Alpha Magic

Halloween Witches #1

by Amelia Shaw

It’s just one little love spell. Who knew it would return so many guys…and problems.

With a fear of commitment and a history of avoiding guys, I decide to take matters into my own hands…with disastrous results. On Halloween night, I cast the perfect spell to call my soul mate, not expecting there’s actually more than one. And each with his own set of problems.

Now I have three wolf shifters all wanting to claim me: Jackson, the Alpha with a gorgeous face, muscular body, and a jealous streak a mile long; Billy, Jackson’s broody, bad boy cousin; and Darren part warlock, mostly wolf shifter, and all sweetheart. Sounds great…until you know the whole story.

See, wolf shifters aren’t exactly best friends with witches. I’m not sure why they hate us so much, but if this trio finds out I used magic to bring us together, how am I going to convince them what we feel is real? And not just the effects of the spell.

Practical Magic meets Twilight in this coming of age, reverse harem paranormal romance.

*** please note that this story was originally published in the boxset- Wicked Souls- but has been thoroughly edited again and has a new epilogue.

Genres: Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Witches, Fantasy, Romance, Magic, Paranormal Romance

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2021

About the author

Amelia Shaw looks like a good girl... but she's not.
She loves men... and sex... and all things fantastical.
Read her stories for paranormal romance with perfect men and imperfect women.
Fast paced, action packed and character driven stories with guaranteed happily ever afters...

Amelia writes more erotic stories under the pen name, Tamsin Baker , and historical romances under the pen name, Fiona Miers.

Reviews

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, for a short standalone reverse harem romance!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙🖤💜❤️💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌎
Character development: 😟🤭😤☺️🥰

The heroine: Ruby - she and her two best friends were witches. They were all born on the same day to women who were also best friends. All three of their mothers were abandoned by their fathers. They didn’t want to go through anything like their fathers did, so the girls had been planning for years to do a spell from Ruby’s grandmothers spell-book on their twenty first birthday, which happened to fall on Halloween. The spell called out to Fate for their one true love.

The Heroes: Jackson - he is an alpha wolf shifter who isn’t too happy when he sees Ruby and finds out she is his mate and is a witch no less. His human grandmother thinks it is a good thing since his pack is speciesist. She says the pack is too inbred and that is why they are seeing fertility issues.
Darren - a wolf shifter whose grandmother was a witch. He inherited some of her powers and he could tell that something wasn’t right lately.
Billy - he is also a wolf shifter and cousin to Jackson. He is in the same pack as Jackson and Darren, and he looks a bit dangerous.

The Story: - One year nearly to the day from the time Ruby and her friends cast their spell, Jackson, then Darren and Billy go to the florist in town and all three of them discover that Ruby, who works there, is their mate. Ruby who met Jackson first, knew that he must be her mate, but when Darren and Billy came into the shop a short time later, she couldn’t figure out her overwhelming attraction to both of them as well.

“Are you saying you hit the trifecta? The boy next door, the bad boy, and the protective Alpha?”

The story was good and for a reverse harem, I liked how they all came together and were able to easily accept the one girl with three guys thing. There was also a lot of mystery and intrigue about both Ruby’s past and the fact the shifters and witches didn’t seem to like each other and rarely mixed. The three not only had to fight against the people that didn’t believe in polyamory, but also those in the pack and the coven that didn’t like the fact that she was a witch and the guys were wolf shifters. I was a little upset that the story didn’t delve into the past a bit more and solve the mystery of what happened to her father, it probably will come out in the last book in the series.

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[Librarian Jessie (BibliophileRoses) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that was definitely refreshing for the witch-werewolf & reverse-harem genre. It follows the story of a young woman who discovers she has not one, not two, but three fated partners. I definitely think this book could've profited from an alpha or beta-reader, as the grammar was very rough.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super cute! It really did remind me of practical magic, but less crazy ex-boyfriend/killer of course.

I love that this trilogy is about three best friends finding love, and that each book is focused on one of them. Hoping that we see what happens/ the continuation with the others as each girl’s journey is told.

There is a big underlying mystery that is brought up during this novel and I’m assuming it will begin to unravel as the books continue. Can’t go wrong with an added mystery.

A quick love story, definitely recommend!

[Ax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jackson is so annoying and keeps on jumping to conclusions. He needs to use his brain and stop spouting nonsense. Ughhh he gets in my nerves.

Billy has no backbone and always following Jackson’s lead like a 🤡

Darren was a great mate to her he actually care about her ,supports her , and listen to her without jumping to conclusions.

