I was lucky enough to get to read this book. This book is great! It’s about a witch name sadie, she left her home town in order to protect her powers and soon has to come back to save her brother as well as facing the very man who wanted her powers. The chemistry between Sadie and Gabriel is great! I was rooting for Gabriel the more I got to know him in the story and I couldn’t put the book down during anytime they are together. There is a bit of world building in this story just not a lot however the overall story had me hooked.

A slightly mafia style Romeo and Juliet story spiced with magic and some courtroom drama. The idea was very interesting. A town under a protective dome, held up by one family who run everything alongside an enemy family. I really would have loved to learn more about the beginning of the feud between the Sadlers and the Thornbers.

No one is good or bad here, everybody is morally grey, even Sadie who likes to think of herself as a special person with better morals than the rest. She doesn't have better morals, she simply decided to either explain their problematic actions (my dad is a good man in spite of doing bad things all the time) or just pretend she doesn't know about the (not even) questionable (down right wrong) things they do.

Her relationship with Gabriel is... If we want to call it sex positive that he sleeps even with people he knows would hurt her to find out about then sure, it's sex positive. For me that was a big no. I agree if there are no rules between a couple to be exclusive then it's fine to sleep with others but not like how it happened here.
All the push and shove made sense to a point because of the old rivalry between the families. However, the ending really thrust this under 4 ⭐ for me. (view spoiler)

I'd have loved to know more why Gabriel was considered a monster other than just because the Sadrels hated him because he showed no sign of being a horrible enough person to earn the label.

The magical system was interesting and I liked the conflict, the moral question it brought up.

The ending with the new case Sadie got promises an interesting new trial for book 2. In spite of some of everything, I'd call this a stellar debut novel.

An interesting read with some good characters that will appeal to some readers, especially those who like Romantasy titles. For me, an easy and quick read.

This book was a quick read that kept my attention. But, I would objectively not call it a great book. It reminded me of a new adult version of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia mixed with a mafia romance novel. The premise was interesting but the execution left something to be desired. If the characters had been given moments to grow together more outside of their immediate lust I think it would have felt less toxic. Gabe's infatuation with Sadie went too far considering the only explanation offered for it was his dead mother told him it would be a good idea. The plot was very interesting though. I was intrigued by Sadie's family's relationship and the way magic worked. I did not care for the throwaway relationships (like with the bodyguard) that seemed to only be there to show that Sadie was sexy and not like other girls. A part of me enjoyed this book when I wasn't thinking about it but as soon as I took a second to think and actually read the words it made me cringe a bit. 2.5 Stars

I loved the premise of this book, with Magic, a type of romance and a nicely twisty plot. I liked the characters that came along, the world building is good and the idea of a town protected by magic felt almost believable. But I found it hard to get into at the start, Normally this genre of book draws me in immediately but I found it a bit of a struggle. That said, it kept my interest sufficiently to carry on. Sadie is a very conflicted woman, not wanting to trust Gabriel, believing everything she does is for her family but also confused at her feelings for Gabriel. Some unexpected and surprising twists. Not the type of romance read I was expecting but this is worth a read for the magical aspect alone. I look forward to seeing where Sadie’s life goes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Couldn't really get into this one. I liked the concept but the writing itself wasn't really for me. It just didn't really suck me in like I had wanted it to and felt as if I had to force myself to continue.

This was exactly what I expected it to be. I didn’t love it, but it was a quick easy read. I really didn’t and still don’t under Gabriel and Sadie’s relationship. It seems like she hates him too much and there isn’t really anything that seems to happen in between to convince me they’d get together. I’m not sure if I’d read a follow up, but I probably would if I was looking for a quick read between other books.

An enemies to lovers slow burn that was super entertaining!

I loved this book- it was fast and thrilling. I liked the slow build up of the romance, and the fantasy elements were equally done well. There wasn't any info dumping as I expected it, but I think this was such an intriguing read enhanced by the author's writing style!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc! I would recommend this book to fans of romantasy!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Williamson, and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

Unfortunately, this was not a book for me. The description seemed amazing, the cover was beautifully done- I was ready for a world of witches with a classic enemies to lovers, but too many things got in the way of the plot for me.

