thank you netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with an e-arc of this novel :)

“When my sister shows up dead, and my family’s name is called into question, we’re forced to adopt new aliases and leave the home we cherished. As I watch my life fall apart, I vow to destroy the hunter responsible, but his punishment would not be swift. Death was too easy.” - Rebecca L. Garcia

This book is exactly what I wanted “Serpent and Dove” to be back when that novel came out. I feel like I’ve been craving a good with story since then and this is the first novel to live up to my hopes. I’m sad that it’s only a standalone because I would love to continue exploring this world and following along with Victoria’s story.

I’ve read a lot of books recently with interesting magic systems and this is another one of them. It’s different from what I usually see and the cost of dark magic in this book is quite high. Watching the effects of it on our MC is interesting and I could relate a lot of it to how struggling with mental illness (especially dissociation) feels.

The MC (Victoria) is fierce and determined, but also a total controlling disaster. She sees the effects of her behavior and is forced to actually grow as a person over the course of this novel. In fact, her character development is really the central focus of this novel as she grapples with love and vengeance.

I really recommend reading this novel if you enjoy witches and a truly dark world with a character driven plot.

I fell in love with the first book in this collection but the others just didn't grip me like that first story. I wished that this would have been a fully fledged novel with that first story vs. a collection.

I was not fond of this one as much as I thought I would. I read the summary and thought this was right up my alley, but unfortunately, the writing wasn't for me, and I didn't connect with the characters.
In addition, it was very slow to start, and that just made it more of a hassle to read and to get into.

This is the first book I've read by Rebecca L. Garcia and I will definitely be reading more. I was in a bit of a reading slump before reading Heart of a Witch but it as so well paced and such an easy to follow plot that I couldn't put it down!

I loved that our MC was the villain from the start. She is hell bent on revenging her sister's death and an absolutely awesome anti heroine! The enemies to lovers was so well done and I loved Tori and Elija's relationship. This book is spooky, dark and absolutely addictive. I would recommend it to anyone who likes dark, witchy, enemies to lovers vibes and is looking for a standalone book to devour in one sitting!

The only thing that confused me slightly at times was the characters slipping between quite formal, old fashioned language and more modern phrasing, but honestly everything else was so well done that it didn't bother me!

This gets a good solid 4.5 stars from me!

I received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of the author & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book through netgalley to write a review, I was very excited to read it because it said it was perfect for the fans of serpent and dove. This is a book about witches and hunters, I can’t have enough of this theme. Victoria is out for revenge when the well known witch Hunter Shaw kills someone she loves. Victoria and her family will plot a revenge but will it work the way they planned ?
I don’t know if I can describe this novel as enemies to lovers because … they weren’t really enemies but friendly… I wish the book included more romance, it had like one kinda spicy scene but mostly fade to black.
I also had to adjust to the writing ( here and there were some mistakes but that’s okay) and it also seemed a bit rushed at some points.
All by all I loved the book, it made me want to continue to read all day, wondering what was going to happen and how it would happen. So here are my 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNF At 52%

I’ve been working on this book for more than a week now, and I just don’t find myself drawn to it.

The synopsis of this book is literally everything I’d love in a book, but the execution just isn’t there.

I genuinely find Victoria to be a compelling MC and admire her ruthless behavior in order to get justice for her sister and all the other witches cruelly murdered at the hands of Damian Shaw.

That being said, I’m over half way through the book, and we are just getting to the point where Victoria is trying to seduce Shaw’s son Elijah, which would be the perfect revenge, as long as she doesn’t catch feelings.

Everything is just moving at such a snail’s pace, and I’ve run out of patience. Also, Damian Shaw is a trash human, and I’m tired of hearing about the abuse that he’s inflicted upon his sons and his reign of terror.

So yeah, this is a miss for me.

