Cursed Charm

Arcane Witches #1

by Jali Henry

“He’s had centuries to master this game and he is very, very good at it…”

One minute I’m a regular Londoner – overworked, underpaid and living in a flat the size of a shoe box. The next minute I'm doing magic and hunting vampires. You see, it turns out that I'm an arcane witch. Never heard of them? Neither had I until I got attacked by a vampire while trying to make a food delivery. Ok, that wasn't all bad. It did get me through the doors of the sexiest doctor this side of the Thames. The trouble is he’s hiding something. I know it’s something BIG but I just can't work out what it is...

Now the other arcane witches want me to join their crusade. They say if we don't hunt vampires to extinction, the blood-suckers will take over the world, turning humans into cattle. I tell those crazy witches to get lost, but that’s a mistake. The vampires know about me. They know that I'm special and they won't stop until I'm dead.

I soon find myself locked in a battle of wits against the most devious vampire in existence. I’m in way over my head, but the biggest fight may be the one for my own soul…

For fans of Annette Marie, Linsey Hall and BR Kingsolver. If you love sassy heroines, villains you love to hate and unputdownable chapters, you'll love this fast-paced urban fantasy book.

Content: Contains language, violence and mild steam.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

328 pages, ebook

Published October 1, 2021

About the author

Fascination with the paranormal + Love of writing = Paranormal Fantasy Writer!

I always loved writing but I believed that it led to a life of poverty and that it was impossible to break into traditional publishing.

Indie publishing changed all that and now I'm writing books I would read myself and having a whale of a time!

If you want to connect with me, please sign up for my monthly newsletter by visiting my website https://www.jalihenry.com

Or say 'hi' on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/Jali-Henr...

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Reviews

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cursed Charm: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Series (Arcane Witches Book 1) by Jali Henry is a wonderful read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series that I am so hooked on and can not wait to read the rest. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about urban fantasy.



I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Arabella Auberon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good start to this series. The world is expansive, and interesting and I liked how the author pits the two opposing factions, the vampires and the arcane witches. It’s exciting and easy to connect with Bree. I most certainly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories with original dynamics and relatable characters.
5 ⭐️s= Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors, loved this story so much I’d buy it.

4 ⭐️s= Great story, highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Believable actions and reactions, realistic dialogue, a book I would consider buying.

3 ⭐️s= Good but not great story, noticeable discrepancies, grammatical and or spelling errors, undeveloped characters or unbelievable behaviors but still readable. Nothing majorly wrong with the story, just not interesting enough for me to continue. Would not buy the book.

2 ⭐️s= Not offended by the story, but not interested enough to finish. Unbelievable characters, poor writing, many mistakes, big holes or discrepancies, many spelling or grammatical errors, characters not believable, unlikeable or TSTL.

1 ⭐️= Offensive, extremely poor writing, horrible characters, victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. Would never buy this book, and do not recommend it to anyone.

[S.S. Saywack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bree is a witch, but she doesn’t know it yet. Her peaceful life with all its trials and tribulation and job and boyfriend worries are about to be shattered when she discovers that Vampires live freely amongst us - they are taxi drivers, barmen, even your postman, maybe. Not only that but not the traditional Vampire, daylight doesn’t affect these ones - luckily silver bullets and wooden stakes do. Jali Henry, who has written several Vampire books, has created a wonderful heroine, feisty and clever and vulnerable also - no superwoman, but someone who has her flaws and problems. She is a likeable and well-described protagonist - just as the other characters who are well defined, also: her boyfriend, the villain and others she comes into contact with. The book takes us on Bree’s voyage of discovery. She is soon to meet a 250-year-old Vampire with an agenda. At the top of his list is Bree. It is a well-written and crafted novel. it is pacy with an exciting storyline. I like that the book is set in London and I can follow, to some extent, Bree’s journey around the capital. The book is the first in a series and I look forward to subsequent adventures. The author sent me an ARC to review.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started off a little slow for me, I had some trouble liking the Bree. Once it started to pick up, I started to like Bree. She had character (a bit too much in the beginning) and loyalty even when life dealt her a crappy hand. One thing I do admire is her tenacity in the face of absolute danger...which on occasionally gets her into a bit of trouble.

I thoroughly enjoyed the would the author built! I liked the idea of arcane witches and spirit witches existing, plus her take of the mythology of vampires. She has a fresh take on them and I'm curious to see what else we learn about them in the next books!

Note: the author does talk about race in this book (mostly due to a certain powerful vampire), and I think it's pretty relevant and not pushing an agenda or anything ridiculous like that.

All in all, the author creates an interesting would set in the UK (and uses British English), with witches and vampires. The main character took awhile for me to like, but she became better as the story went on. It's a nice urban fantasy read.

