A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

 Book 87 of my 2025 Reading Challenge

read from December 7 - 12

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

published 2025

Summary (via the book jacket)

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for a future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power...

Enter Luke Larsen, a handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark autumn evening and just might know how to unlock the spell's secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised that he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn't have to do it alone...and that the weird, wonderful family she's made might be the best magic of all.

My Opinion

3 stars

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars with this read but ended up with 3.  While I enjoyed the characters a lot and would love a continuation of the series focusing on the inn, I realized I wasn't compelled to continue reading and could set it down easily for a day or two before picking it up again. 

I also struggled with the specific plot of regaining her magic because of how easily some things came together after such a long time.  If only a year or two had passed it would've been a little more understandable but 15 years of nothing passed and then things are resolved in a week?  That was a jump too far for such a major storyline.