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 Blair Mountain, North Carolina.

Margot Bishop is not a witch, despite the town’s century-long suspicion about her family. When her ancestor Alice Bishop showed up to Blair 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, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published 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

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads]

Wow. Normally, I tend to struggle with AHB’s writing style, but this one was damn good.

This book felt different, and I liked it. It had a little bit of a creepy element to it which I haven’t seen from AHB in the books that I’ve read, and it’s not just about the budding romance between the two MC’s, but also about grief, found family, the witch trials and the pain women went through, and star crossed lovers.

After I read April Evans (and was kind of disappointed) I knew we would see Sasha’s story at some point, but I was nervous to see how this one would go.

Some things were a little cheesy such as Sasha being a “typical” masc with a big sly ego, or certain other scenes (have to keep the mystery), but I was pleasantly surprised many other times!

Sasha and Margot’s dynamic was such a nice surprise. I love a good sexy librarian look, and Margot ended up being my absolute favorite character.

The added history of Margot’s ancestor made the story feel more filled and flowed great. It was like we got to learn about two love stories in one book.

I also love the little scavenger hunt of finding the title somewhere in the story, it’s one of my favorite parts of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the ARC!

[lexie]

this was the best of the series by far! the salem witch trials are my personal special interest and to see that explored in a sapphic contemporary romance was amazing. i thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two closed off women go from a mutually string-free relationship to slowly falling for each other! they never hit a conflict they couldn’t work through and this was also a veryyy steamy read!

[megan ◡̈]

peace love gay witches!!!

[Ali Graham]

I love you Sasha and I loved this book what beautiful fun witchy gay vibes

[Mai H.]

Pride TBR

Valentine's Day TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley

[Shannon]

This was the absolutely PERFECT Sapphic fall strangers to lovers romance that sees Sasha Sinclair, a Butch filmmaker travelling to small town North Carolina to film a documentary about Alice Bishop aka the 'Rose Witch' of Stone Mountain, and her descendants. One such descendant, is Margot Bishop, an uptight bisexual woman who wants no part in the documentary initially but can't help being drawn to Sasha and her magnetic charm.

Their chemistry is off the charts, there's lots of great one bed/one tent moments, an intriguing mystery between Alice and her lover in the past that unravels through a series of letters Margot and Sasha find, beautiful female friendships and TONS of spice. I also liked the link to the Salem Witches and how timely this story is in a time when queer people are increasingly made to feel unwelcome to be out without consequences.

Excellent on audio with super fun cameos from past characters in the series. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. Easily my favorite book in the series and one I will be raving about. A great choice for Sapphic September readers.

CW: death of parents (car accidents) in past

[Nikki]

Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair is my first read by Ashley Herring Blake and I will be diving more into her backlist after this. I really liked the idea of filming a documentary on this misunderstood family and learning more about their history as well as queer history. I also really enjoyed the perspective of the eldest daughter who's protective over the family as a whole. I think where this story faltered for me was how forced proximity this was and also how the plot itself unfolded. I wanted more of each FMC doing the thing they're setting out to do, and less of the side quest-ish feeling forced proximity. I liked a lot of this story, but I felt like I'm still left wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this story.

[Mary Gael]

ARC copy - thank you NetGalley for access to the advanced copy!

Perfect lightly magical story! While this is a sapphic romance it also really about queer relationships and how they shape your family and community, and the ways in which queer women have been negatively portrayed historically. Ashely Herring Blake is a romance expert and this one DID have me kicking my feet and giggling. I love women who love women. And loved the queer found family element here - more please!

[Chenoa]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This was a good book. I really enjoyed finding out about Margots ancestry and history, and it really tied the story together. This one was a little more spooky with the witchy elements, and I loved that. Overall, I have really liked this series as a whole, and at some point I will probably go back and read the authors other series.

[Jasmine]

I loved the documentary aspect of this story, especially with the connection to the Salem witch trials. Not only did we follow Sasha and Margot’s love story, but we saw the love story of great great great grandmother. This novel is full of grief, heartache, found family, and bringing to light queer relationships that were once hidden. I think this might be my favorite of the series. I also loved seeing the characters from the authors other romance books.

[Michelle’s Library]

Hell yeah, gay witches.

