2.5 stars, I rounded up

This story is a new adult fantasy romance following the perspectives of Victoria and Elijah. Victoria and her family are witches, who hid in plain sight among the humans who hate and hunt them down. After her younger sister ends up dead at the hands of the infamous hunter, Victoria sets her sights on revenge destroying everything he loves including his heir, Elijah.
This story has a number of aspects that I love: enemies to lovers, secret missions, magic and dangerous odds. The beginning was very promising. It was detailed, the writing was solid and flushed out. You felt the characters' emotions and really captured my attention. Victoria is a strong character, trying to take the burden of caring for her family but Elijah was a bit dull and easily manipulated. I really enjoyed the first 75 to 100 pages, but then the story seemed to take a turn after that. The writing stopped being detailed and emotional, to more of a fact-based story. There was no impact or reactions that I was expecting from the characters, especially after some of the events that happened. The insta love did not work for me between two characters because of descriptions of character personalities and past events, I did not like it or how it fit into the story. The end for me, was unsatisfactory in the sense that the way the story was set up I was expecting a sadder ending and that after everything that happened, they overlooked what has happened to each other. Everything was just wrapped up too easily. The second half threw me off because the first was detailed and emotional and the second half was a bit of a 180. I would have also liked a bit more world building and details on how the magic system worked. I found it interesting, but it was very basic and nondescript.
Trigger warnings: animal abuse, gore, blood, cutting, child abuse
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Such an amazing YA read! This read left me on the edge of my seat the entire time. This book was very well paced and loved the characters in this one.

A must read for all fantasy romance lovers 😍🙌🏻

3.5 stars! This was a richly dark witchy read with, of course, a splash of romance and I love that. A little bit confusing sometimes with the world-building but it comes together in the end. I like the dual POV, it adds a lot to the storyline, and the cast of characters was exquisite!

Brilliant YA read. Gave me Vampire Diaries vibes.

Was on the edge of my seat the whole time, thoroughly enjoyed and didn't at any point feel like I need to rush reading it.

I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for two things.; 1.. There was a side step in the story of Ember trading info with the hunter in exchange to save her own and her families life - imho I didn't think it was needed and came out of no where, along with the vampire boy turning up randomly in Victoria's room, there was no substance to say he was been watching them and again was random and not need. 2. the ending was so quick and almost perfect, which was a shame as the lead up to "the Plan" and carrying out "The Plan" was great, slow, details and gripping.

Overall a great read though!

A witch seeks revenge after a witch hunter murders her sister in front of her. What is the best way to do it? Kill him of course.
Victoria and her siblings travel to the witch hunter's town to avenge their sister's death. Once they realize that the hunter has a son, Victoria wants to hurt the father through him as well. But Elijah is charming in his own way and well, the romance begins.
We read the story form the points of view of both Victoria and Elijah. We understand their backstories and the reasons behind every decision they make.
The characters were well written and the pace was good.
Even at the end of the book, I didn't like Ember. She had her reasons for doing what she did, but still no. Don't like her character. As an older sister myself, I got really mad at her for her actions.
But, this is another thing I loved about the book. The way the author wrote about the siblings and their relationships. How they reacted to each other and the decisions each one made for themselves or the family.
It is a standalone, but I would love to read what the future has in store for these characters.
If you are a fan of fantasy, witches, or enemies to lovers, this is a great book.
A thank you to NetGalley for the free ebook copy.

A story with a villainous witch, sign me up. I was so excited for this because I love witchy vibes and morally grey and villainous characters, I did enjoy the main witch character and her morally grey ways but I think she could have been darker. If your character is a villain then I want all the villainous things. The other characters were okay, they worked for the story,
The romance felt a little flat to me and I found it hard to care for the characters as a couple. The fact that the two main characters didn’t work together for me made my enjoyment of this lessen. I wish I could have liked them more. The Family relationships in this book were good.
Overall this one I feel like warm about, I wanted to enjoy it more but it didn’t work that way for me. I know plenty of people will love this.

Thank you for Netgalley and th publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a very big surprise to start my year with. I went in with the expectations of reading a somewhat generic romance story, but was pleasantly surprised to read about morally grey multilayered characters.
Honestly no one in this story is good or bad, everyone has their dark side along their light one, which I think is part of the message and main focus of the book.
The story definitely started out with a bang, and I loved that the atmosphere was so gothis and raw, not sparing us gruesome details either.

