I really, really wish I hadn't bothered finishing this book. The Characters who were meant to be "morally grey" were not. They were despicable. Writing morally grey characters does not mean you make them do a terrible thing and then make out that they're not so bad after all.

Gabriel wasn't the only one who was bad, but he made me feel really queasy every time he was on screen. He (at the very least) threatened rape and played mind games with the main character and her family, so much so that the main character runs away and hides to avoid being raped by this guy. Then the rest of the book is basically the author trying to make out that it's not as bad as it sounds and making Gabriel a hero at every opportunity.

It's a real shame because I liked Sadie a lot as a character and if the author had just leaned into it and made Gabriel a villain, I could have really been into it.

Husband: What are you reading now
Me: The Twisted Mark
Husband: Oh, what’s it about?
Me: Think ‘Charmed’ meets ‘Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney’
Husband: … I’m sorry, what?

I’d read similar books to The Twisted Mark (witches and magick meets modern ahe) and really enjoyed them; but I had to DNF this one as it started putting me into a reading slump.

I just couldn’t get into the story in the slightest, I was starting to find the two main characters and Sadie’s whole family really annoying, and I was finding every excuse to not read this book.

Also, SA/r*ape being framed as something sexy. NO THANK YOU.

[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]

The Twisted Mark by Sophie Williamson

He put a spell on her…well…not a spell…a lien AND it changed her life! In this paranormal romance with a bit of urban fantasy, a feel of Romeo & Juliet, and a love-hate relationship; two people that are on oppositive sides try to find balance in their lives while determining what they might truly mean to one another.

What I liked:
* Sadie Sadler: witch with demon blood, from the ruling family of Mannith in northern UK, lawyer, bright, filled with magic she tries to control, moved to London for college and work, loves her family and believes in putting her family first – no matter what, is attracted to Gabriel, learns a lot in this book
* Gabriel Thornber: powerful magic practitioner, head of Thornber group, opposes Sadler group, believes he and Sadie are to be together, ruthless, hedonistic, willing to do what it takes to accomplish what he believes is right
* The backstory of Mannith and details of why Thornbers and Sadlers are at odds with one another, the way the dome came into being, and thinking about which side I would choose to be on
* That though a book of good and evil…everything isn’t always black and white
* The general attitude of magic practitioners regarding physical gratification and monogamy
* The familial, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual issues Sadie has to navigate and come to terms with during the course of this book
* The strong bond Sadie’s family has for each other
* The plot, pacing, setting, characters development, and world building
* Thinking about what will happen next

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how twisted one’s thinking would need to be to do some of the things that “good” people did in this book

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I had a lot of fun in reading this book even if I usually skip the sex part as I find sex in book boring. There's a good idea, there's a lot of sexual tension but I was left wondering why Gabriel was such a monster as he's described as quite a decent being and why they were so in love as they barely know each other.
That said I had fun.
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really wanted to like this book but I had a difficult time trying to get through it. I just couldn’t seem to connect with the characters. There was some twists but unfortunately not enough to keep my interest. Thank you NetGalley, Sophie and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

I struggled getting into this story. It was very slow to start off but it definitely pays off by the end. It wasn’t my typical read but the author is very knowledgeable in their craft and the world building was phenomenal.

I was unable to download this book for some reason therefore I can not review it I’m sorry for the inconvenience

It took me about a quarter of the way in to actually start enjoying this book. This part court room drama/part fantasy didn't really hit the mark for me but I persevered as I was interested to know the outcome. The two main characters, Sadie & Gabriel, were likable, Gabriel more so.

Overall, I'd only recommend this book to people who seriously enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, Romeo & Juliet fantasy type books.

But saying that I'll probably read the sequel as I'm kinda invested in Gabriel!

I absolutely loved this book. If you like witchy stories and enemies to lovers, you'll love this book too.

This is definitely not your happy ending kind of story. The sheer amount of lying and betrayal in this book is astounding. I'm surprised that Sadie, the main character, is even standing at the end from all of the weight of it all. Her character development journey though? *chef's kiss* She realizes that her life doesn't have to revolve around her family, especially since she learns they aren't who they've presented themselves to be. She starts to make decisions based on what's best for her, and I'm here for it. By the end, I definitely did not like the Sadler family. I did, however, end up liking their rival, the Thornbers. Gabriel is the big baddie of the story, but I would put my trust in him.

