THE WINTER SORCERER AND
THE SUMMER
WITCH
by
D. Lieber
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Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Ink & Magick
Publication Date: May 20, 2025
Page count: 320 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
Modern
witches from rival factions. A marriage of convenience. Spells and sparks fly
in this slice-of-life fantasy romance.
Whittaker
Crawford is the perfect winter sorcerer—practical and self-reliant—but his
quiet life is turned upside down when his grandfather gives him an ultimatum.
If he wants to inherit the ancestral home he’s spent years restoring, he has to
get married. In need of cheering up, his friend convinces him to do something
dangerous: crash a summer witch party.
Clover
Bronwen is an average summer witch—free-spirited and optimistic. But lately she
has longed for a change. A masked stranger at a Halloween party is just the
sort of intrigue she’s looking for.
The
centuries-old feud between the summer and winter factions may no longer be an
all-out war, but their rivalry and disdain are still very much alive. As Whit
and Clover adjust to one another, their bonds with family and friends fray. How
much are they willing to sacrifice for an enemy they just met?
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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:
With a sudden
gust of wintry wind, the warm campfire was blown out, and everyone was plunged
into darkness.
Gasps and
murmurs traveled through the group. “A bad omen,” someone whispered near Whit
over the sound of Alexandre’s snickering.
Of course,
Alexandre wasn’t about to let an opening like that go.
“Don’t worry,”
the Swedish Chef said. “Even the darkest night comes to an end. Take the hands
of those on either side of you.”
Whit took
Alexandre’s hand and squeezed it in warning. That’s enough. Even if their magic
is waning, they could mess us up with this many of them here. We aren’t at full
power either.
Whit stiffened
as a jolt ran through him when the woman on his other side slipped her hand
into his.
Her hand was
small and thin but warm.
“Fear not the
darkness, fear not the night,” the Swedish Chef said.
Everyone else,
including Whit and Alexandre repeated his words.
“We spark this
fire with inner light.”
As everyone
repeated the spell, the magic of the summer witch holding Whit’s hand flowed
into him. It was heady and intoxicating like a humid rain in a garden bursting
with violets, lilies, orchids, and gardenias. The sweetness of honey and plum
were mellowed by the depth of amber and vanilla. Whit’s head spun as her magic
filled him with giddiness.
He turned his
head toward her while the fire sparked back to life, reawakened by the
collective magic.
Her face tilted
up at him, and their eyes met in the dim flicker of the fire’s glow.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
D.
Lieber has a wanderlust that would make a butterfly envious. When she isn’t
planning her next physical adventure, she’s recklessly jumping from one
fictional world to another. Her love of reading led her to earn a Bachelor’s in
English from Wright State University.
Beyond
her skeptic and slightly pessimistic mind, Lieber wants to believe. She has
been many places—from Canada to England, France to Italy, Germany to
Russia—believing that a better world comes from putting a face on “other.” She
is a romantic idealist at heart, always fighting to keep her feet on the ground
and her head in the clouds.
Lieber
lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John) and cats (Yin and Nox).
REVIEW:
5 stars!
An “opposites attract” spark sets off a delightful
slow-burn romance in this magical marriage of convenience tale!
The Winter Sorcerer and the Summer Witch by D. Lieber
is an absolutely delightful tale combining an ‘opposites attract’ and slow-burn
romance with a marriage of convenience storyline. I enjoyed this book so much that
I’m still smiling about it days later!
Winter sorcerer Whittaker “Whit” Crawford must marry before
the upcoming winter solstice, or his grandfather is going to change his will
and leave the ancestral home, the only home Whit has ever known and has lovingly
restored room by room, to a cousin with children. As all the winter witches he’s
familiar with tend to be very cautious, careful planners and loath to make any
decision without time-consuming deliberations, time Whit doesn’t have, he puts
his chances of marrying one before the deadline as slim to none. Depressed and
in need of cheering up, Whit and his best friend secretly crash a Halloween
party in the woods held by the summer faction. There, he rescues a summer witch
named Clover from the annoying attentions of one of the other guests. He is
surprised and intrigued when she rewards his actions with a kiss. The next day,
he begins to wonder if Clover Bronwen might be the answer to his problems.
Clover and Whit are an adorably fun and relatable pair, both
with hopes and dreams that aren’t much different from each other, although she’s
sunshiny and spontaneous while he’s deliberate and far from impulsive –
usually. They are perfect for each other. Their interactions, as they got to
know each other, made me smile from the start, and I was all in for them to
overcome all obstacles on their way to a happy ending.
While the plot has all the earmarks of several romance
tropes, they are combined with an unusual backstory that makes them feel fresh,
fun, and exciting. The existence of two factions of magic users, based on the
seasonal solstices of winter and summer, was an intriguing element that set up
a wildly different “mixed marriage” scenario. Their slow-burn romance progressed
at a pace that kept me completely engaged, making me read “just one more
chapter” again and again.
I recommend THE WINTER SORCERER AND THE SUMMER WITCH to romance
readers who enjoy a paranormal element in their stories and fresh takes on the
opposites attract, sunshine/grumpy, marriage of convenience, or slow-burn
romantic tropes.
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D
Lieber will be awarding a $10 Bookshop.org Gift card to a randomly drawn
winner.
Thank you so much for featuring and reviewing today's book.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you liked it! 🥰 Thanks for the review and for having me on your lovely blog.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michael! 😁
DeleteThe book sounds like an intriguing read. Great cover!
ReplyDelete