Celestine Martin Books In Order

Publication Order of Elemental Love Books

Celestine Martin is an American author of paranormal romance books best known for her debut novel, Witchful Thinking, the first in the Elemental Love series. She has always been fascinated with writing and spent most of her formative years reading all the romance books she could get from her local secondhand bookstore. She is inspired to write happily ever after stories from the people and places closest to her heart. When not writing or reading, you will find Celestine organizing her sticker collection with her husband in New York.
Today, it’s hard to acknowledge paranormal romance without honoring Celestine Martin’s work. Upon publication, Barnes & Noble, her debut novel received positive reviews, with Barnes Noble highlighting Martin’s as an author to watch. The book is perfect for anyone who loves a slow burn cozy small-town romance with some magic. That’s right, romance spiced with magic creates a subgenre of the romance genre known as paranormal romance.

Paranormal romance exploded onto the bookshelves in the late 90s and is growing strong in the 21st century. Even though trends come and go with most genres, the PNR doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, and so is Celestine Martin, who firmly establishes her grounds in the same genre. What makes the paranormal romance more interesting than general romance is that it allows the reader to escape their everyday lives. These stories often whisk you to an awesome place where magic is real, vampires fall in love, ghosts talk, and everything is magical. Such stories give you the relaxation everyone desires after a long and stressful day at work, allowing our imaginations to run wild as we explore a beautiful romance that can only be imagined and not experienced.

In her novel Witchful Thinking, Celestine Martin immerses the reader into a magical world where happily ever after exists. It’s a second-chance paranormal romance that takes place in a small town with paranormal twists known as Freya’s Grove. Charming with a strong sense of community, this local town is a place where supernatural beings like gnomes, witches, and mermen roam the streets. You will appreciate that the author allows supernatural beings and magic to roam freely out in the open. There are no power struggles or secrecy, and this does not define the characters.

We are introduced to Alex and Lucy, the two main layered and fascinating main characters in the story. The two were best friends in high school, but they lost touch with each other when Alex left town to travel across the world. A decade later, he returns and crosses paths with Lucy at Founder’s Day Festival, an annual event held in their local town.

On the other hand, Lucy is bored with her life. But as her high school reunion party is just around the corner, she yearns for some excitement and wants to do something she can feel proud of when she meets her old peers. Even though she has not embraced her magic since her grandmother passed on, she makes a spell and soon realizes that all the crazy imaginations she wrote about her life for the reunion party are finally coming true. It’s a fascinating concept, as many readers can relate to such a type of stagnation in their lives and how happy it would be to realize that their exaggerated imaginations are finally coming true.

On the other hand, Alex is also experiencing his personal struggles as he confronts his thirst to travel across the world and explore what beyond the horizon has to offer and his desire to settle down. He is an award-winning photographer who has made a name for himself, but he finds himself wanting to do other things in his life. His family lives in Freya Grove, and when they give him a home to live in, he finds himself stuck in a dilemma.

This second-chance paranormal romance between Alex and Lucy is lovely. The main characters are beautifully developed, and through them, we get to learn most of the story. The two have a history. They were best friends in high school, and right from the start, it’s clear that they still have a feeling for each other. But even with these intense feelings, they are distinct characters, and their goals are different- a world apart, and they struggle to express their feelings.

Freya is just a witch; like any girl, she’s trying to figure out what she needs to do with her life. Despite being a witch, she’s a character who most female readers will connect and relate with. She is torn between feeling mediocre and appreciating her life for what she is. She struggles comparing herself with others, feels insecure, and has self-doubts. She then embarks on a journey to push herself to try new things, analyzing her accomplishments and appreciating what she has.

On the other hand, Alex is a merman. And the fact that a merman is a protagonist makes Celestine Martin stand out as you never see mermen get leading roles, and in most cases, they are never featured in most supernatural books. We get to see Alex as he has doubts about getting into a long-term relationship, and he’s trying to find a way to settle down without getting the vibes of settling down. Through him, we get to learn that finding a place where you feel at home is good and does not translate to the end of an adventurous life.
Overall Witchful Thinking is a beautiful romance novel that blends sweetness, magic, and personal growth. It’s narrated through alternating points of view of both Lucy and Alex. The narrative focuses more on the thoughts and actions of the two lead characters as they discover partners and people they are meant to be. Lucy strongly believes that her wish is the reason for her fortune and plays along with the momentum for the sake of her sisters and cousin. The wish forces her out of their comfort zone, giving her the courage to go for the things she only dreamed of.