**Disclaimer: I was given a free ARC of the below in exchange for an honest review from the author.**

Title The Glamourist

Author Luanne G. Smith

Release Date June 9, 2020

Description from Amazon

Abandoned as a child in turn-of-the-century Paris, Yvette Lenoir has longed to uncover the secrets of her magical heritage and tap her suppressed powers. But what brave and resourceful Yvette has done to survive the streets has made her a fugitive. With a price on her head, she clings to a memento from her past—what she believes to be a grimoire inherited from the mother she never knew. To unlock the secrets of her past, Yvette trusts in one woman to help solve the arcane riddles among its charmed pages.

Elena Boureanu is the vine witch of Château Renard, noted for its renowned wines. Even as she struggles with her own bloodline—and its poisonous threat to her future—Elena can’t ignore a friend on the run. Joined by a cunning thief, the proprietor of an enchanted-curio shop, and a bewitching black cat, Elena and Yvette are determined to decode Yvette’s mysterious keepsake. But what restless magic will be unleashed? And what are Yvette and Elena willing to risk to become the witches they were destined to be?

Initial Thoughts

I absolutely adored The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith so when I found out there was a sequel in the works, I knew I needed to read it. Thank you again to the author, Luanne G. Smith, for generously sending me a copy (and beautiful matching bookmark).

Some Things I Liked

Side characters that fleshed out a larger magical world. The Vine Witch introduced us to a magic setting with the every day norms of witchcraft in Elena’s life. We met some lovely side characters who had some different magical abilities but they were not fully explored in the first book. I loved that this book expanded on their backstories and created an even richer cast of magical beings.
Elena’s identity conflict that paralleled Yvette’s. I really enjoyed watching both characters discover new aspects of their parentage and magical abilities. Elena struggled to know if she was truly a Vine Witch, the vocation of her adopted family, or if she was a Poisons Witch, after her mother. Similarly, Yvette wasn’t sure what kind of affinity she had and I really loved reading how both women’s journeys unfolded.
Elena’s MIL. Marion might be my new favorite. She was surprisingly eccentric and fun and I loved the scenes where Elena had to play the good future-daughter-in-law. Similarly, I loved the introduction of Alexandre Olmas. I hope we get to see more of him and Jean-Paul’s mother in future books.

Series Value

There is at least one more character that we haven’t heard much from in this series and I’d like to see her story play out. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love several more books about Elena and friends but I need at least a third book to feel like the characters from the first story all had their stories told.

I can’t wait for the announcement that a third book is coming. As of now, it’s not confirmed anywhere that I could find (but hopefully, that will change soon)!

Lastly, I believe this series has high re-read value. I can easily see myself re-reading both The Vine Witch and The Glamourist around September-October. These books feel very fall / Halloween-y without being spooky. Basically, they make me want to curl up with apple cider and read in a cozy sweater.

Final Thoughts

I loved this story just as much as I loved The Vine Witch. It’s rare for me to love a sequel as much as I did the first in a series but that totally happened here. I really enjoyed the way the world was expanded upon and I loved the introduction of new characters as well as appearances from characters in the first book. I can’t wait to keep reading this series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – ok, this is one of my favorite books of all time. I can easily say, if you liked The Vine Witch, you will enjoy The Night Circus. Both stories have such rich world building and are perfect fall stories.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness – if you liked the supernatural elements in this story, witches, demons, etc., give the All Souls trilogy a try.
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin – once again, if you liked the witches element, do yourself a favor and read this series by Shelby Mahurin. It’s seasonal, perfect, and has multiple POVs.

I absolutely loved The Vine Witch and I am equally impressed with the second installment The Glamourist. The author's writing style transports you right into Paris amidst the chaos, romance, and drama that is The Glamourist. After first meeting Yvette in The Vine Witch novel, she returns to discover who she truly is aided by the incredible Elena, who also happens to be sorting through her own struggles with identity. The mix of magic and mortals left me constantly on my toes.

I liked this a lot, though I felt something was holding it back from greatness. Don't read that as negativity because I genuinely enjoyed it. Lots to keep you interested.

As much as enjoyed the first book, this one was disappointing.

Instead of just following Elena, vine witch who is going through an identity crisis after finding out that her parents were poisoners, we also follow Yvette. She stole a wish to find out about her mother. This unfortunately, takes her to Paris where she is a wanted murderer.

Yvette's not really bright. Considering that she has an identifying scar on her face and she just escaped from prison, she doesn't do a good job hiding. At one point she decides to get cigarettes and just pulls her hair back, She had too much of a fairy godmother on her side.

I preferred Elena.

Review based on a ARC from Netgalley I received to make an honest review

With all its differences and similarities, the Glamourist is a perfect twin to the Vine Witch. Luanne makes you fall in love with her characters and magic. Go witches!

It was nice to return to Elena’s story and see a little of her character development as well as with Yvette.

I don't usually read this type of book but it looked interesting so I thought I would try it. I did enjoy the book not really my thing but I recommend for sci fi lovers

This was a lovely escape into the world of magic and witches. It felt much different than the Vine Witch, but showed character development and was interesting to delve into different aspects of this world. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Sci-fi isn't my normal genre but I read the first book in this series and loved it so was interested to read this second story and I was pleased it was about a character I found interesting in the first one but this one just didn't hold my interest as much this time around. I wanted more action. Plus I didn't really want anymore follow up from the couple of the 1st book besides the basic info to know they're doing well. Thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read both books. I liked both to some extent. It was a paranormal witch stories. I would recommend this author for an interesting plot and good writing. Both books are recommended if you like that kind of genre.

Like The Vine Witch, this is another atmospheric historical fantasy set in an intriguing world with, for the most part, compelling characters. I enjoyed it, but it definitely felt more disjointed than the first book in the series. It could've used a little more breathing room to explain the various twists and turns, revelations, and new-to-this-world magical concepts. As it stands, the book feels a little thrown-together, and the resolution depends on a lot of convenient coincidences. I'm still interested enough to read another book in the series, but I'd be happiest if it focused back on the quiet magic of Elena at her vineyard.

I read The Vine Witch a few months ago and liked it for its cozy magic and the various professions of the witches which determine their power and spells. Plus, I am a Francophile and the books are set in France. The Glamourist takes place in Paris and follows the story of Yvette Lenoir, who we briefly met in the first book. With the help of a stolen wish and the vine witch Elena Boureanu, Yvette searches for her particular brand and type of magic. The chase becomes frantic as Yvette's life is endangered by a relentless and unknown foe bent on stealing the only key to her past. I always felt like I didn't get to know Elena and her fiancé enough in The Vine Witch so the next installment definitely provided that for me, she is as much of a main character as Yvette. This book is an enjoyable and quick read; I will definitely look for the next in the series. Possibly it revolves around the jinni Sidra? I hope so!

I loved the first book, The Vine Witch. I was very happy seeing there would be a second book in the instalment.
I felt it took awhile for the story to pick up, but it did turn interesting at the end.
It was good to find Elena and Jean-Paul again and see more of Yvette and discovering her history. Being in the charming streets of old Paris was a real pleasure. There were multiple point of views, but it was clear in who’s we were in each chapter.
I was less into it as I was with The Vine Witch, for some reason. It was still really good, though, and I enjoyed reading The Glamourist.

I picked up the previous book in this series (The Vine Witch) when it was on offer on Amazon and enjoyed it, so thought I'd check this one out when it turned up on Netgalley. Like the previous book, this one is set in turn of the century France, but a France where magic is real and lives alongside everyday life - it's an immediate sequel too, so will make much more sense in terms of characters if you've already read The Vine Witch.

In The Glamourist, the focus shifts mostly from Elena our previous eponymous character, to one of the women with whom she was imprisoned briefly when accused of murder in the previous book. Elena has come to Paris with her now-fiancee to meet his mother and plan for their wedding, only to bump into Yvette - she's still on the run after escaping from prison and also trying to address the gaps in her past.

While Elena plays a significant part, this is very much Yvette's book and I guess I just don't find teenagers as interesting. The character of Jean-Paul gets significantly sidelined, whereas in The Vine Witch I really liked his gradual realisation that magic was real and what that meant for his relationship with Elena. That change of focus and the setting just didn't keep my interest as much as the previous book managed.

Elena herself is trying to address historical issues as well - her parents were executed for murder, so her family has a reputation for using poison and this is contradictory for a woman who wants to work with vines. She's given an ultimatum: help the authorities capture Yvette or lose the chance to work with vines again. However, since the focus was very much on Yvette, this ended up feeling like a minor plot point and didn't really get much action.

Once again we get the odd French word thrown in as the story goes along, which jolts a little at times. All in all, The Glamourist just didn't quite work as well for me as the previous book in the series, hence the 3-star rating.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,

The book focuses on Yvette an orphaned and untrained witch who doesn't know anything about her magic or her family so she's goes in pursuit of finding out the truth. Yvette starts her story in Paris after escaping from prison for murder. i didn't read the first book but i managed to follow along with the plot just fine. I loved reading this book and will probably reread it and purchase The Vine Witch.

would i recommend this book? Of course!

After reading the first book I was happy to see the second listed for review. I am a tad disappointed in the second book, as I thought it would be similar to the first, which I enjoyed immensely. The second focuses more on Yvette, whom I didn’t really enjoy as much as I did Elena. Although it went in a different path than the first, it was still worth the read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This book felt very different than the first one because it focuses a lot on finding the characters own identities.

The book shifts to focus more on Yvette than Elena since she doesn't know anything about her magic/family so they go running around the city to find out the truth. Elena helps Yvette despite having her own dilemmas and giving Yvette up would solve her problems but obviously she refuses.

I gotta say, I enjoyed this less than the first book because I'm not really a big fan of Yvette but she eased up on me during the whole book until in the end where she made one too many mistakes and got caught which frustrated me.

Moreover, I found the pacing to be all over the place and that the book felt too long and repetitive since the characters were running back and forth in the same places. Every problem they encountered were solved very conveniently besides the mystery of the book.

The ending and the whole reveal was definitely way better than the first book. The trick to how they caught the antagonist was clever and I didn't see it coming. I also enjoyed the introduction of the other witches and magical creatures in this book as well as the hidden laws and places of the witches.

Overall, the book definitely went in a different path than the first book but I enjoyed the first one more. I still love the writing style especially the whole vibe it set in and how different it feels compared to the first book. I certainly didn't expect the book to take this direction so it felt more original plot-wise and less cliche.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

The Glamourist, appeared on my NetGalley feed, I grabbed a copy and started reading. This is ultimately a story of self-discovery, for Elena and Yvette, with a magical undertone. I read this book pretty quickly because I just didn't want to put it down. Loved it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel that I am being generous with this three star rating -- it honestly is closer to two stars. I liked the first book in this series. It was a nice cozy read, and one that I enjoyed. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was going into this book. I had assumed it was going to be similar to the first book, and in some ways it was, but in other ways it was very different.

I will admit that I zoned out part of the book. I got a little bored with it; it wasn't holding my attention the further I read. I really tried, but even as I read I never felt as if I were missing anything. The plot was overall lackluster to me, and the characters were too. I wasn't invested in them in the least. In fact, the only one I was somewhat interested in was Elena. I liked her in the first book, and I liked her in this one.

I thought the writing was nice, but the pacing left a lot to be desired. Overall, it was an okay book, but not one I loved. I think The Vine Witch would have done well as a standalone.