““Thanks for the unsolicited sex advice, Rosie. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind if my soulmate traipses through the front door: wait, don’t tell me anything about yourself, take your clothes off. We need to screw under the full moon.” Laurel grimaced.”

Here come the five Bay witches, who live in an amazing cottage that is the dream of every gardener and cottage-core girl. Meet Laurel, Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, and Verbena. This book is the first in the series “Star Island Witches,” and it is focused on Laurel.

Summary of the plot: Laurel Bay is a hedge witch living on Star Island. She runs a tarot business and explores the Hedge World, a mystical realm where only hedge witches can travel. When a past life love reappears in the Hedge World, she is determined to find him. However, a vengeful witch starts pursuing her.

They were witches by their blood, the product of generations of power, built and cut down, burned, yet surviving still. They were mastery and dominance, subtlety, and silence. They were the women of hearth and home.

I was surprised by this book. The first chapter about Belatine felt a bit too purple, with adjectives piled on until they became distracting. I thought that if the book were all in this tone, it would just not be for me. But as shown later, it was purposely that way, and the rest of the book was an effortless read.

“Which is exactly why I do not want to talk to you. I’m not the sex and love type. I need someone with a heart frozen solid to talk to at this moment.” Laurel walked towards the kitchen. “Hey, Lavender? Can we talk?”

I loved all of the Bay sisters’ personalities. Colleen wrote each one nicely, with a different personality. The idea of cottage witches is fantastic. There are five sisters, each with a different specialty—Laurel, Rosemary, Lavender, Sage, and Verbena. In this book, we look at Laurel’s life; she is living her best life. All sisters care for her, and she reads cards at bachelorette parties.

“Thank you for that visual.” Laurel crossed her legs and leaned against the couch and shook her head out. “You sent him here?” “Yeah, to fix the porch. That was convenient, him being a carpenter. What if he had been an accountant? I couldn’t very well say, hey you! You’re going to fall in love with my sister! Go deflower her right now!”

I must also say that the chemistry and banter between the sisters were terrific. I loved that Laurel acted just like a middle child. Lavender was the typical oldest, and Sage the youngest. Maybe it was stereotypical, but it was comforting, and their banter was outstanding. Rosemary is in a league of her own ? I cannot wait to dive into the second book about her.

“Ha!” his mom cackled. “I love her already. Are you seeing her tomorrow? Are you seeing her tonight?” Owen was certain he’d never heard his mom so excited by the prospect of one of her sons getting laid.

Let’s talk about Owen a little bit. I am just not in the “golden retriever boyfriend” club. I like my fictional men a little grumpy, sarcastic, and darker ? Owen was just a sweetheart who wanted the best for Laurel. Even though he was not my cup of tea, he was just nice.