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Elemental Witch Trials #1
Blessedly Bound
Over 100 positive reviews.
“I am unable to put to words how AMAZING this was!!” Amazon customer
“I guarantee you will be hooked on this author for life.” Amazon customer
“From the very first sentence you know that Blessedly Bound is going to be like nothing you have ever read.” Amazon customer
“Truly a series worth owning and revisiting time and time again.” Amazon customer
“It is rare that you find a book that captivates you so completely from the first page until the last but Blessedly Bound is my new favorite for witchy and supernatural beings. From the onset you are swept up into a story that tugs on the heartstrings as much as it captivates you.” Amazon customer
“The Elemental Witch Trials novels are the most spell-binding and incredible stories I have read in a long while. For someone who favors reading about witches I cannot give it enough praise and I cannot wait for the next one of Lucretia Stanhope's continuation of these great novels.” Amazon customer
“This book was captivating and beautiful. I felt for the characters and almost cried at the ending. It was intelligent, thought provoking and for those who follow paganism it twas beautiful.” Amazon customer
Dark Secrets. Bound Magic. A Determined Witch.
Elemental witch, Gwen Hensley, wants answers. Why was her grandmother burned alive? Was it because she was witch? Did it have something to do the with the dark secrets of the family that orphaned her? Those answers won’t come easy and time is ticking.
Behind the smiling faces of the locals lies a killer whose sights are set on her. Is it one of the friendly shopkeepers? The mysterious neighbor she’s drawn to? Or is someone closer to her behind the gruesome murder? None appear capable of such evil. With the target on her, she can’t be wrong. How will she decide who she can trust?
“I am unable to put to words how AMAZING this was!!” Amazon customer
“I guarantee you will be hooked on this author for life.” Amazon customer
“From the very first sentence you know that Blessedly Bound is going to be like nothing you have ever read.” Amazon customer
“Truly a series worth owning and revisiting time and time again.” Amazon customer
“It is rare that you find a book that captivates you so completely from the first page until the last but Blessedly Bound is my new favorite for witchy and supernatural beings. From the onset you are swept up into a story that tugs on the heartstrings as much as it captivates you.” Amazon customer
“The Elemental Witch Trials novels are the most spell-binding and incredible stories I have read in a long while. For someone who favors reading about witches I cannot give it enough praise and I cannot wait for the next one of Lucretia Stanhope's continuation of these great novels.” Amazon customer
“This book was captivating and beautiful. I felt for the characters and almost cried at the ending. It was intelligent, thought provoking and for those who follow paganism it twas beautiful.” Amazon customer
Dark Secrets. Bound Magic. A Determined Witch.
Elemental witch, Gwen Hensley, wants answers. Why was her grandmother burned alive? Was it because she was witch? Did it have something to do the with the dark secrets of the family that orphaned her? Those answers won’t come easy and time is ticking.
Behind the smiling faces of the locals lies a killer whose sights are set on her. Is it one of the friendly shopkeepers? The mysterious neighbor she’s drawn to? Or is someone closer to her behind the gruesome murder? None appear capable of such evil. With the target on her, she can’t be wrong. How will she decide who she can trust?
ebook
Published March 26, 2021
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About the author
Lucretia Stanhope
86 books115 followersLucretia Stanhope is a relentlessly optimistic crone who refuses to let her growing collection of rare illnesses steal her sparkle. She prefers to think of herself as medically fascinating as opposed to disabled. Seriously, half of these diseases sound less realistic than her most fanciful novels.
Powered by the support of an amazing husband and family, when she isn’t cuddling with her rescue chi-mixes, Thor and Moxie, she spends her days in creative pursuits that range from drawing and painting to crochet and writing.
This is the landing page for all the pen names that include solo and collaborative novels. Please note genres and content advisories as these novels range from YA friendly, to adult only romances and graphic horror, with a touch of everything in between.
Powered by the support of an amazing husband and family, when she isn’t cuddling with her rescue chi-mixes, Thor and Moxie, she spends her days in creative pursuits that range from drawing and painting to crochet and writing.
This is the landing page for all the pen names that include solo and collaborative novels. Please note genres and content advisories as these novels range from YA friendly, to adult only romances and graphic horror, with a touch of everything in between.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
October 19, 2017
It is rare that you find a book that captivates you so completely from the first page until the last but Blessedly Bound is my new favorite for witchy and supernatural beings. From the onset you are swept up into a story that tugs on the heartstrings as much as it captivates you. A family curse, a forbidden romance, an evil that lurks in the shadows, and a fantastic character driven story drew me in and kept me enthralled for the entirety of the book.
Gwen's character is a combination of power and innocence and I loved the sharp contrast as much as her gentle and loving spirit. Embarking on a quest to find answers to her family lineage and the true identity of a killer, she aligns with her familiar and a powerful entity that will push and pull her in ways she never imagined. The strongest aspect of the novel is the rich and steady development of the characters and their growth as we find out their flaws and personalities, their desires, and their mistakes. So well done.
This is a slow build but wonderfully described and so worth the investment to read. A steady pace keeps the reader engaged and guessing all the way up to the end. Some answers are given and some questions left unanswered as book 1 ends and leaves us with hope for a future and the knowledge that Gwen's story is only beginning. I look forward to subsequent books and the growth of her powers. Some of the best parts in the book are the magical elements.
I have to say, I was hooked from the moment Sebastian walked into the room and captivated as much as Gwen. He's what a hero should be and the romance in this book was sweet and wonderfully built. The familiar Lewis - I can't ruin anything, but grrrr. I can't wait to read more. Other secondary characters are given their due and so well described I felt I knew each one intimately. Kudos to the author. A sign of a great writer.
If you love stories of witches, shifters, and other magical beings, this book is for you. READ it. Pick it up because you will not regret it. An excellent 5 Star read. A true gem. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done!!! Now I must read the rest. :)
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Word Building: 5/5
Story Flow: 5/5
Picky Bitches OVERALL SCORE: 5/5
February 18, 2017
Horror has always been my #1 passion, followed closely by Dark Fantasy. Romance has never been my thing and probably never will be. That said, upon being introduced to this book and remaining glued to the pages all the way through, Lucretia Stanhope has shocked and surprised me. She identifies herself as a Romance author, and yes, this book does have a definite romantic current running through it, but there is also a glowering darkness which permeates the atmosphere – an underlying menace and horror which latches on and refuses to let you go. In all of my reading experience, and with all the multitude of characters encountered, although identifying with, empathising with, cheering for and even getting choked up over many of them, none have actually been able to capture my dark heart. And then this series’ protagonist, Gwen Hensley came along.
Lucretia has created an incredibly complex world – or worlds, rather, with An Elemental Witch Trials series. The character development is exemplary, with very real personalities and very strong, captivating emotion. She has written 11 books in it so far and is now working on a 12th, and although this is the only one released as yet (Book 2 – Burning Captivation is now on preorder along with 3 more), after reading this, eye insisted on gaining a sneak peek into more. Eye have fallen in love with this series and have been given the great privilege to now have read all the way up to Book 7. Lucretia Stanhope writes with a magical and captivating ease and has me caught in her snare. Eye believe she has cast a spell on me through these books and will cast a spell on you too, should you endeavour to venture into her world. There is magic in her words.
Lucretia has created an incredibly complex world – or worlds, rather, with An Elemental Witch Trials series. The character development is exemplary, with very real personalities and very strong, captivating emotion. She has written 11 books in it so far and is now working on a 12th, and although this is the only one released as yet (Book 2 – Burning Captivation is now on preorder along with 3 more), after reading this, eye insisted on gaining a sneak peek into more. Eye have fallen in love with this series and have been given the great privilege to now have read all the way up to Book 7. Lucretia Stanhope writes with a magical and captivating ease and has me caught in her snare. Eye believe she has cast a spell on me through these books and will cast a spell on you too, should you endeavour to venture into her world. There is magic in her words.
November 6, 2017
My rating 4.3
The Blessedly Bound Book (An Elemental Witch Trials Novel, # 1) by Lucretia Stanhope is an interesting blend of thrillers, fantasy, and romance. The book is very well written, the characters are well elaborated and the story is solid. Although the book does not lead to an unknown fantasy world as the action is happening on earth, fantasy elements scroll through the entire book. The main character is the young witch Gwen who investigates the death of her grandmother Lizzy. During the investigation, he meets a friend of her grandmother, Sebastian. Sebastian, with his figure and appearance, leaves a great impression on her but Gwen leaves a fascinating impression on him. Sebastian will help her arrange things about the legacy of her grandmother, but also to discover things from her family past. Meanwhile, Gwen will try to find out who killed her grandmother and is about to be in immediate danger. In the book, the writer elegantly leads us through the story and brings it into the world of magic, vampire, undead, and voodoo magic, but also through the intense a thriller and love story. I would recommend the book to all fantasy lovers who love stories about witches and vampires.
