Big witch energy

Harper keeps her Starfall Point series going strong (after Witches Get Stuff Done) with this enchanting second-chance romance. Witch Caroline Wilton has never ventured off the tiny island of Starfall Point, Mich., because of a family curse: for generations, anyone who went off island immediately died, including her late brother, Chris. This threat costs Caroline her high school sweetheart, Ben Hoult, who went off island for years and didn't understand why she wouldn't come with him. Now Ben's back to stay as the town's doctor with his two teenagers in tow. Along with her two besties and fellow witches, Caroline attempts to get to the heart of the curse and fight off a truly scary spirit. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Ben's kids also have the gift of magic. As the group works together to vanquish the spirit, Ben and Caroline rekindle their relationship, and Caroline comes to love Ben's children as her own. But as the magical mayhem intensifies, staying alive is a higher priority than romance. Harper's tight and twisty plot revs up to a satisfying climax, while her characters charm throughout. Ending on a tantalizing tease of the forthcoming series finale, this will have readers on the edge of their seats. (Sept.)

A witch trapped in her hometown reunites with her high school sweetheart. Caroline Wilton's family suffers from a deadly curse: If any of them leaves the island of Starfall Point off the coast of Michigan, they are killed in a freak accident within 24 hours. This includes Caroline's older brother, Chris, who fell off a bridge after leaving to meet a girl he met online. For years, the Wiltons have been swamped by grief, and Caroline has lived a kind of half life, working at her family's worn-down restaurant and bar and having flings with tourists. Everything changed a year ago, when Caroline developed magical powers and realized she's a witch. She and two other women, Riley and Alice, formed a small coven that helps ghosts trapped on Earth reach the afterlife. Caroline is shocked when her high school sweetheart, Ben Hoult, returns to Starfall Point, newly divorced and with his two teenagers in tow. Ben's ex-wife only wanted the money and prestige of being a doctor's wife, caring little for him or the children. He hopes that moving to his childhood home will create a safe place to heal. Ben is delighted to discover Caroline is still single, and the two fall back into an easy, sweet romance. Then his kids develop their own paranormal talents, and Ben is forced to admit that ghosts, magic, and curses are real. When an evil ghost threatens Caroline and the kids, the coven suspects the malevolent presence might also be responsible for the Wilton curse. Caroline wonders what the future will hold if she has the freedom to leave town. Harper is an expert storyteller, effortlessly weaving together the second-chance romance between Ben and Caroline with multiple subplots and a large, quirky cast of characters--some of which are ghosts. The plot moves along at a brisk, pleasing pace, and even the late-stage exposition dump feels charming. This winsome, magical story is just what the doctor ordered. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.