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A Librarian's Guide to Witchery #1
A Spark of Something
Hello there, I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. Well, if you are new, welcome. I’m Oliver ‘Ollie’ Cross, owner of the Cross Heritage Private Library, and I have a problem. Several actually. To explain the full weight of my conundrum, I feel I have to put out there that I am skeptical of all paranormal ‘things’, and always have been. Mostly, I just find the supernatural a bunch of nonsense. At least…I did…until ghosts started appearing…and my cat started talking to me… And if that weren't enough, there is a book that constantly insults me, while claiming that I'm a witch!
So, as you can see, I have quite a conundrum on my hands, in that I…may be losing my ever-loving mind.
But on a positive note, for the first time in my life, a man may actually like my tendency to babble, so…winning there? But then, Noble Vincent is perfect… Mysterious, but perfect. Though my cat doesn’t like him, and my best friend thinks he is hiding something. But if anything that's happening is reality…my cat also lied to me my whole life…and my best friend usually thinks everyone is hiding something, so…opinions rejected!
Anyhoo, things are fine! I’m fine! What’s a few life altering events, some breakdowns, and…multiple people trying to kill me—hah… Things will be okay! I hope…
CONTENT WARNING: This is an MM paranormal romance book that contains blood, violence, gore, murder, death, attempted immolation of a non-MC, and panic attacks. Please do not read if you find any of the previous triggering.
So, as you can see, I have quite a conundrum on my hands, in that I…may be losing my ever-loving mind.
But on a positive note, for the first time in my life, a man may actually like my tendency to babble, so…winning there? But then, Noble Vincent is perfect… Mysterious, but perfect. Though my cat doesn’t like him, and my best friend thinks he is hiding something. But if anything that's happening is reality…my cat also lied to me my whole life…and my best friend usually thinks everyone is hiding something, so…opinions rejected!
Anyhoo, things are fine! I’m fine! What’s a few life altering events, some breakdowns, and…multiple people trying to kill me—hah… Things will be okay! I hope…
CONTENT WARNING: This is an MM paranormal romance book that contains blood, violence, gore, murder, death, attempted immolation of a non-MC, and panic attacks. Please do not read if you find any of the previous triggering.
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2025
182 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Shelby Rhodes
28 books148 followersShelby Rhodes is a lover and writer of MM Paranormal Romance novels, but any genre is up for grabs. She loves building worlds and creating new realities. In her books you can expect to find a mix of humor and fluff with a dash of blood and violence. And while dramatic and comedic monologues may be her favorite things, that doesn't mean she won't try to rip your heart out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
January 28, 2025
I don't know how Shelby continues to create such unique worlds with intriguing concepts, and such lively characters. I'm a huge fan of Shelby's writing style, she writes with an almost comedic undertone so there's light humor throughout the whole story even when there are more heavy things going on. Furthermore, her ability to create characters that each have their own individual personality, background, sass, and unique style is mind-blowing. I truly do not know how she continues to create such marvelous characters and terrific books!
Ollie, sweet, sweet, Ollie. I absolutely adore him, he's so awkward and shy but so freaking adorable! I loved all of the detailed descriptions of his outfits, they all sound so cute! And frankly his outfits definitely fit with his character. Ollie's internal dialogue along with his interactions with other was such a joy to read. While there were some heavy moments, (Shelby is known for her angst), aside from those moments Ollie is sunshine personified. Even when he is going through tough events he still exudes kindness, and despite him not liking be able to see ghosts as first, now he's determined to help them move on. Which is very fitting for his character. I have such a soft spot for Ollie, I just want to give him a hug! He's going through SO much but is doing his best to accept things as they are even though he doesn't entirely believe what is going on.
As far as supportive side characters go, Red and Jahla are absolutely fantastic!! I love all of their banter with each other, their conversations were never lacking sass, sarcasm, and humor. Those interactions were a joy to read!
It took me a bit to warm up to Noble, in the beginning when it mentioned he's a witch hunter is was a bit weary of him.. I mean he hunts witches, that has to mean danger for Ollie, right? While that is partially true, he also falls for the adorable, bright, and kind man, and watching Noble fall in love with Ollie was so heartwarming! It's like you could see his walls coming down the more the story went on.
The backgrounds that are featured throughout the course of this story were described impeccably! I loved the detailed description of Ollie's library, as that's where the story takes place in for the most part. The action scenes were great as well!! I also really enjoyed how Ollie slowly came into his magic. He's slowly discovering what all he is capable of, as are those around him. I'm really excited to see where this series goes next!! Shelby, you've created yet another masterpiece!!!
