Curse Me Maybe: A Cozy Fantasy Romance

by Brittany Kelley

Second chance romance meets cozy witchcraft in a town where magic won’t save you, but love just might.

I’ve always known what’s coming — and that’s always been my curse.
I run a candy shop in a picturesque coastal town and live in my family’s big magical Victorian house with my three sisters. It sounds idyllic, and sometimes it almost is. My magic brings comfort through sweet things, small joys, and moments that make people smile.

But there’s an edge to it.

I have visions, and they never bring anything but trouble. The harder I try to block them out, the worse they get, until every glimpse of the future feels like my responsibility to fix. Now the house is acting up too, the magic it’s held for years straining and slipping, while the future I’m desperate to ignore refuses to stay out of my dreams.

Those visions are why I let Caleb Mercer go. He was my first love, and the one person I didn’t trust myself not to hurt. Now he’s back, living in the lighthouse that shaped him while grieving the uncle he lost. He’s steady, quiet, and infuriatingly good at standing exactly where he’s needed. Being near him again makes it impossible to pretend I have everything under control.
Loving Caleb again might mean choosing without knowing what comes next.

Curse Me Maybe is a standalone, witchy and cozy small town romance in a new series — with spice, nosy neighbors, and about finding yourself and the people you love.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2026

Reviews

[JordsReadingTales · Rating 4 out of 5]

How gorgeous is this cover?!😍 This was such a fun cozy romantasy that I read in just a few hours.

I’m absolutely obsessed with Caleb, he is the ultimate sweetheart with a golden retriever energy. I loved all 4 sisters and their banter. The talking familiars had me laughing out loud because they were just full of sass.

This was the perfect cozy second chance romance that left me swooning.

If you love: witches, magic, small town romantasy, second chance romance - definitely pick this one up!

[Katie Gullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC REVIEW*

Very cozy, mild stakes fantasy romance! Not my typical speed but the cover is gorgeous and I couldn’t pass it up!

There is a bit of spice but it’s mostly fade to black (little (if any) explicit language). The setting, story, and town are cute. I hope Caleb and Ivy are significantly shown throughout the rest of the series. I’d like to see how their relationship progresses.

(Rating is rounded up)

A special thanks to Lauren at Love Match and Brittany for the ARC!

[Romance_book_obsessed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Brittany for this ARC 🫶🏻

Ivy’s small town has a dark magic looming. Ivy and her sisters are witches, but no one knows. When Ivy’s ex, Caleb, moves back to town she knows her feelings for him are endless. He never knew her family’s secret and she doesn’t know if she can trust him.

Caleb has never stopped loving Ivy. When he finally learns her secret, he wants to prove he’ll stick around.

This is a cozy magical romance with a cute familiar and low spice

[Randee Norton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you LBC and the author for an ARC
Very VERY low stakes, witchy romance
It was almost was too low stakes. I felt like I didn’t see a point in the story, character or plot driven. The romance is second chance and they resolve what separated them to begin with on the first 30%. The plot points were quickly addressed, almost rushed and over looked. It was too fast pace to the point I had no interest

[Sarah | Sarahs.BookCorner · Rating 3 out of 5]

✩3

✦What to Expect✦
•Second chances
•Small town
•Mutual pining
•Found family
•Magical house
•A MMC wearing sl-tty little glasses
•Cozy magical small towns
•Rom-com vies
•Eldest daughter rep

✦Characters✦
•Caleb Mercer
•Ivy Romantic

✦Thoughts✦
I was excited for some Practical Magic vibes because I am always here for some witchy/magical vibes in books.

This is a quick & easy read. Will keep you on your toes & intrigued.

The banter between the sisters was fun, also I very much enjoyed Gunner lol.

If you want a cute cozy read, then you should check this one out!

[onlyhereforthehea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curse Me Maybe is a cozy, witchy love story that feels light and easy, with just enough magic to keep things interesting.

This is the first in a new series, The Small Town Romantics, set in the adorable seaside town of Silverlight Shore, where the Romantic sisters live, work, and practice a little magic. This story follows Ivy, who, while out on a run with her hilarious canine familiar, Gunner (who honestly steals the show), unexpectedly runs into her ex, Caleb.

But Caleb isn’t just any ex. He’s her first and only love, the one she let go because she was afraid. Afraid he would never truly know her, or worse, that he would and her magic would only bring heartbreak.

What follows is a mix of small town mystery and second chance romance, as the Romantic sisters try to figure out what’s going wrong in their town, while Ivy finds herself slipping back into old feelings for Caleb.

Overall, this was a really cute, easy read that I enjoyed. The cozy vibes, the cute familiars and the touches of magic were really fun, and the romance felt like the perfect addition. There’s a little bit of steam, but overall, I consider this pretty much closed door.

I do think I would’ve rated it a bit higher if there had been a little more depth and development in certain areas. Overall, it was still such a charming, feel good read that I genuinely enjoyed spending time with. The world and characters have a lot of potential and I’m definitely curious to see where the rest of the series goes.

If you’re looking for a low angst, quick read with a cozy magical touch and a lot of heart, this is definitely one to pick up 🤍

✨ I received an ARC for this book. Thank you to Brittany and Love on the Line for the opportunity to read and review.

