I loved this switch up on the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I really liked the magical world of the book. The beginning chapters did feel a little bit to tell not show for my liking but overall it was entertaining.

in a multi-country jaunt.⚡️ I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
🌟: 3 / 5
📚: Savvy Wilde is a witch at the top of her game as an agent of C.R.O.N.E, a network of magical spies who work to neutralize evil magic so the world is none the wiser. Griffin Carter leads his own covert missions for H.U.N.T.E.R, an agency that doesn’t hunt witches, at least not anymore, but dispels magical threats to modern life. What neither of them know is that their soon-to-be spouse lives a double life— until they meet at the altar.

I am so torn between loving and disliking this book. All in all, I had a hard time putting it down because it’s such a fun magical spy romance (but it is definitely easier to talk about what you didn’t like in a book, so see below, with it in mind that I did like it).

The characters have amazing chemistry together that really lends itself to the romance being genuinely good and not another cringy insta-love story (also I promise it ends up being relatively spicy, even though it starts out closed door). The plot is action-packed, and I loved the structure of flashing back through Savvy and Griffin’s relationship growing as the events of them discovering that they work for rival secret agencies unfolded.

My main issue with this book is that it really felt like a lot of the plot was lifted directly from another one of Bond’s romances, Not Your Average Hot Guy. This definitely felt like a more mature, polished story, but I got very stuck on the similarities in the plots wherein the characters face off against assorted cult members, necromancers, and rival secret agencies in a multi-country jaunt.

The weirdest thing about this book is probably the perspective it’s written in. The majority of the book is from a third person omniscient perspective, alternating between two characters; however, there is the exception of a single chapter, written from a first person point of view, told from the main characters’ cat’s perspective. It is so jarring and bizarre because there is absolutely no reason to switch the formatting like this, and it could have very easily have the exact same narrative effect if it just stayed in the same perspective (this also leads me to believe that the cat has been the all knowing narrator all along, which is even more bizarre).

Also this is easily the ugliest romance cover I’ve seen in recent history, and at this point I am almost completely unphased by ugly covers, so dear lord.

Let’s start with things I liked about this book:

- I adored Griffin & Savvy’s chemistry
- I loved the use of familiars (gave me Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes with Savvy’s being a black cat haha)
- At 48% in I was audibly laughing at the “magic peen” conversation 😂

Now into things I didn’t like:

- I found this book rather boring. Nothing truly captivated me and made me want to keep reading.
- The battle scenes fell short for me - I wasn’t hyped. They would fight, it would end, everyone would just kinda move on and I was left thinking “wait that’s it?”
- same with the ending, I found it lackluster

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the digital ARC!

Savannah “Savvy” Wilde is a witch. Griffin Carter is a hunter. They meet and have a whirlwind romance that surprises both of them. There is just one catch-neither knows each other’s true identity. All is revealed in their wedding day when they both realized they are member of opposing factions. With the bad blood between the witches and hunters, Savvy and Griffin are tasked to terminate each other. However, a common threat will force them to work together.

As an avid reader of romcoms, it’s unavoidable to notice common tropes and cliches that might come in a plot line. But, with this read, I barely noticed any. It’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” with a splash of magic. Action, romance, and fantasy-it’s a blend I didn’t know I need in a romcom. Savvy and Griffin are lovers and fighters. They will make you believe love is worth fighting for even with a bounty.

The wedding of a witch and a witch hunter is thrown into chaos when they find out who each one is. They were unaware of their positions until that point. It is game on for the warring factions unless a huge solution can be found. The question is whether love can truly conquer all in this engaging story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets Bewitched

A sweet and sexy, opposites attract, hilarious, paranormal rom-com! Savvy and Griffin experienced instant, electric chemistry that keeps drawing them together, but their secret lives slowly try to tear them apart. Will they get their happily ever after? The first several chapters were slow for me. It took me awhile to understand the jumping back and forth, but helped to explain the present situation better. Overall, a great read!

Read it in one sitting and loved it so much. Their banter was quite cute and the timeline was very helpful on conveying the story. I do wish there had been more action sequences though, especially within the final meeting.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the eARC of this Mr & Mrs Smith retelling!

We’re introduced to Savvy and Griffin on the day of their wedding. It’s been a whirl-wind, ‘you have to see it to believe it’ romance but they are both certain of their relationship. And certain of the lies they’re keeping from each other. Until those lies blow up in their faces.

Savvy is a witch and a fierce member of C.R.O.N.E. - a secret agency of witches who protect humans from magic they don’t know exists. Griffin is a member of H.U.N.T.E.R. - a group of men who originally existed to hunt and exterminate all magic in the world - including witches.