The basis of this book is amazing where magic practitioners live in an urban time and Sadie has to battle to save her brother all while avoiding the Gabe-until she can't.

I could not truly delve into The Twisted Mark as descriptions were often over-detailed and focused on trivial details rather than the larger picture. I felt I was lacking details about the plot throughout the story which I felt lead to a disconnect between the reader and first person POV.

Sadie was a little too much for me- full of herself and deemed very special. One part that particularly bothered me was when Sadie took a man to bed and thought "Before he has the chance to collect his senses or take control of the situation, I straddle him, lean over, and kiss him with renewed passion." 🤮🤮🤮 Unfortunately, this happened quite early in the book and I fear it may have created some bias for me.

The relationship between Sadie and Gabe fell flat and I couldn't get into the romance aspect of this book. I couldn't get past each of them sleeping with whoever before reconciling. I felt it cheapened the enemies to lovers aspect of the book.

With this book being Sophie Williamson's debut book, I look forward to reading her upcoming work.

Thank you, NetGalley, Sophie Williamson, and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book very addictive and compelling. It grabbed me from the first page and I just couldn't pit it down. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book wasn’t for me but that may be partly on me. I went into this thinking it was much more fantasy leaning then it actually was. This book is very much a murder mystery with some fantasy mixed in.
While I think this could be a fun and enjoyable read for some I struggled with a few different aspects of this book. First and foremost is that I didn’t find any of the characters like-able, honestly most of the time I was either annoyed by them or even a bit disgusted occasionally. I also struggled trying to figure out some of their action or motives because they often seemed to make no sense to me.
The twists were pretty predictable but were entertaining. I feel like we needed more time with the characters and relationship and world building for the twists to have more impact though.
Like I said, overall not for me but if you go into this with the right expectations unlike me it might go a lot better!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for this arc in return for my honest review!

The storyline and setting of The Twisted Mark is very intriguing and draws you in, but the execution wasn't the greatest. I felt like the story was choppy and poorly done. I had high hopes for the main characters and the overall plot, but everything fell short and didn't quite meet expectations.

This was my 1st mostly "witch magic" based fantasy book and I LOVED it! It was easy to follow! The characters were extremely likeable! Nothing is what it seems, tons of twists. It was a wild ride, there were multiple times I noticed my jaw drop!

Fantasy/Romance with an incredible plot is what I LOVE & this book delivered 100%!

When I tell you this book had a CHOKEHOLD on me, I'm not lying! 😍🥵

I can't WAIT to read the next one! This story will be stuck in my head for years to come!

Thank you Sophie Williamson, I couldn't put your book down!

Thank you Storm Publishing & Net Gallery for the opportunity to read this AMAZING ARC! 🖤

Rival families, enemies to lovers, witches, spicy scenes, morally grey characters; this book ticks so many boxes!
I requested this book from Netgalley as the synopsis sounded interesting. I binge read it in an entire day.
The world building and magic system I thought was well written and this book had some Romeo and Juliet vibes which for me was a bonus. I hope to see character development in the next book for all the characters as I felt like I didn't entirely connect with them and found I wanted more of a back story. So whilst I read about them, I don't totally understand their actions or establish that reader connection.
Overall, a good debut novel and I am eager to read the next book, especially as there appears to be vampires!

This magical mafia Romeo and Juliet type story was a mixed bag for me, on the whole I had a decent time but there were definitely things that dampened my enjoyment, namely the writing of the main character and elements of the romance.

This story follows Sadie Sadler, for years she has kept herself away from her magical family and kept herself from doing magic for fear her worst enemy, Gabriel Thornber will call in a debt on her body and her magic if he finds her. But she is dragged back home again when her brother gets himself arrested for murder and she's the only one who may be able to save him.

Now the plot on the whole was enjoyable, although I was able to predict every single twist well in advance of it being revealed (although that may just be me getting lucky) I still enjoyed the ride. The characters were (bar Sadie) pretty intriguing and likeable.(or hateable when appropriate).

