The first book in The Witches Of Valport Springs is one intense, hot and fast paced read!

Ari goes through a lot in this book, she finds out she's a witch, moves to another country and is finding out more about the family secrets. Then we have Ludo, he's exactly who she should stay away from but can't. I mean, who could stay away from him? He sounds great in this - tall, handsome and a bad boy. Yes please!

If you're looking for a new paranormal series that you can really sink your teeth into and get completely lost in this world, then I highly recommend this book! I can't wait for the next in the series to see where Kassandra takes this!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I really liked this book. I wasnt sure what to expect but it turned out to keep my interest.

Cross did a marvelous job of building the world and setting the scene for this series. Slow burn romance, and once the story picks up and the scene is set it’s a wonderful read

I received this book from netgalley for an honest review

Dark and sexy with incredible world building.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

This is a forbidden love romance, full of paranormal beings. This one has you reconsidering how the Devil is viewed and family protection that can cause more harm than good. It does end on a cliffhanger and will leave you with unanswered questions, it is worth the read and wait.

I loved this book. The story was intriguing. Aradia and Ludo's romance is intoxicating and sexy. I needed more of it! I wish that the romance would've been explored a tad bit more, but what we got was downright delightful.

This book focuses on Aradia, who discovered recently that she is a witch. We see her rediscovering her roots and her hometown. It was great to see this, and I feel like I got a better understanding of the world building from it. The ending seemed a little abrupt to me, but I am thankful for a lack of a cliffhanger. But even without a cliffhanger, I am so ready for the next book, which is wicked talent from Kassandra. I've got so many questions that I need answered (especially about the vibes I get from a not seemingly evil character. I started watching that character heavily towards the later scenes. I need to see if my suspicions are correct!)—disclaimer: I could be totally wrong though

Honestly I don't have a lot to say about this one I don't really want to leave a negative review I really tried to like it I just couldn't get into it it lacked alot and just wasn't interesting enough to me

I wasn't really attached to any characters and.i felt like nothing was really answered.
Or I just missed everything.
Things happened fast and there was insta "love"

I enjoy books about magic and people finding out they have powers is always fun so I really looked forward to this book. But it didn't quite work for me.

I don't like it when people hint about the main character being in danger and then don't follow through with any details. Key example, the curse! Some mystery keeps you reading but when barely anything is spelt out, it doesn't work for me. Also, I don't like it when the heroine swears off men, only to meet one 5 minutes later and go weak at the knees with insta lust and is suddenly in love, that's just not my thing. Neither Ari nor Ludo seemed sufficiently fleshed out for me to feel invested in them.

Generally not much happens - although Ari sure is drugged a lot! - so I'm not sure its enough to entice me to read the next in the series. Personal bug bear with the "to be continued", I don't mind some threads of the story continuing but just stopping isn't my thing.

Saying that, I did like Aunt Marion!

Great story, Well written and a Page Turner
The description had me and it did not disappoint at all it had the witches/swifters/demons and magic also it had a get romantic heat/chemistry
it game me everything I need is a book
only bad thing was the ending and how it kinda left me at a to be cont....
i was given this book as an ARC and read it and wrote a review voluntarily.


Review posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4653779074?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1

Review posted to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/review/R179LQDQ08M7I7/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This book was a bit of a slow burn but I really enjoyed it. The author did a great job of building up the world and leaving you wanting more with all the secrets that are sure to be revealed. I could have done with a bit more of the romance front but at the same time it works because I’m dying to read what comes next.

I really wanted to love this book. The idea is there, the characters are interesting and likable, but nothing really happened. Pacing was my issue with this book the entire way through.

Aradia Black moves back to her hometown in the US after a catastrophe and learning she is actually a very powerful witch. She tells herself during her first outing into the town that she’s not going to worry about meeting men at all with everything else going on in her life, only to minutes later meet Ludovico Cabot and throw that notion out the window. Which, is completely fine normally considering this is a romance novel.