BOOK: Heart of a Witch
RELEASE DATE: December 14, 2021
GENRE: fantasy
TROPES & THEMES: enemies to lovers, revenge, witches & hunters, paranormal romance, hidden identity
TRIGGERS WARNING: execution scenes and description of abuse, loss of a sibling and a parent
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

STORYLINE: Victoria is a witch. Tortured by her past "mistakes" she burdens herself with caring for her family who gets carried away with interacting with humans. After Damien Shaw, a ruthless priest, and witch hunter, comes to her small village, a lot of devastation and loss happens. Instead of hiding, Victorica together with her brother and sister comes up with a plan for a ravage. Targeting not only Damien Shaw but his family members too. But things are not as they seem. Elijah Shaw is nothing like his father. What secrets is hiding Shaw family? Will Victoria's plan succeed?

THOUGHTS: This is a book that delivers. What you think you will get when you read the blurb you will probably get. I like the balance the author did with the fantasy and romance storyline. It is a book easy to follow. I also appreciate those brutal and gruesome scenes, nothing overly done, but it got me a clearer picture and emotional connection with the characters.

I am a fantasy reader who likes her fantasy with a strong romance side premise. So, when I saw this one is marked as such a book. I requested it. Another plus factor is that this is standalone. And I am in the middle of enough series as it is, so this was a welcomed shift. If you recognize yourself in this - I recommend you this book.

This book was my first read by its author and it won't be the last.




* Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange of an honest review

Hell hath no fury like a heartbroken sister.

Heart of a Witch alternates viewpoints between Victoria and Elijah, who's lives become intertwined when Elijah's father murders Victoria's sister. Tori and Eli live in a world of humans and witches, where witches who live on the human continent must conceal themselves or risk being caught and killed by witch hunters. This is the fate that befalls Tori's younger sister, Ember. Taking her family on the run to protect her mother and other two siblings, Tori devises a plan to exact revenge on the witch hunter who murdered Ember. Tori's plan for revenge eventually includes Elijah Shaw, the witch hunters son. She'll make him fall in love, turn him against his father, and then finally drive a knife into Damian Shaw's cold dead heart.

"If humans wanted to believe us evil, then I would become precisely that. If they wanted darkness, I'd shroud them in it until they choked."

I flew through this book in a day. The characters are endearing through their personal flaws and the story flows together beautifully. I love a good villain arc, especially from a morally gray character who's struggling to see which side she's going to end up on. Captivating world building is throughout the novel, it's easy to picture the scenes in your mind as if you're a part of them as they happen.
The only issue I saw were a couple phrasing or spelling mistakes, which threw me off as I was reading.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys witchy worlds, dark magic, morally gray main characters and beautiful villain arcs.

3.8/5

I truly enjoyed this book. It is a dark/fantasy with enemies to lovers.
After witnessing the infamous witch hunter murder her sister, the main character Victoria is continually on the verge of being destroyed by her own darkness. She moved into town where the witch hunter lives in order to get vengeance. She wanted to take everything from him by starting with his son and making him fall in love with her.

Everything in this book appealed to me. The snark, the humor, the sexual tension, the magic, and everything else. It was well-written, with the right amount of pacing. If you enjoy witches and paranormal romance, Then this is a must read.

At the start of the book the characters were a bit hard to like, their personality traits seemed to only exist at extremes (either overwhelming or nonexistent) but this quickly changed and the character's became less flat and more real. I would love to read either a novella or companion novel about Alex and Corbin, I really enjoyed their characters and would love to get something from their perspective. The only reason this ended up being a 3 star review instead of a 4 star is that the ending felt super rushed and reminded me of how the beginning was very much telling us and not showing the action, I also did not enjoy the epilogue, it felt like some of the character's issues with one another were just resolved way too easily. Victoria was primed to be this major villain as well but that fell flat and I would have liked to see her truly lose herself to evil, or at least have a bigger moral struggle to kind of explain why she was able to make the choices she did.
I really appreciate that this book was written as a standalone rather than extended into a series (as so many NA fantasy authors love to do).
As for the spice aspect, it just didn't do it for me. It was like a 1/5 for spice. The only reason this fits under the NA category is for the actual age of the characters and not the sexual content.
Overall, it was a fun read and very easy and quick to get through!