Ollie, sweet, sweet, Ollie. I absolutely adore him, he's so awkward and shy but so freaking adorable! I loved all of the detailed descriptions of his outfits, they all sound so cute! And frankly his outfits definitely fit with his character. Ollie's internal dialogue along with his interactions with other was such a joy to read. While there were some heavy moments, (Shelby is known for her angst), aside from those moments Ollie is sunshine personified. Even when he is going through tough events he still exudes kindness, and despite him not liking be able to see ghosts as first, now he's determined to help them move on. Which is very fitting for his character. I have such a soft spot for Ollie, I just want to give him a hug! He's going through SO much but is doing his best to accept things as they are even though he doesn't entirely believe what is going on.
As far as supportive side characters go, Red and Jahla are absolutely fantastic!! I love all of their banter with each other, their conversations were never lacking sass, sarcasm, and humor. Those interactions were a joy to read!
It took me a bit to warm up to Noble, in the beginning when it mentioned he's a witch hunter is was a bit weary of him.. I mean he hunts witches, that has to mean danger for Ollie, right? While that is partially true, he also falls for the adorable, bright, and kind man, and watching Noble fall in love with Ollie was so heartwarming! It's like you could see his walls coming down the more the story went on.
The backgrounds that are featured throughout the course of this story were described impeccably! I loved the detailed description of Ollie's library, as that's where the story takes place in for the most part. The action scenes were great as well!! I also really enjoyed how Ollie slowly came into his magic. He's slowly discovering what all he is capable of, as are those around him. I'm really excited to see where this series goes next!! Shelby, you've created yet another masterpiece!!!
January 30, 2025
*I got an arc*
CW: dead parents
I am a total sucker for books about libraries. "A Spark of Something" has a rare book library, sassy best friends, A CAT, and a delightfully dramatic librarian-- what more could a person want?
Ollie (library owner) enjoys his life: he has a beautiful library, a wonderful cat, and delightfully insolent employees. Sometimes, even, he gets to show rare books to the guy he absolutely, definitely, in no way has a massive crush on! His main worries are about how to make the library an inclusive place and remembering to eat regularly so that his BFF doesn't harass him.
His routine is shattered when he starts seeing flashes of *something* in the library. A stalwart skeptic, Ollie flees from a ghost he can't believe he's seeing... into the arms of the man he definitely is not having lusty thoughts about. Ollie is thrust into a world of witches and witch hunters as he is forced to confront that the very library he grew up in may not be what it seems.
"A Spark of Something" was such fun! I'd already been a fan of Shelby's and leapt at the chance for a review copy of this one. The story has an excellent balance of plot & character development and the narrative structure suits the story nicely. The first section is a bit description heavy (which some people may not like), but I felt it added to the tone of the book.
As an aside, I love how emphatically Shelby highlights that libraries should be safe spaces for marginalised groups. Yay for story time with drag queens!
CW: dead parents
I am a total sucker for books about libraries. "A Spark of Something" has a rare book library, sassy best friends, A CAT, and a delightfully dramatic librarian-- what more could a person want?
Ollie (library owner) enjoys his life: he has a beautiful library, a wonderful cat, and delightfully insolent employees. Sometimes, even, he gets to show rare books to the guy he absolutely, definitely, in no way has a massive crush on! His main worries are about how to make the library an inclusive place and remembering to eat regularly so that his BFF doesn't harass him.
His routine is shattered when he starts seeing flashes of *something* in the library. A stalwart skeptic, Ollie flees from a ghost he can't believe he's seeing... into the arms of the man he definitely is not having lusty thoughts about. Ollie is thrust into a world of witches and witch hunters as he is forced to confront that the very library he grew up in may not be what it seems.
"A Spark of Something" was such fun! I'd already been a fan of Shelby's and leapt at the chance for a review copy of this one. The story has an excellent balance of plot & character development and the narrative structure suits the story nicely. The first section is a bit description heavy (which some people may not like), but I felt it added to the tone of the book.
As an aside, I love how emphatically Shelby highlights that libraries should be safe spaces for marginalised groups. Yay for story time with drag queens!
Read
February 11, 2025DNF 41% - Ollie is incredibly annoying; you don't need to include every stutter in the dialogue, and I don't think I've ever read a book with so many ellipses.
February 2, 2025
a fun and sweet book to read
February 12, 2025
Good, but flawed
It took me a little while to get into this book as the start was pretty slow. I’d say the first 50% of the book was hard to get into, but it picked up a lot after that and was a lot more engaging. However there are certain writing choices that made the story feel clunky.
One issue is there are a LOT of POV changes. I’m talking multiple changes per chapter and some POVs last only a few paragraphs. I think there were far better ways to show the emotions of multiple characters without the constant shifting of point of views. It ended up being really distracting and made the story feel disjointed.
