Growing up in Emerald Lakes, population six hundred and eighty-two, had been safe and comfortable. Running my own magic shop and making a living off my green witchcraft, I have no complaints. Sure, there’s my ex, who never understood the word ‘no’, but there’s also the lovable and eccentric townspeople who feel more like one huge extended family, and let’s not forget my boy-crazed Gran who keeps us all on our toes.

…But something has apparently been missing, and the stars take it upon themselves to correct the problem, dropping four sexy men at my door. Well, not literally. They move into the apartment above my shop, so I’m their landlord. Drawn in by these mages who blew into town on a work assignment, a whole different kind of magic starts to grow between us, but my powers are doing things they shouldn’t, and there’s also a pesky prophecy to unravel.

Strange, unnatural things are brewing in Emerald Lakes, and I can’t ignore the sinking suspicion that something life-changing is headed my way.

Discovering a whole new world of magic, I can only hope I don’t lose myself in the madness.

I took a break from reading. Firstly because I read a book I ended up not including on this years’ reading list – let’s not go there! – Secondly, I was pulled back into the world of fan fiction.

Now, on Saturday I went up to London to see the play “2:22 A Ghost Story” and it was amazing! If you get the chance, you must see it.

I walked over 19km!! That’s over 20,000 steps! My sister and I spent 1 hour trying to find a hidden speakeasy – we never found it! – Stumbled across a graffiti alley which was amazing. Accidently found ourselves at an active crime scene (!!!) and mistakenly got on the wrong train home!

Today (Sunday), my whole body feels like its been hit by a train! A side effect of my muscle condition when I do too much. So, really, I had nothing to do but sit in bed!

Amongst all the cute dog videos and comic one-liners, TikTok recommended this book to me. I tend to take a bit more time when TikTok recommends books to me now. Thoroughly checking out reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads.

This is advertised as a ‘magical reverse harem’ but honestly, I got way more from it than planned.

Starting with the magical aspects. We have witches, mages, and humans. Emerald Lakes appears to be a magical community. Mages seem to have special affinities, I couldn’t quite work out if it was the same for witches – it seems like it but I’m not sure.

Our main witch Saige is a ‘green witch’, a witch who thrives and works in and around nature. An ‘earth witch’ if you will. Her incredibly frisky Gran is also a green witch. Saige has an arctic Fox: Mave (short for Maven) – not a familiar but a pet who is ever present through the book. Saige has just left an unpleasant and traumatising relationship and is, shall we say, ‘ripe for the plucking’.

Onto the men, the Mages. Cam, Kai, Fisher, and Sloane. You have the protector, the sunshine, the vulnerable, and the dominant. The real reason for these four mages sudden arrival in Emerald Lakes is sure to cause problems further into the book series, but for now the focus remains on the alluring nature of Saige and the mystery surrounding her.

If you’d rather keep their abilities a surprise – skip this next paragraph!

Cam can manipulate the skies – I’m hesitant to say weather -but we see lightning, thunder, and rain from him. Kai is a shifter. A black panther, Bagheera ‘Baggie’, who is both a part of his soul and individual. Fisher is an empath – who often feels overwhelmed and is the ‘interrogator’ of the four. Finally, Sloane is a pyro, which accurately sums up his character.

As the book progresses and we see the relationships and dynamics between the four mages and Saige, we start to see that there is more at play here.

Between vibes of dark magic, a prophecy, and the real reason the mages had turned up, I had started to pick up the pieces of what might be happening in the wider picture. I was correct but honestly not mad about it because it was still delivered with twists and turns.

Now, on to the spice! There is a lot of spice. It’s hot and heavy and full-on!! It’s not just Saige getting the action, there are M/M elements – so if that isn’t your thing, you’ve been warned!!

There is no real ease into it either but it plays to the characters strengths showing both power and vulnerability and creates the desired effect and more!

Of course, I have the next book lined up and will be diving into it immediately!!

I give this book: ✨✨✨✨✨