[jen]

my fave ahb in a WHILE! i loved the romance and i loved the spookiness!! so fun!!!!

[Brenda Marie]

This book is just perfection - I haven't read other books in the series but still enjoyed the supporting characters and updates about their lives.
Witchy elements - perfection!
Romance - perfection!
Banter and tension - perfection!
Sexy - perfection!

Ashley always knocks it out of the park - but this one is just perfection!

[Katherine]

3.5 ⭐

A crimson rose. And a tangerine California poppy.

Sasha Sinclair has been chasing a fresh start since her parents died three years ago. When a perfect filmmaking opportunity presents itself, Sasha jumps at the chance to stop running from her grief and honor her parents in the truest way she knows.

Margot Bishop’s spent her entire life in a small town surrounded by mocking whispers and haunted by her family’s reputation. She’s used to being the steady, reliable one, but even she can’t find a way out of her family’s money troubles. After Sasha reaches out about a documentary project, the Bishops agree in an effort to alleviate their financial burdens, much to Margot’s dismay. As stubborn as ever, Margot affirms it her personal mission to make Sasha’s job impossible.

Sasha and Margot’s professional clashing blurs the lines quite quickly into something more carnal. A pull they can’t deny encourages the duo to explore their innate sexual compatibility. Insatiability turns soft as the documentary work deepens and their vulnerability comes to the forefront. Navigating their unique dynamic sparks a newness in each of them that’s quite compelling to explore.

Ashley Herring Blake’s “Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair” explores how close-minded bigotry can intersect with homophobia, misogyny, and the endlessly frustrating laziness of people rejecting those they don’t understand. A town resistant to accept an independent, passionate single mother back in the early 1900s caused generational trauma to bleed through to each Bishop woman. While the narrative is filled with heaps of hope and pathways for change, the commentary of how isolating ostracization can be really is striking. Queerness and yearning, guilt and grief all intertwine for the complexity of legacy. A matching set of intricate legacies that Sasha and Margot learn to navigate and accept together.

While the base storyline was super intriguing, there was a lot of untapped potential here. Narrative directions were chosen that led to safer, more superficial exploration of topics rather than delving into them on a deeper level. It was quite frustrating to see more interesting aspects left unexplored. Additionally, Margot’s voice in particular did not feel appropriate for her age. If she had not said that she was 35, I truly would’ve never guessed her age being anything above 26. As a result of that discrepancy, there was a disconnect between her actions and thoughts with her actual maturity level.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the arc!

[Michi Evans]

Thank you to Berkley for an ARC in exchange for this review.

This was absolutely my favorite book in the Clover Lake series, which doesn't surprise me because i LOVED getting to know Sasha in the previous book and was so excited for her book.
This is also the PERFECT fall read - it's full of Northeast fall atmosphere, intense witchy vibes and steamy chemistry. I loved the history Blake wove through Sasha and Margot's story through the lens of the Bishop family history. Acknowledging the challenges of the queer experience through history and I particularly loved the way Blake used that history as a catalyst to repair Sasha and Margot amidst the third act break. I think Sasha working on the documentary about Margot's ancestor Alice and all the reserach and and work going into that really expanded the overall world in this final installment of Clover Lake and is part of what moved it to the top of my list.
I also loved that Blake allowed for a bit of actual magic to tiptoe its way through this book, some of which could be explained away through logic but some standing as inexplicable miracles. In the midst of hard conversations about the challenges of queerness in history it allowed a touch of whimsy that kept the book feeling warm and lighthearted.
Also the CHEMISTRY between Sasha and Margot was a delight, the sort of push and pull between them and the constant 'i don't even like you' really worked for me between the two of them.
and not for nothing but in a year where i keep complaining about Chekhov's strap i'll just say that this book delivered for me.

i can't wait to see what Blake will write next!

[Tiffany ✨️ Bergamot Book Reviews]

4.5 rounded up

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the complementary advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I unabashedly loved this book. It isn't often that I find the chance to read a purely sapphic romance, and this one pulled me in hard. Sasha is the masc lesbian of your dreams. Just a total babe with swagger, charming smiles, and a carabiner (obviously). Margot is the soft, librarian-esque bisexual femme with a heart of gold and walls of pure steel. Together they were rife for frustration, hurt feelings, denial and pain, and underneath it all the sweetest sense of belonging.

