Payback's a Witch (the Witches of Thistle Grove, #1)

Emmy Harlow returns reluctantly to Thistle Grove, the small town she fled nearly five years ago, summoned by family obligation to serve as Arbiter of the Gauntlet of the Grove, a spellcasting tournament held every fifty years among the town's four founding witch families. As she crosses the town line, Emmy, a witch whose abilities have faded entirely during her years in Chicago, feels a powerful surge of raw magic welcoming her back.

Thistle Grove is governed by four founding witch families, each with a distinct magical affinity: the Blackmoores manipulate matter and are the most powerful; the Thorns practice nature magic; the Avramovs commune with spirits and wield ectoplasm, a substance drawn from beyond the veil of death; and the Harlows, the weakest, serve as record keepers and Arbiters. The Gauntlet determines which family presides over the town's magical affairs for the next fifty years, and the Blackmoores have won almost every tournament, accumulating wealth and influence that crowd out the other families.

Emmy left because of Gareth Blackmoore, the Blackmoore scion. They dated secretly the summer before her senior year of high school, and Gareth ended the relationship by saying he could not see himself with a Harlow long-term. The rejection drove Emmy to build a new life in Chicago, where she became creative director at Enchantify, a subscription box company.

On her first night home, Emmy visits a local bar where Gareth stumbles in drunk and flirts with her without any recognition. After he leaves, Talia Avramov, the Avramov scion, reveals herself from behind a deflection glamour, a concealment spell, and strikes up a conversation. Strikingly beautiful and sharp-witted, Talia bonds with Emmy over shared grievances against Gareth, and Emmy feels a spark of attraction.

At brunch the next day, Emmy's best friend, Linden Thorn, confesses she also fell for Gareth, who was secretly seeing both her and Talia despite claiming exclusivity with each. Talia arrives and proposes an unprecedented alliance: She and Linden's twin brother, Rowan, the Thorn scion, will team up during the Gauntlet to prevent Gareth from winning. Talia asks Emmy to research past challenges at Tomes & Omens, the Harlow family bookshop. Emmy agrees, motivated by personal grievance and awareness that the Blackmoores' dominance threatens the other families.

At Tomes & Omens, Emmy's father, James Harlow, introduces her to the original Grimoire, the master spellbook written by their ancestor Elias Harlow. When Emmy touches it, she feels an overwhelming awareness of the town, though she does not yet understand why. James explains that the challenges appear to the Arbiter only when it is time. Emmy confirms no rule prohibits an alliance between families.

At the opening ceremony, Emmy dons the Arbiter's mantle, and the spell expands her senses until she can perceive all of Thistle Grove. She calls on Igraine Blackmoore, the reigning Gauntlet champion and Gareth's grandmother, to cede the Victor's wreath. At the gala afterward, Emmy's cousin Delilah Harlow challenges her right to serve, arguing Emmy abandoned the family. Emmy's grandmother, Nana Caro, a former Arbiter, advises her to let the mantle's magic flow through her. When Gareth approaches, Emmy pulls Talia onto the dance floor to rattle him, and the charged dance confirms the growing attraction between them.

The first challenge tests speed at Lady's Lake. Rowan sacrifices his chance by battering Gareth with waves, while Talia uses ectoplasm to fly across the lake and claim the token, winning for House Avramov. Igraine accuses Emmy of collusion, but the mantle's magic channels the voices of all four founders to silence her.

Emmy and Talia's relationship deepens. In the Witch Woods, a haunted forest behind The Bitters, the Avramov family home, Talia shows Emmy the shades, ghosts lodged in the trees, and they share their first kiss. Emmy reconnects with Linden, who confesses that Emmy's absence caused deep pain; Emmy promises never to disappear again. Her magic fully returns when she lights a candle on her own. Over coffee, Talia reveals her reluctance to leave Thistle Grove, since her magic fades rapidly outside its boundaries.

The second challenge tests strength at Honeycake Orchards. Combatants face separate magical constructs, preventing the alliance from sabotaging Gareth, who overpowers his opponent and wins for House Blackmoore.

Demoralized, Emmy visits Nana Caro and confesses she is uncertain where she belongs. Talia and Emmy summon the spirit of Margarita Avramov, one of the four founders, who urges Talia to "forge onward together." Inspired, Emmy devises a plan: If Talia and Rowan braid their opposing magics, the clashing forces should create an antimagic field to trap Gareth. That night, Emmy and Talia sleep together, and Talia reveals she has no tattoos because she is saving the experience for matching ones with a future partner. When Talia presses Emmy to consider staying, the conversation turns painful, and they part without resolution.

The final challenge tests wit at Castle Camelot, the Blackmoore estate. Combatants must identify and cast correct Grimoire spells in response to riddles. When Gareth nears the final token, Talia and Rowan execute Emmy's plan, trapping him in an antimagic barrier. Rowan claims the token, creating an unprecedented three-way tie. But Gareth ruptures the barrier, and the ectoplasmic backlash slams into Talia. She collapses; her garnet, a magical focus stone, shatters, and her body becomes a conduit for ghosts.

With Talia incapacitated and the Avramov family occupied by an emergency banishment ritual, no champion remains for the mandatory tiebreak. Igraine argues the Avramovs must forfeit, but Emmy finds a loophole: No rule prohibits a substitute, and the Harlows have only recused themselves by tradition. She cedes the Arbiter's mantle to Delilah and enters as the Avramov champion.

The tiebreak is a scavenger hunt for tokens connected to each founder. Emmy locates them using her knowledge of the town: Elias's quill at Tomes & Omens, Alastair Thorn's hawthorn tree at the Thorn orchards, and Margarita's scrying mirror in Talia's bedroom. Stuck on the final clue, Emmy experiences the merging sensation with Thistle Grove again, her awareness expanding until she locates the token in the preserved crypt bed of Caelia Blackmoore, the founding Blackmoore ancestor. She collects the last token at Lady's Lake, the only combatant to gather all five, and wins the Gauntlet.

Emmy's father reveals a long-guarded secret: Elias found Thistle Grove first and tempered its raw magic so the other families could use it. One Harlow at a time maintains a deep communion with the town, serving as its living avatar, which explains Emmy's mysterious awareness. This is why Harlows are weaker spellcasters: Their capacity goes to rendering magic usable for others. The communion is now passing from James to Emmy.

Emmy tells Delilah the truth about the Harlow communion and encourages her cousin to take over at Tomes & Omens. At the Samhain Eve masquerade ball, Emmy tells Talia she is staying: She will work remotely and broker a partnership between the Avramovs' Emporium and Enchantify. She confesses she loves Thistle Grove and is falling in love with Talia. Talia agrees to visit Chicago, despite her fear of magic fading outside town. When Delilah prepares to crown Talia as Victor, Talia cedes the wreath to Emmy, declaring her champion earned it. Emmy accepts, becoming the first Harlow Victor in Thistle Grove's history. Talia tells Emmy she is "kind of in love" with her, and Emmy reciprocates, suggesting they get matching tattoos.