The other issue is hard to discuss without being too spoiler-y, but I’ll just say that a lot of reviewers describe Noble as morally grey but there’s literally nothing grey about what he’s done. I loved how he treated Ollie but I struggled to get invested in the book because of his backstory. I couldn’t see how I was supposed to ever get invested in such a character…
Overall I really wanted to love this book and I did like Ollie a lot, but there were so many odd writing choices that made it difficult to get invested. Again the second half helped redeem the book a lot as the story began to flow better, so I do still recommend giving the book a read.
It took me a little while to get into this book as the start was pretty slow. I’d say the first 50% of the book was hard to get into, but it picked up a lot after that and was a lot more engaging. However there are certain writing choices that made the story feel clunky.
One issue is there are a LOT of POV changes. I’m talking multiple changes per chapter and some POVs last only a few paragraphs. I think there were far better ways to show the emotions of multiple characters without the constant shifting of point of views. It ended up being really distracting and made the story feel disjointed.
The other issue is hard to discuss without being too spoiler-y, but I’ll just say that a lot of reviewers describe Noble as morally grey but there’s literally nothing grey about what he’s done. I loved how he treated Ollie but I struggled to get invested in the book because of his backstory. I couldn’t see how I was supposed to ever get invested in such a character…
Overall I really wanted to love this book and I did like Ollie a lot, but there were so many odd writing choices that made it difficult to get invested. Again the second half helped redeem the book a lot as the story began to flow better, so I do still recommend giving the book a read.
February 2, 2025
Surprising, terrifying, sexy and amazing. I’m there for it!
Rating: 4.5🌈
It’s always exciting when Shelby Rhodes releases a new book, yet alone one that’s the start of a new series, but A Spark of Something (A Librarian's Guide to Witchery Book 1) is exactly that.
A new LGBTQIA paranormal romance thriller that has all the elements we hope to see in a Shelby Rhodes novel, it sets the foundation going forward with the characters and world building for the books to come.
It’s horrifying, sexy, otherworldly, humorous, and funny. And leaves plenty of room for exploration and expansion in this series.
It starts with a sweetheart of a person, Oliver ‘Ollie’ Cross, who lives above his family’s building, Cross Heritage Private Library. He’s 30, orphaned from a wealthy family, and takes incredible pride and delight in sharing his love of books and the collection with children of his community and his diverse employees. And his irascible black cat, Red.
Who and exactly what Noble Vincent is, the man who enters Ollie’s life, is a major storyline and won’t be spoiled here. This is a two person POV, one of which is Noble’s. That’s important because of his type of character and history, only an inkling is implied.
Ollie’s employees are amazing and that library has wonders yet to come, I’m sure. It’s definitely got ghosts.
I thought it was a little unbalanced in terms of character storytelling at the beginning. But that changed dramatically as the two characters met and their relationship created a new dynamic. And Ollie became aware of the otherworld.
Noble’s element is horrifying and that, honestly, makes his quick relationship with Ollie a bit problematic for me. Rhodes has so many open opportunities for this story to move forward. And it’s just beginning to lay out the details of Ollie’s history and current situation. Nobles as well. Don’t get me started on Red and that book.
So I’m extremely excited to see where this author goes next. Surprising, terrifying, sexy and amazing. I’m there for it!
Highly recommended.
Fantastic cover design.
Cover Design: Tails Bee
A Librarian's Guide to Witchery:
- [x] A Spark of Something #1
- [ ] Villain of My Heart #2 - Sept 30,2025
Rating: 4.5🌈
It’s always exciting when Shelby Rhodes releases a new book, yet alone one that’s the start of a new series, but A Spark of Something (A Librarian's Guide to Witchery Book 1) is exactly that.
A new LGBTQIA paranormal romance thriller that has all the elements we hope to see in a Shelby Rhodes novel, it sets the foundation going forward with the characters and world building for the books to come.
It’s horrifying, sexy, otherworldly, humorous, and funny. And leaves plenty of room for exploration and expansion in this series.
It starts with a sweetheart of a person, Oliver ‘Ollie’ Cross, who lives above his family’s building, Cross Heritage Private Library. He’s 30, orphaned from a wealthy family, and takes incredible pride and delight in sharing his love of books and the collection with children of his community and his diverse employees. And his irascible black cat, Red.
Who and exactly what Noble Vincent is, the man who enters Ollie’s life, is a major storyline and won’t be spoiled here. This is a two person POV, one of which is Noble’s. That’s important because of his type of character and history, only an inkling is implied.
Ollie’s employees are amazing and that library has wonders yet to come, I’m sure. It’s definitely got ghosts.
I thought it was a little unbalanced in terms of character storytelling at the beginning. But that changed dramatically as the two characters met and their relationship created a new dynamic. And Ollie became aware of the otherworld.
Noble’s element is horrifying and that, honestly, makes his quick relationship with Ollie a bit problematic for me. Rhodes has so many open opportunities for this story to move forward. And it’s just beginning to lay out the details of Ollie’s history and current situation. Nobles as well. Don’t get me started on Red and that book.