dark, devious, gothic and atmospheric with a whole heap of villainy, I adored this book and I couldnt put it down. I liked the writing style, I liked the development fo the characters and the way that they were written and I loved the story line. A really enjoyable read,

I had a great time reading this. Victoria was not only a badass but she was a smartass as well, with her snarky comments. I really liked the dynamic that her and her siblings shared. Also their powers! Humour was also a big thing in this book, there were some lines that made me crack up. I also really liked Elijah, I thought this was gonna be grumpy/sunshine with Elijah being the ‘sunshine’ character but no, he can hold his own, he will definitely call out Victoria when she’s being bitchy. They’re both just as cool and the tension and chemistry between them - amazing. I liked that it was a slow burn, I would’ve instantly gone on a riot if they were like in love 50% in. Thankfully that didn’t happen. As much as I really liked the pacing of the book I did feel like after 80% things were kinda rushed. But regardless since it is a stand-alone I feel quite satisfied with how everything was wrapped up.

Thanks to netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

Heart of a Witch
By: Rebecca L Garcia
Publishing company: (I believe) Victory Editing

*I received this book as an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Wow! This book was pure perfection. Fantasy has quickly become one of my favorite genres, and this book did not disappoint. Typically, I enjoy heavily spiced books, but the angst and the delivery of the storyline was phenomenal. In addition to the romance, family matters are represented and written exquisitely. For instance, Victoria is not the only character to sustain cavernous character development, but all characters throughout the book progress. Due to deceit, the overall environment of this book was enemies to lovers. The ache I felt in some of the chapters left a burn in my throat. Throughout reading, I found myself crying at some points, pissed in others, panicked in few, and smiling in most. This was a well thought out and executed book and an overall great read.

This book starts off with a family of witches who suppress their power and try to blend in with the humans. Since the humans insist witches are demons, hiding is essential; otherwise, they would be hunted and killed. Victoria, our female main character, feels very protective over her family, due to an occurrence in her past. Victoria is alerted that a well known witch hunter is coming to their town, sending her into a frenzy. She prepares to do whatever it takes, in order to shield her family against the humans' wrath. However, her protection over her family fails her and she witnesses a brutal death, setting her on a path of vengeance. When vengeance is everything and you start to lose your self reality, who will be the one to ground you?

I read this book as an voluntary ARC. I absolutely loved the story line. I am a big fan of mythical stories and found this one to have twists that I hadn’t expected. I greatly enjoyed both Victoria and Elijah’s points of view and I appreciated the thrown in spice in a few spots.

Unsure what time setting this is supposed to be. There is more common language (ex: hotel, instead of inn, boutique instead of shop) so I’m struggling to pinpoint what the setting feels like for me.

A couple characters seem very one dimensional.

Clunky dialogue that doesn’t do much to move our plot forward, and just is there as filler.

Could be intriguing to a certain audience due to the enemies to lovers angle, however I didn’t feel these characters connected very well. This novel could do with some editorial revision, however if this is an indie author, that can be had to come by.

Thank you @rebeccalgarciabooks, @victoryeditingngc and @netgalley for an advance copy of Heart of a Witch. All views expressed in this review are my own.

“The hunter squeezed her bleeding heart between his fingers, rejoicing in holding the heart of a witch. I vowed that one day I would do the same to his.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Victoria watches the witch-hunter rip out her sisters heart, and vows that she will destroy him. After running, her family decide to change paths and follow the hunter to his home town, and destroy his life like he destroyed theirs.

This was a really heart-wrenching read. The emotions in every chapter were overwhelming. Victoria and Elijah were both very easy-to-connect-to characters, and their feelings intermingled perfectly from the day they met. I knew the ending would be similar to what I expected but there were also so many unexpected twists! What I really would love to see in the future is a spin-off on this - set in the future, maybe on Alexandra and Corbins side.

