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Gently Spellbound: A Cozy Paranormal Romance
A low-stakes, spicy paranormal romance set in a cozy mountain town.
Her magic is written in the stars. His surrender allows her to shine.
Molly is a Celestial Witch in the charming mountain town of Willow’s Ridge, but command of her magic remains out of reach. Joining the Coven of Elphyria would awaken her power, but their Goddess asks for more than faith. Her greatest blessings are born through rituals of feminine authority shared with consenting male partners.
The only problem? Molly is already falling for Ben, a sweet, earnest barista, and claiming her magic would ask them both to redefine what devotion looks like.
But as the Coven's numbers dwindle, so does their connection to the Goddess they serve. Molly's untapped magic could restore their strength, but only if she's willing to claim her place among them.
As she grows closer to the women of the Coven, bonds with a haughty feline familiar, and deepens the trust and intimacy she shares with Ben, Molly must decide whether embracing the life calling to her is worth risking the man she's learning to love.
Her magic is written in the stars. His surrender allows her to shine.
Molly is a Celestial Witch in the charming mountain town of Willow’s Ridge, but command of her magic remains out of reach. Joining the Coven of Elphyria would awaken her power, but their Goddess asks for more than faith. Her greatest blessings are born through rituals of feminine authority shared with consenting male partners.
The only problem? Molly is already falling for Ben, a sweet, earnest barista, and claiming her magic would ask them both to redefine what devotion looks like.
But as the Coven's numbers dwindle, so does their connection to the Goddess they serve. Molly's untapped magic could restore their strength, but only if she's willing to claim her place among them.
As she grows closer to the women of the Coven, bonds with a haughty feline familiar, and deepens the trust and intimacy she shares with Ben, Molly must decide whether embracing the life calling to her is worth risking the man she's learning to love.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 18, 2026
Note to myself: don't get lured into another "cozy" or "small town" romance just because someone hanged a "femdom" bait in front of it.
I'm skeptical when I see the "cozy" label, because they rarely work for me, but the cover looked nice, the reviews were really good and the author's posts on threads piqued my interest. I thought maybe the execution will convince me, after all, I did enjoy for example Don't Bite the Botanist. But alas, I think they weren't the same sub-genre. That one was a rom-com, while this one is a cozy. The difference is, this book is not funny at all, and without the sauce of humor the meal becomes very dry when there's isn't a meaty plot either.
The plot itself is very sedate, which is probably intentional in cozy, but I was bored out of my mind. The dialogues read very stiff, it was either random chit-chat or thinly veiled vehicle to convey information for the reader's convenience. The first felt pointless and the second didn't feel natural.
I need some source of tension in the story to keep my interest up, and I felt there wasn't much of that either in the witchy plot, or the settling in the small town plot, or in the romance. Some people like their cozy to be "chill and good vibes only", but that puts me to sleep, so unfortunately it was a struggle to keep reading.
Anyway, if you like your cozies with:
- whimsy and small town charm
- grumpy black cat pet
- sexy feel good romance
- green flag love interest
- lots of slice of life
...you might enjoy this book, and don't let my grumbling deter you.
To me, sadly, it was a miss.
ARC received from Booksirens.
I'm skeptical when I see the "cozy" label, because they rarely work for me, but the cover looked nice, the reviews were really good and the author's posts on threads piqued my interest. I thought maybe the execution will convince me, after all, I did enjoy for example Don't Bite the Botanist. But alas, I think they weren't the same sub-genre. That one was a rom-com, while this one is a cozy. The difference is, this book is not funny at all, and without the sauce of humor the meal becomes very dry when there's isn't a meaty plot either.
The plot itself is very sedate, which is probably intentional in cozy, but I was bored out of my mind. The dialogues read very stiff, it was either random chit-chat or thinly veiled vehicle to convey information for the reader's convenience. The first felt pointless and the second didn't feel natural.
I need some source of tension in the story to keep my interest up, and I felt there wasn't much of that either in the witchy plot, or the settling in the small town plot, or in the romance. Some people like their cozy to be "chill and good vibes only", but that puts me to sleep, so unfortunately it was a struggle to keep reading.
