a woman, calling her the Rose Witch. Now, the Bishops also run Ghostlight, an occult-themed amusement park that fully leans into the rumors.

Despite the draw of the Rose Witch and the haunted Thornrose Woods where Alice had lived, however, the Bishops’ businesses aren’t doing well. When Margot’s mother comes up with a solution—a documentary film about their family—Margot can’t get on board, not when her family’s legacy is at stake. Even worse, she’s deemed the point person for Sasha, the charming, peppy wannabe-filmmaker. But as they spend more time together, diving deeper into the true story of Alice Bishop, the ice slowly melts and their relationship turns into a heart-fluttering rollercoaster ride, one they aren’t sure they want to get off.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Queer, Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Audible Audio

Expected publication September 29, 2026

About the author

Ashley Herring Blake is a reader, writer, and mom to two boisterous boys. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching and loves coffee, arranging her books by color, and cold weather. She is the author of the young adult novels Suffer Love, How to Make a Wish, and Girl Made of Stars (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), the middle grade novels Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James, and Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea (Little, Brown), and the adult romance novels Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail (Berkley). Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World was a Stonewall Honor Book, as well as a Kirkus, School Library Journal, NYPL, and NPR Best Book of 2018. Her YA novel Girl Made of Stars was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @ashleyhblake and on the web at www.ashleyherringblake.com. She lives in Georgia.

Reviews

[Isabel Sterling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had everything I love about an Ashley Herring Blake romance: quippy dialogue, nuanced characters, a rich community of queer characters, and plenty of spice. This time, though, we ALSO got a teeny tiny dash of a speculative element (a family of possible witches, unexplained ghosty voices, and flowers that bloom out of nowhere) which, of course, means I LOVED IT!

Sasha's experiences of grief were so relatable (even if very different from my own), and I loved how Ashley wove the main love story alongside the story of Margot's ancestors. It may be my favorite of the series?? It's so so good.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading advance copies of books means you’re always a little out of step with the season. So this crisp fall breeze of a novel feels slightly strange in May, but only because it’s making me crave cozy sweaters, bright leaves, and a mug of cider.

This is a bit of a departure for Blake, as there’s some possibly witchy magic mixed in with her usual blend of small town found family and queer friendship. Like everyone else reading the Clover Lake series, I’ve been waiting for cocky but sweet bartender Sasha to get her own book, and this did not disappoint.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've really loved all of Blake's other books, but this one just didn't work for me. I honestly skimmed a lot of this. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but this one just kind of bored me.

Sasha has been a wanderer since her parents died. They were documentarians and there was one story they sought and were never able to tell: the Bishop witches. Now Sasha has been able to convince them to let her tell their story. But she'll have to convince Margot Bishop, the biggest holdout.

[“nora” · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

[Salena · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rating!