I picked up De-Witched by Sophie H Morgan because the cover was cute and the description cuter. I really went into this hoping it would just be a sweet, well written romance. I am BEYOND EXCITED to report back that it was everything I wanted when I picked it up. The pacing was quick enough to keep the story going but not overwhelming. The romance was CUTE. And! There was spice!
Leah has to be one of my most favorite FMCs. She’s head strong and assertive, but not aggressive. She’s clever, funny, kind, and sticks up for herself. So many times, I feel like I’m promised an assertive FMC only to see her fold when it comes to her love interest. Or, she’ll be ‘assertive’ but actually just be annoying and difficult for no reason the entire time. Leah is simply the perfect in between. She knows what she wants and what she feels and she isn’t shy on vocalizing it. Which is good because MMC Gabriel is so endearingly awkward and out of his element, and I don’t just mean because he’s lost most of his magic temporarily. He is not good at peopling. He cares of his teen sister and loves his uncle that has been there for him since the death of his parents over a decade ago, and that’s pretty much it. Emotions are sticky. They complicate things and lead to heartache. So, of course he has no idea how to respond to Leah. And that’s not even considering the fact that he’s a warlock and part of a super secret magical community, and she’s a ‘plain ole human’ who shouldn’t know about his world.
Sparks literally fly between the two and it is so sweet to watch. What I especially loved is that whatever miscommunication there is between Leah and Gabriel is almost instantly resolved because they do communicate. Gabriel can tell when he says or does something that sets Leah off and instead of ignoring it like so many other MMCs do, he asks Leah what’s wrong. And Leah, bless her, tells him and is honest. She tells him if he hurt her feelings. She asks him what he feels for her. They act like a mature couple that really is trying with one another. This is what makes the relationship so good. Plus, there were some decent low grade spice (I say low-grade, but remember I have been deep into dark romance and omegaverse.)
Apart from the relationship, we do get snippets of plot. Gabriel has to live for a few months amongst humans and not use his magic so that he can appreciate his parents’ legacy – their company that makes pharmaceuticals for humans. We see him struggle (purchasing 12??? toasters because he doesn’t realize they need to be plugged in.) And we get a brief glimpse into the magical politics at play as he is sabotaged. The romance was so well done that I completely didn’t pick up on the reason behind all of the bad luck going on, and didn’t even pick out who the perpetrator was (Kole, my love, I’m sorry I thought it could’ve been you.)
De-Witched by Sophie H Morgan was such a treat to read. I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet romance between a grumpy but not really just awkward MMC and an assertive yet bubbly FMC. There’s a touch of spice, a whole heaping of romance, and so many great side characters that I honestly am going to go back to read the first book in the series and make a note to follow-up on when the third book comes out.