However, we’re left with the majority of this book without much happening. Much of the story is told to us rather than shown. We only meet 3 witches during the book, we’re led to not trust any characters as everyone is constantly telling our girl she’s in danger but not a soul will tell her any kind of details to help her out. She appears to be constantly being drugged by someone - being fed alcohol, potions, or just being influenced by another person. There is a curse but we’re never given the actual details of it.

I enjoyed Ari and Ludo’s chemistry but there really was no romance here. Ari is a bit head over heels after their first encounter. I want to say they met a total of 4 times in this entire book. There was minimal spice.

And then the cliffhanger. This is not a full story that finishes and sets up for the sequel, it just ends with a “To be continued”. I’m disappointed because nothing really seemed to happen the entire book. This was like one big introduction only to end and be told you need to wait for the next book. That said, I really did love the characters and setting so I’m hoping to see more actually happen in the sequel.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I'm not quite sure where to start with this one. It doesn't appear to have been edited well, and at the end there is something by the author asking people to email her if they find errors. Like, I understand that ARCs are not 100%, but when I find things that should have been caught by spell check, it irks me. Pachouli? And Why Is Pachouli Randomly Capitalized? Her aunt is Marian one moment and Marianne the next. One day we're in Valport, the next Valpot. Your readers aren't crowdsourced editing. Edit your shit.

Okay so Aradia Black is living in England with her mum. She comes home one day and finds her dead. She then hides out for several weeks. We are told nothing about how she spent that time, but we do know that she fled the murder scene without grabbing anything, yet later on in the story she is glad she packed her black minidress. Your mom was just murdered. You're being chased by something that wants you dead, hiding out because it will be able to track you within minutes if you leave your safehouse, and yet you found the time to make sure you fetched and packed some clubwear. Right.

She eventually flies to Boston to live with her aunt. She kills a dude at the airport apparently just by looking at him because he irritated her. Throughout the story, she is told almost nothing about her magic, where it comes from, how to use it, etc. She asks almost no questions. She consumes some kind of potion from her aunt to help her forget crap and heal from her trauma, and maybe that's why she never asks much about her magic? She never practices with it. Never does anything with it aside from open a gate and kill a couple dudes. We are never really told what exactly her magic does, just that she is incredibly powerful.

After a few days, her aunt has work to do so Aradia goes off to wander around town, after having discussed with her aunt that she murders people just by looking at them when she is slightly agitated and without any information on her magic or how it works or any kind of training or discussion about how not to kill people by accident. Makes sense.

She is offered a cat, and though she has no pressing place to be, she takes it home immediately without arranging any kind of food or litterbox. The cat then stays in her room for days, I assume shitting under her bed all the while.

The 'romance' was very meh. It wasn't really reeling me in. I cringed so hard during the sexybit (there's really only the one scene and it is relatively meh). She calls her clit her jewel. HER JEWEL.

Anyways. There were too many plot holes, not enough interesting shit happening, too little exposition, half-assed editing, a relatively crap romance, and a meh sex scene. The book ends on a to be continued, and I will not be continuing.

Black Magic (The Witches of Valport Springs #1) by Kassandra Cross
Publisher: Kassandra Cross
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Fantasy,
Published: March 24, 2022

Black Magic is the first book in The Witches of Valport Springs series by Kassandra Cross. This is the first book I've read by the author and I enjoyed it.

Overall, I thought this book was good. It is fast paced and engaging. The story is shrouded in mystery and as the reader, we only know what Ari knows, and she is definitely being lied to as she tries to remember her past and figure out who she is meant to be.

The romance is steamy and forbidden. Ludo and Ari have great chemistry!

I look forward to reading the next book in the series, especially since this one ended on a giant cliff hanger and I have more questions than answers than I did when I started reading this book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Black Magic follows Aradia Black a nineteen year old woman who through a bloody tragedy finds out that she is a witch. For her safety she must return to a home she barely remembers, in the small mysterious town of Valport Springs. As she learns more of her craft with the guidance of her Aunt. During an outing with her aunt, she is left waiting in a bar. Enter Ludovico Cabot a devilishly handsome bad boy, who is said to be her downfall.

