Book 1 of The Waverley Family Duology
The Waverley women in Bascom, North Carolina, all have a form of magic. Claire’s food has curious effects on people and this makes her a popular caterer. She feels she has everything she needs, until a stranger moves in next door. Her new neighbour seems to have fallen under her spell, and she’s not interested. Or at least that’s what she tells herself.
Her sister Sydney suddenly returns home after being away for a decade with her young daughter Bay in tow. Claire welcomes her sister home without too many questions. Sydney is running from her abusive ex, Bay’s father, who doesn’t know her real name – to him she was Cindy Watkins.
Sydney has always thought she doesn’t have the Waverley magic, but we soon learn that she does have an extraordinary talent.
This is such a lovely book, Claire is set in her ways and doesn’t want romance. Her next door neighbour does his best to convince her otherwise helped by Sydney… the magical realism is subtle throughout the book.
Read for The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 6: Genre One: Set in Spring
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