If you’re looking for a paranormal or romance book, that keeps you hooked the whole way through - then you need this in your life!

Review live now over on my Bookstagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXMUeyhg1EO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

#NetGalley #HeartOfAWitch #RebeccaLGarcia

This book follows Victoria (Tori) who comes from a family of witches, her mum, two sisters (Alex and Ember) and her brother Cas.

However a witch hunter recently murdered Ember and as a result Tori and her family have escaped their village and taken on new identities.

Tori thinks up a plan to get revenge on the witch hunter by hurting what he loves most, his son Elijah. Tori’s plan is to make his son fall in love with her so she can destroy him and then destroy the witch hunter.

I am not a huge fantasy reader but I really enjoyed this book.

I would say that this book is a great book if you are new to fantasy. There isn’t too much world building and isn’t confusing at all. With that being said, some experienced fantasy/high fantasy readers may not enjoy it because of that.

I loved that this book was from a villainous perspective and I loved even more that it was the heroine who was the villain. I really liked that you could see when she started to question her own morals and what was right and wrong.

I really liked Elijah. He was a sunshine kind of hero and cares so much for everyone.

This was a great read and would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review

Heart of a Witch had me on the edge of my seat for the whole ride!

I absolutely loved the anti heroine in this story and the lengths she goes to for her revenge.
This is full send enemies to lovers with witches vs. witch-hunters in a worlds of narrow minded people.

The story development was so intense, but so good!

I don't want to spoil anything by talking about it more because you should go blind into this for a better experience!

I would definitely recommend if you love: witches, strong female mc, enemies to lovers, romance, revenges and cuddly snakes.

NA Witchy/Paranormal/Dark Romance!

✨ ARC review ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶

Heart of a Witch by @rebeccalgarciabooks ARC provided by @netgalley

Y’all, this is a VILLAIN ORIGIN STORY!!

High end enemies to lovers, Witch to Witch Hunter, and the MC is hellbent on revenge. Hexes, curses, dark magic… Literally willing to do anything to avenge her family and oh my lord… she’s badass.

We are all too familiar with the MC navigating their path to become the hero of their story… this is not that story.
This is the making of a villain and I am here👏🏻for👏🏻it👏🏻

Though a bit dark, I thought it was really well written. The deception, the betrayal, the deaths.. all had my heart rate skyrocketing waiting to see what would happen next.

I am not even going to hint at how the ending made me feel for fear of spoiling it for someone else!

Absolute must read for dark/witchy fantasy/paranormal romance lovers!

I loved this book so much!!

Tori is such a great character. She is the one who takes it upon herself to make sure her family is taken care of, and that there is no chance that a witch hunter will be able to find them.. Even if that means dabbling in black magic, and causing harm to herself. When her little sister is murdered Tori decides that its time for someone to take the witch hunter down.. and that person is her. Thankfully her sister and brother want to help her, so she isn't alone in her quest for revenge. Both her sister and brother are great fleshed out characters that bring alot to this story.

Elijah doesn't want to be a witch hunter, but his father is forcing this on him.. He has grown up with his father telling him all kinds of horrible things about witches, and while he may not want to be one himself he does believe that they are monsters.

When Tori comes up with a plan to get close to Elijah to take down his father she doesn't expect that she could actually like him, let alone develop real feelings.. She moves into his town and they begin to attend the same chuch that Damian (elijahs father) preaches at. She makes Elijah question everything he thought he knew, all the while plotting to take him and his father down.

I love how even though Tori is falling for Elijah she doesn't stop her quest for revenge. She is still determined to do whatever it takes to stop Damian.. Up until the very end of the story you have no idea how things are going to end. I loved their relationship.. it was full of sass, and deception, truths that they werent expecting to share bringing them closer together..

I can't wait to read more books by this author!!