The Blessedly Bound Book (An Elemental Witch Trials Novel, # 1) by Lucretia Stanhope is an interesting blend of thrillers, fantasy, and romance. The book is very well written, the characters are well elaborated and the story is solid. Although the book does not lead to an unknown fantasy world as the action is happening on earth, fantasy elements scroll through the entire book. The main character is the young witch Gwen who investigates the death of her grandmother Lizzy. During the investigation, he meets a friend of her grandmother, Sebastian. Sebastian, with his figure and appearance, leaves a great impression on her but Gwen leaves a fascinating impression on him. Sebastian will help her arrange things about the legacy of her grandmother, but also to discover things from her family past. Meanwhile, Gwen will try to find out who killed her grandmother and is about to be in immediate danger. In the book, the writer elegantly leads us through the story and brings it into the world of magic, vampire, undead, and voodoo magic, but also through the intense a thriller and love story. I would recommend the book to all fantasy lovers who love stories about witches and vampires.
June 27, 2017
This is the first book that I have read by Lucretia Stanhope and I have to say it will most certainly not be the last. She has a beautifully descriptive way of describing her female protagonist Gwen and her disobedient and opinionated familiar Lewis.
I am always drawn to witch fiction and sometimes it can be difficult to find a really good story. Most run along the same thread. Not this book. This book pulls at your heart from the start and as it progresses you find yourself confused and torn. Do y ou root for the good guys or the bad guys? Who at times, doesn't seem so bad (or I am just twisted, who knows).
If you want a book that will hook you, pull you in, and leave you wanting more ... this is the book for you. It ticks all the boxes for me, humor, magic, a female protagonist, cheeky familiar and action. What's not to like?
Well deserved 5 stars ...
I am always drawn to witch fiction and sometimes it can be difficult to find a really good story. Most run along the same thread. Not this book. This book pulls at your heart from the start and as it progresses you find yourself confused and torn. Do y ou root for the good guys or the bad guys? Who at times, doesn't seem so bad (or I am just twisted, who knows).
If you want a book that will hook you, pull you in, and leave you wanting more ... this is the book for you. It ticks all the boxes for me, humor, magic, a female protagonist, cheeky familiar and action. What's not to like?
Well deserved 5 stars ...
January 30, 2018
Blessedly Bound is about a young witch named Gwen who has moved into a home that she inherited from a grandmother who had tragically been burned alive. Along with her familiar, Lewis, and her mysterious and alluring neighbor, Sebastian, Gwen is determined to solve the murders within a family she barely knew about.
SPOILERS AHEAD – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I was wavering between a two or three star rating, and I’ve decided to round it up to a three because although I did come across a lot of issues, the story did managed to keep my interest until the very end.
To start things off, I would like to talk about the setting and the world building which was…sort of non-existent. Gwen has moved to a small town, but we don’t get a concrete image of it. That part didn’t bother me since I’m not that big on description, but what did bother me was not knowing anything about the world. I didn’t know where Gwen had come from, what her life was before coming to this town, how witches functioned in this universe that the author created. I was flooded with a number of questions like what she did for a living? Were humans aware of the existence of magical creatures? How did she get her familiar and why didn’t she know any other witches? Why had this council that was mentioned briefly in this story let her walk around untrained? Are they not aware of how powerful she is? And what is this debt that binds her family to Fannie? The questions just kept growing.
I’m aware that there are many more books in the series, but I found it very frustrating as a reader that I didn’t know what kind of world this was. Although there were fantasy elements, they were so minor that this seemed like a genre mostly focused on Mystery and Romance rather than Paranormal. I didn’t even know there were vampires until Sebastian’s secret was revealed. I know that since this is paranormal, we can predict what sort of creatures are around, but this still needs to be established somewhere early in the story.
Other things I found jolting was the grammar issues. Honestly, this might have been my biggest issue. There were just too many typos that distracted me and the number of commas had my head spinning. This book would have read a lot faster and easier for me had there not been such a plethora of commas. Majority of them could have been replaced with periods easily. There were some awkward phrases too and the use of the word “things” like dark things and magic things didn’t leave much for creativity. And the amount of times Gwen had been sipping her coffee throughout the story had gotten so numerous, it ended up annoying me greatly (I think this is more of a personal preference part though).
On the bright side, even though the main character’s life was full of mundane activities, the pacing went pretty quickly. The best highlight for this novel, hands down, was the relationship between Sebastian and Gwen. I’ve been moving away from insta-love lately, but these two had pulled me right back in. I was fully immersed in the intimacy between them and I found myself groaning every time Sebastian had to lock himself up during the day. Without a doubt, my favorite scene was when Gwen had dreamed about him and the dream had ended with her screaming at his vampire form. It was a heated moment in more than one way and I loved it. Although I wish there were more of those moments between them, I found it very realistic for Gwen to doubt and fear him after finding out he fed on people. I also understood why they were fighting their attraction for each other and their relationship felt very real to me. Lewis was another highlight for me. I loved how flawed he was, how he kept contradicting himself and he was so lost on what to do. I loved how he was young for his age and therefore immature as a familiar, so it made sense why he made so many mistakes. I loved that he lost his temper and that some of the times he went to Fannie it was only to fulfill his desires. Love triangles are also something I’m trying to move away from, but this one worked for me. I loved how Gwen mentions that she once was in love with him and he had pushed her away and yet, he’s still battling with his feelings for her because unlike her, he hasn’t been able to let go. Basically, Lewis was the realist character for me and I honestly wished he had a heavier presence in this novel.
I didn’t like how Fannie barely made an appearance or how quickly things were solved with Curtis, but I’m willing to let it go since the story is far from over. Fannie is going to be a major character eventually and she clearly wasn’t needed this early in the game. The novel’s greatest strength right now is some of the characters, so I hope it continues to utilize that strength in the next volumes :)
SPOILERS AHEAD – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I was wavering between a two or three star rating, and I’ve decided to round it up to a three because although I did come across a lot of issues, the story did managed to keep my interest until the very end.
To start things off, I would like to talk about the setting and the world building which was…sort of non-existent. Gwen has moved to a small town, but we don’t get a concrete image of it. That part didn’t bother me since I’m not that big on description, but what did bother me was not knowing anything about the world. I didn’t know where Gwen had come from, what her life was before coming to this town, how witches functioned in this universe that the author created. I was flooded with a number of questions like what she did for a living? Were humans aware of the existence of magical creatures? How did she get her familiar and why didn’t she know any other witches? Why had this council that was mentioned briefly in this story let her walk around untrained? Are they not aware of how powerful she is? And what is this debt that binds her family to Fannie? The questions just kept growing.
I’m aware that there are many more books in the series, but I found it very frustrating as a reader that I didn’t know what kind of world this was. Although there were fantasy elements, they were so minor that this seemed like a genre mostly focused on Mystery and Romance rather than Paranormal. I didn’t even know there were vampires until Sebastian’s secret was revealed. I know that since this is paranormal, we can predict what sort of creatures are around, but this still needs to be established somewhere early in the story.
Other things I found jolting was the grammar issues. Honestly, this might have been my biggest issue. There were just too many typos that distracted me and the number of commas had my head spinning. This book would have read a lot faster and easier for me had there not been such a plethora of commas. Majority of them could have been replaced with periods easily. There were some awkward phrases too and the use of the word “things” like dark things and magic things didn’t leave much for creativity. And the amount of times Gwen had been sipping her coffee throughout the story had gotten so numerous, it ended up annoying me greatly (I think this is more of a personal preference part though).
On the bright side, even though the main character’s life was full of mundane activities, the pacing went pretty quickly. The best highlight for this novel, hands down, was the relationship between Sebastian and Gwen. I’ve been moving away from insta-love lately, but these two had pulled me right back in. I was fully immersed in the intimacy between them and I found myself groaning every time Sebastian had to lock himself up during the day. Without a doubt, my favorite scene was when Gwen had dreamed about him and the dream had ended with her screaming at his vampire form. It was a heated moment in more than one way and I loved it. Although I wish there were more of those moments between them, I found it very realistic for Gwen to doubt and fear him after finding out he fed on people. I also understood why they were fighting their attraction for each other and their relationship felt very real to me. Lewis was another highlight for me. I loved how flawed he was, how he kept contradicting himself and he was so lost on what to do. I loved how he was young for his age and therefore immature as a familiar, so it made sense why he made so many mistakes. I loved that he lost his temper and that some of the times he went to Fannie it was only to fulfill his desires. Love triangles are also something I’m trying to move away from, but this one worked for me. I loved how Gwen mentions that she once was in love with him and he had pushed her away and yet, he’s still battling with his feelings for her because unlike her, he hasn’t been able to let go. Basically, Lewis was the realist character for me and I honestly wished he had a heavier presence in this novel.
I didn’t like how Fannie barely made an appearance or how quickly things were solved with Curtis, but I’m willing to let it go since the story is far from over. Fannie is going to be a major character eventually and she clearly wasn’t needed this early in the game. The novel’s greatest strength right now is some of the characters, so I hope it continues to utilize that strength in the next volumes :)
October 20, 2017
Gwen in as elemental witch. Lewis is her familiar. He’s always been there for her, watching over her with a love that they could never quite let flourish at the risk of their bond. After the brutal death of her grandparents, Gwen goes on a search to find who did it and why. The closer to answers she gets, the farther away her familiar becomes. Back in the home that once belonged to her grandmother, Gwen meets Sebastian, a family friend. Helping her to develop the powers that Lewis has worked to keep locked away, he battles with his feelings for Gwen just the way she battles with her feelings of what he is. Caught in a desperate race to find her grandparents killer before he finds her, Blessedly Bound is a page turning addictive novel that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. Best part of this series is that it’s eight books long. Will be reading the next one!