I loved the tension of Margot wanting to protect her families secrets, while also drowning in having to hold herself so tightly together. With Sasha trying to live out her parents dreams, while stifling her own heart by always being on the run. The dual thread of figuring out Margot's historic family love story, all while they found their own was so perfect. I loved how fully it showcased feminism, queer rights and how long and hard we've fought for crumbs of acceptance, and how judgmental and harsh small southern towns can be.

This novel was a journey, and I loved how deeply we got to see both leads feel as they found their way to each other, and chose love- even when it was scary.

[Courtney]

There were aspects of this that were a bit too cheesy for me but I loveeee a femme top/masc bottom dynamic

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter]

3.5⭐️

This was a fun read. I got the audiobook ALC through the PRH Audio influencer program as I was looking for something cozy and autumnal. So that’s not what this is really at all.. but it’s not the first time a cover sucked me in and I didn’t read the description very well.

That being said it was an enjoyable time. It doesn’t have that spooky season vibe

[j.j.]

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the Advanced Reader Copy!

I’ve been feeling a little wary of Herring Blake’s “Clover Lake” series, as I had felt that it wasn’t giving me what I really loved about the previous trilogy. However, this one really won me back. I loved the context of this meet-cute. I loved both MCs finding their voice and working through their pasts to find each other more authentically. I found myself swept up in the romance of it all. The rose and poppy in the ending scene? Absolutely gave me those romcom butterflies. I did enjoy the unlikely historical B-plot of Alice and Rose, though I knocked a star off for historical inaccuracies and the letters/journal entries that did not read at ALL like they were written in circa 1901. I mean, that was laughable. Overall, though, this is my favorite book in this series. It’s a very good cozy autumn read, great to read around Halloween. Would recommend picking up a copy this fall!

[Jeimy]

Ashley Herring Blake has always excelled at writing characters who are searching for where they belong, and Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair may be one of her strongest explorations of that theme yet. At its heart, this is a story about legacy. Margot Bishop has spent her entire life haunted by her family’s legacy in Clare Mountain, a town that has spent generations mythologizing the Bishop women. Meanwhile, Sasha Sinclair has spent the last three years trying to outrun the grief left behind by the death of her parents, never staying in one place for long and avoiding anything that might require her to put down roots. When she decides to take on the documentary project her parents always dreamed of making about the Bishops, she believes she is honoring their legacy. Instead, she finds herself becoming part of one. What unfolds is also a story about what happens when people stop running and allow themselves to want things. For Margot, that means loosening her grip on a carefully structured life, giving herself permission to explore her sexuality in a way that goes beyond casual hookups, as well as opening up and telling her story. For Sasha, it means opening herself up to being seen and loved after a lifetime shaped by movement and impermanence. The door to her heart may have cracked open when she became friends with April Evans, but it is the Bishops who ultimately show her that the rewards of love and family outweigh the risks that come with caring deeply for someone.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the way Blake weaves generations of queer women into the Bishop family history. Alice Bishop’s story—and her relationship with Rose Halyard—forms the emotional backbone of the documentary, but the novel never treats queer history as something confined to the distant past. The family tree is filled with women who loved women, resisted expectations, and carved out lives for themselves despite the limitations of their times. I especially loved learning about Birdie’s history: how her mother took her to the 1963 March on Washington, protested Jim Crow, and advocated for desegregation, experiences that shaped Birdie into the outspoken advocate she becomes later in life; which includes her speaking out against book bans in front of the school board she ws once a part of.

The novel repeatedly returns to the idea of “queer women trying to make it in a world that was not made for them,” and the power of that theme is evident when Margot and Sasha dance together at the town’s Halloween celebration. Margot reflects on how Alice and Rose never had the opportunity to share a moment like this publicly, while Sasha thinks about all the queer people whose resistance and sacrifices made that dance possible. It is a beautiful scene, but it is also quintessential Ashley Herring Blake: deeply romantic while remaining conscious of the larger history surrounding her characters. Blake has an incredible talent for crafting moments that land with emotional force, and there were several passages that made me stop reading just to sit with them. The one that hit me hardest was Adeline’s heartfelt acknowledgment of what Margot had been carrying all these years. Her reminder that Margot deserves not only strength but softness—deserves to hurt, cry, and fall apart when she needs to—felt like something every queer child wishes they could hear from a parent. Reading that scene during my lunch break was a mistake because I had only a few minutes to pull myself together before returning to work.

