Member Reviews
Mr. & Mrs. Witch just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't like the plot device of bouncing between time periods and I feel that those pages could have been of better use developing the characters and plot. I still liked it enough to finish it but would have loved more time with the characters in the "Now".
It took me a bit to really get engaged in this one, but I ended up glad that I stuck it out! I This is a fun/funny romp with nemeses to lovers vibes that totally work for me. This is a great read for my "witchy fall vibes" season!
Thank you SMP Romance and NetGalley for the eARC of Mr. & Mrs. Witch! All opinions in this review are my own.
This book is nonstop from the first chapter! On their wedding day, Griffin learns that Savvy is a witch and she learns that he is a witch hunter. When both of their organizations order them to take the other one out, Savvy and Griffin must decide if their love is stronger than their organizations. Mr. & Mrs. Witch is a fast-paced read that is perfect for October!
Hello Mr and Mrs Smith the Witchy and Supernatural version! I was a little put off due to the fact that I didn't love Mr and Mrs. Smith (call me Bias Team Aniston), but I absolutely devoured this one, and it's the perfect Halloween read!
The bad ass woman, one of the most powerful witches around falls for the geeky guy (who happens to be a witch hunter.) Let the fun the begin! Should they kill each other or team up? As secrets are revealed they must team up to defeat one common enemy. This is a fun and action packed, romance read and I loved it.
A quick and fun read, and will definitely help pull any reader out of a slump.
Thank you to netgalley and st martin's press for a copy in exchange for review
I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.
I was really excited to read this based on the premise, and it was a bit disappointing. The chemistry wasn’t there, and the drama felt flat.
Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this eARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This was such a fun witchy book for spooky szn!
Loved the writing and the sizzle.
I had so much fun with Mr. & Mrs. Witch. Apparently, Gwenda Bond had written plenty a book, including one based on Stranger Things (my favorite show!), but this was my first time reading from her - what a joyful experience it was! I love the entire forbidden romance trope, and I really loved the witchiness of it. Let's also just mention at this point that Gwenda Bond is such a good name for a witchy writer.
I did find that it took me a few chapters to get into the story. I didn't connect with the characters at first, and it took me a minute to grasp onto the situation of the story, but once I did, I was all in. There was spice, action, drama, comedy. One of the things I really loved about the story was that it was set in that Atlanta area - Decatur, to be specific, with actual locations featured where I've been in real life, which was very cool. It made me enjoy the book more than I would have otherwise.
This was a fun, flirty, adventurous book that I really enjoyed.
Mr. and Mrs. Witch is a fantasy romance novel written by author Gwenda Bond. The book is, as you might imagine from the title, a riff on the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play a married couple who, unbeknownst to each other, are each contract assassins who wind up getting assigned to kill the other. Only here, in this novel our just about to get married protagonists are Savvy - a witch who secretly works for an organization tries to stop supernatural threats from arising around the globe - and Griffin - a human hunter of the supernatural who works for an organization that opposes the Witches and sees them as one of those supernatural threats. Naturally just as they're about to get married the secret comes out, leading to a conflict of fighting...and love.
The result is a book that sometimes feels a bit rushed with character development and actions and certainly has a setting and plot that doesn't make too much sense if you try to think too hard about it....but is still incredibly fun and breezy and a very enjoyable romance. The chemistry between Savvy and Griffin works really well, the side characters are amusing if not deep at all, and the story makes good use of its premise to fill a short but enjoyable romance. There's little actually surprising here and some things are resolved way too easily, but well - I didn't expect anything else, so I could hardly be disappointed. In short, if you pick this up, you know what you're getting and you will be pretty much satisfied.
Plot Summary:
Savvy and Griffin are about to get married - something neither of them ever thought would ever happen. It's not just that the two of them were single loners who'd never had a lasting relationship before. It's also the fact that well, Savvy is a witch and a member of C.R.O.N.E. (Covert Responses to Occult Nightmares by Enchantresses), a secret organization of witches dedicated to using their magic in order to stop occult threats around the world, an organization Savvy had previously dedicated her whole life to. Now she has Griffin, and even if she isn't allowed to tell him who she really is, he gives her something else in her life, something that she now realizes she was always missing.
