~~ Welcome to the world of witches and gods ~~

Elle is a human-born witch, who discovered her powers after a traumatic experience. Her past marks her as different from her peers and makes her feel unworthy of all her accomplishments.

Viktor *cough cough* is the broody new arrival at Elle's coven. He shakes up her everyday life and could potentially change her future.

I love the relatable journey that the protagonist went through. It's not a "chosen one" story, it's more a "fighting for what we want" story.

An exciting magical new series with magic, Gods, shifters and demons, and probably a lot more! Elle is a witch born in the human side of the magical wall, an orphan with a little sister to protect, until it all falls apart and they are separated. Years later as an apprentice dark magician she yearns to get to the next step so she can get to her sister in the human lands. But fear of failure plagues her and everything seems against when a new warlock arrives and he seems perfect at everything. Things however are far from how they seems and the vicious killings that have ravaged both sides of the boarder are getting closer than she ever would have thought. Some heat, some magic, a sexy warlock, gods, demons the battle for all their lives is going to be harder and cost more than she may ve willing to pay, if she can admit her feelings.

This was a solid novel. The worldbuilding and magic/power system in this was fascinating and it was very well written. However, I just couldn't connect to the characters or the plot. I found myself struggling to stay focused and kept having to stop and start and as such the reading experience was pretty jarring and I didn't love it as much as I would have liked. I didn't buy the romance and it felt stilted to me which also didn't help but some of the minor characters were great. Whilst this specific book didn't do it for me I'd definitely check out more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an Earc in exchange for an honest review! When I read the synopsis I was completely intrigued by this book, but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The pace of this book was quick, with things happening constantly and the book itself is very addicting, so you won't want to stop reading it! The characters were nice, I liked Freya the most, I found her the most interesting and her back story deepens her character a lot. I liked the romance, but it wasn't my favorite, but if you like a soft enemies to lovers, you will enjoy it. The world-building had a great concept but I think it could be better developed, specially the gods and goddesses. The plot was interesting but sometimes confusing and inconsistent, I think it had a very strong start, a confusing middle and a good ending. My least favorite part had to be the epilogue, I feel like we needed some events to happen as readers, before that one. Overall, I enjoyed this read and recommend it for lovers of fantasy romance looking for an enjoyable quick read!

The story started with an event leading our heroine on a new path. The world and character building was my favorite part. I felt immersed into the world and didn’t want it to end. I found Viktor to be extremely charming and entertaining. I enjoyed every page of this spellbinding book.

Was super excited to read this book, unfortunately I was unable to read it before it was archived on net galley. Still planning on reading, might just have to buy the paperback. The description drew me in and the cover is absolutely beautiful. I love it. Glad it is finally available!

This new book by Rebecca L. Garcia is amazing!!! Take a wild ride with witches, warlocks , and curse keepers oh my!!! Danger and romance will keep you turning the pages!!! I can't wait for the next book in the series!!! Read and enjoy!!!

I was provide an ARC copy from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

At a young age Elle discovered she was a witch. Witches are not welcome in the human kingdom. She is taken from her younger sister Mona and the orphanage they live in to live with the witches and warlocks.

Elle has one desire, to become a keeper in her coven. As a keeper she can return to the human world to retrieve her sister. One obstacle to reaching that goal is Viktor. He has just arrived from the human world and seems to have taken quickly to his studies. Until he arrived Elle had no competition for the role of keeper but Viktor threatens her dream.

Witches are being murdered in the woods outside of where Elle's coven lives. Many believe that the gods are responsible. Can Elle and her coven discover who is killing the witches and stop them?

Rebecca Garcia's 'Spellbound' has elements of paranormal, fantasy, and mythology. Elle's character is incredibly likable and relatable. I found myself rooting her for her to be successful and reunited with Mona. I enjoyed Spellbound. This book is my introduction to Garcia's work. I will be checking out her other stories.

Elle, our main character, lives in a world where witches and magical creatures are separated from the non magical world. As a child, she is taken from her sister when her powers are activated. In order to see her sister again, she must become a keeper for bc her coven.

This one took me a while to get into, but once I did I was hooked. The main character, Elle, goes through a huge character growth from being afraid to go after what she truly wants to going headfirst into action. The chemistry between the Elle and Victor is fantastic. I can’t wait to see where the author decides to take the next story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Rebecca Garcia for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off thanks to Net Galley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the e-ARC of Spellbound for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

What a fun time with this new standalone! It’s enemies to lovers, magic, witches and Gods which all equate to a good time! It was intriguing and kept me wanting to know what would happen next - especially with Elle and Viktor. This is New Adult so there are explicit sex scenes.

I really liked the character growth of Elle though as she starts off quite unconfident with herself in the beginning of the book. By the end though she has gained the confidence she needs to take on the evil lurking in the shadows of Istinia.