I also had a great time with the romance itself. Blake clearly delights in allowing Margot to explore parts of herself she has never fully embraced, and the intimacy between Margot and Sasha reflects that sense of discovery. Their chemistry feels playful, warm, and rooted in trust, and I appreciated that Blake gave them room to experiment and have fun together. The only portion of the novel that pulled me out of the story was the inevitable breakup. Miscommunication is one of my least favorite romance tropes, and Sasha knowingly says the one thing she understands will hurt Margot the most. Even so, the aftermath allows both characters space to grow, and that growth ultimately makes their reconciliation more satisfying. If I have one lingering complaint, it is that I could have done without the final chapter set a year later. What I was most curious about was the long-term impact of the documentary on the Bishops, Thornrose Apothecary, and Ghostlight. I wanted to know how Clare Mountain responded to the truths that were uncovered and whether the film changed the family’s fortunes. Still, that is a relatively small quibble in a novel that gave me so much to think about and feel. By the end, I found myself reflecting on grief, family history, queer resilience, and the courage it takes to stop running long enough to build a life with other people.

[Amber D’Ambrosio]

Ashley Herring Blake remains firmly planted on my auto-buy, auto-read, auto-"cancel my plans because I have priorities" list, and Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair is exactly why. The woman simply refuses to miss. Give me sapphic romance, complicated family dynamics, a cozy small town with suspiciously witchy vibes, and emotionally unavailable women learning to communicate, and I am already sold.

I have been waiting for Sasha's book ever since she swaggered into the Clover Lake series, and I am thrilled to report that she was absolutely worth the wait. Sasha and Margot had fantastic chemistry from the start, and I loved watching their relationship develop alongside the mystery surrounding the Bishop family and the legend of the Rose Witch. Honestly, if someone offered me a trip to Clare Mountain, I'd pack my bags immediately. Cozy? Check. Magical? Check. Haunted by generations of queer women and family secrets? Even better.

One thing Ashley Herring Blake consistently does better than almost anyone else is write characters who are trying to figure out where they belong. Margot has spent her entire life carrying the weight of her family's legacy, while Sasha has basically made a career out of emotionally speed-running grief by never staying anywhere long enough to put down roots. Naturally, forcing these two into each other's orbit works out exactly how you hope it will.

The Bishop family completely stole the show. I loved how Alice and Rose's story was woven throughout the novel, and I especially appreciated that the book celebrates queer history without treating it like something frozen in the past. Every generation of Bishop women added another layer to the family's story, making it feel rich, emotional, and deeply lived in. The Halloween dance scene? Yeah... good luck getting through that one without getting a little emotional.

And then there's the romance. It was sweet, playful, and full of the kind of emotional intimacy Ashley Herring Blake writes so well. Watching Margot slowly let herself want more than the life she'd carefully planned for herself was incredibly satisfying, and Sasha finally allowing herself to be loved felt equally rewarding.

Now, would it even be a romance if there wasn't a breakup that made me want to lovingly shake both characters? Probably not. Miscommunication remains one of my least favorite tropes, and there was definitely a moment where I wanted to yell, "Absolutely not. We're using our words today." Thankfully, the payoff was worth it, even if I would've happily traded a little less third act drama for a little more time seeing how the documentary changed Clare Mountain and the Bishop family afterward.

At the end of the day, this book has everything I want from an Ashley Herring Blake novel: lovable characters, emotional depth, a romance worth rooting for, found family, queer joy, and just enough witchy folklore to make me wonder if I, too, should go open an apothecary in a tiny mountain town. If cozy sapphic romances are your thing, this one absolutely deserves a spot on your shelf.

