Bewitched & Bewildered Sample
Lately, I’ve been working on my next cozy fantasy book. This is a witchy book inspired by Charmed and Gilmore girls. It combines some of the mystery of Charmed, but in a very light way, and the cozy vibes of Gilmore Girls.
Like both shows, family is a big theme!
This is part one of a series that will introduce you to the five Hawthorne sisters. In part one, you get to read Juniper’s point of view.
Juniper is the older sister. She’s a former overachiever, currently burned out, and she’s suffering from the loss of her mother.
Her love interest is her old high school rival, who returned to the town of Starbrook. While Juniper is reopening her mother’s apothecary, Ozan is opening one of his own.
Below is a sample from their book.
This is the scene where Juniper and Ozan see each other for the first time in a decade…
And Juniper realizes he’s opening up a rival shop.
I hope you enjoy it! Remember to add it to your Goodreads TBR. Coming spring 2025!
CHAPTER 5 OF BEWITCHED & BEWILDERED
My first customer is here—and she storms in like the place is on fire. There’s a flame behind her bright eyes, too. My bunny familiar, Aiyla, rests on my counter, and I stroke the top of her head. It’s the very definition of minding my own business…
How have I already pissed someone off?
The customer is clad in all-black, with a hat resting on her dark, wavy hair. Her piercing eyes catch my attention before I can greet her, and the look on her face stuns me into silence.
She cuts through me with a single stare, and it sends a thrill up my spine. I swallow, trying to suppress the dry feeling in my throat.
This may be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Under her coat, she wears a matching skirt and top. They’re both dark with red flowers on them. The skirt clings to her wide, curvaceous hips. Her round face would be sweet if not for the way she glares at me, and her dark hair makes the contrast of her fair complexion striking.
Desire stirs in me. It’s something I haven’t felt since…well, since before Vanessa cheated on me.
I stomp the feeling out before it can take root. That’s not why I’m here. I didn’t come to Starbrook to get my heart broken again.
When I remember to greet her, I don’t sound as steady as I want to. “Welcome to…”
“Oh, stop it.”
I don’t recognize her until she speaks. It’s Juniper Hawthorne—and, of course, she’s mad at me. She never liked me before. Why would she start now?
“Oh, I would know those dulcet tones anywhere.” I offer her a playful grin—she doesn’t return it.
Juniper and I went to high school together—and elementary school before that. She’s different than I remember. Her auburn hair is replaced with dark tresses, and…has she always been this attractive? Maybe. I guess there’s a reason I picked her as my first kiss. I’ve always been more surprised that she chose me.
I should be annoyed that she’s glaring and cursing, but how she looks at me makes me hot behind the ears.
Her eyes drift briefly to my bunny, and I wonder if Aiyla’s adorable nature will earn me any points.
It quickly becomes apparent that it won’t.
“What are you doing here?” she asks. “You moved to Boston years ago.”
“Are you keeping tabs on me?”
“No!”
“Clearly not if you didn’t know I was coming back.” I tap my fingers against the countertop. “Try not to look too disappointed.”
“You’re here for good?”
“Yup. Permanent move.”
“That’s fine—but what is this?” She gestures wildly to the shop.
When her eyes land on me again, there’s pain behind them. It’s more than the cruel glare she was offering before. Her lower lip trembles and her eyes are misty.
“It’s the new town apothecary,” I say, trying to gauge her reaction. “This is why I came back to Starbrook.”
Not entirely, but it’s part of the reason. The last thing I want is to tell Juniper about my divorce. She’ll find a way to hold it over my head.
My parents have been complaining for months about the lack of witch supplies in Starbrook. The town is full of witches, and not being able to get supplies is a disaster. They’ve been driving nearly an hour to the closest apothecary.
I know the Hawthornes used to run one, but…
It shut down, as far as I know. I didn’t expect the sisters to take my shop as a slight, but I should have known better. Juniper and I have always had bad blood, even if it’s mostly one-sided.