So I’m extremely excited to see where this author goes next. Surprising, terrifying, sexy and amazing. I’m there for it!
Highly recommended.
Fantastic cover design.
Cover Design: Tails Bee
A Librarian's Guide to Witchery:
- [x] A Spark of Something #1
- [ ] Villain of My Heart #2 - Sept 30,2025
dnf
June 16, 2025This author has previously written works that I did enjoy, so I tried several times to finish this one, but I just can't do it. The problem I have been having is not with the story itself but with its execution. The technical problems have rendered this novel nearly unreadable to me.
The punctuation in this book is atrocious and often used seemingly at random. Commas are frequently omitted where necessary only to be inserted where they do not belong. But far more jarring to me are the 1267 ellipses—if the script I used counted correctly. This is, by far, the most I have ever encountered in any novel. Even Stephen King's "The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition" (which is over five times longer and does have rather a lot of ellipses) doesn't have anywhere near that many. While a handful of these ellipses are grammatically correct, the vast majority of them serve no discernible purpose.
There is a character that has trouble with dysfluent speech (i.e., stammering). I applaud including such characters. However, the author belabors this by endlessly depicting the repeated sounds. A few times to establish the nature of the speech disorder is desirable, but extensive depictions not only make the text harder to read but also come off as (probably unintentional) ableism. I think it would have been better to just state that the character stammered and then quote what the character meant to say.
There are also a few cases of confusing forms of "to lay" and "to lie."
The punctuation in this book is atrocious and often used seemingly at random. Commas are frequently omitted where necessary only to be inserted where they do not belong. But far more jarring to me are the 1267 ellipses—if the script I used counted correctly. This is, by far, the most I have ever encountered in any novel. Even Stephen King's "The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition" (which is over five times longer and does have rather a lot of ellipses) doesn't have anywhere near that many. While a handful of these ellipses are grammatically correct, the vast majority of them serve no discernible purpose.
There is a character that has trouble with dysfluent speech (i.e., stammering). I applaud including such characters. However, the author belabors this by endlessly depicting the repeated sounds. A few times to establish the nature of the speech disorder is desirable, but extensive depictions not only make the text harder to read but also come off as (probably unintentional) ableism. I think it would have been better to just state that the character stammered and then quote what the character meant to say.
There are also a few cases of confusing forms of "to lay" and "to lie."
February 23, 2025
My first Shelby book. I am so overwhelmed in a good way. A witch hunter protecting a witch?
Ollie is our baby witch, not in training and not in the know. He runs a private library, which sounds gorgeous by the way, and loves reading to the kids that visit everyday. Noble is our not-so-noble witch hunter with a crisis of conscience. he has had it with his organization and no longer believes in what he is doing for them. Will Noble hunt Ollie or will he protect him?
This story has so much going on!! It is absolutely intriguing and yet I never felt like it was slow or too much. The author really takes her time to build this world, all the characters and hobbies. My favorite character so far? Oh hard one…Red or Jhala. I love the way they play off Ollie! Ollie is super adorable. He has the biggest, kindest heart and I love him already. My imagination takes off with what Jhala knows in her own past and how she will help Ollie moving forward. Red is a familiar. He is bonded to and was bound to silence for Ollie. This has weakened him seriously and still he is willing to protect Ollie from a hunter. Now Noble he is a hot package with some deep waters. The ending of this book is wow! Just wow and I’m going on record as saying September seems really far away for the next book.
Ollie is our baby witch, not in training and not in the know. He runs a private library, which sounds gorgeous by the way, and loves reading to the kids that visit everyday. Noble is our not-so-noble witch hunter with a crisis of conscience. he has had it with his organization and no longer believes in what he is doing for them. Will Noble hunt Ollie or will he protect him?
This story has so much going on!! It is absolutely intriguing and yet I never felt like it was slow or too much. The author really takes her time to build this world, all the characters and hobbies. My favorite character so far? Oh hard one…Red or Jhala. I love the way they play off Ollie! Ollie is super adorable. He has the biggest, kindest heart and I love him already. My imagination takes off with what Jhala knows in her own past and how she will help Ollie moving forward. Red is a familiar. He is bonded to and was bound to silence for Ollie. This has weakened him seriously and still he is willing to protect Ollie from a hunter. Now Noble he is a hot package with some deep waters. The ending of this book is wow! Just wow and I’m going on record as saying September seems really far away for the next book.
August 9, 2025
4 stars
Ollie is the owner of a private library. He enjoys taking care of his books, reading to children, and spending time with his cat. Noble is a witch hunter, in the area on a job, but having serious doubts about his profession. The two meet at the library and Ollie pines over Noble from a distance until he gets the courage to talk to him. But one day, Ollie starts seeing things - ghosts - and his world is turned upside down when he discovers he's a witch.