[Caroline]

Well this complicated. First third I just loved the story, two women with strong complex personalities and back stories meet. Sasha is a film maker, Margot works in the struggling family business. Margot’s mum agrees to the film on the basis of Margot agreeing. Lots of arguments and misunderstandings, harsh words that i could tolerate as there was reasonable character development and explanations made. A back story of a couple thwarted in love in a time before gay people were accepted was a welcome focus but also sad because we do seem to be sliding backwards. The magical aspects were subtle and while i would have welcomed more what we did have was beautiful.
I also loved the last third again I loved the characters, some people’s behaviour was questionable but as they were a side character I tolerated it. I looked forward to reading and couldn’t put it down at the end. I was sad it finished and the characters stayed in my mind all day and even days after finishing. I can absolutely visualise the characters and the settings which is always a good sign. So these sections 5 ⭐️ for me.
Where, for me, it absolutely falls down, is the sex scenes, I have no problem with sex scenes. I’ve read erotic books and everything is pretty mainstream these days, think Bridgerton. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s two women so maybe is more explicit but I actually thing it’s not that, I think it’s one of the settings, a toilet, and one of the words, repeated in only one scene, I think, “tits” 🤢🤮 is definitely a very icky word for me. Now this might be a British thing, it just felt like another author came in and wrote these scenes. If it wasn’t an ARC I would have just skipped those scenes, usually books I read have one or maybe two scenes and I thought it would be over with soon but, well it felt like, there were lots. Now I do think sex in a book is very individual and very personal and what I find unpleasant could be something that others find a turn off. I think if you love the concept I think you could skip the more explicit scenes and whilst you would miss some of the power dynamics of the relationship you would still have a good understanding of the relationship. I did love the tone of sex positivity throughout the family and the wider characters of the book so decided only to drop 1 and it would not put me off reading more from this author.
The book is far better than the cover suggested, for me, there is excellent character development and so much romantic generational magic that was so charming. As I said Sasha and Margot absolutely are alive in my head as are the woods and the flowers, I’m missing details here to avoid spoilers but I loved the final touches with the flowers.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion.

[The Sapphic Nerd]

*** Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! ***

I had so much fun reading this that I hardly took any notes while reading. I just got on the ride and let it take me. The dialogue is quick and fresh. I didn't come across anything that made me cringe or roll my eyes. Most of the time, I was grinning. Some of the banter even made me chuckle out loud.

A lot of romances jump the gun, and the characters have sex right away. I enjoy that, too, if it makes sense for the story, but I absolutely love that this book edges us - more than once - before giving us more. It's teasing the audience that makes us obsess, and I am so here for it. And when it finally happens for real, we're treated to plenty of steamy scenes. In my opinion, we don't get enough dry humping/sex with clothes on in sapphic fiction. I am so glad we got this. It's a little kinky too, which is a pleasant surprise! Very beginner-friendly kink because it's something just first being explored by Margot, so don't be intimidated.

Because the book doesn't rush into the sex, I feel like we get more time for the characters to get to know each other (and also build up some of that delightful chemistry and sexual tension). We get to see that Sasha and Margot can match each other in snappy back-and-forth when they're sparring, but also in care and ability to relate to and understand each other. There's a bit of that Lady and the Tramp dynamic with Sasha's charm and Margot's hesitance to break the rules. Sasha is dealing with grief and learning she doesn't have to avoid her big feelings, and Margot is learning about who she is beneath everyone's expectations and the walls she's built to protect herself from a world she expects to be hurt by.

I'm happy to say the author's writing has improved as well. While I found Delilah Green sometimes relied too much on tropes, I didn't have that issue with Sasha Sinclair. I haven't read the previous books in this series, but it's not necessary to enjoy this. These side characters just make me curious about their stories, too.

This is a lovely fall romance read. Think sapphic Practical Magic with shared themes of family, romance, witches, and a little bit of magic. It's also about the historical experience of queer women and how it's changed over time. The characters are conscious of things like isolation, the wariness of witches, and homophobia in a small town, but they also live their own lives and have happiness. The Bishop women are unique from each other and full of life, and I adore seeing this matriarchal family interact. It's also about healing from trauma, identity, found family, and home. Sasha Sinclair is a delightful read.

