Garden Spells By Sarah Addison Allen

Whenever stories included the town herbalist or white witch, she was a minor character and one of my favorites.  Modern tales don't often include a town herbalist, not ones set in a modern city or town.  But in Garden Spells, Claire Waverly lives in Bascom, North Carolina where she not only tends the garden, she uses it's herbs and plants for their mystical purposes...and makes her living as a caterer. 
In Garden Spells, Claire is 34 years old and welcomes home her sister and niece, who are escaping a bad situation.  The magical garden (complete with a sentient apple tree) and the magical touches turn an otherwise predictable romance into something a lot more fun to read. 
This book has been on my to-be-read list for ages.  Somehow or another it never quite made it into the library bag.  Most likely, other patrons have simply beat me to the punch.  Luckily, last week I stumbled upon it and remembered the title.  Someone recommended it.  At some point. 
I picked it up and didn't put it down again until I was done.  I liked the characters.  I fell in love with the apple tree.  I may have been able to predict the bare bones of the story, but not the road Allen chose to get us there.  This is a great light-hearted read for summer, highly reccomended! 

Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Title: Garden Spells
Pgs: 320 pgs
Reading Level: Adult
This book is suitable for high schoolers and adults. 

Content Warnings:  There are adult situations and some mild objectionable language.  All serve to promote the story line, but probably aren't suitable for kids under 12.  There is also an element of magic/fantasy which can be objectionable to some people with religious leanings.