[Doty Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Girl Bubbles is adjusting to so many changes in her "new life". Really could even imagine your at your job, your a Detective your on the gun range. Your ready to shoot at your target, your plasma gun goes "Super Nova" heating up destroying your whole arm, shoulder down to your hand. Now to top this off, you losr your job, your trying to sober up, you now have a " cyborg"-like arm- shoulder to your hand.
Your trying to use the new apendage, it's a hit and miss.
Since you have to remain sober, you now have a "Robitic tattle-tell cat" that monitors you and your new arm, also monitoring and reporting your movements as well as if your staying sober. Your also trying to find a new way to pay your bills. So you try your hand-pun intended- at being a PI. Fast paced very twisty, turny, and friends, frenemies, allies and enemies. I received this as an ARC I loved it, cant wait for the next one!

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤❤💜 A beautiful Fantasy discovery.

Employee Bree works in London at a company where her bosses denigrate her on a daily bases.

As she stumbles because of dog, with the tray of coffee in her hands and sprawls on the floor, this is too much.

Bree gets angry and lashes out at a coworker who laughs at her.
Her boss fires her immediately without any remorse...

Here she is without a job...

------------

Here is a pleasant discovery which tells the extraordinary adventures of a young Irish immigrant.

I really liked the original and endearing character of Bree.
The story is very mysterious and very captivating.
I did not see the pages scrolling because it was so interesting !

- what were Bree’s powers ?
- what happened in her past ?
- and who was this mysterious doctor Nik ?

Absolutely exciting to read.❤

[Lisa Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an ARC I am leaving my honest review. This story just keeps getting better. Fast paced action, nail biting moments, heartfelt emotions with some steam will hold your attention as Bree learns of her true heritage. That of being an Arcane Witch. As she learns about her powers and emotions that have always made her think she was going crazy, she realizes that all is not as it seems. There is a vampire lord that wants to eliminate humans until the world is filled with blood craving vampires. Only one problem. Vampires that have turned vegan are out to prevent that from happening and they need the help of an Arcane witch. Who Bree meets is a key character to helping her, or is he putting her in danger while fulfilling their own plan? Be prepared for a long night of reading, and wanting more.

[Kathy Brenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great start to a new series. Bree had strange violent thoughts when she came across some people, without knowing why. After witnessing a man attacking a woman, she jumped in to save her - suddenly finding herself more powerful and faster than she thought possible. She later finds out that she is an Arcane Witch, whose main purpose is to hunt and destroy vampires. Although the other Arcane Witches tried to get her to join them, she thought that they were crazy and so she refused. She is then captured by the most horrendous and powerful vampire. What he wanted her for was unimaginable, but escape was nigh on impossible.

[David]

This is a great opener to a series. It stands alone as an exciting narrative, but left me wanting more. All through there are twists and turns; I was led up numerous blind alleys before all was explained. I still don't believe in vampires, but am looking forward to the next in the series to convince me absolutely, and meantime I find myself checking round corners just in case. Great reading: a captivating storyline, really sparks the imagination, but at the same time the characters are so down to earth that it's like reading about your mates - sexuality, angst, flatmates, relatives, pokey flats and posh houses - it has it all.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is off to a fantastic start. A well written urban fantasy paranormal read that draws you in hook, line and sinker from the very start. Our female mc is just a regular human living her downtrodden life until she suddenly finds out she’s actually an arcane witch and yep paranormal is real. It’s an exciting adventure with a different and interesting take on witches and vampires and I’m hooked on this journey.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cursed Charm by Jali Henry is Book 1 in the Arcane Witches series. This is a well written, action packed, page turning adventure with interesting characters that you will love and hate. Bree (MFC) thinks she's human until being attacked by a vampire and finds out she is an arcane witch. This is a fantastic series starter and one you'll not want to put down and find yourself wanting more when you reach the last page. Received an ARC from StoryOrigin and this is my voluntary review.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that keeps you in the fantasy world until the very end. Finding out you can do magic and being a witch is a surprise to anyone. Loved being a part of that world for awhile and look forward to many more books.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love all things PNR than this one is for you. The characters are engaging and well developed with a storyline that is well worth taking the time to read.

I received a copy and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Sharli Kaltenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires, witches, love, racism, mind control. This book has it all. Bree is not who she always thought she was. Having a bit of "sight" as her Aunt says is one thing, but what she finds out about herself is astounding. I cannot wait to start the next book

[tburbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jali Henry has provided us with characters that will grab your attention and keep you coming back for more in this series starter. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Hanna Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this dark fantasy story taking place in London. I like how witches are becoming more mainstream so we can enjoy stories like these.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much punctuation, which made it hard to immerse myself in the story. A good editor would make a huge difference.

[Lynda Myring j · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best witch versus vampires I’ve read . I would recommend it to anyone brilliant story and fab characters. I loved it .

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bad dream? Bree soon learns that paranormals are real and that she is an arcane witch.

[Jennifer Laird-Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good and interesting book. I enjoyed reading this and the characters. I would recommend this book

[Rowan Creech · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful first book in a series that was a pleasure to read. It is full of action and has great characters as well as a good storyline. I recommend this book.

[Leslie Twitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cursed Charm is a great paranormal read. I love the Arcane Witches and the unique writing that goes with them.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.