This was a really enjoyable book with great characters and plot. My only complaint is that the phrase "the man" was significantly overused - so much so that sometimes it was hard to distinguish who 'the man" in reference was. It was used in the following way: 'the man" did this or 'the man" looked at him, etc. despite that, and even though it's over use pulled me out of the story sometimes, it was a good read about a man coming to terms with his new reality and the relationships that help support him. I hope the romance is developed more as the story continues. Spice level: 1
Ollie is the owner of a private library. He enjoys taking care of his books, reading to children, and spending time with his cat. Noble is a witch hunter, in the area on a job, but having serious doubts about his profession. The two meet at the library and Ollie pines over Noble from a distance until he gets the courage to talk to him. But one day, Ollie starts seeing things - ghosts - and his world is turned upside down when he discovers he's a witch.
This was a really enjoyable book with great characters and plot. My only complaint is that the phrase "the man" was significantly overused - so much so that sometimes it was hard to distinguish who 'the man" in reference was. It was used in the following way: 'the man" did this or 'the man" looked at him, etc. despite that, and even though it's over use pulled me out of the story sometimes, it was a good read about a man coming to terms with his new reality and the relationships that help support him. I hope the romance is developed more as the story continues. Spice level: 1
January 28, 2025
Ollie & Noble
Incredible! A fun, more upbeat beginning that moves into an increasingly suspenseful story, ending in high mystery and terror. And the story isn't even done!
Ollie is such a wonderful and pure character. I get the feeling that by the end of this series, he will be changed more than he'd have ever thought, but I hope all he learns will help him achieve his goals of saving or helping people/beings.
Noble is an interesting character; morally grey, but clearly capable of being very loving and protective. Not an uncommon character trait in some stories like these, but his balance is clear and separate, especially since he tries to keep Ollie away from his darker side as much as he can in the little we see in this book.
I am incredibly interested and excited to see how this story/series continues. I know I'll have to read this again before book 2 comes out because there's so much to remember.
I received an advance copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.
Incredible! A fun, more upbeat beginning that moves into an increasingly suspenseful story, ending in high mystery and terror. And the story isn't even done!
Ollie is such a wonderful and pure character. I get the feeling that by the end of this series, he will be changed more than he'd have ever thought, but I hope all he learns will help him achieve his goals of saving or helping people/beings.
Noble is an interesting character; morally grey, but clearly capable of being very loving and protective. Not an uncommon character trait in some stories like these, but his balance is clear and separate, especially since he tries to keep Ollie away from his darker side as much as he can in the little we see in this book.
I am incredibly interested and excited to see how this story/series continues. I know I'll have to read this again before book 2 comes out because there's so much to remember.
I received an advance copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.
January 29, 2025
Great start to a new series!
I loved A Spark of Something by Shelby Rhodes. It's the first book in the A Librarian's Guide to Witchery. I loved Ollie and Noble's story. I love Ollie's personality and how he talks to his cat, Red, before he knows that he is a witch and Red is his familiar. I also love how he tries to help the ghosts and how Noble is there to save him when things go bad. I also love how Ollie would babble when he was nervous and how talkative he is in the bedroom. I also love the gods that he is able to channel so far. It will be interesting to see if he gets more than the three he currently has or if he will be special and have more. I also can't wait to see how he reacts when he finds out that Noble is now an ex-witch hunter and that his familiar knew the whole time. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.
I read this book using the Kindle unlimited app.
I loved A Spark of Something by Shelby Rhodes. It's the first book in the A Librarian's Guide to Witchery. I loved Ollie and Noble's story. I love Ollie's personality and how he talks to his cat, Red, before he knows that he is a witch and Red is his familiar. I also love how he tries to help the ghosts and how Noble is there to save him when things go bad. I also love how Ollie would babble when he was nervous and how talkative he is in the bedroom. I also love the gods that he is able to channel so far. It will be interesting to see if he gets more than the three he currently has or if he will be special and have more. I also can't wait to see how he reacts when he finds out that Noble is now an ex-witch hunter and that his familiar knew the whole time. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out.
I read this book using the Kindle unlimited app.
January 31, 2025
I’m so excited about this series!!!!!
Noble and Ollie have my heart. They are two of the sweetest characters in such different ways and I love just how different they are whilst being so lovable in surprisingly similar ways. Ollie is a total spark of joy and light and goodness. He’s such a sweetly kind person. I hate that he’s had to deal with so much stress in his life (I’m looking at you big time Rowan) but he’s kept such a warm personality despite it all. I really felt bad for him that he had so much trouble coming to grips with things but I could absolutely see why. Noble, at first glance, seems like the darkness to Ollie’s light and in some ways I think that’s true. However, I think they’re actually very similar in some ways. Yes, Noble absolutely lives in darkness and has for a long time. However, you can see that that comes, in large part, from being sucked into darkness by people willing to take advantage. At his core, Noble is much like Ollie. He knows who he cares about, who he loves and he would do anything to protect them. He’s kind and gentle when it counts. He just never had someone foster the light; instead someone took advantage and prayed upon the dark and Noble gave into that. I am so excited to see where this series goes (though a small part of me is dreading the cliffhangers that no doubt Shelby will craft lol). More than just Noble and Ollie, I’m excited for all the other characters who make the story come alive and can’t wait to see where their stories go too!