September 23, 2017
A young woman travels to Kansas to try and find out how her grandmother died, but she gets more than she bargained for in this tale of witches, vampires and murder.
I thought the pace of the first half of this book was a bit slow and there was a lot of background development / scene setting, but the second half of the book moved much more quickly (and was therefore more enjoyable to me). The characters were all pretty well rounded and the crime element of the story saved it from being just another supernatural love story.
Overall my rating would be 3.5 stars – as although the story was good, I didn’t feel any real connection with the characters, some of the dialogue didn’t seem natural and in a few places I was a bit confused about who was speaking / what was happening.
I thought the pace of the first half of this book was a bit slow and there was a lot of background development / scene setting, but the second half of the book moved much more quickly (and was therefore more enjoyable to me). The characters were all pretty well rounded and the crime element of the story saved it from being just another supernatural love story.
Overall my rating would be 3.5 stars – as although the story was good, I didn’t feel any real connection with the characters, some of the dialogue didn’t seem natural and in a few places I was a bit confused about who was speaking / what was happening.
January 25, 2023
A gothic novel, as dark as a moonless night. It starts at night, a cold winter night, a crime; Gwen, the elemental witch, and her shape shifter raven trying to find an answer. The dialogue is surreal, coming out in a tight staccato, matching both the deep freeze, and the fire that is burning another witch, who is still alive – Gwen‘s grandmother.
This is a slow paranormal detective novel, prone to a lot of introspection; one must read it at leisure, as it is filled with details, thoughts and feelings, and if you don’t like the style; you will not like the book. There is a complex relation between Gwen, Lewis (her familiar, who matches so well Gwen’s temper) and Sebastian (a man with a shady past; but it is so difficult to find a vampire with a clean past, though he is unusually human in his hobbies), and an even more complicated world around them. Nothing is simple in the supernatural, not even the romance yet, in the end, the mystery is predictable and easy to solve, a sort of Twilight. That did not make the read less enjoyable.
This is a slow paranormal detective novel, prone to a lot of introspection; one must read it at leisure, as it is filled with details, thoughts and feelings, and if you don’t like the style; you will not like the book. There is a complex relation between Gwen, Lewis (her familiar, who matches so well Gwen’s temper) and Sebastian (a man with a shady past; but it is so difficult to find a vampire with a clean past, though he is unusually human in his hobbies), and an even more complicated world around them. Nothing is simple in the supernatural, not even the romance yet, in the end, the mystery is predictable and easy to solve, a sort of Twilight. That did not make the read less enjoyable.
September 6, 2017
From the moment Gwen arrived at her grandmother’s estate, she became subject to another world. She was met by the local law enforcement informing her of her grandmother’s death. There was weirdness about the investigation as the sheriff avoided any questions about the cause of death. It appeared she’d have to find the answers on her own.
Help did come from some unlikely sources, the spirit world. She was an innocent with little experience in that realm and wondered who could be trusted. Gwen knew she needed to read her grandmother’s journals to learn the family’s secrets. There were too many coincidences that didn’t add up. She needed to know if she was blessedly bound to keep her from danger or did it bind her from protecting herself with witchcraft?
It’s a bewitching story that’ll keep you spellbound.
Help did come from some unlikely sources, the spirit world. She was an innocent with little experience in that realm and wondered who could be trusted. Gwen knew she needed to read her grandmother’s journals to learn the family’s secrets. There were too many coincidences that didn’t add up. She needed to know if she was blessedly bound to keep her from danger or did it bind her from protecting herself with witchcraft?
It’s a bewitching story that’ll keep you spellbound.
March 21, 2017
Beautiful!
As above, so below. This book was captivating and beautiful. I felt for the characters and almost cried at the ending. It was intelligent, thought provoking and for those who follow paganism it twas beautiful. I am seriously impressed with the author and the prose she writes down, if you haven't read it... what are you waiting for get to it.
Blessed Be
As above, so below. This book was captivating and beautiful. I felt for the characters and almost cried at the ending. It was intelligent, thought provoking and for those who follow paganism it twas beautiful. I am seriously impressed with the author and the prose she writes down, if you haven't read it... what are you waiting for get to it.
Blessed Be
November 27, 2017
This was a very interesting read. Gwen, a witch is investigating the death of her grandmother. But this quickly leads her down a dark and dangerous trail. I loved the characters in this story. All of them. Even the bad ones. They have a real depth to them that made turning pages easy. The story is very well written and has a good amount of suspense and romance mixed in with the paranormal elements. If you're a fan of any of these in your books, you'll love this!
September 17, 2017
Amazing!
I Love the idea of familiars being assigned to witches. In fact, I adore everything about this book, from the magic, to the suspense, to the magic, to the forbidden romance.
Gwen's estranged grandmother has been murdered.In the first chapter. Even though Gwen didn't know her, she wants to know why. The first chapter is a gruesome scene of a witch being burned. It's not exactly something for the squeamish, but gripped me as a reader. I was hooked from that point on.
Five out of five stars!
I Love the idea of familiars being assigned to witches. In fact, I adore everything about this book, from the magic, to the suspense, to the magic, to the forbidden romance.
Gwen's estranged grandmother has been murdered.In the first chapter. Even though Gwen didn't know her, she wants to know why. The first chapter is a gruesome scene of a witch being burned. It's not exactly something for the squeamish, but gripped me as a reader. I was hooked from that point on.
Five out of five stars!
October 10, 2017
This book contained a few things I don't really care for such as obvious love triangles, brooding men and cliffhangers yet despite all this I really enjoyed this book. Gwen was strong and intelligent, a must for me and the book was far more than a typical romance. This felt a bit like a cozy mystery with paranormal elements and a helping of romance on the side. It is to the author's credit that it all meshed together so well. The writing flowed smoothly and complimented the pace and the murder subplot had real teeth. I thought Lewis was drawn a little too heavy-handedly and he seems set up to (successfully) make Sebastien more dreamy. That got to be annoying after awhile but can be forgiven because the romance is not the most important part of the story. If anything, I wish more explication had been given to backstory but that's what sequels are for, I suppose. I'm looking forward to seeing Gwen really come into her own in the next installment!
January 2, 2018
PNR fans!!!! What a very well written story that is an excellent intro into a long series which I heard becomes darker and darker as the series goes on...
I was captivated by the characters and Gwen's drive to find a killer as well as discover herself. She has no idea who to trust which makes the story more compelling.
I liked the fact that it wasn't all 'magic', that the story fit around it. I also liked that Gwen did everyday stuff, too...again, not full of magic. There are more to the characters than being supernatural.
If you like light urban tales of witches, you'll devour this.
I was captivated by the characters and Gwen's drive to find a killer as well as discover herself. She has no idea who to trust which makes the story more compelling.
I liked the fact that it wasn't all 'magic', that the story fit around it. I also liked that Gwen did everyday stuff, too...again, not full of magic. There are more to the characters than being supernatural.
If you like light urban tales of witches, you'll devour this.
July 17, 2017
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book, unfortunately, the story started painfully slow. The author spent a lot of time “telling” the reader what was happening rather than showing it. The characters spent a lot of time simply doing inane tasks and participating in small talk. By the time the book hit 10%, I was bored.
I pushed on, and at 16% in I gave up. The narrative was slow, wordy, and methodical in its descriptions. The characters spent a lot of time in quiet contemplation and simple tasks and yet the story didn’t seem to progress. Although the premise was interesting and the characters unique, I didn’t feel drawn in by the narrative.
Overall, I would say that it could be an interesting book for the right reader, and those out there with a higher tolerance for slow starts might end up really enjoying it, but it just didn’t hold my attention. I prefer more tension and quicker paced fiction.
I wanted to like this book, unfortunately, the story started painfully slow. The author spent a lot of time “telling” the reader what was happening rather than showing it. The characters spent a lot of time simply doing inane tasks and participating in small talk. By the time the book hit 10%, I was bored.
I pushed on, and at 16% in I gave up. The narrative was slow, wordy, and methodical in its descriptions. The characters spent a lot of time in quiet contemplation and simple tasks and yet the story didn’t seem to progress. Although the premise was interesting and the characters unique, I didn’t feel drawn in by the narrative.
Overall, I would say that it could be an interesting book for the right reader, and those out there with a higher tolerance for slow starts might end up really enjoying it, but it just didn’t hold my attention. I prefer more tension and quicker paced fiction.
September 12, 2017
This book is a little murder mystery, a little paranormal, and a little romance, but it all works together. It's a slow read and not packed with action. The author takes her time weaving the story, but I didn't mind. The story was interesting enough to keep me engaged.
I knew who the killer was early on in the book, but the author built of my aversion of him as the story progressed. Also, Lewis. OMG, Lewis. I'm not going to spoil it, but I wanted to kick him through the wall. Sebastian reminded me of Liam Neeson and I wanted to pluck him from the book and take him home with me.