[Jazelle]

Take a Chance, Sascha Sinclair Book Review 🦇

Do you believe in magic?❓

After Sasha Sinclair's parents, successful documentary filmmakers, died in a car accident three years ago, she's been trying to live up to their legacy and the dream project they never completed: the story of Alice Bishop, the Rose Witch, in Clare Mountain, North Carolina. The Bishops own Ghostlight, the town's occult-themed amusement park, and Thornrose Apothecary, run by Margot Bishop, and both businesses aren't doing well. Unfortunately, Margot isn't interested in an interloper (even one as charming as Sasha) controlling their family's narrative. Can they work together, or will their legacies (and hearts) collide in the process? 🦇

My Thoughts 🦇
Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair is my first Ashley Herring Blake sapphic romance, and it won't be my last. The first page will send a rushing wind to cool your summer-kissed skin, instantly inviting the crunch of fall leaves, the sweet cinnamon scent of pumpkin spice, and that goosebump-popping sensation of magic in the air. Blake excels at capturing that fall feeling, dumping you straight into Clare Mountain, NC, and inviting you in for a long stay.

Though this is more contemporary than fantasy, there's that lingering wonder from start to finish: what if? The small hints of magic (the magic we experience in our everyday lives as well fall in love, yes, but also something more, something inexplicable) add to the story's ethereal atmosphere.

As for the characters, Sasha Sinclair is one of those FMCs you'll instantly claim as a book girlfriend. She's smooth and charming, yes, but layered as well. Margot, on the other hand, is sexy, stubborn, and steadfast in her convictions, making them an opposites-attract pairing that crackles with tension and possibility. And their banter? Aces.

Though I haven't read the previous books in the Clover Lake trio, there's an instantaneous, undeniable, lock-and-key sensation as Margot meets the others: that only a queer found family can create. I adored meeting every character from the last two books, loved seeing their impact on Sasha and Margot, and felt like every member of the group complemented the other.

The generational legacy/trauma (because one certainly invites the other) is such a big part of the story that shouldn't be overlooked. It adds a layer to the story for both women: Sasha, trying to live up to her parents' legacy by bringing their dream project to life, and Margot, trying to define herself despite the haunting legacy a would-be witch left behind. Seeing both characters come into their own and recognize who they are outside of their family histories was absolutely stunning.

And Alice's story? A perfect mirror image to Sasha and Margot's. Stunning.

Recommended for fans of Learning Curves by Rachel Lacey and The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur. 🦇

The Vibes ✨
Insta Hate / Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy x Charming
Queer / Sapphic ( Bisexual / Lesbian )
Small Town Romance
Autumn / Spooky Season / Witchy
Dual POV
Only One Tent
Road Trip
No Strings Attached
Forced Proximity
Interconnected Standalone
Found Family
Generational Trauma/Legacy

Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #TakeaChanceSaschaSinclair 🦇

Quotes 💬
“I think sometimes people mistake my strength of invisibility. And I don’t think that’s what strength truly is."

[Audrey S]

Actual rating: 4.25 stars - rounded up because this is perfect October/Fall romance vibes and exactly what I was in the mood for
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Cozy settings and messy feelings is what the Clover Lake series promised and it is exactly what this series delivers. And I would happily devour this series all over again.
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In this third installment, Blake takes an ambitious direction - blending a surprising amount of paranormal while still keeping the story very much enmeshed in the real world. We also see the turmoil of Sasha’s trauma as she works to complete the documentary her parents never did, while also following Margot as she struggles in the corner she put herself in to keep herself safe from the rumours and mythos the townsfolk have attached to her family. (I also found myself heavily relating to Margot in a way that I should probably chat with my therapist about lol).
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I enjoyed every piece that Blake went into, but there was so much stuff to go through that the story felt a little cramped instead of fast paced at times. Though I did love the moments of literary B Roll, it was a great touch in Sasha’s POV lol. There is so much to explore in this book that I found fascinating that I would have loved for it to have room to breathe. While we do have to keep a contemporary romance under 400 pages, so much was packed in that the plot beats felt predictable because ‘of course’ it had to happen obviously for it to fit into the page count and, as a result, some plot points left me a little unsatisfied.
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But do not fret, the spice is most excellent and exceptionally hot - Margot and Sasha’s dynamic is sizzling and oh so delicious, even if we want to grab them by the shoulders and shake sense into them during some scenes.
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I would love to see Blake explore more paranormal (and, dare I hope, monster? 👀) romance, but while I know nothing about what her next project will be, I know for certain that I will be reading it.
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Hisses & Kisses 🐍
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*I received an eARC from Berkley & NetGalley and a finished copy from Berkley. All opinions are my own.*
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PS Note: ‘Pows’ and ‘Wows’ are mentioned in the acknowledgements of the finished copy but not the arc. I’ve never heard of this term but it seems quite similar to powwow which indigenous peoples have asked us not to use in a trivial manner. I feel as though this might have crossed a line, but I am white and so I will leave the call to indigenous reviewers who may or may not pick up this book. Just felt the need to flag it and perhaps learn more myself.