Noble and Ollie have my heart. They are two of the sweetest characters in such different ways and I love just how different they are whilst being so lovable in surprisingly similar ways. Ollie is a total spark of joy and light and goodness. He’s such a sweetly kind person. I hate that he’s had to deal with so much stress in his life (I’m looking at you big time Rowan) but he’s kept such a warm personality despite it all. I really felt bad for him that he had so much trouble coming to grips with things but I could absolutely see why. Noble, at first glance, seems like the darkness to Ollie’s light and in some ways I think that’s true. However, I think they’re actually very similar in some ways. Yes, Noble absolutely lives in darkness and has for a long time. However, you can see that that comes, in large part, from being sucked into darkness by people willing to take advantage. At his core, Noble is much like Ollie. He knows who he cares about, who he loves and he would do anything to protect them. He’s kind and gentle when it counts. He just never had someone foster the light; instead someone took advantage and prayed upon the dark and Noble gave into that. I am so excited to see where this series goes (though a small part of me is dreading the cliffhangers that no doubt Shelby will craft lol). More than just Noble and Ollie, I’m excited for all the other characters who make the story come alive and can’t wait to see where their stories go too!
January 29, 2025
Not too many authors that can make me break out in laughter as much as Shelby can. This book is a freaking delight. I absolutely enjoyed this book. It is filled with so many emotions that you will either be smiling, laughing, or be sadden by the things that is going on around our lovely and wonderful baby witch Ollie. I adore Ollie and I'm glad that he has so many friends/supporters by his side. There is still a lot of mystery and lies going around and I'm so ready to keep reading to see Ollie gain more witchery knowledge, his inner quest to help others and his bittersweet but strong relationship with our conflicted witch hunter Noble.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
February 1, 2025
There were many things I loved about this story. Red, the familiar, may be one of my favorite characters. Deadpan and snarky just make my day. I'm sure Noble will develop more in the next book, but as he is now is pretty dang perfect for the morally grey rep. Now Ollie. Ollie is adorable, confused and just a bit too whiny. No, I'm not saying he shouldn't have emotions and we shouldn't see them. I'm saying that I am ready for book 2 where he will still have emotions, but will embrace himself as well. I want him to like who he is and if there is anything I can count on with the wonderful imagination of Shelby Rhodes, it's that character development will happen and it will be positive. As expected, the world building is fantastic. Thank you for another great journey.
January 21, 2025
This book made me use my brain. Shelby Rhodes is an amazing author, The Adventures of Harlow & Foxx are admittedly my favorite series of hers as they are the books I re-read time and time again. I was very excited to start this new series and even as I’m writing this review I’m still kinda confused. Hahah
it has hints of the same mood as Foxx and yet is more serious and almost scary. I low key hate Rowden and find him suspicious. Red is best boy. Jahla deserves all the donuts. But for real I love Ollie & Noble. Love the dynamic love everything about them and can’t wait for the next book. If you’re looking for a suspenseful/funny/heartbreaking/emotional PNR to read, choose this one.
it has hints of the same mood as Foxx and yet is more serious and almost scary. I low key hate Rowden and find him suspicious. Red is best boy. Jahla deserves all the donuts. But for real I love Ollie & Noble. Love the dynamic love everything about them and can’t wait for the next book. If you’re looking for a suspenseful/funny/heartbreaking/emotional PNR to read, choose this one.
January 31, 2025
What a fun ride this was! I love jumping into a new Universe and waiting to see what unfolds and each new character. Ollie and Noble can't be more different yet that connection is brilliant and perfect chemistry. I adore Red and hope he gets more scenes or books in the future. Don't want to say too much for spoilers but this is a mix of magic meets exploration! Ollie is special but struggles with accepting himself, Noble hasn't questioned things until recently and now that he has everything is different. Great funny scenes and characters, some realness and intense challenges make for a great story. Can't wait for the next.
February 5, 2025
Ollie is very cute and Noble is very bad. Noble isn't just anyone, he's a witch hunter, and Ollie has just discovered that he's a witch, a very powerful one. Noble doesn't care about that though, other than what Ollie will do when he finds out Noble's now former occupation. Cause Noble was on the fence before about killing witches just for being witches; he certainly isn't going to hurt sweet little Ollie.
