𝗛𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.

This was my most anticipated new release of the year (yes, more so than Iron Flame!) and I'm so happy for Harper L Woods that the duo got picked up for publication by Bramble!

After checking my email obsessively for a month, I was so thrilled to find the eARC for The Cursed from the author and made to inhale it as quickly as I could. Perhaps I had overly hyped myself for it though, because this didn't hit for me like The Coven had. This sequel was smut forward with the plot happening in the background that the reader is not privy to so the story felt choppy to me.

That being said, the vibes remained: chosen one, dark and paranormal romance, hate sex, prophecy, and bloodletting. It's a quick read to get you in the mood this spooky season.

The ending gives a preview into a new world and sets up an interesting premise for a spinoff, so I am looking forward to that!

The Cursed is the definition of what I call a binegable, “vibe” read. If I had to quickly describe this book (and duology) it would be: fast-paced, spicy, and swoon worthy.

What to expect:
🦴 Dark fantasy romance
🦴 1st person, dual POV
🦴 Witch x devil
🦴 Villain gets the girl
🦴 Touch her & 💀
🦴 Fierce FMC
🦴 Possessive, villain MMC
🦴 Fast-paced

Overall, this installment to the duology is highly entertaining. The twists and turns kept me on my toes, and the spice scenes had me on the edge of my seat.

Harper L. Woods writing style is easy to digest, and I enjoy her storytelling skills. I absolutely DEVOUR the way she writes dialogue and spice scenes.

Gray has to be one of my favorite MMCs, who I fondly refer to as my “book boyfriend.” He is possessive, deadly, and obsessive all rolled into a devil of a MMC.

The biggest critical feedback I have on this book is that I wanted more clarity, especially around the world/magic system. I would’ve also appreciated a longer ending since this is only a duology.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the spin off in this universe (Margot & Beelzebub’s story) and plan to continue reading any installments to this series.

Absolutely loved this series and this was a perfect second book to me. How do you cope with finding out your married to the literal Devil?!

I love that there really isn't a "good side vs bad side" with the witches and the vessels which is always fun to see. Definitely excited after that ending to see what comes next!!

This was a solid 4/5 ⭐️ for me! The spice had me in a chokehold but I just felt like there was a teeny tiny bit of plot missing which is why I rated it 4 instead of 5! I binged it in a day and it definitely was able to hold my attention. Love Gray + Willow so much and their story will forever be one of my favs!

After absolutely loving The Coven I was so excited for this but it didn’t quite live up to expectations. It was pretty slow and the relationships had some weird developments and pacing. I do enjoy the characters and the overall story so I still am glad I read it and would still recommend the duology.

First, the cover is absolutely stunning! This is one of those books that I would use as decoration it’s that’s gorgeous.
Second, I loved that this book picked up immediately after The Coven, but it was very slow pacing. It took awhile to pick up.

This is the completion of the duology, the sequel to The Coven. I started it right after I finished The Coven. This book was not as interesting as the first for me. The development of relationships was very poor on all levels. The friendships especially seemed unearned for people who claim not to trust anyone. And don't get me started on Ash hugging Gray because they had a talk while Willow was getting dressed after the last time he saw them in The Coven Gray was stabbing her and the time before that he was threatening his life after chasing them. Like no, that's not necessary. The friendship that forms with Leviathan is equally unbelievable. While I think this series was planned out well, the execution as a whole was underdeveloped.
The personification of the demons also made them just seem normal dudes aside from being very strong and big. I did not like this installment as much as the first book, which had that explosive ending that was so interesting to read.
This book had second book in a trilogy energy, not final installment of a duology.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cursed picks up following the jaw dropping ending of The Coven. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the story was much slower to start than I was anticipating/hoping for. It took until about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through for me to be really invested in seeing where the story went. I still enjoyed the dark academic setting as well as the magic. I enjoyed seeing how the bonding between Grey and Willow affected her magic. However, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. There were many head scratching choices that made it hard to root for them. To be honest, the thing I’m most excited for is the potential spin off that was set up. It’s worth noting too, I enjoyed the overall vibe of the story and still found it enjoyable. Once I was invested, I was fully invested regardless of my feelings on character decisions. Depending on your personal views of spice, this is a very spice heavy book. At times, it felt like the plot was secondary to the spice scenes, so if you personally prefer a less spicy, plot focused book this may not be right for you. If you live for spice and are okay with the triggers, then definitely give this a chance.

This book started very strong. I read it immediately after finishing The Coven. I enjoyed that it picked up where the last book left off. I thought we would see the character's love for each other grow into something, but it could have been better. The evolution wasn't there. I grew to like Gray's character more, but Willow seemed all over the place. She hated him but was also ambivalent. I don't know what she felt in the end. Some of the romance scenes seemed out of place. I am not a fan of spice added to the book just for spice's sake. There could have been some excellent world-building and explanation development of the history of the Coven, but it was too focused on the dark romance. It rushed right through to the end, and it felt unfinished.

I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley and Tor Publishing for my honest review.

After reading the ending of The Coven (the first book) I was really hoping for a storyline that would feature some groveling from Gray as well as some explanations as to what his over all plan is for his people (as well as the witches). And while I might not have gotten the groveling I was hoping for, there was still plenty to enjoy about The Cursed!

What I loved:
🖤 How obsessed/possessive Gray is over Willow. That guy would end worlds for her and it’s romantic af, lol.
✨ The way Gray slowly but surely wheedles his way into Willow’s heart—I wouldn’t say he earns her full blown forgiveness, but his words/actions slowly prove to her that he will always choose her over everything.
🌿 Watching Willow learn to embrace all of the facets of her magic—and learning that it’s ok to be selfish sometimes!