“Why did you open up so close to our shop?” She turns away from me and peers at the shelves.
“It’s not like Starbrook has a lot of real estate options.”
I spent weeks finding a spot, and when I made an offer on this place, it felt like my lucky day. It used to be the pharmacy, and after a couple of weeks of putting in elbow grease, it’s the perfect cozy spot for me to live and work.
I’m proud of the shop, too. The walls are stocked with dried herbs, I’m offering charmed items I spelled myself, and my potion brewer is talented. The crystal collection? Out of this world. I have everything a witch may need.
Juniper should be happy. Hell, I’m pretty close to being happy myself.
My life is different now. I went from managing a media company in Boston to…well, this. And this is what the town needs. I have high hopes for my little apothecary.
Unlike the gig in Boston, I care about this. It doesn’t feel like my business degree is going to waste.
“I know you did this on purpose.” She turns her sharp glare back on me.
“Why do you think that?” I put my hands on my hips, fighting off a smile.
“You’ve always had an issue with me.”
“You’re projecting.”
If we have issues, it goes both ways. Juniper is aware of this, but unsurprisingly, she is trying to rewrite history.
“I’m not—”
“I heard Hawthorne apothecary isn’t in business anymore. People need supplies, Juni. You should understand that.”
Her expression drops. The glare falters. Her fingers twitch at her sides, clenching and then unfurling. The old apothecary has many memories for her. It does for all of us. I can be empathetic, but…
This is a good thing. Her mom can retire like she wants to, and the witches can still get their supplies.
Her glower is back more quickly than I would like. “We’re taking a temporary hiatus.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. We were always planning on coming back.”
“I welcome it,” I say. “Competition is healthy. You should know that if you’re planning on opening a business. Neither of us needs to have a monopoly on selling herbs.”
“If you knew anything about this, you would know it’s more than herbs.”
“I understand that.”
The old Hawthorne shop means a lot to me, too. It speaks of weekends spent shopping with my father, of stocking up on rosemary and clear quartz. It reminds me of bickering with Juniper while our parents chatted by the register. Hell, I got my first tarot reading from her mother.
She charged me five bucks and helped me avoid flunking calculus. She is a wise woman, and I respect her family.
“Why don’t you take a moment and look around?” I gesture as I come out from behind the counter, standing close to Juniper.
She has to be a foot shorter than me. I remember when she was the taller one, but after my high school growth spurt, that changed—and I kept growing well into college.
Now, she has to tilt her chin to continue fixing me with her death glare.
“I don’t want anything you’re selling,” she says.
“Oh? Do you have a nice, fresh stock in your abandoned store?”
“Yes,” she says. “And it’s not abandoned. I told you—we’re reopening.”
“No one in town knows that you’re opening. That’s not good for business. A grand opening should come with some fanfare.”
“Then how come I haven’t heard about your business?”
“Because you haven’t been paying attention. The rest of town is talking about it.”
“Everyone already knows about our apothecary in Starbrook—and beyond. I don’t need a fancy marketing plan to get people in the door.”
“I’m sure you’re right.”
“I am.”
“Let me rephrase that.” With a smile, I take a step closer. “I hope you’re right. I would hate for something to go wrong. I love that old shop as much as you do.”
My words are genuine, but she won’t take them that way.
“That’s impossible,” she says. “No one loves it as much as my sisters and me.”
“I mean it. I want to see you succeed.”
“You’re giving me the evil eye, aren’t you?” Her eyes widen. “How dare you curse our reopening?”
I lift my hands in surrender. “I’m not!”
“I’m onto you. Don’t think you can pull a fast one on me.”
“I would never, ever think that.”
A silence stretches between us. Her chest heaves—a sign of anger—but I force my eyes to stay on hers.
After a moment, she turns on her heel. “Stay out of my way.”
“I intend on it.” I return to my spot behind the counter. “Best of luck with your shop, Juni!”
The chimes on the door are the last thing I hear before she storms off.
Gods. How can one little, angry person be so adorable?