Overall, I liked the story. I found some places to drag on in descriptions or personal thoughts. Like, pages and pages. That just isn't for me. I enjoyed the interactions with the ghosts (not scary!) and how Noble always came through for Ollie. The spicy scenes were good except Ollie's dirty talk sounded a little...porn-y. I think there were three or four spicy scenes overall. Just enough for me in a book this size.
I am looking forward to book two. I'd like to find out what is going on with Rowen and hpw Ollie is going to react when he finds out who Noble really is.
Overall, I liked the story. I found some places to drag on in descriptions or personal thoughts. Like, pages and pages. That just isn't for me. I enjoyed the interactions with the ghosts (not scary!) and how Noble always came through for Ollie. The spicy scenes were good except Ollie's dirty talk sounded a little...porn-y. I think there were three or four spicy scenes overall. Just enough for me in a book this size.
I am looking forward to book two. I'd like to find out what is going on with Rowen and hpw Ollie is going to react when he finds out who Noble really is.
February 2, 2025
Hmmm, this series is starting out as a story about a kind, sweet guy, Ollie, who is basically isolated from the world and is more than he appears to be, and... Ollie is crushing on Noble who is, let's just say... not exactly "noble" if you know what I mean? 🤔🤦♀️🤣
BUT, and there is always a "but"... fate (through talented authors) has a way of giving our MCs what they need to save the world and themselves! 🥰
Now, we wait for book #2 to see what next adventure Ollie and Noble will take us on... *sigh*
*Sidenote: As always, I appreciate when an author gives us a strong female character... or two!!! 🥰
BUT, and there is always a "but"... fate (through talented authors) has a way of giving our MCs what they need to save the world and themselves! 🥰
Now, we wait for book #2 to see what next adventure Ollie and Noble will take us on... *sigh*
*Sidenote: As always, I appreciate when an author gives us a strong female character... or two!!! 🥰
June 24, 2025
4½ Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love all the characters. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because it should be longer. I don't want to wait for the next book to find out how the relationship between Nobel and Ollie develops. There's so much more to this story. We have yet to see Ollie's affinities manifest, to learn why the grimoir is such a dick, to learn how Jahla Greene can read people so clearly, and if she is something arcane which gives her such insight. I also hope that we can see Nobel find redemption and that Ollie will forgive and love him if he ever learns the truth.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love all the characters. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because it should be longer. I don't want to wait for the next book to find out how the relationship between Nobel and Ollie develops. There's so much more to this story. We have yet to see Ollie's affinities manifest, to learn why the grimoir is such a dick, to learn how Jahla Greene can read people so clearly, and if she is something arcane which gives her such insight. I also hope that we can see Nobel find redemption and that Ollie will forgive and love him if he ever learns the truth.
January 29, 2025
Ollie & Noble Brilliant 💖
OH...... WOW........ Absolutely Brilliant loved A Spark of Something by Shelby Rhodes what an amazing start to a new series was hooked from the start could not put it down a supernatural mystery that's got it all I love... love Ollie he's so cute and adorable and when he starts seeing ghosts and finds out he's a witch that's when all the fun starts love him and Noble together amazing chemistry he's so protective of Ollie love Red the cat he's something truly special can't wait for more recommend so much fantastic. 💖
OH...... WOW........ Absolutely Brilliant loved A Spark of Something by Shelby Rhodes what an amazing start to a new series was hooked from the start could not put it down a supernatural mystery that's got it all I love... love Ollie he's so cute and adorable and when he starts seeing ghosts and finds out he's a witch that's when all the fun starts love him and Noble together amazing chemistry he's so protective of Ollie love Red the cat he's something truly special can't wait for more recommend so much fantastic. 💖
January 30, 2025
I was continuously smiling when I was in the head of the adorable Ollie! It was special to watch him discover his witch self and what his smart little cat Red really was! Noble might have been supposed to be hunting witches, but he wanted to do nothing more than protect sweet Ollie. Noble and Ollie's romance is complicated but has the best feels. Loved the dynamics with Ollie, his friends, his new boyfriend and his cat. They had me laughing out loud here and there which keeps the mystery world a little lighter!
February 1, 2025
I loved this book so much! Ollie is so sweet, fun, and full of sunshine. His awkwardness was so relatable and made me love him more. Noble on the other hand is morally gray but gets stuck in Ollie’s sunshine. I fell in love with them together more and more through the story. Noble is really there for Ollie and cares for him. I seriously want to visit Ollie’s library! It almost felt like a side character itself. I also loved Jada and Red as side characters. They are such great support for Ollie as things get crazy in the story. This story has lots of adventure with Ollie discovering his magic, the ghosts, and people out to get him. There is violence in this story, but if you don’t mind it this is a great story! I cannot wait for future stories to see what happens!