I very much enjoyed the story, but it was hard at times for me as I could never fully grasp the time period of the story. Initially I thought of this as a new world (more along an epic fantasy) because of the gorgeous map at the beginning of the book, but then pencil skirts were mentioned early on and that just threw me. Later cars - being rare because they are so expensive - and then telephones. At one point “Mind doctors” are mentioned, but the term “psychology” was used in the next line. I like to have an overall visual for the world building and this seemed like a hybrid of times and worlds - which maybe it’s supposed to be and I’m just dense? LOL

There’s magic, romance, and interesting characters so I defintiely suggest you pick it up if you are looking for that!

SPELLBOUND by Rebecca L. Garcia

★★★.5

I have to admit, it was hard for me to rate this book because I would give a solid four stars to the plot but three stars to its execution.
Let me be clear, I liked the book very much, but I’m afraid some parts weren’t as thought through as they should have, but I’ll get to that later.
First of all, the setting: I loved it, however, it was a bit confusing: it felt as if I was watching Once Upon A Time and they were stuck in 1983 as far as technology went, especially since all I could think of was a gothic-like aesthetic in a fictional world that didn’t include any form of technology.
The characters. Now, the protagonist was interesting. Elle isn’t one to think she’s the best of the keepers - but was given a reason why she was so insecure even though she’s a good keeper. And I liked that, because it made sense. What I found irritating was that she was blind to some obvious conclusions and I would have gladly hit her on the head with a stick. For real.
Viktor was even more intriguing, but what character you know nothing about isn’t? That’s the whole point in creating them. I had my fun trying to guess his next actions. I don’t want to spoil much, but he was one of the best characters in the book - as well as Maddox, but let’s not stroke his ego much.
On the other hand, Naomi, much like Elle, had me roll my eyes and shake my head, but she redeemed herself, let’s just put it that way.
I do love the found family trope that the coven covers, especially Edmund’s relationship with Elle, and that’s probably one of the things that worked the best in the book.
Now, there was smut, but if you’re looking for explicit smut, like a proper new adult/fantasy romance, you’ll find explicit words but quite disappointing in terms of actions. Besides, some, ah, logistics, were all wrong, at least in my mind, with actions that weren’t logical - and not only related to smut. Besides, it felt like it went from 0 to 100 in no time, and truth to be told, I didn’t feel all that tension between Elle and Viktor: it was there, but not enough to justify them jumping each other’s bones like that. I did like them so much, though, and the way the book ended was honestly so good, making my eyes go heart-shaped.
There were some scenes that added too much drama, in my opinion, only created to affect the characters and move along the plot, but irritating to read to say the least - and it’s tied to me wanting to hit Elle, but oh my god, Viktor too.
Every action scene in this book feels too rushed, too fast, which sometimes may be good, sometimes may be bad. For a fast-paced novel, though, this can be good, it just felt as if everything happened in a blink of an eye.
Perhaps it’s the formatting, but sometimes the read was a bit confusing due to the change of scene that wasn’t highlighted by a break between paragraphs, which had me reread the same lines a few times to understand that the scenario had, in fact, changed.
All in all, the plot was good, very good. Same for the ideas, it just fell short in certain parts, but I loved the characters and the lore behind the book. The world-building is so good, especially the distinctions between covens, how they needed to work together for one would be lost without another, but also the rivalry and the feeling of superiority of some of them.

The story line drew me in as this fantasy novel depicts witches, God's, warlocks, loss, love and tragedy. It's a stand alone novel which is refreshing. The author does a great job with the main character. The growth we see in her is exponential. The things I liked were the fact that this book has a little bit of everything all wrapped in one. The fantasy world is right up my alley and I wanted to keep reading to find out how it ended. The criticism I have is that some of the other characters development fell a bit flat and if you did get a glimpse into their story, it felt rushed. The only other thing is there were some moments that took a while to build up and I found myself skimming at certain times but over all, it was a good read.

3.5 stars rounded up!

This was certainly a very fast-paced read. I was really happy to discover that while this is a stand alone novel, it is the first in a collective series that will take place in the same world. And believe me, this is a world that you will want to revisit again. I loved the combination of witches and gods/goddesses in this story. I also enjoyed how humans and witches reside separately. Instead of fighting to save humans or the fate of humanity, it's a coven fighting to protect their people and their sliver in the world. My only complaint is sometimes I felt like the story moved too quickly. There were certain aspects and scenes that I wish were given more time or staggered throughout at a slower pace.

There's a little bit of something for everyone in Spellbound. Enemies to lovers and the found family tropes come to mind first. But more than that, it's action packed with twists that propel the story and help build an expansive world. Add in a little bit of spice and some morally grey characters and you've got an automatic page-turner.

Good, but the romance did not reign me in. There was a lot of insta attraction, not enough build up, and not enough chemistry either. I liked the witchy concept tho

Witches, warlocks, vengeful gods and goddesses, romance to die for, and an excellent fantasy world, what more could one ask for!

Rebecca L Garcia’s Spellbound is sure to leave your senses reeling, well, if you have so many gods and goddesses and you have them mostly as villains and have mere mortals trying to save the world, it becomes extremely hard to pull one’s head out of the immersive fantasy land.