Of course for Griffin, it's also the fact that he's an agent of H.U.N.T.E.R. (Humans Undertaking Nocturnal Terror and Evil Reduction), an agency of human men who go around the world taking down supernatural threats before they cause major problems. It's the rival organization to C.R.O.N.E. - indeed they used to hunt Witches in the past - and also a secret one, so Griffin has posed as a professor and antiquities scholar to Savvy and other outsiders. Griffin hates having to hide this truth from Savvy, who he thinks is just a PR person for multiple multinational organizations, but having Savvy in his life more than makes up for it. And soon they're about to be married.
Of course when the ancient leaders of CRONE - the witch Circe - and HUNTER - the hunter known as the Butcher - show up at the wedding, well eventually all hell breaks lose, revealing to Savvy and Griffin the other's secret identities...and putting the two on a collison course where each is supposed to kill the other for their betrayal. But as events get even more chaotic, and both Savvy and Griffin find themselves hunted by their own orders, they find themselves wondering: do they really want to hurt the other? Or perhaps is love worth one more try....assuming they can get out of the situation alive first?
Mr. and Mrs. Witch doesn't spend a long time getting into the thick of its plot - it takes just three chapters for the protagonists' secret identities to be revealed and for things in the present timeline to fall into chaos, which makes sense given well, if you're reading a book with this title, you know what has to happen so no reason to slowplay it out! The book however occassionally flashes back to significant moments in the past to show how Savvy and Griffin met, how they fell in love, how their relationship played out, etc. These ditties work very well because Bond manages to really make the chemistry between Savvy and Griffin work - neither of them are normal individuals (although Griffin's claims to lack charm and suave seems clearly false from what we see) and they might each be a little cartoonish, but hey, that's the type of book it is and you can see how they each fall for each other immediately...even if you're like me and instant hot attraction and one night stands aren't exactly something you've ever felt on your own.
And in the present timeline, well, things work almost equally as well as the two first deal with their feelings of betrayal and then eventually get back together for steamy sex (albeit in very brief sex scenes) and then an alliance to figure out what's really going on behind their orders' reactions to their relationship. The story does at times feel like it's skipping through emotional developments - Savvy and Griffin act betrayed and come to the decision to kill the other ridiculously quickly for two people who were so in love, have one confrontation where they realize they can't do it, and then fall back together almost immediately - but again, this is a book where those plot developments are so expected, and Savvy and Griffin's characters and dialogue are done so well, that it's hard to care too much. And the side characters - from the their CRONE and HUNTER friends, to Savvy's familiar Paris, to one surprise side character who I kinda loved and who I won't spoil - work really well to keep the book always light and charming and fun.
Again there isn't much depth here really, and it probably falls apart if you think about it too hard. The action scenes aren't remarkable, the Witch powers seem far more powerful than the Hunter technology, the antagonists turn out to be cartoonishly evil and way too easy to defeat, the surprise last act plot twist is predictable, and the side characters often have little depth besides their bubbly dialogue and how they relate to the main characters (or well a few of them have hints of such depth but there's no time to explore them). Yet that all really doesnt matter too much. You've got here a fun romance, some enjoyable dialogue, and a world that's light and amusing even in its darkest parts. All in all, a very satisfyingly enjoyable brief fantasy romance, and exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Witch promises in the title. Can't complain about any of that.
Mr. & Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond was a delightful read. Yes, it is based off of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but the supernatural elements elevate it, and it becomes its own creation. This story started with their bang up meeting and the insta feelings that you know are strong. The characters are wonderful and well matched. I really loved Griffin’s tender heart. As Savvy and Griffin stand at the altar, they both realize they have been keeping some pretty dark secrets. That’s when all hell breaks loose and both sides begin to curse the other side. Savvy and Griffin are in shock! They can’t marry! It would be a crime! So, they do the only proper thing…they scream at each other and leave with their respective families. Unfortunately for them, Savvy has been banished from her coven and Griffin has lost his job. Even worse, they have both been put on a hitlist, by the higher ups. None of this makes any sense, and even though they both realize they can never marry; they decide to work together to figure out what is really going on. Mr. & Mrs. Witch is an enjoyable read with plenty of mystery, sarcasm, laugh out loud moments and love.
Thank you NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press
This was very cute but nothing to write home about unfortunately, despite my high hopes. Perfect for fall! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!
This was a very fun romcom! I don't usually read this kind of thing but this one caught my attention because of the comparison to Mr. and Mrs. Smith which is a movie that I really enjoy. I had a blast reading this but it did get a little too goofy at the end. I also would have liked a little more time for the main characters to enjoy each other, all of the intimate scenes were very rushed which I did not like. Overall I think this is a great witchy romcom and would be a great book to add to an October TBR.