Anyway, if you like your cozies with:
- whimsy and small town charm
- grumpy black cat pet
- sexy feel good romance
- green flag love interest
- lots of slice of life
...you might enjoy this book, and don't let my grumbling deter you.
To me, sadly, it was a miss.
ARC received from Booksirens.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“ɪᴛ’ꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʟɪꜰᴇ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛꜱ ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴇᴇᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ꜰɪɴᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ’ꜱ ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ.”
— 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖉𝖔𝖗𝖆.
💚 She's new in town and doesn't know anything about magic
💚 He's a golden retriever barista
💚 Third person single POV
💚 Questionable magic awakening ritual
💚 Found family ... But in a witch coven
💚 A haughty cat familiar
💚 Gentle femdom
Who said kinky and cozy didn't belong in the same place?
When it comes to cozy fantasy, it's either hit or miss for me. Sadly, I have to say it often misses and ends up becoming a snore fest as I try to finish it 😬
I've been holding myself back for quite a while, wondering whether or not I should read Gently Spellbound because:
A) 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝑶𝑽
B) 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒛𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆
But when the author slapped "gentle femdom" on the trope map, I felt like I was magically compelled to grab the ARC from BookSirens!! 🤯 I'm weak like that.
Turns out, Molly and Ben's journey was fun to follow. You don't get characters who feel tropey here. Morally grey this, feral shadow daddy that. One thing I noticed from the first few chapters is how human these characters feel. Molly and Ben were just two good people who met, fell in love, and then discovered that Molly was a witch. That's it.
Molly wasn't even my usual FMC. She's ... Soft. At first, she was written as someone insecure who simply followed wherever life threw her, without much solid ground beneath her feet, but she quickly grew on me. Sure, there were some moments when I felt like she could have communicated better, but it never turned into miscommunication, so that's a plus. And Ben ... Oh, Ben 😩 He was so green flag that even an avocado would be ashamed 🥑 You've heard about a femdom awakening, but what about a sub awakening? 😋
“𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜.”
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨. “𝙄’𝙢 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
They didn't have flashy lives. Molly was struggling with her job, while Ben was stuck in a career that felt more like an obligation to his parents. They're both adults, facing adult problems, and they handled them like adults.
You want mature characters? You'll find them here.
You want a genuine slow burn that doesn't take forever to deliver? You'll find that here too.
On one hand, the writing is simple. It's easy to get into, but nothing particularly stands out. On the other hand, that's also what makes it so easy to get into. You don't have to think too hard. Carver's writing will just suck you in. And when it comes to the smut, it was good. It wasn't particularly kinky by my dirty ass standards, considering how much erotica I read, but there was some variation and even some creative nature restraint hehehe 😏🤌
The side characters were absolutely wonderful. I loved each and every one of them and how they managed to shine without overshadowing Molly in her own book. Though I have to admit ... Vivian caught my attention.
“𝙑𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩…” 𝙇𝙮𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙛, 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙖𝙬 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙.
“𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙮?” 𝙈𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙨.
She was very Wednesday Addams coded, and I have a feeling her relationship with Oliver is going to contain some delicious angst. Imagine my grin when I went to the author's Instagram and saw that her book is already in the works?? 🥰 What can I say? I love evil women who use men for their own benefit. Amen.
Speaking of it, the villain of this story was kind of weak. I feel like the ending was a little anticlimactic because they were set up as this big, creepy stalker, only to end up like a puppy trying to bite your toes. But who knows? Maybe they're being set up to have a bigger role in the next books🤔 So please keep in mind that this book has very low conflict because it focuses heavily on the romance and friendship ;))
𝘽𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. “𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝.”
𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙝. “𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙝, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝.”
You won't get a heartpounding thriller or a puzzling mystery here, but heyya, you'll get men who whimper a lot. There's even 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 of them. Holy strawberry. I'm not complaining tho 💀
Although... Oliver, my baby☝️😭 Keep your slutty little glasses and I'll pick you up if Vivian didn't want you 🙂
As I closed the book, I realized I didn't really have any complaints about it. It wrapped everything up nicely, with a cute little bow on top, and left me with a smile on my face. So maybe cozy fantasy is worth trying after all. Especially if there's cats.
Spoiler: Molly's cat wasn't a fan of her.
Thank you Eloise Carver for writing this femdom series. I'll be waiting (not so) patiently for Vivian and Oliver's book 😉
— 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖉𝖔𝖗𝖆.
💚 She's new in town and doesn't know anything about magic
💚 He's a golden retriever barista
💚 Third person single POV
💚 Questionable magic awakening ritual
💚 Found family ... But in a witch coven
💚 A haughty cat familiar
💚 Gentle femdom
Who said kinky and cozy didn't belong in the same place?
When it comes to cozy fantasy, it's either hit or miss for me. Sadly, I have to say it often misses and ends up becoming a snore fest as I try to finish it 😬
I've been holding myself back for quite a while, wondering whether or not I should read Gently Spellbound because:
A) 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝑶𝑽
B) 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒛𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆
But when the author slapped "gentle femdom" on the trope map, I felt like I was magically compelled to grab the ARC from BookSirens!! 🤯 I'm weak like that.
Turns out, Molly and Ben's journey was fun to follow. You don't get characters who feel tropey here. Morally grey this, feral shadow daddy that. One thing I noticed from the first few chapters is how human these characters feel. Molly and Ben were just two good people who met, fell in love, and then discovered that Molly was a witch. That's it.
Molly wasn't even my usual FMC. She's ... Soft. At first, she was written as someone insecure who simply followed wherever life threw her, without much solid ground beneath her feet, but she quickly grew on me. Sure, there were some moments when I felt like she could have communicated better, but it never turned into miscommunication, so that's a plus. And Ben ... Oh, Ben 😩 He was so green flag that even an avocado would be ashamed 🥑 You've heard about a femdom awakening, but what about a sub awakening? 😋
“𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜.”
“𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙮𝙨. “𝙄’𝙢 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
They didn't have flashy lives. Molly was struggling with her job, while Ben was stuck in a career that felt more like an obligation to his parents. They're both adults, facing adult problems, and they handled them like adults.
You want mature characters? You'll find them here.
You want a genuine slow burn that doesn't take forever to deliver? You'll find that here too.
On one hand, the writing is simple. It's easy to get into, but nothing particularly stands out. On the other hand, that's also what makes it so easy to get into. You don't have to think too hard. Carver's writing will just suck you in. And when it comes to the smut, it was good. It wasn't particularly kinky by my dirty ass standards, considering how much erotica I read, but there was some variation and even some creative nature restraint hehehe 😏🤌
The side characters were absolutely wonderful. I loved each and every one of them and how they managed to shine without overshadowing Molly in her own book. Though I have to admit ... Vivian caught my attention.
“𝙑𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩…” 𝙇𝙮𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙛, 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙖𝙬 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙.
“𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙮?” 𝙈𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙨.
She was very Wednesday Addams coded, and I have a feeling her relationship with Oliver is going to contain some delicious angst. Imagine my grin when I went to the author's Instagram and saw that her book is already in the works?? 🥰 What can I say? I love evil women who use men for their own benefit. Amen.
Speaking of it, the villain of this story was kind of weak. I feel like the ending was a little anticlimactic because they were set up as this big, creepy stalker, only to end up like a puppy trying to bite your toes. But who knows? Maybe they're being set up to have a bigger role in the next books🤔 So please keep in mind that this book has very low conflict because it focuses heavily on the romance and friendship ;))
𝘽𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. “𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝.”
𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙝. “𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙝, 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝.”
You won't get a heartpounding thriller or a puzzling mystery here, but heyya, you'll get men who whimper a lot. There's even 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 of them. Holy strawberry. I'm not complaining tho 💀
Although... Oliver, my baby☝️😭 Keep your slutty little glasses and I'll pick you up if Vivian didn't want you 🙂
As I closed the book, I realized I didn't really have any complaints about it. It wrapped everything up nicely, with a cute little bow on top, and left me with a smile on my face. So maybe cozy fantasy is worth trying after all. Especially if there's cats.
Spoiler: Molly's cat wasn't a fan of her.
Thank you Eloise Carver for writing this femdom series. I'll be waiting (not so) patiently for Vivian and Oliver's book 😉
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really kept wanting more from this book but it was lacking in several areas. In normal stories there is always a buildup of conflict that needs resolving however in this story it was severely lacking to the point I became really bored with the story. I feel as though the author had so much potential with the premise but it fell flat when deciding how the story would progress. Don't get me wrong there are some elements to the story I enjoyed one of them being a small town coziness where everyone knows each other. Overall not a terrible story but kept me wanting more than what it was willing to give. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 10, 2026
Gently Spellbound was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the chemistry between Molly and Ben, and watching their relationship develop through trust and emotional stability was genuinely delightful. However, the storytelling sometimes felt like I was jumping through a timeline rather than experiencing a smoothly unfolding story.
Molly moves to a small town for a well-paid job, only to discover one morning that the business has closed. A coffee shop visit later, she meets Ben, the owner of a bookshop/coffee shop, and lands a job at the local bakery as a salesperson and pastry chef. Things get even more interesting when she begins to suspect she might have magical powers. Enter the local coven, witchy awakenings, and a rather unconventional initiation ritual 👀 (which I loved!)
The chemistry between Molly and Ben was good, although Ben occasionally felt a little immature to me. On the other hand, I really appreciated how Molly’s past traumas were woven into the story through her inner monologues. Their relationship had some genuinely lovely moments, particularly in the way trust developed between them and how emotionally steady Ben could be when it mattered.
My biggest issue was how vaguely some aspects of the story were delivered. At one point, we’re told that Molly and Ben decide to wait a little before having sex. Then we move on to kinky rituals, and I’m sitting there wondering, “Wait, they haven’t had sex yet, and THIS is how they’re doing it for the first time?” Only to find out that they’d already been having sex 😂 It’s not a particularly important detail in itself, but the way the timeline was presented left me genuinely blindsided.
Honestly, about 70% of the book felt like Molly navigating her inner turmoil about being a witch and figuring out her relationship, maybe 1% was devoted to suspense, and the rest was some very delightful spicy content. I wouldn’t necessarily complain about the last part, but I did wish the suspense and magical elements had been given more room to breathe.
Overall, Gently Spellbound had the ingredients for a really enjoyable witchy romance, and I did enjoy the romance itself. The pacing and timeline occasionally made the reading experience feel disjointed, but the emotional connection between Molly and Ben, the growing trust, and the stability they found in each other kept me invested. Not a new favourite, but definitely not without its charms.
I'd like to thank BookSirens.com and the author for providing the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Molly moves to a small town for a well-paid job, only to discover one morning that the business has closed. A coffee shop visit later, she meets Ben, the owner of a bookshop/coffee shop, and lands a job at the local bakery as a salesperson and pastry chef. Things get even more interesting when she begins to suspect she might have magical powers. Enter the local coven, witchy awakenings, and a rather unconventional initiation ritual 👀 (which I loved!)
The chemistry between Molly and Ben was good, although Ben occasionally felt a little immature to me. On the other hand, I really appreciated how Molly’s past traumas were woven into the story through her inner monologues. Their relationship had some genuinely lovely moments, particularly in the way trust developed between them and how emotionally steady Ben could be when it mattered.
My biggest issue was how vaguely some aspects of the story were delivered. At one point, we’re told that Molly and Ben decide to wait a little before having sex. Then we move on to kinky rituals, and I’m sitting there wondering, “Wait, they haven’t had sex yet, and THIS is how they’re doing it for the first time?” Only to find out that they’d already been having sex 😂 It’s not a particularly important detail in itself, but the way the timeline was presented left me genuinely blindsided.
Honestly, about 70% of the book felt like Molly navigating her inner turmoil about being a witch and figuring out her relationship, maybe 1% was devoted to suspense, and the rest was some very delightful spicy content. I wouldn’t necessarily complain about the last part, but I did wish the suspense and magical elements had been given more room to breathe.
Overall, Gently Spellbound had the ingredients for a really enjoyable witchy romance, and I did enjoy the romance itself. The pacing and timeline occasionally made the reading experience feel disjointed, but the emotional connection between Molly and Ben, the growing trust, and the stability they found in each other kept me invested. Not a new favourite, but definitely not without its charms.
I'd like to thank BookSirens.com and the author for providing the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Received an advance copy of this book from the author, no payment or compensation given or received.
Gently Spellbound is a delightfully soft and warm story about gentle femdom first and foremost. The characters and setting revolve around this core emotion. Molly and Ben evolve their emotions and relationship in a soft and kind way without any heavy angst or drama that might crop up elsewhere.
There are other aspects to the plot which reinforce this sensation too. The "new guy" in town, the strangeness about the coven, and even the goddess Elphyria herself, are all small pieces of conflict and tension whilst also never breaching the cozy gentleness that I assume is the goal.
Personally I'm of the belief that this book achieves what it sets out to do, tell a lovely story centered around soft feelings and gentle loving control. Highly recommend this if you want to read a fun, spicy, and overall welcome departure from cruel and difficult reality.
Tl;Dr: Gentle Spellbound is the equivalent of a warm blanket cuddled up with a loved one, soft and sweet without worry for the more difficult pieces of a harsher world.
Gently Spellbound is a delightfully soft and warm story about gentle femdom first and foremost. The characters and setting revolve around this core emotion. Molly and Ben evolve their emotions and relationship in a soft and kind way without any heavy angst or drama that might crop up elsewhere.
There are other aspects to the plot which reinforce this sensation too. The "new guy" in town, the strangeness about the coven, and even the goddess Elphyria herself, are all small pieces of conflict and tension whilst also never breaching the cozy gentleness that I assume is the goal.
Personally I'm of the belief that this book achieves what it sets out to do, tell a lovely story centered around soft feelings and gentle loving control. Highly recommend this if you want to read a fun, spicy, and overall welcome departure from cruel and difficult reality.
Tl;Dr: Gentle Spellbound is the equivalent of a warm blanket cuddled up with a loved one, soft and sweet without worry for the more difficult pieces of a harsher world.
September 22, 2026
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Gently Spellbound is a perfectly decent book, but it didn't blow me away.
I liked the cozy small town vibes and the community the FMC found for herself. I also found the descriptions of magic to be whimsical and well… magical. Personally, I didn't vibe with the main characters, but the supporting cast made up for that (I loved every moment Ethan was on the page, and I'm dying to learn more about Oliver & Vivian!).
Unfortunately, some of the promised aspects felt very "light" for my tastes. Both the magic and the femdom by Molly weren't explored very deeply. While the characters kept emphasizing the importance of enthusiastic consent (yay!), at times it felt like it was used as a threat ("magic won't work if you do it for the wrong reasons") rather than focusing on consent for consent's sake.
The Rowan subplot felt unsatisfying, but all in all, I'm intrigued enough to dive back into the world if the opportunity arises.
Gently Spellbound is a perfectly decent book, but it didn't blow me away.
I liked the cozy small town vibes and the community the FMC found for herself. I also found the descriptions of magic to be whimsical and well… magical. Personally, I didn't vibe with the main characters, but the supporting cast made up for that (I loved every moment Ethan was on the page, and I'm dying to learn more about Oliver & Vivian!).
Unfortunately, some of the promised aspects felt very "light" for my tastes. Both the magic and the femdom by Molly weren't explored very deeply. While the characters kept emphasizing the importance of enthusiastic consent (yay!), at times it felt like it was used as a threat ("magic won't work if you do it for the wrong reasons") rather than focusing on consent for consent's sake.
The Rowan subplot felt unsatisfying, but all in all, I'm intrigued enough to dive back into the world if the opportunity arises.
Review of advance copy
I've been following Eloise for a while, so I was excited for the chance to read a free ARC copy and leave this review.
I enjoyed this book, and I think the world needs a lot more like it.
