Early Review – Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vaquez Gilliland (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 12, 2023
ASIN: B0BPX1ZQJQ
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone (although I hope some more books are added!)
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Sage Flores has been running from her family—and their “gifts”—ever since her younger sister Sky died. Eight years later, Sage reluctantly returns to her hometown. Like slipping into an old, comforting sweater, Sage takes back her job at Cranberry Rose Company and uses her ability to communicate with plants to discover unusual heritage specimens in the surrounding lands.
What should be a simple task is complicated by her partner in botany sleuthing: Tennessee Reyes. He broke her heart in high school, and she never fully recovered. Working together is reminding her of all their past tender, genuine moments—and new feelings for this mature sexy man are starting to take root in her heart.
With rare plants to find, a dead sister who keeps bringing her coffee, and another sister whose anger fills the sky with lightning, Sage doesn’t have time for romance. But being with Tenn is like standing in the middle of a field on the cusp of a summer thunderstorm—supercharged and inevitable.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: I really loved this. It was a fun and heartfelt read with magic, mystery, romance and a lot about family. It was very well done and a breeze to read. I desperately hope that this will be a series and we will see books form Sage’s sisters’ POVs!
This book follows Sage Flores. Sage left her home town after her younger sister, Sky, died. Eight years later she has to return to deal with unfinished issues. Things get complicated when she takes on a job for a local farmer helping with botany and finds out her new partner at work is going to be Tennessee Reyes. Her and Tennessee Reyes had a “thing” during high school via an anonymous chatting app; he never knew who she was in person. He hurt her badly and she wants nothing to do with him now. Too bad no one told Tennessee about this unknown past between him and Sage.
Meanwhile things get really complicated when Sky’s ghost starts to haunt Sage, demanding Sage make amends with her other sister. But things are complicated in this family and all the women have strange magical powers. Sage can’t talk to her living sister without having her call down a storm on her, so how is she supposed to make any peace there?
This book is fairly romance heavy, but also had wonderful magic elements. The mystery behind what happened to Sky is a fascinating one and helps to drive the story forward. Another key element to the story is Sage’s family and trying to heal all the ills between Sage, her sisters, and the aunt that took care of them all.
This was incredibly well written and easy to read. I enjoyed the magic, the romance, the family, and Sage as a character in general. Sage grows and finds peace throughout this book and I loved taking that journey with her.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. It was a perfect summer escapist paranormal romance read. The romance is well done but so is the intriguing magic, the deep family connections, and the mystery behind Sky’s death. This is a well-balanced read that I really enjoyed! I hope that we see more books in this world, maybe books from Sage’s sisters’ POV?
