All the Spells and Whistles by Ava Stone

Tracy’s rating: 4/4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Witches’ Ball, #6

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Poppy Elstone, the eldest daughter of Viscount Halwell and her sister Laurel learn from their Great-Aunt Alora that they are the last of the Branwyck Witches and that at their father’s bidding their powers were withheld from them. Alora gives them back their powers and promises to teach them all they need to know, but warns them not to tell their father or stepmother of their powers. Sadly, Alora passes away in her sleep the same night, leaving the girls with powers they don’t understand and don’t know how to use. It is frustrating, especially since Poppy has been plagued by a nightmare since her powers were returned to her. It is almost a full year later that she is woken yet again by the nightmare, but this time it is different, her cat Stormy is at her window and makes Poppy follow him, as she leaves her room, she finds Laurel following her cat too. The girls race into the night and find their cousin Daniel being attacked by wild dogs and to Poppy’s shock when she claps her hands and chases them away, even more shocking is the fact there is another man, who happens to be the man from her dreams, in fact, everything about this is like her dream. She is a bit shaken by the experience and even more taken aback when the man from her dreams, turns out to be her cousin’s friend, Captain Alec Galbraith and he seems to know she is a witch and even offers advice. Poppy’s life is about to change, but will it lead to heartbreak or happily ever after?

Captain Lord Alec Galbraith is the younger son of the Marquess of Ravensdale, a family of Promethean witches and warlocks, but when he was just sixteen his mother stripped him of his powers. When neither his father nor brother stepped up in his defense, Alec left, he lied about his age and joined the army. That was 12 years ago and he has never looked back, after returning from war, Alec made himself a fortune at the gaming tables, but he still keenly feels the loss of his powers. When his friend Daniel gives him a note from his brother, the new marquess, it stirs up feelings he thought he had gotten over years ago, so when Daniel invites him to Devon to visit his family, Alec happily agrees, thinking the trip will distract him. He is surprised when they are attacked by hellhounds and even more surprised when they are saved by a pair of witches, why hadn’t Daniel mentioned that his family was magical? He soon learns that Poppy and Laurel get their powers from their mother, and offers to help them with their powers. He is strongly attracted to Poppy but feels he has nothing to offer her and leaves when her father realizes that he is from a magical family and orders him to go. He is miserable without her and when he learns about the Witches’ Ball, he can’t resist a chance to see her again. But danger awaits them and saving the woman he has come to love, may cost him everything.

This was another great installment of the Witches’ Ball, filled with likable characters, secrets, shocking revelations, pesky little sisters, a psycho villain, help from unexpected sources, a very slow-burn romance, no-steam love scenes, true love, forgiveness, and finally a kiss that leads to HEA. I really enjoyed this story, Ms. Stone gave her contribution to the series a fresh and unique twist, which made for a very entertaining and interesting reader experience. This is the sixth release in the series, but most of the stories, including this one, are very loosely connected and can be read as standalone titles. This was a great read, and I am happy to recommend not only this book but the entire series.