Gabriel and Sadie's relationship was amazing to watch. I loved seeing how it evolved through the story and just how critical their friendship is to one another. I'm a sappy person though and love a good redemption story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest opinion on The Twisted Mark:

I couldn’t put Williamson’s The Twisted Mark down once started. The story is so engaging and Sadie and Gabriel do the whole fated lover thing so well. Sadie is where the story really shines - she’s a confident, assertive FMC who knows what she wants…except when she doesn’t. That was my biggest issue with the story and why this sits at a solid 3 stars for me. It felt like the author built her up and then when it was time for plot development, chucked what should have been a well written FMC into the grinder.

As much as I LOVE the romance, I hope Sadie ditches Gabriel and we get a whole series of kick-butt witch-lawyer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Overall, I’d say it was a solid, enjoyable story. There were a few unexpected twists throughout, and while I didn’t expect the plot to be so focused on a murder mystery, it kept me fairly engaged throughout. The storyline was very unique and I am interested in reading the sequel when it is released.

My biggest issues with the book, however, is that most of the characters fell flat for me, including both the FMC and MMC at times. Maybe it’s just me and my preference, but I wasn’t a fan of how quick they were to fall in love, even though I think that was the point based on the storyline. It would have been nice to see a little more of a slow burn, enemies to lovers trope.

Another big issue for me was how back and forth Sadie was on her decisions between wanting to do what’s best for the family or what she believed was right/what Gabriel wanted. There were too many points throughout the book where she changed her mind.

I am glad I read this and am interested to see where the story goes, as it did end on a bit of a cliffhanger and build up for the next book.

**this review was posted on my goodreads account as well

Thank you so much to the publisher, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

I don't think this is something I would have normally picked up since I'm not a huge paranormal romance fan but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed The Twisted Mark. The story and writing were both very engaging. While I am a bit of a fast reader on my best days, even I was surprised to find how quickly I was getting thru the pages. It didn't feel like much time had passed at all and yet I was sucked right into the story. I also appreciated the uniqueness of the magic and plot.

All that being said, there was something about the world building - and thus the characters and their motivations - that felt flat. I didn't really understand why Brendan wanted to increase the dome or why Gabriel would rather bring it down. There also just seemed to be a lot of things that felt hand waive-y like the fact that they live in this dome where people know about magic and these magic families and yet in the court rooms it's just kind of a non issue? If you know magic exists, why wouldn't you use it to determine the truth of if someone was guilty or not?

Sadie is the FMC and she is a strong witch and lawyer living in London and a case thrusts her back into the world she’s been avoiding. The banter was fun between the main characters and it was a different story which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, a Romeo and Juliet retelling, and witches you will enjoy this book! Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Enemies to lovers book, that leaves you wanting more at the end. Magic, love and hate. What Sandi is willing to do to save her family even though she is fighting her heart. I feel like she was heart broken when she was putting all the prices together of all the events in her life. And now she has to sort though them all and figure out what to do all while having new challenges being thrown her way. This book keep me interested from satrt to finish.

I was so excited to read this book! The story is presented as a Romeo/Juliet retelling with witchy undertones.
The main character Sadie has kept herself hidden from both her magical family and the practice of magic in hopes to keep away from her biggest enemy, Gabriel Thornber. She knows that if found Gabriel will call in on a debt she owes him, but eventually she is forced to come out of hiding when her brother is accused of murder.

I was really excited about this book because I loved the synopsis. However, I found the relationship between Sadie and Gabriel odd. We were supposed to feel like they were destined to be together but at times it seemed as though they barely knew one another. Their relationship felt very rushed and I often doubted their "deep bond." Sadie also considers him to be a monster, but in every flashback he is seemingly a very nice person? The only reason she really dislikes him is due to their families hatred towards one another.

I did enjoy the court scenes, and often I was surprised by the different twists that occurred throughout the story. I found the magical system really interesting and enjoyed the moral dilemma the court case created. I will be interested to read the second book in the series, and I hope that the relationship between Sadie and Gabriel is more developed.