I liked the characters, and I enjoyed the story, but the part that I loved most was the creation of a world that empowers women without being a revenge fantasy or another tired chapter in the battle of the sexes. I have seen enough cruel, humiliating femdom. I'm not opposed to a little black latex, but at this point it's not particularly daring.
What's daring? Taking a cute, Hallmark-style "new girl + local boy in a small town" romance and making THAT femdom.
Meet-cute femdom. Found family femdom. Pumpkin spice femdom. I want more of all that.
Spice level: Sexy enough that I was worried about reading it on the treadmill at the gym but not so densely explicit that I stopped.
I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of Elphyria's Coven.
I enjoyed this book, and I think the world needs a lot more like it.
I liked the characters, and I enjoyed the story, but the part that I loved most was the creation of a world that empowers women without being a revenge fantasy or another tired chapter in the battle of the sexes. I have seen enough cruel, humiliating femdom. I'm not opposed to a little black latex, but at this point it's not particularly daring.
What's daring? Taking a cute, Hallmark-style "new girl + local boy in a small town" romance and making THAT femdom.
Meet-cute femdom. Found family femdom. Pumpkin spice femdom. I want more of all that.
Spice level: Sexy enough that I was worried about reading it on the treadmill at the gym but not so densely explicit that I stopped.
I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of Elphyria's Coven.
September 28, 2026
"A Stunning Paranormal Magic Romance series"
The story is funny, exciting, and scorching hot! It has Awesome characters.
Molly is a spunky young woman. She has traveled around a lot always looking for something she does not know what? She finally ends up at the town of Hollows Ridge. Molly lands a job as a legal secretary. This was until it closes for no reason. To keep from having to move again. Molly gets a job at the local bakery. Also ever since she came to town odd things have happened. The owner of the bakery seems a little odd. Soon Molly finds out why. It seems the owner is a witch. The coven believes Molly is an unawakened witch herself. They want Molly to join their sex coven! Molly also gets a cat it just one day showed up on her door step. Molly meets a sexy male barista named Ben.
Will Molly join the coven,and will she fall for Ben? You will love this incredible five star plus story.
The story is funny, exciting, and scorching hot! It has Awesome characters.
Molly is a spunky young woman. She has traveled around a lot always looking for something she does not know what? She finally ends up at the town of Hollows Ridge. Molly lands a job as a legal secretary. This was until it closes for no reason. To keep from having to move again. Molly gets a job at the local bakery. Also ever since she came to town odd things have happened. The owner of the bakery seems a little odd. Soon Molly finds out why. It seems the owner is a witch. The coven believes Molly is an unawakened witch herself. They want Molly to join their sex coven! Molly also gets a cat it just one day showed up on her door step. Molly meets a sexy male barista named Ben.
Will Molly join the coven,and will she fall for Ben? You will love this incredible five star plus story.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you Eliose for providing a review copy of this book
Oh my goodness gracious Y'all what a book! Come for the absolute sweltering spice of the gentle femdom but stay for the witchy friendships and small town coziness. I've read some spicy books recently but this is the first one that truly leaned into femdom and it was wonderful. The different dynamics between the relationships are handled so well and hoo boy do those spicy scenes hit. The book isn't all about titillation though there's also such a warm and wonderful story about friendship, building trust and finding somewhere you belong. Highest of recommendations.
Oh my goodness gracious Y'all what a book! Come for the absolute sweltering spice of the gentle femdom but stay for the witchy friendships and small town coziness. I've read some spicy books recently but this is the first one that truly leaned into femdom and it was wonderful. The different dynamics between the relationships are handled so well and hoo boy do those spicy scenes hit. The book isn't all about titillation though there's also such a warm and wonderful story about friendship, building trust and finding somewhere you belong. Highest of recommendations.
Did Not Finish
September 23, 2026DNF’d because I don’t think this book is for me (and will not rate for this reason)
October 6, 2026
Spicy and Sweet
Yes, please give me more men who like Her on top, a sprinkle of spice, green flags, cozy vibes, and magic throughout. Thank you!
Yes, please give me more men who like Her on top, a sprinkle of spice, green flags, cozy vibes, and magic throughout. Thank you!
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