Overall, this second half of Gray and Willow’s story not only gave us more conflict, spice and an HEA—but it also set us up for more interconnected books in this world featuring other characters. I’m hoping Margot and Beelzebub are the ones to have their story told next!

I really loved this book. The pacing was fantastic and Gray is one of my favorite MMC ever. Willow and Gray are fantastic the way the play off each other as well as work with each other. The cover is beautiful and the story was amazing.

I really enjoyed this one even more than the first. I thought it was pretty fast-paced after like 10 percent and I liked the conflict, worldbuilding, and the stakes in this book. There's a lot more spice and the plot became very biblical all of a sudden which was weird but I enjoyed it. There's more magic, necromancy, and Lucifer, Micheal, hell, and fallen angel lore. The ending was a bit abrupt and the romance seemed rushed at the end but overall I enjoyed the forced proximity, witches/demons paranormal romance. If you like possessive mmc that would do anything for the fmc then you need to pick this up. Thanks, Bramble for an arc of the new hardcovers.

If you liked book one you'll like this one too. Lots of twists, turns and romance. I'll be getting a copy for my shelf as well because it's so pretty!

The second installment of The Coven of Bones duology, The Cursed, picks up right after the events of the first book and the big revelation of Gray’s true identity. Willow spends most of the book resisting and hating Gray, but their intimate scenes are pretty much the focus of the story even with her resistance. Maybe this was too dark of a romance for me, but Willow’s verbal and physical opposition to Gray, and him completely ignoring it, was off-putting and honestly questionable. He is not morally gray, he is literally black, so please heed the content warnings! The conclusion of their romance in this book and Willow’s choices at the end seemed shallow without any substantial relationship growth.
I was hoping there would be more layers added to the history and practices of The Coven, Willow and her plant magic, and maybe some cool Hell world-building with the introduction of the archdemons. But there wasn’t. Willow gets lost in this book, there is no atmosphere without the academia of the first book, and the witches verses demons plot was underdeveloped. The whole thing felt rushed, aimless, and left too much unresolved. Readers looking for true enemies-to-lovers passion maybe satisfied with this sequel, but I was left wanting more from the story.

I stopped after chapter 3 (7%) but it feels in line with Woods’ first book, so fans should be pleased. Solid 3-4 stars for the target with 5 for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC.

This is the 2nd book for the Willow and Grey romance duet for the series. I enjoyed these two. Yes, Willow could be annoying and naive with both the other witches in the coven and with Grey, but it didn’t make me not enjoy the series and their story. I’m glad Iban finally got what was coming for him, ugh. The Spicy scenes were also good, but could have been longer. I can’t wait for the next duet in the series and to see more of Hell!

𝙀𝙣𝙙? 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄, 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜.

This was one of my most anticipated releases after I absolutely devoured The Coven back in March. This duet hit the mark of being a TRUE enemies-to-lovers story and not just hate-to-love and I ate it up.

Gray is such an alluring character. He’s dark and wicked, but at the same time so genuine is his feelings towards Willow and his plans where they’re concerned. Willow is badass and a force to be reckoned with. The tension and angst between these two as they worked towards either ruination or reconciliation was really entertaining.

While I loved a lot of things about this, I found the ending to be a bit rushed. I’m happy with the conclusion of Gray and Willow’s story, but the big conflict happened and ended too quickly to feel like we got enough details on what all happened.

Additionally, this has only ever been promoted by the author as a duet. The final ~2 chapters + the epilogue make it clear that while Gray and Willow’s duet has come to an end, some side characters will be getting their own stories. I really enjoy this world so I’m excited to see where this goes, but tbh I found parts of the ending & the epilogue confusing given that until the very end there was nothing really to indicate that there would be more to this world/series

Highlights:
- Romance: MF
- Paranormal romance
- Witches, demons, magic
- Enemies-to-lovers (ACTUAL enemies)
- Forced proximity
- Betrayal & revenge
- Morally grey heroine & (basically) morally black hero
- Dubcon

Idk ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5?
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Check TWs/CWs before reading.

I received an advance copy. Decision to read/review was my own. Opinion is my own.

I really loved this book! I absolutely love Willow and Gray. I love everything about them. There was a lot of twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat. I wish there was a little more plot. I also think it should have been a little longer like it was missing something but I am really excited about where the books will go next!

The second book after The Coven was absolutely amazing! This story concentrates more specifically on the relationship between Gray (aka Lucifer The Morningstar) and Willow and the delicate balance it has now that The Covenant is no longer. Willow is conflicted between her loyalty to the witches and to her husband. I loved the story, the angels who get involved, the prophesy, the source, and her friends...or so she thinks. I felt there was more spice in this book than the last. There were conflicting emotions because Willow wasn't sure of where her loyalties lie. I highly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next installment!

These covers are just so darn stunning. Unfortunately, for me, the story isn’t my fav or even near fav. I liked The Coven decent enough although I had some issues with the plot. But I was hopeful the series would kick it up in book 2 and I’d be sucked in. But, I was left wanting more with this book 2. I was honestly confused when the book didn’t end after one of the biggest plot twists and then was again surprised it ended when it did because it just felt lackluster. I like the world and the different magical beings and I would honestly love more of that and less of the other stuff to really build up this series. And listen, I love smut and steam, I really do. This book nearly crossed a line for me in the first 20% and then again a bit later. It left me a little uncomfortable and tbh had this not been an audiobook I think I wouldn’t have continued on. The way he handles a couple of the sexual encounters was very iffy for me, even though I knew it was a dark romance. Some things I did enjoy was the dual POV and the inclusion of more characters in the story as well as the ole enemies to lovers spin. I’m undecided on if I’ll continue the series.