A forbidden paranormal romance of the best kind. I really enjoyed this fast paced, spice filled book, that left me wanting to know more, to find out just how many secrets the locals of Valport Springs are keeping.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Sorry to say, this book was not for me. I almost DNF'ed about halfway through, but I stayed on until the end just to see if it got any better. It didn't.

The good things about this book:
1. The cat familiars. They're cute and I like the mythology of them.
2. There are a lot of different kinds of supernaturals, and I find that interesting.
3. The basic idea of a witch who has forgotten her past and identity is an interesting premise to start with.

My issues with this book:
1. The main character. She acts more like a spoiled teenager than an adult. I really couldn't relate to her at all and found myself just banging my head against the wall as she made more stupid mistakes.
2. The main character literally kills an innocent man at the beginning and it's nothing other than a footnote. Nothing comes from it, and she definitely doesn't seem that upset about it.
3. Sequoias on the East Coast. Yes, I know they're special magic sequoias, but still.
4. Ludo. I hated every scene he was in, and I don't think he's a good guy or someone who should be a love interest. He literally kidnaps her the first time they meet and yet she still things having a love affair with him is a good idea.

This book might appeal to some, but sadly I am not one of them.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the Victory Editing CoOp for providing me with an ARC copy of this book to review!

I absolutely loved this take on magic - Black Magic follows a woman, Ari, who finds out that her life is a lie. She's the hidden child of a powerful witch family, and has to return to their family home in order to stay alive as her magic begins to awaken.

Enter, Ludo - a mysterious man Ari has an immediate connection with, but her aunt is warning her off him like she knows something more...

All of the little intricacies and rituals in this are delightful - their magic is based in the magic and rituals modern witches perform, and it was lovely to see the practices represented so faithfully. The only issue I had with the magic was the use of sage smudge sticks - a closed practice of Native Americans - though that only happens once.

I'll admit that at times, the pacing felt a little off - a lot of time was spent in the mundane moments, and then suddenly you were knee deep in drama that died off fairly quickly.

And Ludo, where do I begin - he's a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and after one book there's still so little of him to know - other than the fact that he's big, beautiful, and an absolute magnet for trouble. I'm very curious to find out more about him, and see more of him and Ari *fans self*

Overall, a fun read! Definitely one for people who like their magic a little different, and like their love interests dangerous.

Black Magic, by Kassandra Cross, is a dark paranormal romance about a woman who returns to her hometown after she finds out that she’s a witch.
I really enjoyed this book, and loved its gothic vibes and the hometown setting, Valport Springs. I found the heroine, Aradia Black, very relatable and sympathetic despite her witchiness, and loved the male lead, Ludo.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark romance with lots of magic.
4/5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A story about White Magic and Black magic. with some twists,suspense mystery
Aradia is a witch who has a connection to Luda a demon and a curse.
Lots of drama,and romance.
Voluvtarily reviewed

3.5 Stars

**Thanks to NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op & Kassandra Cross for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Witches, Shifters, Demons, and Magic Oh My!

Dark PNR - ✔️
Witches/Shifters - ✔️
Curse - ✔️
Devil - ✔️
Spice - ✔️

All the things I've been in a mood for recently. I'm a fan of reading series when they're complete, but this really caught my eye.

''Hell is empty because the Devil is already here.
He’s here in Valport Springs… and he wants me.''

I know it's Book 1, but was left wanting more romance between Aradia and Ludo - but that could just be my impatience. I did love their connection and interactions! Tension + Spice *Chef's Kiss*
I didn't have a problem with the Pet Name Little Girl but can see/understand why people could.

Overall, I enjoyed the read. It was quick, fun, spicy, and look forward to seeing what happens next for Ari and Ludo!