Celestial Magic

Myrtlewood Mysteries #4

by Iris Beaglehole

Rosemary and Athena’s lives are thrown as the big Summer Solstice festival brings a series of mysterious events. Rosemary’s chocolate shop plans are being waylaid by strange disappearances and uninvited visitors. Meanwhile, Athena is sure the astrological lessons at Myrtlewood Academy hold the key to unlocking the town’s latest mystery, even if her mother doesn't want to hear about it.

Can Rosemary and Athena manage to work together and cast aside their stubbornness, before thousands of festival-goers succumb to a magical catastrophe?

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Magic, Witches, Paranormal, Cozy, Fiction

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2022

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the series and was a little bit unsure if I was ready for more if Rosemary and Athena’s over the top behaviour. Thankfully I was wrong as they both seemed to have mellowed enough for a decent story to take centre stage rather than the constant daftness and bickering.

The story is very fast paced and I found myself enjoying the characters company despite there being more fixations on cake. Im surprised the whole town doesn’t have diabetes or weight related issues. I’m really enjoyed the mix of light magic, romance, and the small town setting vibe.

Overall it’s a gentle, magical mystery with heart, charm, and an easy to follow plot. Perfect if you want a light and comforting read. This book made me feel happy and I’m actually looking forward to the next one..

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so fun!

[ƁRị · Rating 5 out of 5]

My final completed read of 2024 AND THE CLIFFHANGER?!!!

[Debbie Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

I love reading about witches and vampires, I'm not crazy it just have a good story line. This the 4th book and there are 9 books in all so far I really enjoyed reading it.

[Rizilina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less drama. Rosemary is still frazzled. A lot of lgbtqia but done where it’s just ~normal and matter of fact which I truly appreciate. New magical creatures, a couple new characters, and who would’ve guessed a 5% increase of Elamina’s character development. A quick and enjoyable read made slightly unenjoyable by the few and far between grammatical errors. (It’s okay I quickly got over that).

All the reference to astrology almost made me reinstall Co-Star, but I digress.

Will continue to read this series. Can’t wait for the chocolate shop to open, and want to see more of Papa Jack.

[Natasha Harte · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is totally my own fault because I won’t stop reading these but the mother daughter dynamic is annoying… at one point they appear to be in a life and death scenario and Athena asks to borrow Rosemarys phone, who then stalls and says “only if you tell me what this is about”… what?!
Also rosemary constantly being like “I don’t get this magic stuff” and then Athena trying to tell her about stuff and just rosemary not listening or not caring. I dunno, rosemary just pisses me off. This felt a bit all over the place - druids, metropole, sirens, sea bears? Mad.
However, I am a fan of the fact that Athena is queer and that Rosemary appears to want to shag someone is all good news.

[RuWithTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another banger in the myrtlewood mysteries series!

Rosemary finally wants to make her dream a reality, to open up a chocolate shop. She's pushed to attend a stall at the summer solstice festival. When people go missing and turn up at the beach with their memories missing, they know something sinister is afoot.

This book has everything great about myrtlewood mysteries in it. Tight, cozy friendships. A teenagter navigating life in school. Magic. A mother being protective of her daughter. A new mystery. New loves, old enemies.

I mainly thought that while stuff was going on for sure, it took a very long time (% into the book, it's not a long read at all) for the stakes to present themselves. Minor nitpick though as I did really enjoy the book.

Unless it all goes horribly wrong i'll continue to enjoy this series. It's cozy, there is character power progression, mysteries and a whole load more. Great read.

4/5

[Kimberly Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that all the books in the series focuses on Rosemary as a single mom raising her daughter Athena! Myrtlewood is a spectacular town full of surprises. Such unique characters throughout the book! The house has a “mind of its own” and you never know what it’s going to do, but seems to know just what Rosemary and Athena need. Mystery, magic, and more found in Myrtlewood! Each book just gets better and better!

[Victoria Vassallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best yet in the series!