The book is part of a series and I hope as the series progresses, we learn more about the voodoo curse. The story wraps up completely with the story the author set out to write, but I always have questions when things like war or curses are mentioned. Who did what to start that? The author set the scene to explain that in later books and I'll be interested to see where she goes with it
I knew who the killer was early on in the book, but the author built of my aversion of him as the story progressed. Also, Lewis. OMG, Lewis. I'm not going to spoil it, but I wanted to kick him through the wall. Sebastian reminded me of Liam Neeson and I wanted to pluck him from the book and take him home with me.
The book is part of a series and I hope as the series progresses, we learn more about the voodoo curse. The story wraps up completely with the story the author set out to write, but I always have questions when things like war or curses are mentioned. Who did what to start that? The author set the scene to explain that in later books and I'll be interested to see where she goes with it
March 8, 2018
Raised an orphan, Gwen, a young witch, feels cheated to have lost the family she never knew. They were murdered, and she wants to know by whom. Lewis, her familiar--a shape-shifting crow, tries to dissuade her from investigating, but she will not be stopped. But then Lewis, who should have helped her develop her magical skills, hasn't done that either. So she turns to Sebastian, her late grandmother's best friend, a magical creature who both attracts and repels Gwen.
Stanhope hooks us from the beginning, and immediately we find easy-to-love people. Gwen, Lewis, and Sebastian show us the world through their eyes--a modern world of freezing snow, gorgeous main characters, deep passion, and the pull of magic.
The writing plays to the senses and emotions, demanding us to read on. The atmosphere is generally light, with simple and clear writing that fascinates and charms with its contrast of tension and relaxed atmosphere.
However, while the first chapters have a certain polish, the later chapters are rougher. Dialogue is clear, with a refreshing avoidance of saidisms. Nevertheless, the story needs proofing, to check comma usage, grammar, extraneous words, awkward structure, overused expressions, typos, confusing pronoun usage, and wandering points of view.
Personalities being what they are, the novel leads us in a predictable though entertaining direction. The climax is rushed, but the ending satisfies because the most pressing questions are answered, with a sense of continuity that befits the next novel in the series.
Stanhope hooks us from the beginning, and immediately we find easy-to-love people. Gwen, Lewis, and Sebastian show us the world through their eyes--a modern world of freezing snow, gorgeous main characters, deep passion, and the pull of magic.
The writing plays to the senses and emotions, demanding us to read on. The atmosphere is generally light, with simple and clear writing that fascinates and charms with its contrast of tension and relaxed atmosphere.
However, while the first chapters have a certain polish, the later chapters are rougher. Dialogue is clear, with a refreshing avoidance of saidisms. Nevertheless, the story needs proofing, to check comma usage, grammar, extraneous words, awkward structure, overused expressions, typos, confusing pronoun usage, and wandering points of view.
Personalities being what they are, the novel leads us in a predictable though entertaining direction. The climax is rushed, but the ending satisfies because the most pressing questions are answered, with a sense of continuity that befits the next novel in the series.
April 23, 2018
Highly entertaining read
This is a highly entertaining read, a well described story about witch fiction. The witch in question is Gwen, a strong female protagonist who I enjoyed reading about. When her grandmother is murdered, Gwen and her familiar, Lewis a raven shifter, set out to discover the murderer. Set in small-town America, the story brews a healthy pot of mystery, humour, action and suspense, all stirred along with some clever magic. Characters are believable, fit perfectly into their situations and are not the stereotypical witches and supernatural beings you might expect to find. The only downside for me is the need for a final light proofread to remove minor editing issues, which don't detract anything from the story but would have improved my reading a little more.
This is a highly entertaining read, a well described story about witch fiction. The witch in question is Gwen, a strong female protagonist who I enjoyed reading about. When her grandmother is murdered, Gwen and her familiar, Lewis a raven shifter, set out to discover the murderer. Set in small-town America, the story brews a healthy pot of mystery, humour, action and suspense, all stirred along with some clever magic. Characters are believable, fit perfectly into their situations and are not the stereotypical witches and supernatural beings you might expect to find. The only downside for me is the need for a final light proofread to remove minor editing issues, which don't detract anything from the story but would have improved my reading a little more.
September 6, 2017
The Magnificent Witch and the Vampire Who Knits
“This changes everything.”
Gwen is a witch and has just inherited her Grandmother’s huge old house after her Grandmother was murdered. Gwen and her familiar, Lewis - who is a raven shifter - begin to investigate the murder. Then there is Sebastian, who used to be Gwen’s grandmother’s best friend, but has a distinctly murky past, and Frannie the voodoo queen who hates Gwen and all her family. These exotic characters are cast against a backdrop of small-town America with its local diner, yarn shop plus knitting-circle, and community library.
‘She sucked the chocolate slowly, savoring the way it melted in her mouth. It was as smooth as his voice.’
The writing is pretty solid, the characters are believable and their motivations, credible if rather twisted. The story has a good balance of inner anxt and external action, with just a few too many points where we stop for something very mundane, although these do help ‘earth’ the plot. For me, the very best part of this story is the murder mystery aspect. I really enjoyed following Gwen in her quest to uncover the murderer who not only burned her grandmother alive but also killed her grandfather.
‘She is the most magnificent creature I have ever felt..’
The downside is that Gwen is almost an object to the supernaturals in the book. The men who fall for her do so not because she is a really great person, a confident self-empowered young woman or even because of her looks. No, they fall for her because they lust after her magical power. This is the classic ‘Twilight’ and ‘True Blood’ triangle of a woman being unreasonably adored in an unhealthy way by two guys. Maybe it will escape this in future stories in the series, but I am not hopeful because at the end she is back to square one with the romantic interest so the whole game can be played over again….
That said, it is the kind of book fans of those series I mentioned will absolutely adore. I enjoyed the read as I loved the solving of the whodunit - and the idea of a macho vampire mastering the art of pearl and plain made me chuckle!
“This changes everything.”
Gwen is a witch and has just inherited her Grandmother’s huge old house after her Grandmother was murdered. Gwen and her familiar, Lewis - who is a raven shifter - begin to investigate the murder. Then there is Sebastian, who used to be Gwen’s grandmother’s best friend, but has a distinctly murky past, and Frannie the voodoo queen who hates Gwen and all her family. These exotic characters are cast against a backdrop of small-town America with its local diner, yarn shop plus knitting-circle, and community library.
‘She sucked the chocolate slowly, savoring the way it melted in her mouth. It was as smooth as his voice.’
The writing is pretty solid, the characters are believable and their motivations, credible if rather twisted. The story has a good balance of inner anxt and external action, with just a few too many points where we stop for something very mundane, although these do help ‘earth’ the plot. For me, the very best part of this story is the murder mystery aspect. I really enjoyed following Gwen in her quest to uncover the murderer who not only burned her grandmother alive but also killed her grandfather.
‘She is the most magnificent creature I have ever felt..’
The downside is that Gwen is almost an object to the supernaturals in the book. The men who fall for her do so not because she is a really great person, a confident self-empowered young woman or even because of her looks. No, they fall for her because they lust after her magical power. This is the classic ‘Twilight’ and ‘True Blood’ triangle of a woman being unreasonably adored in an unhealthy way by two guys. Maybe it will escape this in future stories in the series, but I am not hopeful because at the end she is back to square one with the romantic interest so the whole game can be played over again….
That said, it is the kind of book fans of those series I mentioned will absolutely adore. I enjoyed the read as I loved the solving of the whodunit - and the idea of a macho vampire mastering the art of pearl and plain made me chuckle!
November 3, 2017
The descriptions are vivid: you can feel the icy cold of the snow, and Gwen, the witch, has a familiar with the suitably unnerving habit of changing into a man when needed. Unusually for a magical fantasy, the plot, aside from unrequited love, is a murder mystery. Four stars reflects the pace; the characters actions and conversations failed to drive the story forward, but I do recommend Blessed Bound. I went on to buy book two in the series.
October 15, 2017
I found this book exciting and engaging and difficult to put down. The main three characters interactions were complex and a constant tease. The supporting characters well developed and great additions to the storyline. I will definitely read #2.
September 14, 2017
Blessedly Bound transports the reader into the magical world of witches, vampires and mystical magic happenings.
Gwen never knew her grandmother Lizzy in the real world, but Lizzy’s death opens a glimpse into the past and the tragic circumstances of her grandmother’s death. Gwen learns her mother and father also met with untimely deaths, something is not right, she senses those imprisoned for the murders are not the guilty ones. Gwen discovers, she, like her mother and grandmother, possess magical powers. She too is a witch. Gwen is driven to unravel the truth but this is a dangerous path to take.
Reading Blessedly Bound was a new experience for me, I’m not into the supernatural, I usually avoid such books. As I read I became engrossed in the story, suddenly all the magic and out of this world happenings became quite natural, quite believable. When an author can convert a skeptic like me, have me excited to read more, it signals a real skill, a talent to construct a ‘don’t put me down’ enthralling story.
Maybe I’m not completely converted, but for the lover of a supernatural story told in a compelling way, this has to be a must read.
Gwen never knew her grandmother Lizzy in the real world, but Lizzy’s death opens a glimpse into the past and the tragic circumstances of her grandmother’s death. Gwen learns her mother and father also met with untimely deaths, something is not right, she senses those imprisoned for the murders are not the guilty ones. Gwen discovers, she, like her mother and grandmother, possess magical powers. She too is a witch. Gwen is driven to unravel the truth but this is a dangerous path to take.
