Secrets & Spells - an ARC Book Review

November 10, 2025

Secrets & Spells - an ARC Book Review

**Thank you to C.G. Murray and Love Notes PR for providing me with an e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.**

✨️ Book Title: Secrets & Spells: Crystal Lake Series Book #1

✨️ Author: C.G. Murray

✨️ Genre: Paranormal romance

✨️ Tropes: Magical small town romance, witch with a secret, fated mates, magical creatures (shifters/wolf shifter, demons, gargoyles), revenge-driven villain

⭐️ Star Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

🌶 Spice Level: 3 / 5 peppers (hot/spicy - open-door intimacy)

⚠️ Trigger Warnings: Mentions/descriptions of kidnapping/hostage situation, physical abuse, violence, murder, stalking, PTSD, alcohol intoxication, adoption (involving feelings of abandonment), death of parental figures, explicit language, and sexual content

📅 Release Date: October 16, 2025

I went from being the reporter to being reported on and now the name Jared Devlin is famous across the country, not because of my bylines, but because I’m the last known victim of the Raven and the only one to survive.

Forced to take an extended leave of absence from his position as a reporter in the big city, Jared reluctantly decides to make use of his newfound time off with a change of scenery. In his move to the small town of Crystal Lake and in taking a job with the local newspaper, Jared discovered that all is not as it seems… including what he knew to be true about himself. Will the magical mayhem of Crystal Lake be enough to push Jared towards his true self and his fated mate? Or is it enough to bring him to his demise at the hands of the Raven?

C.G. Murray’s Secrets & Spells invites readers to cozy up and enjoy the small-town magic and mayhem found in Crystal Lake. With plenty of strong imagery to convey the beauty of the town in each scene, I had the pleasure of feeling like I was one of the town’s people, able to experience everything with our M+FMCs. Additionally, all of the side characters we see in Crystal Lake are just as likable and relatable as our main character’s making it easy for me to connect with and appreciate them. I also need to take a moment to appreciate the plot twist C.G. Murray throws at readers towards the end - my jaw was on the floor, it was so good!!

What kept this from being a 4 or 5-star read for me was in the development of Jared and Selene’s relationship. As a whole, it felt a little too surface-level, leaving me wanting to see more growth and development between the two. I wanted them to learn more about each other, to experience a little more yearning and tension. In the aftermath of some of Jared’s trauma, there was space for them to reach more growth that I felt was glossed over a little too quickly.

All in all, Secrets & Spells is the perfect cozy read for fans of small-town romance and the supernatural. Be sure to keep your eyes out for the next book in the Crystal Lake installment to see where the residents of Crystal Lake take us next!