The Glamourist is the sequel to The Vine Witch (which I also had the pleasure of reading an ARC of), and the second book in the Vine Witch trilogy. While The Vine Witch mainly focused on Elena, the main character in The Glamourist is Yvette, the witch who came to Elena’s aid during the first book. 
Yvette was one of my favorite characters in The Vine Witch, and I was so excited to get to read her point of view and learn more about her. Yvette’s parentage is shrouded in secrecy; she knows almost nothing about them except for her mother’s first name, and, as a result, also doesn’t know what kind of witch she is and isn’t very good at magic. I really liked learning about Yvette’s heritage as she did, as well as the incorporation of other supernatural beings other than witches. I also loved Monsieur Whiskers, the cat who follows Yvette around for most of the book and helps her out of a few sticky situations! Yvette’s troubles with using magic was also really interesting to read, especially since the protagonist of the first book, Elena, is an extremely accomplished witch. 
As much as I liked Yvette’s perspective, I also liked that we get to learn more about Elena in the months following the end of The Vine Witch, especially her relationship with Jean-Paul, who is now her fiancé.

Quick Thoughts
-This book is set entirely in Paris, which was a departure from The Vine Witch's country setting. I really liked this, as I got to see turn-of-the-century France with all the magic that this book adds.
-I love how the author continues to expand on the magic system in this story. The new aspects seem to blend perfectly with the familiar, and I'm excited to see what the author does in the next book.

Lasting Impressions

I was a little wary going into this book, realizing that it was about Yvette. I loved her in the first book, but I really wanted to find out what happened with Elena. Lucky for me, I got the best of both worlds! Both Yvette and Elena had POV chapters, and the more I read of Yvette, the more I admired her for her resourcefulness.

I admit that the first half of the book seemed a little bit slower than the rest for me. It was harder to get into. But once I got past the 50% mark, I was completely absorbed with the story. Like the first book, The Glamourist has some excellent twists that I didn't see coming. The ending was fabulous, and it made me excited to read the next book.

Overall Feelings

This is a solid sequel, and I'm grateful I had the chance to read it. Though the beginning was difficult for me to get through, the ending was totally worth it. Fans of the first won't be disappointed.

Paris! Witches! Magic! Murder! 

The Glamourist is the second in The Vine Witch series and introduces us to Yvette - an orphan and untrained witch. By chance, she meeting Elena, The Vine Witch, who then becomes her mentor. 

I thought this was interesting but read a little YA to me. Maybe I want more darkness and intrigue with my witches - especially my witches in Paris. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the second book for The Vine Series and this installment the story has moved from Chanceaux Valley and the vineyards to Paris and follows Elena and Yvette while on a mission to uncover Yvette’s heritage. 

Elena and John have travelled to Paris to the Ministry of Lineages and Licenses to change her witch status which doesn’t go as planned due her lineage. She is however she is given a choice. Help find a fugitive whom she spent time with in the past and turn her in and then she can change her status but this isn’t the type of person she. She is a person who helps not harm. 

We first met Yvette while she was helping Elena. Yes, she is wanted for murder but there is more to the story of which we learn during this story. Abandoned as a child and raised by a mortal, she knows nothing about her lineage. And the book she is given by her adoptive mother just adds more questions. She doesn’t always make the best decisions and lands herself in some pretty dangerous predicaments but I adored her for her sheer determination. And Elena’s as well for following her heart when it came to Yvette.

This is a story that is filled with magic, thievery and mystery and introduces of to a few new characters including Elena’s future mother in-law (man I adored that woman!) and an eccentric shop owner and a bewitched cat who all help Yvette and Elena. The story moves quickly and with such strong female leads it was so easy to be drawn into their intriguing world. The world building was just as I hoped it would be filled with magic and suspense and a quest to learn truths hidden. There was a little twist for Yvette at the end that I did not expect but it was certainly such a good one! 

This is filled magical realism and a little bit of romance and has been such a fantastic series so far and I can’t wait for the next installment!

**Review**
The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith
(Book 2 in The Vine Witch series)
Yvette longs to uncover the secrets of her magical heritage, and decipher the hidden meaning of a keepsake from her past. All whilst on the run from the authorities. She entrusts Elena, well renowned vine witch, to help her in her quest. Elena cannot turn away a friend in need, even though she is struggling with her own troubles.
However others also want to discover the truth behind Yvette’s momento, making their journey a perilous one.  With a little help from their friends, are they able to overcome their obstacles and become the witches they were destined to be?
After loving The Vine Witch, I was very keen to read this next instalment. And mostly, it didn’t disappoint. It is well written and an easy read. The story is well rounded and all questions are answered by the end of the book. I really love the characters; all with their own quirks and personalities. I especially enjoyed seeing Yvette develop and change over the course of the story. This was really well done and made for a page turning read.
It did take the story a little while to pick up momentum, but by the end the pages were action packed and exciting. I thought the conclusion felt perfect for the story. I did feel the atmospheric quality I loved so much in The Vine Witch was slightly lost in this second instalment, likely due to the different city setting.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and am keen to read the next instalment, due next year. A great, light, bewitching read. Thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read and review this. 
Publication date: 09/06/2020

The Glamourist by Luanne G Smith is the second book in the VIne Witch series , and the action is moved from the vineyard to the city of Paris where Elena has travelled with John Paul to meet his family, and also to sort out some issues with her magic registration following the revelations about her bloodline made in the previous book. (On that note I would highly recommend reading that book first as there is very little recap of what happened in this one, which could be confusing at times.) When it is suggested that she should help the authorities capture Yvette Lenoir whom she met while imprisoned (again I recommend reading the first book) in order to smooth things over, Elena knows that something is wrong and is determined to help Yvette if she can. 
Yvette is determined to find out more about the mother who abandoned her as an infant ,and the magical heritage that seems to have been deliberately suppressed  but the only clue she has is a mysterious book filled with symbols written in golden ink. To complicate matters it seems like there are several people with an unhealthy interest in that book and the magical secrets it contains , and all of them are looking for Yvette. 
I really enjoyed the first Vine Witch book, and I was keen to read this follow up. While I did enjoy it , I felt like it lacked some of the charm and intimacy of its predecessor, and I did not connect to Yvette as a character in the same way as I did with Elena. Once again the author does a wonderful job of evoking the senses, her talent for descriptive writing is immense and she brings the sights and sounds of Paris to life on the page. I also enjoyed the little glimpse into John Paul's background we get from meeting his mother, another wonderful character. 
Overall I enjoyed the book, though not quite as much as I did the Vine WItch, and I look forward to the next instalment - and if that happens to involve more of Sidra's story I certainly won't be complaining, 
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Book 2 in the Vine Witch series by Luanne G Smith.

This book is beautifully written and follows our previous heroine Elena on more adventures. I think you could probably read this without ever having read book 1, but you would be missing out on a wonderful story. There is a lot of soul/ purpose searching in this book, which makes it particularly timely given how many people are doing this exact thing in quarantine. Witchery, magic, soul searching, building relationships with other women; all make this another wonderful story. 

I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title.

It was so much fun going back to this world, as I've read the first book in this series, The Vine Witch. I love the writing style and the various characters, not to forget Mr. Whiskers. The characters, even the side-characters, where fleshed out. This book focused a bit more on Yvette, while the first one focused on Elena. Maybe book three will focus on Sidra? Anyway, it was an engaging plot with a good pace. Not too fast and not too slow.

Anyway, it's a really fun read and I would highly recommend it.