Reading Blessedly Bound was a new experience for me, I’m not into the supernatural, I usually avoid such books. As I read I became engrossed in the story, suddenly all the magic and out of this world happenings became quite natural, quite believable. When an author can convert a skeptic like me, have me excited to read more, it signals a real skill, a talent to construct a ‘don’t put me down’ enthralling story.
Maybe I’m not completely converted, but for the lover of a supernatural story told in a compelling way, this has to be a must read.
July 22, 2017
This book was such a fun read! I really enjoyed it right from the very first page. I loved the characters, the storyline, and the fun paranormal and witchy elements!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
My thoughts:
I really liked the main character, Gwen. I thought that her powers from the start were really interesting as she was able to see visions or transport herself to the past through another type of vision. I was surprised that during the transports, she could be hurt. That was an interesting twist to other similar tropes I have read, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that develops later on.
I also really enjoyed seeing her character learn more about herself, her family, and her powers as the story moved on. I will admit, the whole woman who is oblivious to the magnitude of her powers trope has been a bit over done for me, but in this case it was absolutely perfect. I loved that Gwen had to really practice and that most things were very overwhelming and exhausting for her. This made it much more believable. And there wasn't a moment when she suddenly had perfect control and clarity of her powers, which I really appreciated. I really liked that she still needed a lot of help from Lewis and Sebastian.
Speaking of, Lewis and Sebastian were two lovely paranormal characters. Lewis was her familiar who transitioned between his forms of raven and man. From what we learned about him early on, he had the ability to heal others and played the role of Gwen's protector and teacher. But for some reason he was holding her powers back and only teaching her very basic magic. He was also a very jealous character that had a strong love for Gwen, and repeatedly mentioned how he could never actually romantically love her.
Sebastian was Gwen's neighbor and her grandmothers best friend. He was also magical, but as a reader we didn't find out why until much later in the book. When he told Gwen exactly what he was, it shook their relationship.
There were also many side characters that lived in the small town that I enjoyed a lot! I am definitely interested to see if they play roles in the rest of the series because I would love to see them further developed.
One character that gave me the willies from the first meeting with Gwen was Curtis, the local cop. He was always so odd. The author wrote his persona so wonderfully! His dialogue really got to me, as most of it was degrading. For example:
She finished her food and coffee and left a tip under her cup. "I should go, I have an appointment," she said and felt her breath suck in. She really needed more practice on her thought to speech filter.
"Oh, getting your nails done," he said, his tone flat as if he assumed that was the extent of her appointments she could possible have.
The storyline itself flowed so well! I really enjoyed that we seamlessly read thoughts from each of the characters perspectives all on the same page, rather than the book being split into chapters for each.
The suspense factor that was woven in was perfect; not too much, but certainly enough to really get my heart pumping. I also love that there was a lovely small town vibe, which I'm always a sucker for. Needless to say, this book was really difficult for me to put down!
Beware, the (slight!) negatives:
There were some issues with punctuation, grammar, and wording. Examples:
"...more time slipped from away her."
"She brought in what needed put away immediately and left the rest for later."
"Why did his tension pulsed so strong, and how it connected to her family?"
"It certainly needed addressed very soon."
There was a bit of repetition that was a little bothersome to me, but as always, that's just my reading irk. I just felt that there were many topics that were repeated too frequently for my preference. For example the pull that the characters felt for one another, or why they shouldn't feel that pull.
The ending seemed a bit rushed. My first thought was "Wait, what? What about the Fannie threat?" It was like they solved one of the issues and immediately forgot about the second. The more I thought about it, the more questions I realized were left unresolved. Loose threads like this usually make me a little angry, but in this case I only thought: "Well, guess I'll have to snag book two soon to find out what happens!"
My favorite passages:
"Sometimes the only reason is that life is awful and people do things that don't make sense."
His office was a mess, papers everywhere, smelled like smoke, and had overflowing ashtrays lying about on top of the papers. Was it even legal to smoke in offices anymore? Gwen wondered. It was too classical a representative of a burnt-out detective.
The scent of books added to the warm, welcoming feeling. In her mind, she could almost hear the sound of an old book opening and sending out its welcoming scent.
Her unhappiness and the magic it called on filled the night and beckoned him to her. He watched in awe as the sky responded to her sorrow. Little beads of despair turned to frozen drops that clung to her hair. They looked like pearls on the black strands. Even in her absolute sadness, he found her more beautiful than anyone he ever laid eyes on before.
His mind easily drifted to how her presence felt and he smiled as the memories danced across his thoughts.
My final thoughts:
This is definitely a book that will hook you right from page one and not let you go! So make sure to pick it up on your day off! If you enjoy small town stories filled with paranormal features and a slight romance element, go pick this one up. I would highly recommend it; Four stars!
I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the series, Burning Captivation!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
My thoughts:
I really liked the main character, Gwen. I thought that her powers from the start were really interesting as she was able to see visions or transport herself to the past through another type of vision. I was surprised that during the transports, she could be hurt. That was an interesting twist to other similar tropes I have read, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that develops later on.
I also really enjoyed seeing her character learn more about herself, her family, and her powers as the story moved on. I will admit, the whole woman who is oblivious to the magnitude of her powers trope has been a bit over done for me, but in this case it was absolutely perfect. I loved that Gwen had to really practice and that most things were very overwhelming and exhausting for her. This made it much more believable. And there wasn't a moment when she suddenly had perfect control and clarity of her powers, which I really appreciated. I really liked that she still needed a lot of help from Lewis and Sebastian.
Speaking of, Lewis and Sebastian were two lovely paranormal characters. Lewis was her familiar who transitioned between his forms of raven and man. From what we learned about him early on, he had the ability to heal others and played the role of Gwen's protector and teacher. But for some reason he was holding her powers back and only teaching her very basic magic. He was also a very jealous character that had a strong love for Gwen, and repeatedly mentioned how he could never actually romantically love her.
Sebastian was Gwen's neighbor and her grandmothers best friend. He was also magical, but as a reader we didn't find out why until much later in the book. When he told Gwen exactly what he was, it shook their relationship.
There were also many side characters that lived in the small town that I enjoyed a lot! I am definitely interested to see if they play roles in the rest of the series because I would love to see them further developed.
One character that gave me the willies from the first meeting with Gwen was Curtis, the local cop. He was always so odd. The author wrote his persona so wonderfully! His dialogue really got to me, as most of it was degrading. For example:
She finished her food and coffee and left a tip under her cup. "I should go, I have an appointment," she said and felt her breath suck in. She really needed more practice on her thought to speech filter.
"Oh, getting your nails done," he said, his tone flat as if he assumed that was the extent of her appointments she could possible have.
The storyline itself flowed so well! I really enjoyed that we seamlessly read thoughts from each of the characters perspectives all on the same page, rather than the book being split into chapters for each.
The suspense factor that was woven in was perfect; not too much, but certainly enough to really get my heart pumping. I also love that there was a lovely small town vibe, which I'm always a sucker for. Needless to say, this book was really difficult for me to put down!
Beware, the (slight!) negatives:
There were some issues with punctuation, grammar, and wording. Examples:
"...more time slipped from away her."
"She brought in what needed put away immediately and left the rest for later."
"Why did his tension pulsed so strong, and how it connected to her family?"
"It certainly needed addressed very soon."
There was a bit of repetition that was a little bothersome to me, but as always, that's just my reading irk. I just felt that there were many topics that were repeated too frequently for my preference. For example the pull that the characters felt for one another, or why they shouldn't feel that pull.
The ending seemed a bit rushed. My first thought was "Wait, what? What about the Fannie threat?" It was like they solved one of the issues and immediately forgot about the second. The more I thought about it, the more questions I realized were left unresolved. Loose threads like this usually make me a little angry, but in this case I only thought: "Well, guess I'll have to snag book two soon to find out what happens!"
My favorite passages:
"Sometimes the only reason is that life is awful and people do things that don't make sense."
His office was a mess, papers everywhere, smelled like smoke, and had overflowing ashtrays lying about on top of the papers. Was it even legal to smoke in offices anymore? Gwen wondered. It was too classical a representative of a burnt-out detective.
The scent of books added to the warm, welcoming feeling. In her mind, she could almost hear the sound of an old book opening and sending out its welcoming scent.
Her unhappiness and the magic it called on filled the night and beckoned him to her. He watched in awe as the sky responded to her sorrow. Little beads of despair turned to frozen drops that clung to her hair. They looked like pearls on the black strands. Even in her absolute sadness, he found her more beautiful than anyone he ever laid eyes on before.
His mind easily drifted to how her presence felt and he smiled as the memories danced across his thoughts.
My final thoughts:
This is definitely a book that will hook you right from page one and not let you go! So make sure to pick it up on your day off! If you enjoy small town stories filled with paranormal features and a slight romance element, go pick this one up. I would highly recommend it; Four stars!
I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the series, Burning Captivation!
