A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping: The Cozy Fantasy That Feels Like a Hug in Book Form

Found family, sentient houses, and spellbinding charm—discover why this enchanting tale is your next feel-good read.

Synopsis

A whimsical and heartwarming novel about a witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers—and her life—back on track, from the national bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests’ shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power…

Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone…and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

Review

Thank you for the free book, PRH International!

4.5 stars

Sangu Mandana took the same elements we found in “The Very Secret Society of Unwanted Witches”—found family, an outcast witch, an animal companion, and romance—and crafted a completely different story with the same delightful results. This book felt like a warm chocolate and a fluffy blanket, perfect companions for a delightful read on a rainy day!

The story is simple:

Sera, a young yet incredibly powerful witch, lost all her powers while trying to resurrect her deceased aunt, following the guidance of a witch cursed into a fox’s body. As a result, she was banned from the Guild with no access to resources to help restore her magic.

Fifteen years later, Sera is still running the inn with her kind aunt Jasmine and caring for a group of lonely souls who have found a haven in the sentient inn.

When she discovers a spell that could help her regain her power, she realizes she also needs someone who understands the spell’s language.

That’s when Luke, a witch historian, arrives at the inn with his special sister, Posy. But convincing Luke to help is not easy. It’s even more frustrating as Sera finds him very alluring.

That’s the plot in a nutshell with tropes like:

• Found family;
• Sentient house (flowers bursting into teacups and cherry blossom tea raining in some rooms);
• Cursed witch;
• Grumpy frost (the grump being Sera, who is also a big marshmallow on the inside, and the frost being Luke, who is only pretending to be icy as a defense mechanism, of course!);
• Special needs children;
• Evil villain turned tyrant and needing to be defeated;
• A quest to find that special spell;
• Choosing the right thing to do when you are in a tight spot.

It’s tender, funny, exciting, and the side characters are a merry bunch of eccentrics, one of whom is pretending to be a knight in our modern time.

If you love cozy fantasy, don’t miss this one!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie