To Win a Witch's Heart

Dangerous Tides #2

by Andie J. Christopher

When the fastest racing pirate in the world rescues a witch who doesn't know her own power . . . lightning strikes.

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Pirates, Romantasy, Fiction, Novella, Witches

173 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Maryanne]

I gotta stop kickstarting authors I don’t already know.

[Dannie Lynn Fountain · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of the Dangerous Tides collection. This title started strong with an interesting conflict between two pirates and a witch learning her powers. Unfortunately the plot devolved and the second half of the book fell apart for me.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite 3 stars but 2 stars felt too harsh. I should have known I wouldn’t have liked this one as I’ve already read a book by this author and didn’t like it. I didn’t believe the chemistry between the two main characters and found their pining for each other annoying. Their reasonings for why they “couldn’t be together” were ridiculous and felt like the author was just grasping at straws. I felt like some of the action in the actual racing was missing and therefore the stakes fell flat. Didn’t give a lot of world building or add anything to the overall universe of this series of stories.

[Amy DeWolfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

If it wasn't for this being short and being part of a series, I would have DNF'd it.

Okay, so. This seemed disjointed. Like, it was really quick and (unless I'm reading it wrong), pretty much the entire thing took place over a couple days? It had insta-love/obsession. It honestly was really hard to care about either of the MCs.

There were a lot of sex scenes in the book, but they weren't well written.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

NASCAR but make it pirates! Add in a witch, a little light kidnapping, and daddy kink for the win! This is fun and I enjoy how characters and events from the multiple stories are weaving together.

[Jadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

wow this story was chaotic. Something was always happening but it didn't make sense to me half the time. It didn't feel like it flowed. I also didn't feel like I was ever really in either character's head. The chapters were titled with whose perspective we were in and then it would just switch partway through- there would be a symbol that would signify a shift or pause in the story but why switch perspectives if you are titling the chapters with the characters name? The random tentacled sea monster-odd. All of a sudden Mercy is calling Xavier "Daddy". Xavier couldn't stop thinking about his ex Nadine! So odd! There were a lot of typos in this book too. (missing words to make the sentence make sense, the wrong word, then a random j in the middle of a sentence) I was let down by this story.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an erotic novella set in the same world as the previous book in the series around the same time. It is short and not overly developed. I struggled to really care about either Mercy or Xavier to be honest.

There were also a lot of spelling mistakes and missing words etc. That put me off as well.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a lot more before I thought too hard about it and made all the F1 connections. At a surface level its a fun & frothy romp with a bit of magic. Xavier and Mercy go back and forth between wanting to (and doing) boink each others brains out and then pulling away because they assume that the other doesn't want them, or they're not "good for" the other person. If there was more TALKING and EXPLAINING then they could have gotten together much sooner, but that would but out half the book.

The regent coming in at the end felt very forced and unnecessary, but I haven't liked that character in any of these shared world books so far.

Sadly once I realized more of the F1 connections those characterizations left a bad taste in my mouth. Xavier is basically a MaryStu stand-in for Lewis Hamilton, down to the hair, the piercings, and the tattoos. Being inspired by a real person is one thing, but copying that much detail feels weird. Mercy is clearly Mercedes, Hamilton's former team that he achieved so many titles with. Xavier's rival, the Dutchman, is Max Verstappen, Hamilton's (at one time) real life rival. Yeah, Max can be a hard driver who lives for racing, but I think the cauterization here of having him be a clueless lecher who's entire ship smells of rotting fish was a bit too much. And I'm presuming his ship, the Scarlet Cow, is a dig at Ferrari? Which is kind of hilarious, since in real life Hamilton moved from Mercedes to Ferrari in 2025 and is having a terrible season.

ETA: and the "Daddy" thing at the end came out of nowhere and was just WEIRD!

[Michii Gii · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a story. About a pirate and a witch. The pirate (?) races his ship.

It wasn’t terrible. There were a few things that threw me:
- very modern turns of phrases (like calling people “haters”, for instance?)
- pirate wasn’t very pirate-y. He could have been a fancy racing captain and the story would have been the same.
- witch wasn’t very witchy. She had big powers and wasn’t given much use for them. Switch her out with a woman who learns how to use a knife while on the ship and the story doesn’t change.
- she calls him Daddy. Admittedly, this is a personal pet peeve, but idk, call him “captain,” or “sir,” or something more thematic…
- odd relationship pacing

It was ok. It was a story.

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the plot, I love the world but there was some things I didn’t love.

These are very much personal preference but there was:
- 3rd person
- daddy kink
- 3rd act break up
- not much focus on any side characters (like his first mate)

I will also say that the writing style just wasn’t for me. I didn’t hate the book, I read it because it was part of the kickstarter but I don’t think I’ll read anything else from this author.

[Bookish Selkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Witches are just women with power, which most people back home find threatening. I find it…appealing.”

To Win A Witch’s Heart is a magical F1-inspired racing romance. Excellent steamy scenes as per usual with the Dark Tides series. This was a fast-paced and enjoyable read. I liked the references to other books in the series. Looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the Dangerous Tides series!

[Brittany Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. This took me over four months to finish, as I didn’t find it very compelling, and there was much more “telling” than showing. Very insta-lovey without a good foundation for the alleged love. And, while the author has a good vocabulary, her grammar and syntax in this book weren’t great. Overall, a short little pirate romance book that is nothing special or memorable but a fun read nonetheless.

[Andie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was optimistic after reading the premise, as I love all things witchy and can't say no to a sexy pirate... And here is my primary takeaway: if you are looking for a short and steamy romance with an insta-love dynamic and some elements of daddy kink, then this might be the perfect one for you! However, if you are looking for interesting world-building and magic systems, compelling character development, or tension/angst within your romance, I would recommend skipping this one.

[Blake! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in August and I barely remember what happened. Xavier is a pirate. Mercy is a witch. He is obsessed with winning a boat race, so he CAN'T FALL IN LOVE!!! But he does. That is the main conflict of the story. They have a lot of sexy times, but HE HAS TO FOCUS ON RACING!!!

This book was kind of dumb, but the spice was good.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instalove, instalust. The mmc sprang public sex acts on the fmc without prior communication within about an hour of their first meeting, and even though she was ostensibly okay with it it felt icky and the consent seemed dubious to me. Overall, I felt like the story needed more time to stretch out.

[Egi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was super interesting and I really enjoyed the first half despite the multitude of spelling errors and missing words. The second half was just...weird. The reasoning of the main characters felt like they were solely for the advancement of the plot and the plot just felt rushed and flat at the same time.

[Casually Bookish Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mercy and Xavier grew on me by the end, but it felt rushed. This was also my first experience with Andie Christopher's writing, and I didn't love it, but I had a great time seeing more of the Dangerous Tides world/Atlantis.

2.5/5 🌶️ (how I rate spice written in my bio).

[Hollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Lewis Hamilton fanfic that I needed and that we all deserved. I was cackling at the rival pirate being named the Dutchman. I really enjoyed the chemistry of the main characters and Andie did not disappoint with the steam

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. Very hot. A little repetitive (and I mean full sentences being reused within two pages). I love Mercy and Xavier. As a lover of cozy fantasy, I would totally read a book on Mercy's three years lol

[Booklover · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mercy & Xavier

I finished this in the last week and barely recall sufficient detail to write a review, hence the rating.

There was a witch and some pirates. I was glad for a change in scenery, but really, nothing much of substance in this one.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the tie ins to the first book in the series

[Farisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm done

This book went from okay to bad to a cringe fest reeeal fast. Andie J Christopher is just not an author for me.

[Lily May · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[misty · Rating 1 out of 5]

at first i wanted to like this, but as i kept reading i was just bored and skimming through so i could finish it. definitely my least favourite of the series so far.

[Julie Bergley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun romp. I feel like it could have had a bit more worldbuilding but overall enjoyable. I can't wait to see where this series will take us next!

[Riya Bhatia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to stop reading books just because they are on KU

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

did a man write this

[Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

No chemistry, poor writing and a boring plot

[Gab · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know it's a short book but jeez!

[Lisa Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the story, but man, this book had a lot of errors, like missing words or letters. Could have used another edit before they printed