When I requested this ARC I did not realize that it was a part of a series. However, I am glad that I picked up the first book, The Vine Witch, because I have found an amazing historical world that I am enchanted by.  In the first novel, we follow Elena, who after being cursed is returning home only to find that the vineyard where she served as vine witch isn’t how she left it. I went into the first novel only knowing snippets and it paid off.  The Glamourist picks up the story a few weeks after the events of The Vine Witch and follows Yvette and Elena as they try to pick up the pieces and figure out their lineage and where they belong. I really feel as though, Luanne G Smith has created a magical historical fantasy world that I was charmed and intrigued by. I felt as though her world-building and storytelling expanded the world and my love of the characters even more in The Glamourist. I adored this book and very much enjoyed where Yvette’s story led. I cannot wait to read the 3rd book in the series, The Conjurer, to see where the world expands next. I highly recommend if you are in the market for a witchy read or if you enjoyed books like The Binding or Once Upon A River.

I read The Vine Witch and gave it 3 stars, then immediately jumped into The Glamourist. Luanne Smith's writing comes to life for me with rich colour, action and style. Her settings are rich and her characters are people I genuinely enjoy reading about. While I had a few issues with The Vine Witch, I had absolutely no issues with The Glamourist. I couldn't help but want to devour it as quickly as possible. The plot trotted along at a good pace without any slack but didn't feel rushed. If you enjoy a historical French novel with a twist of magic and mystery: grab this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley for an ARC of 'The Glamourist' in exchange for an honest review.

Set in turn of the century Paris, The Glamourist is the second book in the Vine Witch series (although it can work as a stand alone book; I haven't read Book 1) and features Yvette, a former street kid discovering her magical lineage, helped by Elena, a vine witch trying to shed the label of poisoner.  

Yvette, a young woman who grew up in a cabaret/brothel, is searching for her mother while on the run for murder.  Elena is a witch with a vineyard she can't return to unless she hands in Yvette, but Elena wants to help the young witch discover her potential.  Aided by a cat who knows more than the average moggy, The story wends its way through the back alleys and boulevards of Paris at the height of the city's fascination with the supernatural, weaving charlatan seances and showmanship in with witchcraft.  

It started slowly, and I was tempted to give up a few times, but it picked up significantly in the latter half.  I did find the scattering of French words italicised throughout distracting, but that is a relatively minor stylistic preference.


**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

2.75 Stars 

This is the second book in the Vine Witch series by Luanne G. Smith.

I am not sure what my problem with this book was. Usually, I am all in when it comes to witchy stories, but this one was just too complex and complicated that I think it went over my head. My other problem was that I did not read book one first. Which, I believe I definitely should have. I will have to come back to this series at a later date and check it out again.

I think that this specific moment in my life wasn’t the best time to tackle this one. It is for sure going into the batter’s box for a re-read soon!

If you like witchy stories, definitely check this one out and judge for yourselves.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I did not real the previous book in this series however I found that this book does not require reading the first one. This one was an okay read for me, the progress of the story started off slow and then ended quickly. The pacing was a bit off. I could not really connect with any of the characters. I did enjoy the cat though. The writing style is fine and the magic world building in this is fine. Overall this was just fine. It’s a good fantasy story about discovering ones indentity but there were no real emotion connections for me sadly. 
Thank you netgalley for sending me an arc!

3,5 stars! Slightly less than The vine witch (4 stars). As happened with the the first book I really loved Luanne Smith‘s writing style, evoking and full of atmosphere without being too rambling. The story was very intriguing but I admit that I was more interested in Elena than Yvette (not that I found Yvette‘s storyline boring, I just preferred Elena as a main character), my rating would have been probably been different without Elena‘s presence so I was very happy to find her here too. I was really glad at how the world building was expanded! It took me a little bit more time to really get into it comparing to The vine witch, which is the reason why I didn't‘t give it 4 stars.

