WITCH'S BREW Book Review

Witch's Brew¹ (book 2 in Phila Street series) by Ella M. Hayes, eBook, 406 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: Summer in Saratoga Springs. What should be the perfect time for business is quickly becoming hell for Nyx, owner of the supernatural emporium "Witch's Brew." Her one-woman operation is becoming an increasingly impossible task. Despite her insistence on doing things alone, she becomes aware that she needs help. Worse, the only person willing to help is a persistent, yet charming, skeptic of the mystic arts.

On the side and after hours, Nyx services the supernatural and spiritual needs of her clients. It's a job like any other until one girl enters her life with a spirit clinging to her, a spirit that is terrifying because it is both unreadable and bears a connection to Nyx's past, a past she would rather forget. Nyx's professional and personal life quickly become intertwined in this journey of romance, spirituality, reconciliation, and hopefully closure and redemption.

BOOK REVIEW: Wow. That was a ride. This is definitely one of the more spicier books and while there was a scene that got a little too descriptive for my liking, it was still a great book. When Nyx was talking about her high school friends, it kind of reminded me of the movie The Craft except Nyx would be more like Sarah and nothing like Nancy. There are also little nods and mentions of book 1 that I enjoyed seeing. I can tell you with 100% certainty that these are stand alones in the series. It's been so long since I've read book 1 that at first I didn't even realize that this was book 2.

It's hard for me to nail down anything specific that I really liked or loved about this book because it was all great! I know I can't be the only elder millennial that tried Light as a feather, Stiff as a board or wanted to have some kind of witchy gift especially after watching The Craft. That was one of my favorite movies when I was younger. I wonder if it still is. Anyway, Nyx has this air about her that dances on the line between whimsy and arrogant. She's sensitive to energy but completely oblivious to emotions other than her own. I feel like we do see her grow a little as the summer moves on which gives me hope that she isn't a lost cause! This is a 5 star for me and if we upped the scale it would be a 9/10 on the spicy scale. There are several spicy scenes but only the one that really upped the scale for me that, as I said earlier, was a little too descriptive for me but I still read it! The author has given us a glimpse into another life in this small town and I'm here for it! I don't know how many books the author is planning to write for this series but I would enjoy some info on Frank! Just saying! The characters are wonderful, the banter between Logan and Nyx...I feel like I've had that kind of banter before minus the flirting. This book is set to release on September 2, 2025 and it looks like it will also be available in the KU library upon release. You have time to read book 1 in the series Bookends before this book releases and I'll even add my review to the related posts section of this review! Link to preorder and support Independent bookstores is attached to the title at the beginning of this review.

5/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 51/50 complete

¹This is an affiliate link through Bookshop.org which supports independent bookstores nationwide. Pick a bookshop you choose to support and when you order a book, the proceeds go to that store! Books are sent from a main distribution center so if you don't know what store to support, it's okay. All orders not supporting a specific shop go into a pool that gets divided among all the stores listed on the site!