I also quite enjoyed the multi-pov storytelling, I always like to see through the eyes of more than one character when the emotions and personalities are so diverse.
I however felt that the characters themselves were not as diverse as I would have hoped. My other main concern was that we go from a very dark place to a very light one, it felt a bit over-romanticized by the end. I get that it was part of the character development, but it kind of went overboard. It was a too happy ending-ish for me, loosing the morally grey ground I adored a bit behind.
I also would have loved a little more background about how the Hunters and witch-hate came about in this particular world the writer created, however I do understand that this book is not a high fantasy.

All in all it was a good book that got me interested in other stories by the author.

3.5/5 stars

Really great fantasy book that's standalone, which you don't see a lot these days. Really enjoyed the characters and sort of wishing we had more time with the characters! Would make a great gift for any bookworm friends who love fantasy.

This is a story about Victoria, a witch who burdens herself with protecting her family from humans and hunters who hurt her kind, while plotting revenge for her sister's death. Elijah Shaw is the son of the priest who killed Victoria's sister and Victoria's revenge plan revolves around targeting him. We follow booth of them as questions arise. What secrets is the Shaw family hiding? Will Victoria's plan succeed? How will Elijah play his role in her plans?

I liked this book. It's all about choosing and deciding between the good and bad. This also had a fine balance between romance and fantasy. Victoria was the first female morally grey character I've read and I loved her. She's a woman who is brave and ferocious, but also loyal and selfless, which felt fresh and unique for a change. The double POV was helpful in understanding both Elijah and Victoria as characters and was very well written. Elijah's dynamic with his brother was also interesting!

At first, the writing did feel very slow and bungling, but the narrative picked pace in the second half.

If you love witchy books, with magic (duh!), an enemies-to-lovers trope, romance, revenge plots and anti-heroines, read this book!

Thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“If they wanted darkness, I’d shroud them in it until they choked.”

This is a fantastic, magical, witchy story that is slightly dark, filled with bloody vengeance, and is intense right up to the very end. I was captivated right from the very first paragraph with the way this amazing author weaved a very dark and intense moment filled with anger and death. The sounds and smells of what was happening oozed off the pages and became very real to me. It kept me gripping my kindle tightly not knowing what I would read as I quickly turned the pages. I was consumed by the dark elements seeping off the pages and did not want to put the book down, even long after I finished the story.

I loved the humor, the back and forth banter and the intensity between the characters. Victoria and Elijah have such fantastic chemistry and an amazing ability to annoy each other with their witty comebacks and snarky sarcasm. I loved these two and couldn’t wait to see how their relationship progressed as the story evolved.

Really well written story with phenomenal and slightly damaged (and unhinged) characters (some we love and some we really hate) and with a storyline that is filled with outstanding imagery, dark magic, hexes, blood, violence, death, anger and pain. But let’s not forget that there is some romance woven into the story that will keep you captivated and highly entertained.

I loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author.

I do love a story where characters are far more than they seem! This series cleverly builds a world where magic is forbidden and its users segregated into their own land. Victoria is a witch with questionable morals who wants to protect the people she loves. An excellent premise, I just struggled with its delivery.

I found it really difficult to connect with any of the characters, and struggled to get into the plot. I'm not quite sure what the problem was - as the book was full of excellent witchy vibes, which I usually adore - but this book just wasn't for me.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I can understand the MC s Victoria Amberwood need for revenge for what happened to her family, I have felt like her the past couple of years. for something that has happened to my own family. Unlike her I have the justice system to act out my revenge.

I finished this in one day then I went start to download the other book in this series and all her other books. I feel in love with her writing from the start. It also had me hooked from chapter one and I couldn't put it down. I will be recommended to everyone that I know loves romance, paranormal, witches and of course from enemies to friends to lovers.

I want to think Netgalley, Rebecca L. Garcia, and the publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for letting read and review this book.

Heart of a Witch Review by Divoratricedilibri2.0 Blog.
Thank you NetGalley for this Arc!