September 19, 2022
A wonderful start to a new paranormal series
throughly enjoyed this one! I'm a fan of Lucretia Stanhope and her work so when I saw that she had a new series out, I had to check it out. I must say that I wasn't disappointed at all. The story revolves around Gwen, a witch trying to learn more about her family, along with her shape shifting familiar Lewis. Gwen delves into what happened to her grandmother Lizzy and experiences her death as she was burned alive. She wants answers and discovers that someone is out to end her life so whom can Gwen trust? There's plenty of suspenseful moments, action packed scenes, great dialogue that will keep you turning the pages to see what will happen next? Can Gwen find the killer that is stalking her from the shadows or will she end up like her grandmother or worse? Grab this one and discover that for yourself. I highly recommend this one!
throughly enjoyed this one! I'm a fan of Lucretia Stanhope and her work so when I saw that she had a new series out, I had to check it out. I must say that I wasn't disappointed at all. The story revolves around Gwen, a witch trying to learn more about her family, along with her shape shifting familiar Lewis. Gwen delves into what happened to her grandmother Lizzy and experiences her death as she was burned alive. She wants answers and discovers that someone is out to end her life so whom can Gwen trust? There's plenty of suspenseful moments, action packed scenes, great dialogue that will keep you turning the pages to see what will happen next? Can Gwen find the killer that is stalking her from the shadows or will she end up like her grandmother or worse? Grab this one and discover that for yourself. I highly recommend this one!
March 5, 2019
Completely Sucked Me In!
Blessedly Bound starts with a jaw dropping OMG moment and doesn’t stop. Surrounded by friends who lie to her and monsters who don’t, Gwen Hensley doesn’t know who to trust. Her grandmother’s murderer is still out there, and the only person who makes her feel safe is the one person who terrifies her most. Powerful magic, dark voodoo, and an undeniable attraction between Gwen and her mysterious neighbor fill this story with excitement and edge-of-your-seat suspense that leaves this reader eager for the next installment. Looking forward to part two!
Blessedly Bound starts with a jaw dropping OMG moment and doesn’t stop. Surrounded by friends who lie to her and monsters who don’t, Gwen Hensley doesn’t know who to trust. Her grandmother’s murderer is still out there, and the only person who makes her feel safe is the one person who terrifies her most. Powerful magic, dark voodoo, and an undeniable attraction between Gwen and her mysterious neighbor fill this story with excitement and edge-of-your-seat suspense that leaves this reader eager for the next installment. Looking forward to part two!
May 19, 2017
Blessedly Breathtaking....
I was spellbound from the very first chapter where we meet our witchy heroine Gwen and her faithful trusty familiar, Lewis.
It's charmingly chalked full of delightful and exotic, multi faceted, shiny and sparkly characters.
ALL of it is incredibly well written, quite addictive.
I read it very slowly, savoring and taking it all in. This is not the sort of book you wanna speed read through, it's too entrancing...enchanting.
You can vividly picture it all and it's awe-inspiring, awe-tastic...just spirited away to this other-worldly world and totally zen out on the ambiance of it all.
Yea....just flat out AWE-mazing.
I do believe I have found my new favorite female author, Ms. Lucretia Stanhope.
I already fell in love with her bewitchingly beautiful writing style after I read her first published book, the highly imaginative and monster rich, Rather Be Fishing.
She has such a hypnotically elegant prose going for her, creating this most magical and majestic (yet reeeal feeling) of fantasy worlds, and they all converge.
I picture myself easily getting lost in her worlds/words, often.
This is primo storytelling at it's pristine finest, folks!!
Gwen is an orphan, her mom died when she was really young. She comes from a long line of witches but didn't learn of this (or her own abilities) until she was much older.
Now with her shape shifting familiar Lewis by her side, she travels to the stately estate of the grandmother she never met, trying with all her untapped might to solve her brutal murder.
Is it witch related, is Gwen in danger too??
The neighbor Sebastian fears that she is. He was a close personal friend/confidant of her grandmother and Gwen takes an immediate like to him.
He's so damn likeable ~ that smile, those eyes!!
He was also a familiar back in the day, a powerful one, but was disgraced after an incident with his witch.
Her grandma Lizzy was a very well liked member of the town, and most of the townspeople go out of their way in support of Gwen and her long overdue homecoming.
She feels whole and warmed for the first time in her solitary life.
Menace lurks close by though, she can sense it.
Is it true that she is actually a supremely powerful witch, capable of so much more than simple visions?
Why would this be kept from her?
Why was she bound in the first place??
It's all so overwhelming for our big hearted Gwen.
And with both Lewis and Sebastian harboring secrets from the new and insecure witch, those insecurities resonate into an even deeper bind.
Poor Gwen, has a hard enough time understanding her own place, let alone everyone else's.
The journals of her grandmother and the pick and choose advice/confessions of the familiars help her fit some of the pieces together, as the plot thickens.
Gwen is a wonderful character, you really like the little gal. Sweet and innocent but with no filter, she says the first thing that pops into her mind. She's painfully honest which sends her into a whiplash whirlwind knowing that things are purposely being kept from her.
For what purpose??
Who can she really trust??
A family debt, a family curse, a stumped family tree, non shapeshifting shifty people, white magic, black magic, voodooooo, blood bonds, romance, passion, humor, knitting.
Mystery and suspense with a beguiling lure ~ this book has it all!!
So much going on in this spellbinding story and lucky for us, it's a saga, the start of many many more, that are available NOW.
The epilogue of this book gives you the first chapter of part 2: Burning Captivation, where we're introduced to a whole new exciting supernaturally threat, plus all the old ones that still linger with their jagged scars, casting doubt.
This is going to be a fantastic series, the center stage is set brilliantly!
I can totally picture Gwen and company finding themselves in a myriad of wicked aaand whimsical entanglements, including those of self discovery, and most always in a perilous passion fueled frenzy.
I'm not now nor have I ever been a fan of romance novels. I don't consider this a romance though, even though it has strong emotional elements of intimacy cast throughout.
Right now, it's more of an undercurrent drift but I know it's going to come on stronger as the books continue. I can honestly say though, with such an awesome jaw dropping supernatural storyline...bring on the sappy, mushy, angsty, achey, lusty, hanky-panky, lovey-doveyness.
Come on, I can handle it! ;) hehehe
I would recommend this book to all those who are also on the adverse, ew romance bandwagon.
Oh dear Goddess, I wanna be a witch....
Gwen and I actually do have a lot in common too; we both drink a ton of coffee.
That's pretty significant.
Oh and I don't have a very functionable filter either. hahaha
And I actually did try it out once but there is that whole 'do no harm' fine print. Pfft.
I wonder exactly how many books she has planned, there are 6 listed on Goodreads already.
Yea...it's probably just taken a fiery, spirited, juju infused life of it's own by now and they will keep her in the loop, when suited.
She is blessedly, blissfully, bound.
Jeez, I've rambled long enough, I tend to do that....just read the book!! It's phenomenal. :D
I was spellbound from the very first chapter where we meet our witchy heroine Gwen and her faithful trusty familiar, Lewis.
It's charmingly chalked full of delightful and exotic, multi faceted, shiny and sparkly characters.
ALL of it is incredibly well written, quite addictive.
I read it very slowly, savoring and taking it all in. This is not the sort of book you wanna speed read through, it's too entrancing...enchanting.
You can vividly picture it all and it's awe-inspiring, awe-tastic...just spirited away to this other-worldly world and totally zen out on the ambiance of it all.
Yea....just flat out AWE-mazing.
I do believe I have found my new favorite female author, Ms. Lucretia Stanhope.
I already fell in love with her bewitchingly beautiful writing style after I read her first published book, the highly imaginative and monster rich, Rather Be Fishing.
She has such a hypnotically elegant prose going for her, creating this most magical and majestic (yet reeeal feeling) of fantasy worlds, and they all converge.
I picture myself easily getting lost in her worlds/words, often.
This is primo storytelling at it's pristine finest, folks!!
Gwen is an orphan, her mom died when she was really young. She comes from a long line of witches but didn't learn of this (or her own abilities) until she was much older.
Now with her shape shifting familiar Lewis by her side, she travels to the stately estate of the grandmother she never met, trying with all her untapped might to solve her brutal murder.
Is it witch related, is Gwen in danger too??
The neighbor Sebastian fears that she is. He was a close personal friend/confidant of her grandmother and Gwen takes an immediate like to him.
He's so damn likeable ~ that smile, those eyes!!
He was also a familiar back in the day, a powerful one, but was disgraced after an incident with his witch.
Her grandma Lizzy was a very well liked member of the town, and most of the townspeople go out of their way in support of Gwen and her long overdue homecoming.
She feels whole and warmed for the first time in her solitary life.
Menace lurks close by though, she can sense it.
Is it true that she is actually a supremely powerful witch, capable of so much more than simple visions?
Why would this be kept from her?
Why was she bound in the first place??
It's all so overwhelming for our big hearted Gwen.
And with both Lewis and Sebastian harboring secrets from the new and insecure witch, those insecurities resonate into an even deeper bind.
Poor Gwen, has a hard enough time understanding her own place, let alone everyone else's.
The journals of her grandmother and the pick and choose advice/confessions of the familiars help her fit some of the pieces together, as the plot thickens.
Gwen is a wonderful character, you really like the little gal. Sweet and innocent but with no filter, she says the first thing that pops into her mind. She's painfully honest which sends her into a whiplash whirlwind knowing that things are purposely being kept from her.
For what purpose??