Now onto Sadie herself, I didn't love how she was portrayed, mostly during the courtroom scenes, she just felt... weak to me and she really didn't seem to do any outstanding lawyering except at one point when she gets a certain person to testify although that's more down to her magic prowess than her actual lawyer skills. There is even a point where Sadie's inner monologue tells us that a witnesses court statement adds an extra detail than her statement to the police... But does she actually call out the witness on this? No. Instead she just asks really basic questions (which is basically all she does throughout the whole trial). Then again when it comes to her questioning an important witness, where I was looking forward to a good bit of verbal back and forth to finally see Sadie come into her element...Nothing...No literally nothing because she can't even bring herself to form a sentence..

The other element I struggled with was the romance. Now for the most part the sexual tension of Gabriel and Sadie was great and the spicy scenes were plentiful and enjoyable, the issue for me was the "love" angle. Because in reality these two... barely know each other but we keep getting given the impression that they have this super deep bond? Now it's hard to criticise this because it DOES get brought up by Sadie a few times that they barely know each other etc. but it still bugged me.

Overall I had a decent enough time and would read the sequel to see where it goes but it wouldn't be something I would rush out to get.

The premise of The Twisted Mark is phenomenal. Magic practitioners vie for control, and a young woman named Sadie gets caught in the middle when her brother angers Gabriel, the son of her family's rival. As punishment, a lien is placed on Sadie, one Gabriel can collect at any time. She runs away to London to escape him, but is called back due to a family emergency.

I think if this wasn't marketed as a fantasy romance, I would have been able to see the story through. But I went in having picked a romance, and with that come certain expectations...like the heroine not jumping on every stiff Johnson she finds. The "morally grey" hero has a similar problem keeping it in his pants.

It's not that this is a Why Choose or Reverse Harem story. These two just jump from partner to partner, kind of negating the purpose of a romance.

If that's not something that bothers you, I encourage you to give this book a chance. The plot is intriguing and opens up a fun new world to explore. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sophie Williamson, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 Stars

I wanted to like this book - I really did. I enjoy spicy, witchy, dark fantasy romances with enemies to lovers vibes (like Kingdom of the Wicked), but the writing just wasn't convincing enough.

Sadie defends her family not the way an adult would, knowingly turning a blind eye, but the way a child does, telling the reader over and over again that her father is a "good" man to justify his actions. It felt more like a teenager realizing her parents were human for the first time rather than an experienced lawyer. Some characters make decisions that could be justified but we don't get enough build up or explanation (I have endless questions about Leah's motivations). For other characters, decisions they made felt inconsistent and out of character.

And at the end of the day, the key to a good enemies to lovers plot for me is justification: I prefer to feel like there was justification to the enemy actions and subsequent shift into romantic territory. Here, Sadie constantly seemed overpowered by her desire for Gabriel in a way that undermined her character arc as a strong, independent witch learning the truth about her family. It was just hard to believe the sex scenes and romance when she's in the middle of her brother's trial.

I would consider reading the sequel because there were definitely parts of this book I enjoyed - inconsistent characterization was an issue for me but I really loved Sadie, Gabriel, and Nikki and would love to see more of them.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

I liked this, but I didn’t love it. It had so much potential but fell flat in a fair few places—I wanted to like the characters more than I did, and I wish the dialogue was smoother. It was still a really interesting concept and in a lot of ways a worthwhile read, I just had higher expectations than what the story actually gave me.

The story was very intriguing and although I liked the main characters, even Gabriel, the most unlikeable hero, it was also very confusing.

I guess the author, who created the story, had all her ideas and the story all ready in her mind, but when it translated to reality, it was often confusing.

That being said, I will still read the second installment, because, as I said, I´m intrigued and I want to see where the story will lead these characters.

Slightly spicy, slightly steamy, adventurous and fun! I wasn’t sure about the more modernized “lingo” but it flowed well pretty quickly ! I’m looking forward to the next installment for sure

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own