Little did I know of The Vine Witch, but what an exciting start with ‘The Glamourist”, which I think could even be read without the first book – it had so much in it to captivate me!   What a fantastical trip through the streets of Paris with Elena Boureanu, the vine witch of Château Renard. Elena finds it very difficult to come to terms with her heritage, and her relationship with Yvette and Yvette’s own pathway to discovery unleash their true callings. Yvette’s history is a tragic one – orphaned and unaware of her magical heritage – and her escape from prison -  adds another layer to the mystery through the book.  Elena’s heritage of potion witches block her every move, and her husband (John-Paul) seems so obsessed for her to change her past for their future. One witch needs to make a decision about her life, and one witch needs to embrace the decision she has made to seek out her history. And that cat, oh that black cat is so intriguing, and with the magic, the dancing, the witchery – they all combine to create such a colourful tale. 

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An easy read historical fantasy set in an alternative Paris. I found this second one a little slower than the first Vine Witch novel, but with slightly better world building, and although I preferred having different view-point characters this slowed the pace even more. Refreshingly lighter on the romance aspect than I was expecting, and despite finding these books somewhat forgettable I would read more sequels or novels by Luanne G. Smith as they're decent comfort reads.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

This is a very hard book to review because it is stuck in that spot where it neither bad nor good. It's an easy and fast read, nothing too complicated, neither overwhelming nor underwhelming and this is exactly how I felt about its predecessor The Vine Witch.

Elena is a “vine witch” at one of the finest vineyards in the Chanceaux Valley and this installment brings us right back into the action. As a story, it’s fairly interesting and kind of fun to read. The idea of witches who ensure that good wine is produced is kind of interesting. I found the execution a little flat. The prose was poetic, the pace was steady, and it had an interesting magical concept in that witches specialized in certain magics rather than having overall magic.

However, I was frustrated in that I was never emotionally invested in the characters even a second time and I found the whole romantic angle of the storyline completely misplaced. I would have rather there hadn't been one at all but that's just me being someone who doesn't really enjoy romance in my stories.

If you enjoyed The Vine Witch then be sure to check out The Glamourist. The story does open up and reveal the underside with some pleasant pacing.

I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Glamourist is the second part of The Vine Witch, a book that I thought is self-conclusive and now I am sure about that. Both books are very diferent in the same world and I think it´s not necesary a duology (if they don´t have a third part)
But in this second part I feel more happy and interesting about the story, we have the same characters from the first book and new characters which are supposed to be a contribution but in that part I am not very sure about some charaters, like the one (don´t remember de name, sorry) who is in love with Yvette.
Yvette was a very interesting character and OMG she grew up a lot! Maybe she is one of the characters that I more interesting about her history and her secrets.
I can´t say more because spoilers, but I am only want to say... I love fairies.

I read The Vine Witch in one sitting - it was absolutely fantastic and I couldn’t wait to be sucked back into Elena’s world. 

I feel as though the magic hasn’t fully crossed over into The Glamourist, it feels a bit disjointed and I would say it would have been better off as a spin-off book as opposed to part of a series. 

It’s slow to start, but then it rolls off really quickly leaving you spinning a bit. I feel like it could have been better if the action had started sooner, but moved a bit slower. 

I was a bit frustrated when the characters had the perfect solution up their sleeves each time they were presented with a challenge or problem. This was probably just me comparing it with The Vine Witch too much. 

I feel a bit confused as to WHEN the book is set. In The Vine Witch we are presented with a car - which seems to be quite a novelty, whereas in this book there are cars, underground trains, telephones, electrical wires, indoor toilets - it didn’t quite match the expectation and picture previously given. 

Luanne is a fantastic writer and she has such an amazing imagination. I would love to read more about Elena’s world - maybe she could have another book focused on her, with the secondary characters having standalone or spin-off books telling their stories?

Pros-
▪ Fantasy
▪ Varied characters
▪ Female empowerment 
▪ All character prespectives given
▪ Birth mystery, magic mystery

Cons-
▪ Confusing
▪ No good introduction to the world. Even though I had read the prequel, it felt confusing.
▪ Yvette's character got me puzzled.