Who can she really trust??
A family debt, a family curse, a stumped family tree, non shapeshifting shifty people, white magic, black magic, voodooooo, blood bonds, romance, passion, humor, knitting.
Mystery and suspense with a beguiling lure ~ this book has it all!!
So much going on in this spellbinding story and lucky for us, it's a saga, the start of many many more, that are available NOW.
The epilogue of this book gives you the first chapter of part 2: Burning Captivation, where we're introduced to a whole new exciting supernaturally threat, plus all the old ones that still linger with their jagged scars, casting doubt.
This is going to be a fantastic series, the center stage is set brilliantly!
I can totally picture Gwen and company finding themselves in a myriad of wicked aaand whimsical entanglements, including those of self discovery, and most always in a perilous passion fueled frenzy.
I'm not now nor have I ever been a fan of romance novels. I don't consider this a romance though, even though it has strong emotional elements of intimacy cast throughout.
Right now, it's more of an undercurrent drift but I know it's going to come on stronger as the books continue. I can honestly say though, with such an awesome jaw dropping supernatural storyline...bring on the sappy, mushy, angsty, achey, lusty, hanky-panky, lovey-doveyness.
Come on, I can handle it! ;) hehehe
I would recommend this book to all those who are also on the adverse, ew romance bandwagon.
Oh dear Goddess, I wanna be a witch....
Gwen and I actually do have a lot in common too; we both drink a ton of coffee.
That's pretty significant.
Oh and I don't have a very functionable filter either. hahaha
And I actually did try it out once but there is that whole 'do no harm' fine print. Pfft.
I wonder exactly how many books she has planned, there are 6 listed on Goodreads already.
Yea...it's probably just taken a fiery, spirited, juju infused life of it's own by now and they will keep her in the loop, when suited.
She is blessedly, blissfully, bound.
Jeez, I've rambled long enough, I tend to do that....just read the book!! It's phenomenal. :D
June 21, 2017
Blessedly Bound (An Elemental Witch Trials Novel Book One) by Lucretia Stanhope, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, February 6th, 2017, 218 pages, Genre: Paranormal. Warning: May Contain Spoilers.
Review by Leigh Holland.
Blessedly Bound features a female witch as the main protagonist, depicting magic as a blend of shamanistic abilities and energy manipulation. After hundreds of years in Western culture of witches being depicted in an incredibly negative light, it’s refreshing to read a story in which they’re presented in a more positive manner. Although the genre is listed as paranormal, I’d also ascribe elements of romance and mystery to the work.
Gwen Hensley is a witch, a woman born with innate potential to tap into the natural elements and thereby use power for either good or evil as each witch sees fit. Gwen comes from a long line of witches. Raised in an orphanage since an infant, after the death of her mother, Gwen has never known her family but has always dreamed of finding a place and people to belong with. Gwen has a familiar, Lewis, who takes the shape of a raven or a man as needed and has been Gwen’s best friend and closest companion most of her life. Bonded to her, his job is to teach Gwen magic and boost her power. When her grandmother, Lizzy, is murdered, Gwen and Lewis arrive on the scene to solve the murder and inherit her sizeable estate. Traipsing about town, Gwen gets to know Lizzy’s friends and joins her knitting circle as she prepares for a memorial for her grandmother. Among Lizzy’s friends is the attractive, suave Sebastian. Sparks fly between them as Lewis grows envious over time.
Lewis is quite possibly the worst familiar ever. He teaches her nothing, leaving her defenseless, and broke her heart when he rejected her romantic advances prior to the onset of the book. Apparently, if a familiar and his witch become romantically involved, the bond between them is broken, weakening them both magically. He treats her as a child, making choices that affect her future without her consent. Gwen, for her part, is a very young and inexperienced lady and witch, struggling to discover her family’s past and forge her own identity. Lewis makes mistakes, resenting his witch for the romantic and magical frustrations he brought upon himself. I was rooting for Lewis and Gwen to find a way to end up together, but by the end of the book, I decided Lewis needed to do some serious soul searching and maturing before he’d be the right fit for Gwen, as either a familiar or a lover. Gwen needs to grow and come into her own before she will be ready to commit to someone with all her heart, so I was satisfied that no permanent commitments were made. Sebastian is an intriguing character with a past still not fully revealed. The most mature of the trio, he serves as a balancing force and mentor for Lewis and Gwen.
There were two themes in the work that stood out to me. From the romantic aspect, this was about longing, reaching out for the fruits of love but never quite touching them. Every interaction seems to be permeated with this longing. I’ll never look at knitting the same way again. The second theme is about unpleasant truths. We like to think that honesty is always the best policy and truth is a goodness. But things aren’t always so clear cut. “Sometimes the illumination of truth makes things darker.”
The book was well written, but the mystery’s solution was predictable. I wished the mystery had been more difficult to solve as I relish an element of mystery in any genre. Overall, I enjoyed reading Blessedly Bound. I’d recommend this to those who enjoy a paranormal series featuring a non-traditional female protagonist, particularly if the reader enjoys romance and the interplay between male rivals.
Review by Leigh Holland.
Blessedly Bound features a female witch as the main protagonist, depicting magic as a blend of shamanistic abilities and energy manipulation. After hundreds of years in Western culture of witches being depicted in an incredibly negative light, it’s refreshing to read a story in which they’re presented in a more positive manner. Although the genre is listed as paranormal, I’d also ascribe elements of romance and mystery to the work.
Gwen Hensley is a witch, a woman born with innate potential to tap into the natural elements and thereby use power for either good or evil as each witch sees fit. Gwen comes from a long line of witches. Raised in an orphanage since an infant, after the death of her mother, Gwen has never known her family but has always dreamed of finding a place and people to belong with. Gwen has a familiar, Lewis, who takes the shape of a raven or a man as needed and has been Gwen’s best friend and closest companion most of her life. Bonded to her, his job is to teach Gwen magic and boost her power. When her grandmother, Lizzy, is murdered, Gwen and Lewis arrive on the scene to solve the murder and inherit her sizeable estate. Traipsing about town, Gwen gets to know Lizzy’s friends and joins her knitting circle as she prepares for a memorial for her grandmother. Among Lizzy’s friends is the attractive, suave Sebastian. Sparks fly between them as Lewis grows envious over time.
Lewis is quite possibly the worst familiar ever. He teaches her nothing, leaving her defenseless, and broke her heart when he rejected her romantic advances prior to the onset of the book. Apparently, if a familiar and his witch become romantically involved, the bond between them is broken, weakening them both magically. He treats her as a child, making choices that affect her future without her consent. Gwen, for her part, is a very young and inexperienced lady and witch, struggling to discover her family’s past and forge her own identity. Lewis makes mistakes, resenting his witch for the romantic and magical frustrations he brought upon himself. I was rooting for Lewis and Gwen to find a way to end up together, but by the end of the book, I decided Lewis needed to do some serious soul searching and maturing before he’d be the right fit for Gwen, as either a familiar or a lover. Gwen needs to grow and come into her own before she will be ready to commit to someone with all her heart, so I was satisfied that no permanent commitments were made. Sebastian is an intriguing character with a past still not fully revealed. The most mature of the trio, he serves as a balancing force and mentor for Lewis and Gwen.
There were two themes in the work that stood out to me. From the romantic aspect, this was about longing, reaching out for the fruits of love but never quite touching them. Every interaction seems to be permeated with this longing. I’ll never look at knitting the same way again. The second theme is about unpleasant truths. We like to think that honesty is always the best policy and truth is a goodness. But things aren’t always so clear cut. “Sometimes the illumination of truth makes things darker.”
The book was well written, but the mystery’s solution was predictable. I wished the mystery had been more difficult to solve as I relish an element of mystery in any genre. Overall, I enjoyed reading Blessedly Bound. I’d recommend this to those who enjoy a paranormal series featuring a non-traditional female protagonist, particularly if the reader enjoys romance and the interplay between male rivals.
February 6, 2018
I read this book after interacting with the author, who was an incredibly kind and friendly woman whom I wish the utmost success. I believe she's told a story that her intended audience would be likely to enjoy.
Romance is pretty low on my personal list of favorite genres, but I have read enough of them and talked to women about them enough to feel safe in saying Blessedly Bound probably has much more to offer to fans of the genre than it did to me personally. This book seems well enough in line with Twilight and similar books that I think fans of those stories would find plenty to love here.
I love fantasy stories, but my tastes even within the subgenre of Witches lean more toward Harry Potter, Stardust, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe rather than to what I found between these pages, which very heavily leaned on the feelings of the characters more than their actions or their words.
I enjoyed the plot that involved the mystery behind the murder of the main character's grandmother. I enjoyed the idea of witches having "familiars" which are animal companions who could also transform into human appearance to assist, protect, and teach their witches. I enjoyed the small town setting and the cast of characters that inhabited that town.
The book is told from a third-person omniscient standpoint. The vast majority of the words on these pages are dedicated to describing how every character feels and explaining exactly what they mean or the exact reason behind everything they say out loud. Many successful books such as Twilight and The Hunger Games are guilty of this same behavior, so I don't think it would impede most readers' enjoyment as much as it happened to impede mine.