They’re enemies, enemies who against all odds met and fell in love. And now, they’re tasked with killing each other.

Some of this book really worked for me, some of it seemed to need a bit more work. The story had promise, the magic system was cool, and the characters were a hoot. Maybe it’s the way it was written, but all of the angst and all of the drama fell flat or was resolved very quickly. The climax itself, even, didn’t stir all that many feelings for me. Some of the interactions weren’t entirely believable, especially with the leaders of each organization who were supposed to be hundreds of years old.

All that being said, if you’re looking for a light, fun, magical romance with just a dash of spice, this book may just be for you.

I just love witchy romances. They're easily the most enjoyable genre for me. Mr and Mrs Witch did not disappoint. The story follows Savvy and Griffin throughout their love story. There's just one catch: she's a witch and he's a hunter and they are sworn enemies. A fact which is revealed when? Of course at their wedding. The pair learn things about their respective organizations that turn the world upside down. They need to figure out how to work together to right all of the wrongs and save their relationship at the same time.

Mr and Mrs Witch is written in converging timelines flicking between the present and the past. I cannot begin to tell you how jam packed the story is. Gwenda Bond did not waste a single word in the whole thing. This book is a fast paced, twisting and turning absolute journey. There were so many small hints of foreshadowing scattered throughout. Personally, I love picking up on little breadcrumbs and I can already see myself reading it again for annotation.

I really enjoyed the layout of this book. It was about 75% action and 25% romance. I'm not one for overly flowery language and mushiness. Also the last 50 pages or so were so loaded with twists and turns I might have whiplash. I love a good journey! A heads up for anyone who enjoys smut, there are a few things in this book for you too :D It also reads like a spy/who dunnit novel. There is a level of Bond woven throughout to keep your attention at all times.

I seriously hope that Gwenda Bond has plans to turn this into a series. There are at least 5 side characters that I would LOVE to have their own stories. Especially the necromancer Melissa the Gorgon. Believe me I will be RUNNING to buy anything they publish. They are on my official insta-buy list!

I've got to say I've only previous Gwenda Bond's YA Books so I didn't know what to expect with this one. But I have to say I loved it. It gave me Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibes but with witches. And I have to say that I love Gwenda's writing style. And I look forward to more of her adult novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC! The start of this book was slow for me and it took a while to get into it. I really enjoyed the past timelines where it showed the original love story. The ending was absolutely adorable and sets the stage to have a continuation of the story but with other characters' romances.

To me this was an okay read. I liked some part of this, but didn't like some parts. It was a fun fantasy read with a touch of romance - I wish there was more romance.

It was action packed, smart, and predictable (to me). The love story was sweet and I saw their chemistry. The final battle was lackluster and a little disappointing with everything turning out too perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book!

This book was a lot of fun to read and I found myself speeding through it. It was very Mr. and Mrs. Smith but that is exactly what I loved about it.

I loved the idea that both sides were wrong and evil when it got down to their leaders. I would be very much interested in reading a sequel to find out what happens next!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. This book is fun! The magic does lose me a little bit but I like reading about the connection and pull they had to each other from the beginning. Griffin and savvy are so cute together and I just loved the ending!
The plot twists were so interesting!

I absolutely adored this book. Like everyone is saying, it is a retelling of Mr & Mrs. Smith with a mystery/paranormal aspect. I love that more and more bisexual characters are being written into books. As much as this book is like the movie, it is very different in a lot of ways. I loved the support of Savvy & Griffin's family and friends. It was more realistic and relatable. Gwenda Bond's writing style was truly enjoyable. I found myself unable to put it down at 12am, which meant I was up reading until 2:30 once again. I will definitely be recommending this book for those look for a light cozy read.

*I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review*
I found I didn't care for this at all. I was a good idea and set up but overall, it felt too commercial to me.

Very fun, cute read! I love the movie Mr. And Mrs. Smith so I was super hyped for this book! And it was a good read! This book universe was really fun and exciting!

What happens when your bosses suddenly crash your wedding and all hell breaks loose? For the Professor and the Goddess you figure it out.

A beautiful start to a series.

When you come upon an author that makes reading fun, you find every book every series and binge. I am excited to binge read Gwenda Bond. Please write more of this series.

Just so inanely fun and smart and witchy. I love Gwenda Bond and she just knows how to write just a fun new take on romance with jut the most fun concepts. Thank you to SMP for the advanced copy

I've never read a book like this before, but I loved it so much. The different POVs, flashbacks, witchiness, Mr. & Mrs. Smith vibes...and all so well executed! I totally loved it, and I will definitely be revisiting it in future witchy reading seasons. I'll be watching Gwenda Bond to see if any of the side characters in this book get their own story in the future - I'd read it in a second!