Potion maker and self-proclaimed “messy witch” Morgan Greenwood is sure she was hexed at birth. Not only did she drunkenly offer to fake date the woman of her dreams during the biennial New England Witches’ festival, but Rory Sandler, spellcasting champion and brilliant elemental witch—for reasons known only to the Goddess—accepted. It’s like every good luck spell Morgan ever cast came through at once, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict this charade will end with a broken heart.
Or is the magic between them real? As Morgan and Rory prepare to fool everyone at the festival, their relationship starts to feel a whole lot less fake—right until Morgan realizes she might have screwed up the common relaxation potion she made for Rory and given her a love potion instead, breaking one of the most sacred Witch Council Laws.
To fulfill her promise to Rory, Morgan must somehow keep playing pretend while under the watchful eyes of Rory’s family and legion of fans. But to break the love potion, she’ll also have to prove how incompatible she and Rory really are. For a screwup like her, ruining their relationship should be easy—except every day, Morgan is becoming more bewitched by Rory herself.
“This Spells Disaster” by Tori Anne Martin is a wonderful, spellbinding romance, sweet with unexpected twists on the fake dating trope. What fascinated me was the blend of “Practical Romance” with spellcasting competitions and festivals. The way the world is built intrigued me and makes me want to see more of this world and of the magic. Beyond the details, the relationship is set up perfectly, with Morgan already having a crush on Rory. It’s the perfect set up to segue the pair into romance.
I love the characters. Neither Morgan or Rory are perfect, each has flaws and issues. But in helping each other with those imperfections, in discovering that those flaws are actually what makes each perfect for the other and beautiful, it makes the romance even sweeter. Morgan learns lessons along the way that make her better while Rory embraces the messy. I love how their characteristics work together to make a great story.
If you love sweet, spellbinding romance, this is the romance for you. It is well written, has a lovely LGBTQ romance and the dilemma the pair faces is brought to a resolution that leads to a wonderful happy ever after ending that every romance reader wants to see. With wonderful world building and characters, this story is sweet and beautiful.
Rating: 5 out of 5 potions