[Bluebyyou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

The Good
Well-depicted charming setting
The relationships between the three men were engaging
Main male beta wolf character's personal growth arc was compelling
Main male part-wolf/part-witch character was a delight

The Mediocre
World-building was sufficient to support story but light overall

The Bad
Main female character is callow, insipid, without substance, dreams or ambition and a self-sacrificial idiot
Main male alpha wolf character is an ahole who occasionally slides into douche territory
Insta-lust; no emotional connection demonstrated between lead characters
Worse, no romance, no build-up, just right into bed the first evening they meet up (they don't even buy her dinner first; heck, I don't even think they offer her a drink!)
Sex was shallow and mechanical
The main male characters focus a lot on her virginity (especially since they only knew her for twenty-four hours before they relieved her of it), making it weird
Being manhandled is presented as a positive, feelgood experience
No defined, coherent magic system; instead it appears to be a combo of 'rule of cool' and 'as the plot demands'

Sounded like a fun book from the blub but that humorous tone was no where to be found in the actual book.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/22/2021)! 🎁

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Ruby and her friends cast a spell calling to their soul mates and get some unexpected results.

This is a freebie I picked up somewhere along the way. Not bad, not great. The writing was pretty good in concept and pacing, but was riddled with typos and other mechanical errors that jolted me out of the story. Everything moved very quickly, and the author tried to add urgency to the whole piece. There is a larger story happening in the background, which adds some depth. The 3 male leads were all a bit stereotypical. Jackson was an alphahole, Darren was the sweet boy next door, and Billy was supposed to be the bad boy, but was really just a blank void with no real personality. He was strangely blank for someone who actually did have chapters from his perspective. It was short, so I feel like the story was rushed.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

WE GET IT, she’s a virgin. For only having 2 sex scenes we were reminded a number of times about her “virginal body.” This book felt so immature. The characters were hard to deal with, the sex scenes weren’t great and the ending was so rushed. I mean Jackson’s dad basically tells him they can break the mate bond bc she’s an evil witch and within weeks she’s moved onto pack land and into Jackson’s house? It just didn’t work for me.

[Angel G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute story. I wish it was a little longer and had better character development. I can see how it would be tricky, when writing multiple love interests, to give them all adequate time to show their personality but we barely get anything from Billy until he (finally) speaks to Ruby more than halfway through the book. I like the start to the overarching plot regarding the girls missing father figures and I'm interested to see where that goes. Jackson is a jerk and I really don't like him. Duncan seems to be the only one mature enough for this relationship.

[Veronica LaRoche · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story that I really enjoyed. Ruby only wanted to find her soul mate and when she casted a spell she didn’t realize she would get three. But there was a secret that could ruin it all. This was a great story and I look forward to Bella and Tiffany’s story next.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three witches born on Halloween. Three witches with no father. Tree witches on their 21st birthday cast a spell. Three wolves and one part witch. Witches and wolves do not mix. What will happen when fates calls?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrea Ashwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

3’15⭐️

[Milagros · Rating 2 out of 5]

El resultado de un Stuff Your Kindle Day

[Mareike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about what happens when you mess with magic on the most powerful day of the year. The story is about Ruby and the three wolf mates that enter her life after she completed the mate finding spell with her two friends. I quite liked how the relationship moved from the beginning to the end of the book...everyone felt as though they were in the right place at the right time.

I wish the story was a little longer...there are still things up in air- but maybe they'll be addressed and explained more in Bella and Tiffany's books. The characters feel a bit young, even though they are written as older, and while some had a good amount of character depth, others still made me wish for more interaction with Ruby.

All in all, a good start to the series!

[Jade aka MrsTosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruby and her three friends preform a spell on Halloween asking for their true mates to come forwards, its a powerful spell that none of the girls should have messed with. Ruby's mate turns up, but it turns out he brings two others with him and Ruby is mated to 3 Weres.

This book could have been so much better, I was quite surprised the writing and the characters were so juvenile to say the book involves a polymonogamas relationship with a few intimate scenes. I had to keep checking to make sure there was no YA tag.

I don't think I will read the other books in the series which I believe go on to explain the mates her coven get.

[Tania Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good

It was good but not excellent but I like it anyway. I was expecting more excitement, more to the story that leads you to the disappearing of the three 🐺🐺🐺 which I'm thinking are the three fathers for each girl. Something to give you curiosity to get the whole story, something else is coming or something is about to happen, that what makes you read the next book because I have to find out what is going to happen next!!!!!! I'll be reading the next 📖📕and hopefully is more exciting. 🤩🤩🤩👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha Magic was a fantastic read! Ruby is a witch who, much like all single ladies, just wants to find her soul mate, and fast. So, one harmless spell can't be that bad, right? Well, when she casts it on Halloween night, nothing is more surprising when three men come to her and all of them are wolf shifters to boot! Things just got very complicated. This was a great read with laugh-out-loud moments, tons of heat, and some interesting situations. I can't wait to read book 2!

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby's Story . . .