[Megan]

Even though I got this book many months ago, I decided to save it until it was closer to fall. And I'm glad I did because it had the perfect fall vibes. That being said, I was a little torn with how I felt about it.

My main and only true issue (though it was a fairly big one) was that I found it hard to like Margot for much of the book. She is far too hot and cold, and even if she had her reasons for being the way she was, she really needed to get over things or at least not take it out on those who had nothing to do with it. She treated Sasha terribly even though she didn't really do anything to deserve it. This wouldn't have been so bad if we got to know Margot a bit better with her family or friends or literally anyone so we could see she wasn't always an unlikable person. But most of her scenes were with Sasha, and even when she was with other people, she was still kind of hostile. If she'd just been fleshed out a little better or a little earlier, maybe I would have understood what Sasha saw in her. Because all of this just left me wondering how Sasha fell for her beyond just being physically attracted to her. Especially considering how fast she fell when, at the time, Margot didn't really have a lot of redeeming qualities. She did improve eventually, but her anger toward Sasha was so over the top in the beginning that I found it difficult to ever really love her as a character, though I did at least move out of disliking her.

Thankfully, I did like Sasha as a character throughout the whole book, and the two main characters had excellent chemistry, which is why I enjoyed the book as much as I did despite my feelings toward Margot. By the end, I was rooting for them as a couple, but I wish I’d cared a little earlier.

I also enjoyed most of the side characters, particularly the Bishops (especially Arden and Birdie) and Beatrice and Chloe, who I wish we had gotten more of. I also really liked the setting of Clare Mountain and would have liked to have seen even more of the town. And, of course, I loved the unraveling of Alice and Rose’s story, which I thought was very well done.

With the witchiness, a few paranormal elements, and the autumn in a small town setting, this is a perfect fall read.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[ellie jayne]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Piatkus for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the conclusion to the Clover Lake series, and getting to see Sasha finally get her happily ever after was everything I wanted for her. After getting glimpses of Sasha in the previous books, I loved finally getting to know her properly and understanding the person behind all the confidence and charm. There is so much more to Sasha than first meets the eye, and I really enjoyed seeing her work through her grief, her relationship with her family history and what she actually wants for her future.

And then there’s Margot. I’ll be honest, she annoyed me a little bit at first. Her walls were very firmly up, especially when it came to Sasha making the documentary about the Bishop family. But the more I read, the more I understood why she was so guarded. Watching those walls slowly come down as she and Sasha spent more time together, investigated the Bishop family history and inevitably started catching feelings was one of my favourite parts of the book.

I also loved the Bishop family storyline. The history surrounding Alice, Rose and the generations of women who came before Margot added so much to the story. The Rose Witch legend, the documentary and the mystery surrounding the Bishop family gave the book such a cosy, slightly spooky autumnal atmosphere.

I really enjoyed how the past and present stories came together and how the history of Alice and Rose added another layer to Sasha and Margot’s own story. It wasn’t just a romance about two women falling for each other, but also a story about grief, family, legacy, belonging and learning to let people in.

Sasha and Margot had great chemistry, but what I enjoyed most was watching them actually understand each other. They both had their own reasons for keeping people at arm’s length, and seeing them slowly become vulnerable with one another made their relationship feel much more meaningful.

This was such a cosy, witchy, autumnal romance with a brilliant family mystery running alongside it, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the series. Sasha deserved her happy ending and I was very happy to watch her get it.

[Serena]

Read This Book If…you’re still figuring out where you belong!