Heart of a Witch is Fantasy romance book with a trope that I like although I have already read it several times lately. This one did not make the reading less enjoyable. Indeed I liked the book so much: the plot is more romance than fantasy but the story revolves around a witch and a witch hunter and, mostly, revenge. Elijah and his dad are witch hunter, they hate and hunt them. Victoria is a witch like her family. Elijah's dad kills Victoria's sister and now she needs revenge. I enjoyed this part so much, because, for once, it's the female character who is the *villain*, who has a corruption arc, and this also make the romance a little bit dark! I liked it!
This book is not perfect but i loved the romance, the last part and Victoria's character.
I liked the corruption arc enough but in my opinion if the author had dared a little bit more it would have been even better! Very nice anyway!

This one wasn’t for me, and I gave up on 30% mark. Mostly it was because I found Elijah a wishy-washy hero and I actively disliked Victoria, and I didn’t want to read about their romance—which hadn’t even begun yet at that point. And I couldn’t get behind the world that had both zealous witch burnings and cars, the latter of which sprang from nowhere after making me imagine a completely different setting. I found it illogical that a society that has evolved enough for technical advances would still be stuck in a witch burning mindset. And I also found it illogical that a society that actively hunted witches would be fine with women having freedom to go to nightclubs. So I gave up. Maybe if you persist, the romance will be worth it. I didn’t want to find out.

Book review: Heart of a witch – Rebecca L Garcia

• Villain origin
• Forbidden romance
• Witch and Witch hunter
• Revenge
• Dark magic

Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an eARC of this book via Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

“Death was going to come for him eventually, but I wanted to ensure he’d be begging for it when it did”

Victoria is a witch seeking vengeance on the renowned witch hunter Damian Shaw. He killed her sister Emberly, and she will make sure her pays dearly for that. Her plan is to hurt someone he loves. An eye for an eye. His eldest son Elijah is the perfect target. Victoria will make Elijah fall in love with her and then turn him against his father. Damian will lose his family, his status and everything he holds dear. But when Victoria starts to fall in love with Elijah her plan starts to fall apart.

“If they wanted darkness, I’d shroud them in it until they choked.”

This is an epic villain origin story with a swoon worthy romance. Our MC Victoria is a strong female lead that will stop at nothing to get with she wants. She is a real badass and throughout the story we see her evolve and battle with what is right and what is wrong. And as well all know it’s not that simple. Victoria is a morally grey and complex character. I loved reading about her. Thank you Mrs Garcia for an awesome female villain!

“If he weren’t human, I weren’t a witch, and his father weren’t my sworn enemy, we could have been everything together.”

For a standalone, I thought the romance was well executed. There was a buildup, a lot of banter and of course the payoff was well worth it. However, something was still missing. I felt like the wrap up was a bit rushed and the romance seemed to escalate very quickly at the end.

In the beginning of the book the story seemed to drag but after a few chapters the pacing regulated, and you can’t help but get sucked into the story. This was my first time reading a Rebecca Garcia book, but it definitely won’t be the last!

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This book was so unexpectedly good! When I first started it, admittedly, I didn’t really know what to expect nor what it was truly about. Upon further reading and delving more into the book though, I was quickly enraptured by a story unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

When I think of an evil witch, the immediate first thing I think of is the old hag the Evil Queen turns into in Snow White. But.. why does it always have to be so black and white? What if evil and good aren’t so relevant & the priest whose meant to be intrinsically good is evil and the woman practicing dark magic isn’t all the evil?

The quote, “When embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves” is very relevant in this book & trust me when I say, you will not expect the plot twists nor will you be able to stop turning the pages of this book.

I absolutely loved Heart of a Witch. It kept me entertained the whole way through. This enemies-to-lovers' book will keep you up all night reading. Rebecca Garcia is a wonderful author, and I can't wait for her next book.

What a book I couldn't put this down, this is the second book and I loved the first so much and this did not disappoint at all, its full on and so gripping, any fantasy lovers these are a must read, I love how it twists and turns and keeps you guess throughout the whole book

When Victoria’s sister is murdered by a famed witch hunter she becomes hell bent on revenge and will do anything to get it. This was a quick read, and I really enjoyed the anti-heroine in this one! Actually I liked all the characters and the world building. Tons of enemies to lovers vibes and there is some light spice. This was my first book from Rebecca Garcia and I will likely pick up more!

This was such a fun read! The romance was a little spicy, Victoria and her family are full of sassy quips, and the story is fast paced. I loved the main characters! I was so emotionally invested in their stories by the end.