On their 21st birthday, Halloween night, Ruby and her two friends, Bella and Tiffany, cast a spell to call a soul mate, not expecting that could actually mean more than one. Ruby is the first one who sees the results of their spell, not expecting a wolf shifter since they do not get along with witches… mostly.

A year after that spell was cast, three wolf shifters eventually visit the florist shop where Ruby works. Jackson met her first as he was buying flowers for his grandmother. Then Darren wanted to talk to Jackson, so Billy drove him toward his grandmother’s house when Darren felt tingling and asked him to stop at the florist. Each of them realized Ruby was their mate! Each wanted to claim her. Jackson is the Alpha with a bad attitude about sharing. Billy is Jackson’s broody, bad boy cousin who follows Jackson, his Alpha. Darren is an interesting blend -- part warlock and mostly wolf shifter. He is very nice guy. But shifters and witches have a bad history. Not that it is deserved; it has just always been accepted that they don’t like each other. So one thing is clear. Ruby must NOT tell her mates that they were under her spell when they sought her. If they think it wasn’t their idea and she manipulated them, things would not go well.

This was a fun story line. How would the wolves react when they get together later and find out all three have the same mate? How will they work it out among themselves? And will Ruby be okay with whatever they decide? Or will she have something to say about it?

[Daisy Sauceda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let us meet Ruby and her friends who are like sisters to her. They were all born on the same day. That day is pretty special to the witches. Yes witches, cause that is what Ruby is. However, she does not want to end up like her mother. So these girls do something crazy. Yeah they cast a spell to find their fated mates instead of waiting for years to come. Only for Ruby it all happens for her a year later. She meets Jackson, Darren and Billy all on the same day and she feels this pull to them. Only they are not warlocks, they are werewolves. I was not crazy how Jackson treated ruby and thought that some one needs to put him in his place. Jackson still listens to the elders of the pack and he always thought witches were no good. He seems to not have his own opinion. Billy just follows since Jackson is his alpha. Then you have Darren who is a mixed breed of his own. He is part warlock and wolf. Say what! Yeah exactly. Then when you think things are going good. Someone has to go and put their foot in their mouth. We do get another big surprise in this book as well. So will Ruby get her happy ending or will it all fall apart? I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a copy of this story in the anthology Wicked Souls. The following is my original review there:

This story followed the witch FMC Ruby after she cast a spell with her best friends Tiffany and Bella to attract their fated mates to them. All three of them had been born on Halloween, which gave them extra magical powers. The spell came into effect a year later, and Ruby found her three mates from a nearby wolf shifter pack, but the wolf shifters were extremely prejudiced against witches and used to monogamy, which made for a difficult time for most of the men to accept their attraction to Ruby.

It was a wild ride with the fast burn and then total rejection and then a final saving of their fated mate relationship. While I think the overall plot was entertaining, the novella length led to a lack of detail. A solid 3 stars, and I plan on checking out Tiffany and Bella's books when they release.

[Elisa Mordini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assim, eu acho que esse livro é melhor que o último que eu li da autora. Mas, apesar de ser uma leitura interessante, achei a história muito curta e meio rasa.
Os personagens surpreendentemente tem um pouco de profundidade, e a protagonista também é legal, mas eu queria mais páginas para que as personalidades fossem melhor desenvolvidas.
Outras observações são:
- Não me apeguei às amigas da protagonista.
- Os mocinhos não são muito bons. O Jackson é um porre, o Billy é sem graça e o Darren é legal, mas se eu pensar demais na história dele, ele vai parecer meio interesseiro e "desapegado".
- O mistério que envolve ela não ter o pai presente e ela ter três parceiros que não são da espécie dela é bom, e até que foi bem construído.
- Tem duas cenas de hot, mas achei a quantidade boa para o tamanho do livro.
E elas são boas (apesar de ter rolado um conflito depois da 1a cena que fez eu desgostar um pouco dos mocinhos).

No geral, foi uma leitura boa, mas não fiquei com muita vontade de continuar a saga.

[Short and Sweet Reviews by Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Booksprout and the author, Amelia Shaw, for providing a copy of Alpha Magic (Halloween Witches book 1). I have reviewed honestly.

Alpha Magic features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ NA fantasy
○ Paranormal romance
○ Reverse harem
○ Witches
○ Wolf shifters
○ Mates
○ Forbidden romance
○ Magic and spells

My overall rating for Alpha Magic is…

4 Stars!

This was such an exciting yet short series starter to what is promising to be an exotic paranormal romance. Ruby was a gorgeous FMC and I adored her unexpected mates; the boy-next-door, the bad boy and the protective alphahole. I loved the Halloween setting and spirit, the forbidden romance with three hunky shifters was mouth watering and the storyline was gripping. Overall, Shaw has opened up a world of possibilities with Alpha Magic and I'm excited to see where she will lead us with future tales.