Legacies and hearts collide when a woman embarks on a film project about an extraordinary family’s rich history in this bewitching romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake

Genre: Queer romance
Series: Clover Lake # 3
Setting: small towns in NC, MA, NH
POV: dual, 3rd person, past tense
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes, kink introduction
Tropes: insta hate, forced proximity, one bed, road trip, no strings attached, “good girl”

My Thoughts:
What a lovely send-off to the Clover Lake crew! I wasn’t sure how this book was going to work since Sasha was just passing through in book 2, but I loooooved how it was handled!

Documentary maker Sasha is used to being on the move (one might say to the point of running away) and is happiest when alone. Or so she thought. Enter apothecary shopkeeper Margot and everything is flipped on its head.

All of AHB’s books have emotion, but this may have the most! Both ladies are struggling with the legacies placed upon them and haven’t quite found where they belong. The answer is, of course, together!

The witchy town of Clare Mountain was fun, although I would have loved even more scenes there. The cast of characters was very interesting, but I would have loved a Bishop family tree - there were a lot of ladies to keep track of!

The spice in this series has leaned kinkier than her previous books and I really enjoyed it! While this one didn’t get too far into that world, Margot is exploring her kinks for the first time and Sasha is more than willing to help.

While I wouldn’t classify this as a witchy or paranormal romance, there’s definitely a touch of magic and plenty of love!

Memorable Quote: “I think sometimes people mistake my strength of invisibility. And I don’t think that’s what strength truly is.”

Thank you to Berkley for my advance copy! This book will be available September 29!

[Parker]

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the free book.

Ashley Herring Blake weaves together a romance with current sapphic love while also exposing the heartbreak of women who loved women in the early 1900's. Sasha and Margot's relationship is the focus, but in her unique way the author was able to bring in themes of feminism, civil rights, and how people are treated if they don't comply with societal expectations.

What do you do when the only person standing in the way of achieving the documentary your family dreamed of producing is the woman you had sex with the night before?

Sasha comes to town to carry on her family legacy and make a film about the (in)famous Bishop family, where the lore is they are a family of witches. Margot is the current generation of Bishop's she runs the apothecary and despite her lineage, doesn't believe in sorcery.

The inclusion of the Salem Witch trials and how women, more than anyone else, were targeted. Not because they were actually magical, but because they provided answers or solutions to problems that weren't recognized by leaders (men). This helped to bring depth to the story and also give a reason why the Bishop family has always been feared, persecuted, yet also respected.

The Bishop family, and of course it is a matriarchy, is written with warmth and wisdom. I enjoyed how I discovered more of their history at the same time the characters did and had the opportunity to see how they reacted to each new piece of information.

I will say I liked Sasha more than Margot, who I just found overly suspicious of Sasha even though she did everything Margot asked, like the good girl she is.

If you are a fan of the two previous books in this series and enjoy AHB's style you'll fall right into Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair like your pulling on an old sweater before settling in with friends you haven't talked to for a bit.

Please take note of the trigger warnings as there are some heavy topics in the book.

[Lizzie]

I’m slowly catching up on Ashley Herring Blake’s sapphic romances, and when I saw she had an autumn-themed novel coming out I jumped at the chance to read it!

It didn’t disappoint; I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours, I was so hooked. Both Sasha and Margot were incredibly compelling characters in their own right, and combined, it was impossible to look away. Add in a wonderful supporting cast of family for Margot and friends for Sasha, and we’re onto a winner!

Sasha is a documentary film maker, which not only brings her to Blair Mountain in the first place, but her presence exposes some tensions and secrets in the Bishop family. I really enjoyed all of the storyline about Margot’s family and ancestors, and I loved how they wove into the main romance. There was also a little spooky twist, which was a lovely touch.

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Something I especially loved is how AHB played with femme/butch stereotypes. Sasha and Margot aren’t afraid to explore the dynamics between them, which was really fun and added an extra dimension to their relationship. Nothing about their relationship, from the way they met to the way their feelings developed, was conventional, but the chemistry was leaping off the page from the get-go. I also loved that, over the course of the novel, they both learned how to look after each other, what the other one needed, and how to be there for them.

This was such a wonderful romance, I was gripped the whole way through, and it’s the perfect way to kick off the autumn season. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a comfort re-read in the future!

I received a free copy for an honest review.