Small Town, Big Magic

by Hazel Beck

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Witches! Romance! AND a bookstore setting ... it's a hat trick!! This cauldron of friends-to-lovers fun with paranormal elements adds up to the perfect summer read!

There’s no such thing as witches…right?

Emerson Wilde has built the life of her dreams. Youngest Chamber of Commerce president in St. Cyprian history, successful indie bookstore owner, and lucky enough to have her best friends as found family? Done.

But when Emerson is attacked by creatures that shouldn’t be real, and kills them with what can only be called magic, Emerson finds that the past decade of her life has been…a lie. St. Cyprian isn't your average Midwestern river town—it’s a haven for witches. When Emerson failed a power test years ago, she was stripped of her magical memories. Turns out, Emerson’s friends are all witches.

And so is she.

That's not all, though: evil is lurking in the charming streets of St. Cyprian. Emerson will need to learn to control what’s inside of her, remember her magic, and deal with old, complicated feelings for her childhood friend—cranky-yet-gorgeous local farmer Jacob North—to defeat an enemy that hides in the rivers and shadows of everything she loves.

Even before she had magic, Emerson would have done anything for St. Cyprian, but now she’ll have to risk not just her livelihood…but her life.

Want more witchy romance? Read the entire Witchlore Series:

Book 1: Small Town, Big Magic
Book 2: Big Little Spells
Book 3: Truly Madly Magically
Book 4: Dragon Fires Everywhere (Coming September 2025)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525804717
Publisher:	Graydon House Books
Publication date:	08/23/2022
Series:	Witchlore Series , #1
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	35,967
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

HAZEL BECK is the magical partnership of a river witch and an earth witch. Together, they have collected two husbands, three familiars, two children, five degrees, and written around 200 books. As one, their books will delight with breathtaking magic, emotional romance, and stories of witches you won’t soon forget. You can find them at www.Hazel-Beck.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/30/2022

This spellbinding magic-infused rom-com from Nicole Helm (the North Star series) and Megan Crane (the Alaska Force series), writing as Beck, brings modern witchcraft away from the typical New England setting, with quirky protagonists, stoic love interests, and fanciful interpretations of history in tow. Emerson Wilde has backup plans for her backup plans, and she’s determined to see her beloved hometown of St. Cyprian, Mo., thrive. But there’s more to St. Cyprian than meets the eye—as Emerson learns when a vicious attack by magical beasts awakens her innate magical power and her best friends let her in on a secret: they’re all witches. A decade ago, Emerson’s magical memory was wiped after she failed to show enough potential during a magical aptitude test. Unused to being unprepared, Emerson struggles to make sense of this new world order, control her abilities, solve the mystery of her power’s resurgence—and reckon with the chemistry that’s reignited between her and Jacob, a member of her coven. Beck delivers a wonderfully realized heroine with a voice so clear readers will feel like one of her friends. This is sure to be a hit with any fan of paranormal romance. Agents: (for Helm) Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary, (for Crews) Holly Root, Root Literary (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"The magical world of St Cyprian is one readers will never want to leave. Small Town, Big Magic is an absolute triumph of a debut...Hazel Beck has created the perfect blend of magic, humor, world-ending peril, friendship and romance, brewed into a spellbinding combination that readers will adore, and that will have them desperate for the next book!"—New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates

"Emerson Wilde is a smart, funny protagonist whose unshakeable belief in herself will charm the reader from the very first page of Small Town, Big Magic. A diverse coven of witches, an enchanted history, and a dangerous adversary all add up to an absolute delight of a magical tale."—Louisa Morgan, author of The Age of Witches

“A fresh, fun, zany spin on paranormal romance, SMALL TOWN, BIG MAGIC casts a big spell. Take one girlboss witch, add a magical journey of healing and self-discovery, and sprinkle in a dash of romance, and you’ve got an enchanting read perfect for fans of THE EX HEX and PAYBACK’S A WITCH.”—Ashley Winstead, author of Fool Me Once

“[A] spellbinding magic-infused rom-com…Beck delivers a wonderfully realized heroine with a voice so clear readers will feel like one of her friends. This is sure to be a hit with any fan of paranormal romance.”—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

07/01/2022

Indie bookstore owner Emerson Wilde is the youngest president of the Chamber of Commerce in her small Missouri hometown and is determined to pull off a successful local festival. However, she wasn't planning on an assassination attempt, dangerous situations for her tight circle of friends, or the threat of the world ending. Her life as she knows it is tipped on its axis when she learns of the existence of magic and its deeply rooted presence in her past. On top of all the chaos disrupting her perfectly scheduled life, she finds herself drawn to her stoic friend Jacob. With her friends (now her coven) by her side, she must quickly learn to embrace her magic as they fight to protect their town and all of humanity. VERDICT This first series entry from Beck (the pseudonym of Nicole Helm and Caitlin Crews/Megan Crane) introduces a great circle of friends and lovers, while bringing adventure, mystery, and heart along with small-town charm.—Jenna Harmison

Library Journal

Natalie Duke’s ringing confidence matches that of protagonist Emerson Wilde, Chamber of Commerce president and bookstore owner in St. Cyprian, Missouri—and unknowing witch. When Emerson is attacked by creatures with dark magic, she unconsciously uses magic to defend herself and, in doing so, regains the witch memories she lost 10 years earlier. Duke uses different voices for Emerson’s coven friends: quiet and limpid for researcher Georgie, matter-of-fact for Ellowyn, pugnacious for Zander, and emphatic for Jacob, a healer who is Emerson’s love interest. Duke delivers Emerson’s militant feminist comments and self-actualizing pep talks with deliberate emphasis. Duke even makes Emerson’s addiction to planners and organizational strategies endearing. Duke’s low, warm tones keep listeners engaged with Emerson’s journey and the major magical crisis she has to diffuse. C.A. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Natalie Duke’s ringing confidence matches that of protagonist Emerson Wilde, Chamber of Commerce president and bookstore owner in St. Cyprian, Missouri—and unknowing witch. When Emerson is attacked by creatures with dark magic, she unconsciously uses magic to defend herself and, in doing so, regains the witch memories she lost 10 years earlier. Duke uses different voices for Emerson’s coven friends: quiet and limpid for researcher Georgie, matter-of-fact for Ellowyn, pugnacious for Zander, and emphatic for Jacob, a healer who is Emerson’s love interest. Duke delivers Emerson’s militant feminist comments and self-actualizing pep talks with deliberate emphasis. Duke even makes Emerson’s addiction to planners and organizational strategies endearing. Duke’s low, warm tones keep listeners engaged with Emerson’s journey and the major magical crisis she has to diffuse. C.A. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile