Never Been Witched

I’ll admit, I went into *Never Been Witched* skeptical—paranormal romance finales often either fizzle into saccharine fluff or drown in lore dumps. But Harper sticks the landing by doubling down on what made the series work: *people* who happen to have magic, not the other way around. The plot hinges on a cursed object (because of *course* it does), but the real conflict is in the push-pull between leads who are both stubborn, flawed, and—refreshingly—old enough to know better. Their slow burn is *glacial* at times (I may have groaned during one extended miscommunication trope), but the payoff feels earned, especially when the narration sells every simmering glance. Speaking of the narration: Ronconi and Hamilton are a dynamic duo. Ronconi’s delivery of the heroine’s dry asides had me laughing out loud during my commute, while Hamilton’s ability to pivot from smarmy to sincere keeps the love interest from veering into caricature. My one critique? The pacing stumbles in the middle—Harper’s worldbuilding is fun, but a subplot about a magical real estate dispute drags when the *real* tension is the will-they-won’t-they. And while the steamy scenes are well-handled (no awkward fade-to-black here), the audio mixing occasionally makes whispered dialogue hard to catch. Still, the final act’s emotional gut-punch and hilarious epilogue make up for it. If you love romances where the humor is as sharp as the stakes, this is a must-listen—just maybe at 1.25x speed.