Is it love or is it obsession? A dark and twisted paranormal romance that will have you on the edge of your seat and turning pages as quickly as you can so you can see what happens next. Intriguing characters that have been well thought out that leave you wanting more, more, more! This book has a great conclusion, but also makes it clear that more is to come in the future and I for one will be waiting with anticipation for the next book in the series to come out! Well plotted with nice layering of events to keep the reader engaged and involved with everything woven together to make one fully fleshed out story that will not disappoint. There is a bit of something for everyone from murder, romance, courtroom drama, family drama, witchcraft and even a battle! I can't wait for the next book!

I couldn't even finish this book because I found it boring and didn't care enough to continue on.
I only read about 50%.

<b> <I> Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “The Twisted Mark” by Sophie Williamson in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.</I> </b>

<b> Overall rating: </b> 3,5 out of 5 stars (rounded to 4 stars)

<b> My review: </b> Sadie, a strongly powered witch and lawyer, lives in London and avoids all use of her magic. She fears it will lead Gabriel, from an enemy family, to her, She discovers that her brother is on trial for the murder of Gabriel's father and Sadie is thrust back into the world of magic. Overall, the plot of this story is very interesting and the banter between the main characters is great! I really enjoyed the chemistry and arc of the story.

<b> Notable Themes, Elements, and Tropes: </b>
- Forbidden Romance
- Enemies to Lovers
- Murder Mystery
- Rival Families
- Witches & Magic

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy.

I enjoyed this book and the characters. I did struggle a little to keep up with the story and what was happening.

Overall an enjoyable read.

The Twisted Mark definitely isn't a book for everyone. It's a dark romance with characters whose morality is all some shade of grey, including our main character, Sadie. It is, in some cases, very tropey (in both good and bad ways). But personally, I found this to be an engaging, plot-driven read with a believable MC and an interesting love story.

I think what stood out to me most was Williamson's foreshadowing of the plot twist. Right from the start we're questioning whether the characters Sadie introduces us to are actually the 'good guys', especially when her family seem to be lording it over a small Yorkshire town like feudal medieval nobility, or when her father can't keep a lid on his physically violent temper and punishes his subordinates for events out of their control. We even question Sadie's morality when she ends up sleeping with someone who is under the impression she is someone else (and would not have slept with her if he knew her real identity), and I liked that the narrative doesn't let Sadie off for this bad decision. Similarly, we come to see that actually, the Sadlers are arguably the real bad guys - though their rival family are not necessarily the good guys, either. That is the main theme of The Twisted Mark, and I think where it is strongest - showing that all the characters are both good and evil, susceptible to making mistakes, and have their own motivations and reasons for doing what they do, no matter how skewed they may be. Sadie's character is particularly interesting, as she reads really well as someone who has essentially been brainwashed by her family all her life, and I liked that she was realistically pressured into doing things by them, and she didn't just give them up the minute a hot guy came along. She even nearly kills her love interest and then has to grapple with her feelings about that, and I loved that she was such a morally grey protagonist.

One of the other strong points of this novel was the pacing, with the murder mystery and other questions being asked and revealed at a fast, snappy pace that always made me want to keep reading. In fact, I think I finished this in about three days because I was so hooked! This is a plot-driven book as much as it is a romance, and I think it's much stronger for that. I have to say I also really loved that Sadie doesn't get with Gabriel at the end of the novel, instead telling him (quite rightly) that he needs to work on himself before she can be with him. I found that super refreshing, and it really made Sadie feel real to me - that she can recognise her love interest's flaws and ask him to change, rather than just falling into his arms as a formulaic plot would demand.

The Twisted Mark is not without flaws, however. It was annoying to me that Gabriel claimed to be on the side of the innocent people of the town against the Sadlers, yet at various points he treated non-magical people with little regard, much like they do. There are also some boring, tired tropes reproduced wholesale (if I could never again read about a character who is cartoonishly obsessed with drinking coffee that would be great, thanks), and at times Sadie's narration feels like it's trying too hard to signal to us that she's #relatable, making her come off a little bland, especially in the beginning. Also there's a strange aside (I believe when she's sleeping with Connor) throwing shade on doing it doggy-style, which, come the fuck on. Judging people for what sex position they like is not, in fact, feminist.

Overall, though, The Twisted Mark is intriguing, fast-paced, full of interesting characters, and allows itself to break out of the well-trodden romance novel formula on several occasions. Williamson manages to use many classic dark magic romance tropes in fun ways while also not being afraid to let her characters be believably dark, and she manages to craft a gripping read with a fabulous sequel hook that has me really intrigued to read her next novel in the series.