I loved being there as Rosemary (and Burke) and Athena (and Elise) found love and all the challenges that came with that. It was both super endearing and a little heart-breaking. The juxtaposition of Rosemary, a woman hurt by love opening herself to it again, against Athena, who throws herself into the gloriousness of that first love, is beautiful.

The plot centers around the Summer Solstice and a big festival that the town has. It definitely gave me Weasleys at the Quidditch Cup vibes, in the best way, and, of course, minus the ☠️ Eaters. The vibes were just pure enjoyment, and I loved it.

The whole story wraps up with a bang, and for once, Rosemary isn’t the one who saves the day (!) but it doesn’t make it any less entertaining or fun to read. Definitely looking forward to the next one!

[Sheri Maxwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and Slow

This is a fun, cozy witchy series that I enjoy. However, this one dragged for me. I don’t know if it was the overly repeated “refreshers” on prior events from earlier books or the slow pace that annoyed me more. I almost DNF’ed it, but I stuck it out and finished.

[Heatherinblack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The daughter’s name

I think I keep reading these books because the daughter’s name is Athena and that is my middle name. I wouldn’t if they weren’t free. The “solving” of the mystery is very last minute and somewhat random. Each book feels like it has a social set up for the next book, it then it isn’t that pivotal. Oh well.

[Rebecca Banks Meiners · Rating 2 out of 5]

athena is awful

Rosemary needs to step it up and put athena in her place. I get the whole wanting to create the loralei and rory dynamics but rosemary is still the mom and athena needs to respect her. Her constantly treating her mom like crap ruins a perfectly good book

[Cathi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is a disaster you just can't look away from. It needs some heavy editing.

[Holly Aronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spellbinding evolution

In Celestial Magic, Iris Beaglehole delivers another enchanting chapter in the Myrtlewood Witches series that blends magic, mystery, and just the right amount of drama. The witches are truly coming into their own, and it’s been a joy to watch their magical evolution unfold alongside the ups and downs of their personal lives. The balance between spellcraft and sisterhood continues to shine.

One of the most satisfying twists? Cousin Elamina finally shows she's more than just a sharp tongue and an icy glare—turns out she’s got layers, and dare I say, a heart. Her growth added surprising depth to the story, and it’s refreshing to see bonds strengthening in unexpected ways.

The intrigue is far from over, though. The teasing hints about the druids and their connection to the Thorns are pure Beaglehole—just enough mystery to keep the pages turning, while leaving us hungry for answers. If you're a fan of witchy tales that evolve with heart and suspense, Celestial Magic will leave you spellbound and ready for more.

Bring on Book 5—because Myrtlewood still has secrets, and I need to know them.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

New author to me so yay, new backlist! :)

It was interesting. I did read the 4th book in the series so that was my bad. Although, kudos to the author, I was not terribly lost and picked up things quickly. But, it definitely would have helped to start with the 1st book because there are a lot of characters so keeping them all straight was tough in the beginning. Also, past storylines were brought up so reading the previous books would have helped. I liked the dual POVs of Rosemary and Athena but there was tension there that would have probably made sense if I started from the beginning, oh well.

[Jennifer Pezzella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good installment of the series, albeit some proofreading errors. Seems like Rosemary's love life is starting to pick up and her and Athena are coming into their magic.

More characters have been introduced and wondering how they fit into the big puzzle of it all, so should be interesting, especially Juniper's character

I am not sure the overall story arch but it appears that they are building towards something and so far this series has been more interesting than most.

I am anxious to see what's in store.

[brandy valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 books into this series and it's been awesome. Refreshing and quirky. These stories grab you and keep you I'm sure leaving us sad when it's over. One thing is for sure I will never put maple syrup on my pancakes again. I wish that the proper way had been introduced to me sooner. To think all those years of doing it wrong. I won't give the secret away. You'll have to read the story to find out for yourselves. It's just a simple detail that fits into a fabulous story that I'm not done reading.....