This is my first book by the author and what impressed me the most is the word building. There’s a magical quality to her flawless writing. The human and the witch world, the otherworld, the underworld, the prison realms, each part of this fantasy world was spectacular. And even though I went in expecting an electrifying romance, what attracted me most was the familial bonds shown in the story. Elle and Viktor, definitely do burn the sheets and cause walls to collapse 😉 😉 😉 with their sizzling chemistry but equally impressive was the friendship between Naomi, Maddox, and Elle. The fatherly Edmund and the motherly Dora adds to this feeling of coziness and warmth that a tight-knit family provides. There’s also the sibling relationship between the gods and goddesses that evokes a happy feeling.

Another aspect that I wanted to mention is the growth of the main character Elle in the story. The beginning shows her as this no-confident woman, afraid to face her own future, happy to remain as an apprentice without attempting to move up as the curse keeper although the position would offer her a chance to meet her sister in the human world. But by the end of the story, she’s faced so many dangers and had to fight for the lives of her loved ones, she becomes this kick-ass heroine that all readers would root for and it is not a sudden change too, the first war between the gods actually shows her watching helplessly while it is Naomi with her magical illusions who steps up. Part 1 of the story takes its time to hook the reader in, but Part 2&3 have so much going on that even romance takes a backseat.

Spellbound keeps you spellbound! ☔☔☔☔☔

Many thanks to Net Galley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Book Bub, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

✨ARC Review✨

“That was close. We could have been caught.” “I don’t care,” he said, running his thumb along my bottom lip. “It’s just me and you right now. The world could be on fire, and I’d still have you.”

Elle would very much like to become a keeper in her coven. Witches are being murdered, and Elle needs to know who is behind it. Meanwhile, there is only one thing standing in her way from becoming keeper…Viktor, the newest warlock in town. Viktor is quite the charmer, and now things have turned personal and quite heated (in more ways than one 😉) with their rivalry.

What I Loved:
-Witches, gods, goddesses and steamy scenes!
-Elle: she goes through such character growth in this book. She wants to be keeper, but lacks confidence in herself to go for it, that is, until she gets competition in the form of Viktor.
-Viktor: the one who stands in Elle’s way. He is equally matched if not better in skill in some regards, thus making him the competition.
-The STEAM! It is not abundant, and you won’t see any until at least Part Two in the book, but what you do get is good! It’s breaking the bed good 🔥

So this one was a bit of a slow start, and I had to take some time getting into it. I also had some mixed feelings on how I felt about these characters. I struggled with the squabbling and maturity level, but then appreciated the steam and character development! This is why it was ultimately four stars for me. It was fun to watch the characters evolve throughout this book, especially the transformations of both Viktor and Elle!

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam: 🔥🔥/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Rebecca Garcia for this eARC in exchange for my honest review! Spellbound is out September 3rd!

Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for providing me an electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Short review

Spellbound is told in the point of view of Elle, a human-born witch, who is debating whether she wishes to put her name up to take a test that, if she passes, would allow her to become a keeper in her coven when a mysterious human-born warlock named Viktor enters the coven and puts his name up to become keeper as well. Competition breaks out between the two in this enchanting enemies-to-lovers romance that has surprises in every chapter. Readers who enjoy stories about found family are sure to love this novel. One negative aspect of the novel is that some characters are underdeveloped and feel a little stereotyped.

3 out of 5 stars

Longer review

There are a lot of specific things about this book that I thought were wonderful. The world-building was done well, and I enjoyed learning about the magic system here. I also loved that Elle’s coven felt like a family. The fight-scenes and the antagonists in the book were exciting. I also appreciated text-features like the glossary and the map.

There were also some specific things about this book that I didn’t like as much. I thought the motivations of the love-interest in the book were a little confusing although overall, I found him entertaining and kind more often than not. The story-telling worked for me for most of the book, but I thought the ending was a little bit rushed. Finally, it bothered me that the one character of color and the prominent gay character are both stereotyped; they felt rigid and underdeveloped.

My thoughts on this book are mixed which is why I’m giving it three out of five stars. This is a solid fantasy book and a lot of people will like it, there were just things that I didn't like about it.

Trigger warnings: mentions of past sexual assault and depictions of violence

Review posted on all platforms on September 1, 2021

This book is named perfectly. I was completely captivated. I couldn’t get enough of this story and the characters. This book definitely gave me all the feels. Elle & Raiden are absolutely amazing together. I’m so glad that this book wasn’t predictable like most books, it kept me intrigued and I fell in love with all the characters. Truly an unputdownable 5 star read that everyone must check out.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I really enjoyed this book!
It was an awesome murder mystery story with Witches and Gods.
I was hooked and couldn't put the book down.
I also really loved the magic and the World building.
I highly recommend this book!

"You make me want to live a thousand stories right here with you"
Spellbound is the first part in the Embraced by Darkess series, which will contain several standalones. This book has a lot of action, plottwists and a building romance. The story reminded me of From blood and ash sometimes, which made it a bit predictable for me. I really fell in love with Elle and Viktor. Rebecca L. Garcia has a nice writing style and a perfect pace. This book just had those little things I look for in a book, making it almost perfect. Therefore I give 4,5 stars to this book.