REVIEW: Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin

Kiss and Spell by Celestine Martin is the second book of the Elemental Love series. I haven’t read the first book in the series; while I feel this works as a standalone, it did feel like I was missing some things from not having read the previous book, such as why Ursula was distancing herself from her family. It wasn’t enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the story though, so if you haven’t read the first book, you can jump into the series here.

Ursula Caraway lives in Freya Grove, a place filled with magical beings. Ursula herself is a witch who desperately wants to fall in love with someone. She thought she found that certain someone, until he left her on their wedding now. Now Ursula tells fortunes and sells crystals at a local shop, hoping her prince will come along.

Prince Xavier Alder, a fae, was sent from his realm to Freya Grove to live with his godmother after being cursed by the Faerie Queen for making some careless remarks. The way to break the curse? He needs to find the perfect kiss. Lost, he approaches Ursula, thinking she was his date. She points him in the right direction, but neither can get each other out of their minds. The pair find themselves striking up a friendship, and once Ursula finds out about his curse, she becomes determined to help him break it. From providing encouragement, to helping him find dates, Ursula is by his side every step of the way. Soon, Xavier finds himself hoping that Ursula could be the one to not only break the curse, but to be the one who proves to him that true love does exist.

The romance in this book is a very slow burn, so if you don’t enjoy books where it’s dragged out for most of the book, you may not enjoy this one. The pacing of the story wasn’t always consistent; there were parts of the book that felt like they were longer than they needed to be, while other parts of the books seemed to move overly fast. The way Xavier speaks sometimes came across as formal, which felt out of place as the rest of the characters were more laid back. Despite this, I found the book to be charming and quirky, and I’d like to go back and read the previous story.

Kiss and Spell is a low angst, low steam, friends-to-lovers story. If you enjoy that, along with small town romances with a little magic thrown in, this may be a book for you.

Book Info:

Publication: September 26, 2023 | Forever | Elemental Love #2

A witch without a spell
All Ursula Caraway wished for was to live happily ever after in her hometown of Freya Grove. The self-proclaimed Jersey Shore Witch Princess was set to begin her perfect life—until a twist of fate changed everything. Now, she’s telling fortunes to the lovelorn, selling crystals at the local psychic shop, and reclaiming her missing magic. Ursula desperately wishes to shake up her life—so much so, that she’ll do just about anything. Including befriending a very cute, very enchanted prince.

A prince in search of a kiss
Prince Xavier Alder needs to find The One, but his lack of social skills has made that a challenge—and being cursed by the Faerie Queen isn’t helping either. So when Ursula, eager to believe in magic again, agrees to help Xavier find a perfect, curse-breaking kiss before Midsummer, it’s the ideal opportunity for them to get what they want. So long as they don’t let their mutual (and inconvenient) attraction get in the way.