[Becky Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solstice, Druids, Chocolate & Parties!
This book continues the fun series for Rosemary & Athena Thorn and friends. Very enjoyable and with so much packed in: more magical creatures, balls & parties, chocolatier classes, dating, attempted kidnappings, spa treatments, magical pregnancy, secrets and a big sabbat mystery to solve (including a bit of who is a good/bad guy stuff). Great book & I recommend to all who enjoy PWF and/or YA books and witches :)

[Simon Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

another fine quick read, by Iris Beaglehorn the stories continue to intrigue and don’t rely on the same ideas which is a trap so many other series do,
my only question is why British Rail does the impossible, is not only on time but in certain cases makes journeys in truly incredible time, London to Glastonbury in less than two hours, or in the past London to cornwall in much the same time, never taken me less than four hours….
still very much enjoying this set of books…

[TheSpeedyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likes
-Rosemary and Athena always remind me of Lorelai and Rory (Gilmore girls), and Ferg is like the Kirk of Myrtlewood

Dislikes
-Sometimes it can be a little cheesy

Overall Rating
I really love this series. The banter between the mom and her daughter is very relatable. I really feel like this series could be more condensed and not be so many books, but they are entertaining, quick, and easy reads.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Dreama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great set of books 🥰🥰

Rosemary and Athena are surrounded by magic and mysterious, both trying to find out who they are and where they fit with each other and the great town they have found themselves in.
They try to figure out who the evil group members are all the while working out the disappearances and trying to just have a normal life with normal everyday relationships.
Great books Great story🥰🥰

[Faith Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sang to me a siren song...do you hear it?

The flow of this series has been amazing! And, just like the other books in this series I will be adding it to the collection @ The Enchanted Library! We will al be adding this to the list of potential books TBR for Book Club. ( we are currently accepting new members to The Enchanted Book Club, come check us out at theenchantedlibrary.simdif.com )

[Kristene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This part of the series takes place during summer solstice. There was a lot going on in this plot and it kept me reading wanting to know what happens next. Some of it was a little difficult to keep up with and understanding all the details, but there was some important information revealed by the end of this book. Rosemary still has a lot of growing to do as a character, and while Athena is in an awkward stage of life, she is starting to express a bit more confidence in herself. I will say the end was a bit of a cliffhanger that really didn’t get resolved going into the beginning of the next book (it eventually does), but it felt like it left me hanging too long. Aside from some of these minor frustrations, it was fun to read about Rosemary and Athena’s journey together in experiencing the Summer Solstice. It also seems they may possibly be learning to trust each other more. I love the Myrtlewood community and setting overall!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the 4-book series! Once you get past the mistakes in the books, and focus on the story and characters, you will fall in love with Myrtlewood! This 4th story was fun and exciting. I love the contemporary lifestyles and the imagination it must take to write stories like this. I really enjoyed this series and hope book 5 will come out some day!

[michelle lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The inclusion of celestial magic, astrology, etc had me hooked. The summer solstice event as well. It was magical and intriguing. And has left me wanting more. Bring on book 5. And I must say Athena is starting to grow on me, her character is growing from whiny teenager to young adult witch.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many festivals

There are so many festivals during the year that you could quite easily miss one.
I'm loving the old magic theme that runs throughout the series and I'm enjoying reading about the way the different species are interacting.
I look forward to seeing what happens in book 5.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read

I really enjoy the way Iris writes. It is easy to pick up where you left off with her books, I am enjoying reading how the characters are progressing in their lives. But I would love to see Rosemary have some romance!

[Mason Jar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

Another great day spent reading a magical mystery book and getting immersed in the characters and plot. I'm I treagued to find out what happens next in the series. I'm hooked and loving it. ❤️

[Diana Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't. Stop reading

All of these seems are page turners. I can't wait to pick up book 5 and find out what is going to happen next . I recommend these books for young teens to older adults like me 57

[Amanda Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really?

Nope... this is just silly and jumps around in a ridiculous way... all too easy to fix everything, and suddenly we're supposed to believe the evil guys are good and the good guys not... Read more like panic plotting because she's run out of ideas