Succulents and Spells by Andi C. Buchanan

There was a bit of class difference between Laurel and Marigold, but although present it was never an issue between them. Being from Laurel’s perspective, we see fewer of Marigold’s connections, though she speaks of her absent family with affection. And she’s constantly helping strangers out with small spells. She treats her housemates as found family, making sure they sit and have dinner together whenever possible. Laurel is close with much of her large family, who have an online chat to keep in touch and discuss magic problems. Both of the main characters are charming, friendly people. The Witchy Fiction range seem intended as cosy romance, and Succulents and Spells has that in spades. What she does have is an abundance of enthusiasm and warmth. Like Laurel, she is also from a long line of witches, but doesn’t have magic herself, beyond an ability to talk to monsters. Marigold is autistic, a PhD candidate in biological science who in her spare time is researching monster genetics. On one of her rare days off from waitressing, she’s visited by Marigold, who asks to take a sample from the monster living under Laurel’s sharehouse. She’s not really sure what she’s doing with her life, having not found her magic specialisation and on the verge of giving up on her Masters degree in linguistics.

The book is told from the perspective of Laurel, a witch from a large family of witches. Of the titles I’ve read so far, my favourite has been Succulents and Spells by Andi. One group of authors have banded together to produce Witchy Fiction, a range of light romance novellas about witches set in New Zealand. As I have mentioned previously, there has been some delightful fantasy romance coming out of New Zealand recently.

Succulents and Spells by Andi C. Buchanan