[The Unrepentant Bookaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the makings of a peak cosy, witchy small-town romance, and it had so many elements that could have made this a five-star read for me.

Ivy is a witch, but her magic manifests through her specially made candies. When a chance encounter forces her to work with her ex-boyfriend of ten years, she has no choice but to reveal her secret — and the real reason she pushed him away all those years ago. Alongside her three sisters and their sassy familiars, she’s thrown into a race to uncover the past, stop her visions of the future from coming true, and, quite casually, negotiate with a kraken.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and it ticked a lot of my trope boxes. The cosy small-town vibes, witchy sisters, second-chance romance — it should have been a complete win for me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as gripped as I’d hoped to be. I did find that some of the details and descriptions were repeated a bit too often, which disrupted the flow of the plot for me and pulled me out of the story at times.

Overall, I did enjoy it, and it was a fun, cosy read — just not one that completely swept me away the way I wanted it to.

[Unnamednonsense · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow I read this fast! I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, so I decided to read outside my normal genre to switch gears. The gear that I switched was reading a cozy fantasy for once.

As not the biggest cozy fantasy lover, I can’t say that I was obsessed with this book, but it did keep me wildly entertained. The stakes weren’t very high, but the town is full of a cast of characters I don’t soon forget. The town reminded me of a mix of The Truman Show and Wanda Vision but modern, and with a dash of What Lies Beneath sprinkled in.

This book has a golden retriever mmc done right. He’s just the right amount of protective while bending over backward for our girl. The second chance romance was executed so well, especially considering how sweet our mmc is.

This book was what I needed for my slump. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a fast, cute, romantic read with great family-centered character (I loved the fmc’s sisters!).

Thank you very much to Lobe on the Line for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kellie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute second chance romance with a magical twist.


Ivy, owns a sweet shop in the town of Silverlight Shores. She, along with her 3 sisters have magic and familiars who talk and have cute dialogue throughout the story.

The book starts with Ivy feeling something has changed in the air and is surprised to see that her ex is back in town and the magic that was put in place as a ward for their town seems to be broken. Her sisters must work together to replace the ward to help protect the people
of Silverlight Shores.


I was hooked from the beginning, but then it seemed rushed and had a lot of unnecessary dialogue between the two main characters.


I felt their story and relationship was a little rushed but I loved the descriptive language to describes town and magic that she felt. I loved Gunner and how he protected her.


Thank you to the author and Lauren from Literary Love On The Line for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Traci_reads_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable cozy magical mystery tale. Ivy lives in Silverlight Shore, which is set along the ocean in a quirky and friendly coastal town (she has visions). Caleb, her first love comes back to town (he has so many green flags, I couldn't keep track), and their obvious pining for each other is so palpable even the fish are rolling their eyes. The thing is that Ivy and her sisters do magical things. Their talking familiars are so adorable. They live in a magic Victorian house that cleans itself, Ivy encounters a talking Kraken, oh and Octopi come and help with clean up at Ivy's candy store when a storm passes through.

This is super funny, super swoony and great characters. Ivy and Caleb can handle anything together and the sisters are great supporting cast members. Can't wait to see what shenanigans the next books get them into.

[Kelly Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for the definition of a cozy fantasy romance, congrats...you’ve found it.

Curse Me Maybe delivers exactly what you’d expect! Think charming small-town vibes, a second chance romance that feels soft and genuine, and an MMC who has that soft, golden retriever energy we all love (Caleb Mercer, I adore you).

This is a quick, easy read that keeps things low on angst and high on all the good stuff: cozy, cute, swoony, and genuinely funny. It’s the kind of book you curl up with when you just want to feel good.

I absolutely lovvvedd the talking familiars, they added such a fun, whimsical layer to the story and honestly stole a few scenes for me.

If you’re in the mood for witchy vibes and a love story that feels like finding your way home again, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you to the author for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

[OM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy Romantasy 🎵🎶

If you’re in the mood for low-stakes magic and sweetness, then look no further than Curse Me Maybe. A cute series about a small town with four magical sisters. The magic system created was super interesting and unique.

Ivy and Caleb also added a dash of second chance, and Caleb was so Golden Retriever coded. This book is a magical, quick journey about second chances, family, and love.

If you’re looking for a cute, fast read, then this is for you.

[Becca :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy little witchy small town read with a second chance romance and a whole lot of banter! This read was one of those feel good short and sweet books that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. With a subplot of eldest sibling self discovery amongst a family of three other sisters, it’s slightly emotional in all the best ways.


I cannot WAITTT for the next books following all the rest of the three sisters !!!!

[Autumn Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever watched Barbie Dreamhouse? ( I think thats the barbie show my kiddo watches lol) Curse Me Maybe reminds of that tv show but more for adults and fantasy lovers. I absolutely had such fun reading this! It was choatic, cute and so fun to read!

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW:
This is such a cute quirky book! I absolutely love Brittany’s witchy romances and this was no different. Caleb and Ivy are a delightful second chance story with a bit of conflict about what’s happening in their town. I cannot wait to read more about this town and family!!

[Cristina]

DNF this at %30! I did not like the way everything was evolving! It was too fast and there was barely any depth to the story

[Zehra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC

Book was such a sweet and cozy second chance romance. It was warm, comforting, and engaging from start to finish I honestly couldn’t put it down.