January 31, 2025
A Spark of Something alright
Oh, this first book is the beginning of what promises to be a story of scary & emotional times for our witch Ollie. My heart is hurting for him as he discovers his witchy side and all the lies and deception that have been told to him to supposedly keep him safe.
Noble is the love interest that will keep him safe, but may ultimately break his heart.
Bring on book 2
Oh, this first book is the beginning of what promises to be a story of scary & emotional times for our witch Ollie. My heart is hurting for him as he discovers his witchy side and all the lies and deception that have been told to him to supposedly keep him safe.
Noble is the love interest that will keep him safe, but may ultimately break his heart.
Bring on book 2
February 2, 2025
I love Shelby's books, but I am admitting it took me a little time to really get into this book.
I loved Ollie and his private library and the cast of librarians he has there and the fact he didn't know he was a witch.
He thinks he is going insane when he starts to see ghosts. However, Noble, a guy who Ollie is crushing on, saves the day. Unfortunately, Ollie doesn't realize Noble is a witch hunter.
I am looking forward to more books in this series.
I loved Ollie and his private library and the cast of librarians he has there and the fact he didn't know he was a witch.
He thinks he is going insane when he starts to see ghosts. However, Noble, a guy who Ollie is crushing on, saves the day. Unfortunately, Ollie doesn't realize Noble is a witch hunter.
I am looking forward to more books in this series.
February 15, 2025
I almost DNFed this
I stuck it out but I almost stopped reading this. The beginning just wasn’t all that interesting. I couldn’t have cared less about the unnecessarily long description of the library. This could have been condensed down into a couple paragraphs and it would have been better. Once Ollie and Noble started interacting more it got much better though. The ending was good and left enough to be intrigued about for the next book
I stuck it out but I almost stopped reading this. The beginning just wasn’t all that interesting. I couldn’t have cared less about the unnecessarily long description of the library. This could have been condensed down into a couple paragraphs and it would have been better. Once Ollie and Noble started interacting more it got much better though. The ending was good and left enough to be intrigued about for the next book
July 10, 2025
Like another book I’ve read recently, I think this suffered from too many points of view. Sometimes, it’s not even clear why something is told from an individual point of view. Other than that, this is a pretty dark story, even if parts of Noble’s past are still obscure. It’s darker than I usually read or like, which did affect my rating. If you like dark books, this may be better for you than it was for me.
January 29, 2025
THIS WAS SUCH A DELIGHTFUL READ WITH WELL THOUGHT OUT STORY AND CHARACTERS!!
I LOVE OLLIE SO MUCH, I NEED A HUG FROM HIM!! He is adorable incarnate! The side characters are phenomenally awesome! Noble and Ollie, I honestly couldn't get enough of! I loved the dialogue between these characters, which are so witty and original. Just a great read!
I LOVE OLLIE SO MUCH, I NEED A HUG FROM HIM!! He is adorable incarnate! The side characters are phenomenally awesome! Noble and Ollie, I honestly couldn't get enough of! I loved the dialogue between these characters, which are so witty and original. Just a great read!
January 30, 2025
A Spark of Something is book one in A Librarian's Guide to Witchery. I freakin adored this book! Ollie is so adorable! He reminded me of an old fainting victorian lady. It took me a hot minute to warm up to Noble, I ended up loving him. Red may have been my favorite character of the story! I definitely can’t wait for more in this series!
February 2, 2025
Ollie & Noble
Ollie is a librarian, he inherited a private library, he starts seeing ghosts, eventually it’s revealed that he is a Witch. Noble is a Witch Hunter that’s had enough of killing for an organisation that says witches are evil. He’s realised he has morals that show what he’s been doing isn’t right. Noble has been visiting the library mainly because he’s attracted to Ollie, Ollie’s been kind of stalking Noble. They grow closer and fall in love.
I love this story. I look forward to the next book in the series.
Ollie is a librarian, he inherited a private library, he starts seeing ghosts, eventually it’s revealed that he is a Witch. Noble is a Witch Hunter that’s had enough of killing for an organisation that says witches are evil. He’s realised he has morals that show what he’s been doing isn’t right. Noble has been visiting the library mainly because he’s attracted to Ollie, Ollie’s been kind of stalking Noble. They grow closer and fall in love.
I love this story. I look forward to the next book in the series.
February 3, 2025
Ollie is a sweet, kind hearted, eccentric, sceptical of anything paranormal librarian who comes into his powers as a witch. Doesn't realise he is one.
Noble is an evil witch hunter, who doesn't want to do it anymore.
Really gripping story, both MCs very likeable. Loved Ollie's familiar, a cat called Red. Cannot wait for book two. Highly recommend. HFN
Noble is an evil witch hunter, who doesn't want to do it anymore.
Really gripping story, both MCs very likeable. Loved Ollie's familiar, a cat called Red. Cannot wait for book two. Highly recommend. HFN
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