I genuinely loved the finale and found it made up for the slow burn of the bulk of the novel. I really wish the ways in which Gwen used her magic were described in more detail before the climax because I think it would have aided my enjoyment much earlier. Frequently, in her sessions with Sebastian where she is described to be working on her magic, what's actually happening was glazed over in favor of focusing on how Gwen and Sebastian felt during those sessions. I wish that there had a been a better balance of action lines vs internal monologues. The actual finale shows her powers in a very satisfying way that I had hoped would be more prevalent throughout.
I think fans of romance would enjoy the “forbidden fruit”-like nature of the longing and desire throughout the book’s love triangle. I think fans of fantasy might wish there were more detail given into how fantasy elements work in this universe.
The sequel looks to be more vampire heavy and action heavy based on the first chapter of the Part 2 that was placed at the end of Book 1 so it’s possible that fans of the type of fantasy/horror I enjoy might find more to like as the series grows deeper.
I would personally score the book a 3.5, but I’m rounding up to 4 because I think dedicated fans of the subgenre will find more to enjoy here than I did.
Romance is pretty low on my personal list of favorite genres, but I have read enough of them and talked to women about them enough to feel safe in saying Blessedly Bound probably has much more to offer to fans of the genre than it did to me personally. This book seems well enough in line with Twilight and similar books that I think fans of those stories would find plenty to love here.
I love fantasy stories, but my tastes even within the subgenre of Witches lean more toward Harry Potter, Stardust, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe rather than to what I found between these pages, which very heavily leaned on the feelings of the characters more than their actions or their words.
I enjoyed the plot that involved the mystery behind the murder of the main character's grandmother. I enjoyed the idea of witches having "familiars" which are animal companions who could also transform into human appearance to assist, protect, and teach their witches. I enjoyed the small town setting and the cast of characters that inhabited that town.
The book is told from a third-person omniscient standpoint. The vast majority of the words on these pages are dedicated to describing how every character feels and explaining exactly what they mean or the exact reason behind everything they say out loud. Many successful books such as Twilight and The Hunger Games are guilty of this same behavior, so I don't think it would impede most readers' enjoyment as much as it happened to impede mine.
I genuinely loved the finale and found it made up for the slow burn of the bulk of the novel. I really wish the ways in which Gwen used her magic were described in more detail before the climax because I think it would have aided my enjoyment much earlier. Frequently, in her sessions with Sebastian where she is described to be working on her magic, what's actually happening was glazed over in favor of focusing on how Gwen and Sebastian felt during those sessions. I wish that there had a been a better balance of action lines vs internal monologues. The actual finale shows her powers in a very satisfying way that I had hoped would be more prevalent throughout.
I think fans of romance would enjoy the “forbidden fruit”-like nature of the longing and desire throughout the book’s love triangle. I think fans of fantasy might wish there were more detail given into how fantasy elements work in this universe.
The sequel looks to be more vampire heavy and action heavy based on the first chapter of the Part 2 that was placed at the end of Book 1 so it’s possible that fans of the type of fantasy/horror I enjoy might find more to like as the series grows deeper.
I would personally score the book a 3.5, but I’m rounding up to 4 because I think dedicated fans of the subgenre will find more to enjoy here than I did.
June 2, 2017
A witchy tale of how to not meet family. Gwen Hensley moves to Kansas to find out why her grandmother died. She ends up finding out more than she bargained for, in more than one way.
Being the first novel in a series, it sets up an awful lot for later. Things start intense, then settle down the farther into the narrative the reader gets. Because it spends so much time setting up for the future, there's a little less time devoted to the present. The reader gets a good grasp of the characters and backstory. However, things feel a little flat. An emotional connection with the characters wasn't present. On the surface, the reader recognizes that the situation is a tragic one. The style and tone help that. There's a dark, somber feel to it. The characters even have a dark, somber feel to them. Only, they get overshadowed by the divergent plot lines.
Each of the characters did have their own plot line. Their stories wound up intertwined, yet distinct. I liked that. There was lots of foreshadowing that created a good level of tension. The writing style overall was well suited to the narrative. The dialogue does get clunky in some areas.. It doesn't flow like natural conversation. It did well to prevent telling the reader too much information at once. Gwen knows only as much as the reader, which helped to develop the mystery and the character interactions.
The unique situations of the character were a huge draw. There's not a lot I can say without giving spoilers, but the sexual tension was insane. Most of the placement was good. Some of the progression left me scratching my head. Some of it could be the lacking character depth and back story.
I liked the way the magic was set up. A lot of times it's overpowered and used as a convenience. The magic contained in this novel didn't feel like that. It falls back on a popular trope, but maintains a different feel than most. I will admit I'm excited to see how the build-up comes to a head.
Not a bad read overall. The narrative is set up for big things to come, and I'm kind of excited to see where it goes. While the main story for this novel gets tied up at the end, there's so many questions left for the future ones.
Being the first novel in a series, it sets up an awful lot for later. Things start intense, then settle down the farther into the narrative the reader gets. Because it spends so much time setting up for the future, there's a little less time devoted to the present. The reader gets a good grasp of the characters and backstory. However, things feel a little flat. An emotional connection with the characters wasn't present. On the surface, the reader recognizes that the situation is a tragic one. The style and tone help that. There's a dark, somber feel to it. The characters even have a dark, somber feel to them. Only, they get overshadowed by the divergent plot lines.
Each of the characters did have their own plot line. Their stories wound up intertwined, yet distinct. I liked that. There was lots of foreshadowing that created a good level of tension. The writing style overall was well suited to the narrative. The dialogue does get clunky in some areas.. It doesn't flow like natural conversation. It did well to prevent telling the reader too much information at once. Gwen knows only as much as the reader, which helped to develop the mystery and the character interactions.
The unique situations of the character were a huge draw. There's not a lot I can say without giving spoilers, but the sexual tension was insane. Most of the placement was good. Some of the progression left me scratching my head. Some of it could be the lacking character depth and back story.
I liked the way the magic was set up. A lot of times it's overpowered and used as a convenience. The magic contained in this novel didn't feel like that. It falls back on a popular trope, but maintains a different feel than most. I will admit I'm excited to see how the build-up comes to a head.
Not a bad read overall. The narrative is set up for big things to come, and I'm kind of excited to see where it goes. While the main story for this novel gets tied up at the end, there's so many questions left for the future ones.
October 9, 2017
I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
To begin with, the cover pic is really mesmerizing. I believe that the cover portrays the energy of the story.
That being said here is my review.
Plot : 4
Main Characters : 3.5
Side Characters : 3.5
Feel/Emotions : 3.5
Twists : 3.5
Writing Style: 5
My thoughts : I enjoyed reading the book. However, I found some gaps in the story, which I believe, if included, would have given an added dimension to the story. Let's begin with the good things. The witchy parts although very less were well written. The plot develops well, where Gwen is slowly realizing her power and how her familiar Lewis and Sebastian help her through it all. The murder mystery however, is another story..
Now, the gaps..To begin with there is hardly any history of Gwen, about her father and did he even affect her life?? What about Lewis, how was he chosen for her?? I know that they loved each other, but Lewis kept himself away for some witch-familiar rule,but a little more background would have helped making the story whole. And Sebastian !! So much potential in this character.. and yet there is hardly any mention of his power. I expected to read more witchy stuff from the undead-wolf (more than mere charms). I find Gwen's character a little too timid, if I may. Yeah she has anger bursts and stuff, but she lacks some bad-ass. I am looking forward to what the Seb-Gwen relation would be in the next book.
And lastly,the murder plot. Seems too mild for a witchy novel (I am too bloodthrirsty !!) I was disappointed that Gwen could not show off her power (since she is supposed to be really powerful) and her friends (confused love life..sigh..) had to rescue her.
I would have given 3.5 stars..but,the story has so much potential..so, I will give it 4 stars..
To begin with, the cover pic is really mesmerizing. I believe that the cover portrays the energy of the story.
That being said here is my review.
Plot : 4
Main Characters : 3.5
Side Characters : 3.5
Feel/Emotions : 3.5
Twists : 3.5
Writing Style: 5
My thoughts : I enjoyed reading the book. However, I found some gaps in the story, which I believe, if included, would have given an added dimension to the story. Let's begin with the good things. The witchy parts although very less were well written. The plot develops well, where Gwen is slowly realizing her power and how her familiar Lewis and Sebastian help her through it all. The murder mystery however, is another story..
Now, the gaps..To begin with there is hardly any history of Gwen, about her father and did he even affect her life?? What about Lewis, how was he chosen for her?? I know that they loved each other, but Lewis kept himself away for some witch-familiar rule,but a little more background would have helped making the story whole. And Sebastian !! So much potential in this character.. and yet there is hardly any mention of his power. I expected to read more witchy stuff from the undead-wolf (more than mere charms). I find Gwen's character a little too timid, if I may. Yeah she has anger bursts and stuff, but she lacks some bad-ass. I am looking forward to what the Seb-Gwen relation would be in the next book.
And lastly,the murder plot. Seems too mild for a witchy novel (I am too bloodthrirsty !!) I was disappointed that Gwen could not show off her power (since she is supposed to be really powerful) and her friends (confused love life..sigh..) had to rescue her.
I would have given 3.5 stars..but,the story has so much potential..so, I will give it 4 stars..
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