For my full thoughts check out my video on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Ykjvfalf8
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review*
Oh this fun book Mr and Mrs witch was delicious! I usually think witchy romance books are a hit or miss and this one was a HUGE hit. It was funny and cute and swoonie at times! It is everything you look for in a romance! Only the plus it was also a magical book and that added an extra layer of awesome. So excited for you all to read it and add this book to your TBR because it’s so fun!
Thank you to NETGALLEY and to the author Gwen bond for an advanced reader copy of this fun romance!
"Mr. & Mrs. Witch" by Gwenda Bond is a book I thoroughly enjoyed. This charming supernatural tale combines magic, mystery, and a touch of romance in a way that kept me captivated from start to finish.
Bond's writing style is engaging and delightful, seamlessly weaving together elements of the supernatural with everyday life. The characters in the novel are endearing and relatable, and their interactions add a layer of authenticity to the story.
At the heart of the narrative is a unique and heartwarming exploration of love, partnership, and the magical connection between the characters. The blend of the mundane and the mystical creates a narrative that is both relatable and enchanting.
"Mr. & Mrs. Witch" strikes a perfect balance between the whimsical and the emotional. The author's portrayal of the magical world and the characters' personal journeys make for a truly engaging reading experience.
In conclusion, "Mr. & Mrs. Witch" is a delightful and charming read that left a positive impact on me. If you're looking for a book that effortlessly blends the supernatural with relatable characters and a touch of romance, this novel offers an enchanting escape that's well worth the read.
This was an exciting and thrilling read!
Why I didn't immediately pick up on the Mr. & Mrs. Smith vibes from the title alone is beyond me hahah! But that is exactly what this is and it's fun! Savvy and Griffin each belong to organizations that are, by all intents and purposes, enemies but they have the same goals. Protect the humans. When a chance encounter finds them crossing paths, their worlds soon explode as they fall deeply in love, leading up to a catastrophe of a wedding where their secret identities are exposed.
I found both Savvy and Griffin's relationship endearing. They have to decide between their love or their upbringing and I all comes to a head in an exciting way.
I absolutely adored the other characters as well. Diego, Griffin's best friend, has more sass than he can handle, and it keeps you laughing every time he is on the page. I would happily read a spin-off dedicated to him. Also, the familiars of the witches were both adorable and intelligent.
I will admit, I’ve never seen Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but the know the basic premise and thought the addition of magic sounded pretty fun. I was not disappointed. Gwenda Bond writes fun and easy-to-devour stories, perfect for vacation or the beach!
A fun and quick read though more witchy than based on the movie it's title references which was disappointing for me. This author does paranormal rom coms well though and I enjoyed it. The characters are well developed and the side characters added a ton of interest.
I appreciate the opportunity to read this book.
However I was not able to finish this book. I got about 75 pages in and I could not make myself read anymore. It took me a long time to get 75 pages read. I like the idea behind the book, but it just didn't hold my attention. Nothing grabbed me making me want to finish this book. Just because it was not my cup of tea, doesn't mean that someone else won't like it.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this book.
After Witch Savannah falls hard - and fast - for supernatural witch hunter Griffin, their wedding quickly turns into a Mr. and Mrs. Smith assassination situation. However, the two quickly realize that teaming up is the only way to make it out alive.
This was a quick listen for me, and I enjoyed it overall. While supernatural romances are by definition unrealistic, this book Flashbacks are used to show how Savvy and Griffin fell in love, but their families and it was a little too choatic at times.
On the one hand, this book is a relatively quick and easy read. I just happened to pick it up at the start of a book slump and struggled my way through it. I also did not realize it was a dual-timeline narration style, something I tend to avoid.
There was a lot to love about the book. Savannah and Griffin work for opposing factions that both essentially have the same goal of keeping magic out of dangerous hands and keeping it hidden from the normal world. The two of them find themselves thrown together over and over on various missions until they start to come together on their own. They have excellent chemistry and watching them fall in love while hiding their real selves was interesting. The drama of finding out they worked for opposing factions at their wedding and the following kill orders from their respective clan leaders was high-stakes action at its best. I just wished the action of their story wasn’t constantly being stopped and slowed by the flashback scenes of their initial romance story.
Still, despite my issues with the timeline, I did enjoy the book. The action and mystery of the book more than made up for any misgivings I had about the timeline. Nothing is what it seems, betrayal comes from the most unexpected of places, as does loyalty and friendship. It’s definitely worth a read.