[Luc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby is a witch born on Halloween along with her two best friends Bella and Tiffany.
On their twenty first birthday, Halloween day, on a sacred coven ground, they decide to cast a spell summoning their fated mate, whomever she or he is.

I cannot elaborate any further without revealing the plot.

The author has created a series where the Fated mate concept is explored and advice is sought from sources that are not the ones usually referred to in books of this type. I have heard of elders with elves and alien cultures and, being open, I do not dismiss this new concept but it goes against the definition of a Wolf Shifter Alpha's absolute rule over the pack, that I have read about in numerous books on shifters.

The concept is new and opens new possibilities but, personally I prefer the existing concept without an "Elders Council". I look forward to reading the next book in the series and rate this book with 4 Stars.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love spells never cause problems, right? Perhaps our heroine should have thought things through a bit more...

This is book one of the series.

This is an urban fantasy series with witches and shifters and a reverse harem theme. The story is well written and easy to read, but with a complex setting that has a lot going on. The characters are also well developed and provide a unique blend that makes this really interesting really quickly. As this is a first book in the series, I quite enjoyed getting to know both the characters and the setting as part of this fast paced plot. No rest for the weary here as the story kept my attention right up to the end. Overall, an excellent start to a series and I look forward to the next book.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a NON-SPOILER REVIEW. Alpha Magic by Amelia Shaw is the first book in the Halloween Witches series. This was a really good quick read. While this story starts with three witches performing a spell, it quickly focuses on one witch and the consequences of the spell. There was action, drama, lots of sexy heat (Mature Readers Only Please) and some mystery to this read. Ruby and her two best friends share more than a Halloween birthday. On their twenty-first birthday, they cast a spell to find their true love. Ruby gets more than she expected when she finds she has three fated mates. Wrapped into this trifecta is the secret her mother and her friends have been hiding for twenty-one years. A fun romp of a read that is highly entertaining. I can't wait to see what happens next.

This honest and voluntary review was made possible by reading a copy through Booksprout.

[Jacqueline]

This is a novella length, RH paranormal romance with insta-love/mate attraction. This storyline has a ton of potential but falls short on details. If the characters and plot were fleshed out a bit more, this could be a great series. Ruby and her two best friends, all witches, perform a love spell to call their soul mates to them. Ruby gets hers in the form of three wolf shifters - an alpha, Jackson a broody leader, a beta, Billy the cousin of Jackson and a bit of a mystery and an omega, Darren a sweet guy who is part warlock. Ruby finds out about her past which explains her mates, in part, but leaves a lot of questions. This feels like a prequel to a series, and these characters could definitely get at least another book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elizabeth McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby, Bella and Tiffany were all best friends, born on All Hallow’s Eve, raised by single mothers that were best friends and were all witches in the same coven. Jackson and Billy were cousins and wolf shifters. Darren was a wolf shifter/ warlock in the same pack as the cousins. On the girls 21st birthday they made a spell for their true loves to find them. When Jackson, Billy and Darren saw Ruby they knew that she was their fated mate but witches and shifters didn’t mix. So as Ruby began to get to know her boys, they faced the dilemma of a lifetime of prejudice against each other’s species, secrets, betrayal, broken hearts, magic and real love. Fun read

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Leslie Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of three!

Ruby, Tiffany and Bella grew up together with single mothers who are best friends. All three born on Halloween and it's their 21st birthday. To not end up alone and abandoned they cast a spell to call their True Mates. This is Ruby's story when her three mates (yes, I said three) show up and meet her. It is funny and hurtful and exciting. I loved how Jackson and Billy had trouble even getting words to come out of their mouths. All she got was growls and frowns. Darren is a wolf/witch and is really excited his mate is a witch. Check out their journey with biased wolf elders and their hypocritical mothers and more secrets than Ruby knows what to do with. I loved it! I requested a free advanced reader copy from Booksprout and am under no obligation to leave this review.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruby and her best friends performed a difficult and beyond their level spell to bring their true loves to them. A year later and no one has shown up, until Ruby meets 3 men in the same day that she is sure are meant for her. Jackson, Darren and Billy are not looking for a mate and Jackson doesn't actually want one, at least not right now, especially not a witch mate. This is a quick and angsty insta love/fated mates story. This doesn't end on a cliffhanger and seems like Bella and Tiff's HEA/HFN are next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Misty Ortman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby is a witch who just wants her one true love. She and her friends do a spell to find their true loves. Jackson, Billy, and Darren are wolf shifters. All of them end up being fated to Ruby. The way they each meet Ruby is interesting. The reactions they have toward those meetings are unique. Then when they all get together to discuss they figure out they all have the same mate. There are so many things they must deal with to have their mate. This is a very good book! Looking forward to reading more about the witches and their mates.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.