Thank you to NetGallery and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely loved this book! It was everything I could hope for and I’d love to read more books by this author in the future. I loved the connections the characters shared, and the emotions that were explored throughout the book. I also love how the enemies to lovers trope was incorporated in the story, but not in the tradition way. The only thing that could make this book better would be seeing the pov of different characters!

This is probably the first time I've read a book about a female villain. And might I add, Rebecca L Garcia has done an amazing job in creating a world that involves witches, hunters and even enemies to lovers! Yes, my favourite. So whats not to love.

Victoria Amberwood also known as Tori is a witch in hiding, set out to gain vengeance on a man named Damian Shaw for the death of her sister. Tori plans to extract her revenge on Damian by using his son Elijah and making him fall in love with her. Unbeknownst that it might be her who actually falls with him.

This book is a brilliant example of how grief and heartache can turn even the kindest of people into someone they don't recognise.

I would highly consider this book an "enemies to lovers" however, instead of a fasted development which feels sudden, this story has what you would call a natural progression of the feelings formed between Victoria and Elijah.

The only criticism I have it that during certain parts I found it a bit slow. I always find with any book however, that I hit a wall at some point. But belive me when I say, you must carry on because this story is one you need to finish!

I've rated this book a high 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGally for providing me with an ARC for an honest review. Rebecca L Garcia I highly anticipate your next release (please make a book two! Cough cough)

“If they wanted darkness, I’d shroud them in it until they choked.”

I love a dark and villainous main character, but when you add witchcraft, great family banter, religious zealots, enemies to lovers, and a hefty dose of revenge… Magic happens. This was so well done! The MC Victoria is constantly on the cusp of being consumed by her own dark demons, especially after witnessing a legendary witch hunter murder her younger sister. Instead of running away & hiding the rest of her life, she moves right to his hometown and plots revenge! What better way to destroy a man, than take away everything he holds dear & make his son fall in love with what he hates most right? Easier said than done… after meeting charming Elijah.

I loved the banter, sarcastic humor, and the sexual tension/chemistry between Victoria and Elijah was fantastic. Definitely recommend if you like any of the themes I mentioned already, witches in general, or paranormal romance.

Thank you to Rebecca L. Garcia, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Confucius once said, “when you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” Victoria Amberwood doesn’t particularly care if her quest for revenge costs her her life. She’s determined to make the witch hunter who killed her sister suffer and pay for what he did. Once she moves with her siblings to the witch hunter’s home village and right under his nose, the family puts the plan in motion. Things get more complicated after meeting Elijah Shaw (the eldest son of the witch hunter) - Will her head and her heart get in the way of revenge? The story that followed in Rebecca L. Garcia’s Heart of a Witch was dark and gripping - I couldn’t stop reading once I had started.

Ms. Garcia’s characters are always complex - I savor any opportunity to read about morally grey characters and their journies. Victoria knows that using dark magic is wrong but she sees it as the only way to protect her family. A classic case of good intentions coupled with questionable methods. Or in other words, do the ends justify the means? Her struggles with dark magic and its pull are a big part of the book, and I enjoyed getting to see her growth over the course of the story. Victoria has built up her walls high (with good reason), but Elijah slowly chipped away at them with small acts of kindness and a whole lot of patience. Ms. Garcia did a great job balancing the emotion and the action with the spicy moments (which were so worth the wait once they arrived). I could not get enough of Elijah and Victoria’s chemistry. Alex and Cassian, Victoria’s siblings, were quite interesting characters too and I would love to see stories focused on just them (especially on Alex’s relationship with a not-to-be spoiled character).

I would happily recommend this book to paranormal romance and dark fantasy romance fans. In terms of audience level, I would place it at new adult. While you can read it as a standalone, I do recommend reading Spellbound first for a more enjoyable experience. Spellbound offers some worldbuilding and backstory to the Istinia that isn’t present in Heart of a Witch.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Victory Editing for my complimentary review copy. I also want to express my appreciation to Book of Matches Media and The Next Step PR for allowing me to be a part of promotional tours for the book.

3.5⭐️
Thank you to the author, publisher, & Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A girl on a mission for revenge. A hunter, his son, and her family. Her sister was killed by the hunter, and she was going to avenge her sister if it was the last thing she ever did in this world.

This book is a dark new adult fantasy romance. This isn’t something I would typically pick up but the description looked very interesting!

The beginning of the book was a little slow to get into but it definitely picked up pace! The romance trope is sworn enemies to lovers, and I loved seeing their relationship progress and their walls being broken down together. It is definitely on the darker side from what I typically read so it was interesting to dive into this type of world.

I also loved the strong bonds the main characters had with their families. They would do anything and everything to protect them.

If you love reading about witches you should give this a try!

This is a story about revenge, love, family, and witchcraft!

Victoria is a witch who witnessed her sister be murdered by a witch hunter. She and her family escape to the town he is from in order to enact their revenge. Victoria becomes involved with the witch hunters son in order to get close and ruin his life.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the family dynamic as well as the progression of Victoria. I definitely recommend this book to those who love books about witches but want a different take on them. Such a great and fast paced read!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

For the fans of Serpent & Dove, Heart of A Witch would be perfect for you.

Four out of five stars. I really liked it!

Reading this book was a breeze. It was very easy to understand to get yourself hooked into. Initially, I thought of Victoria to be bland but as the story progresses, she became a good villain out for revenge. Our hero, Elijah, was written with enough character for me to understand where he's coming from. It is note-worthy that he was not made into a character who sees the world as black and white.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I am satisfied with it.

The Heart of a Witch, Rebecca L Garcia (307 pages)
Genre: Fantasy romance, supernatural romance,
Rating: 3.5 stars

The Heart of a Witch is a standalone fantasy romance set in Rebecca L Garcia’s Embraced by Darkness collection.

The story follows Tori, a witch as she sets out for vengeance following the death of her sister. Determined to protect her family at all costs, Tori vows to take down the most terrifying of all witch hunters, Damian Shaw. As she finds herself growing closer to Damian’s son, Elijah it might not be her life on the line, she might also lose her heart.

Rebecca L Garcia creates an entrancing fantasy world filled with witches, hunters and much more. The story is told in alternating chapters from Tori and Elijah. This allows the reader to get to know both sides of the story and world from different viewpoints. Tori is a strong character and not your typical damsel or heroine. There is also a large cast of side characters who play a significant role in the story.

The story follows the enemies to lover’s trope with a bit of a twist. The romance is steamy and spicey but not excessively so.

I found the book quite slow and skimmed a few parts. I think the author did a great job in creating interesting characters but I’d have liked to learn more about the setting and seen more world-building to fully flesh out the motivations for the characters actions.

If you enjoy light, adult/new adult, fantasy romance novels you will likely enjoy this one.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book.

Victoria was one of the best female characters I’ve ever read! And that alone says a lot. She practices dark magic, she’s hellbent on seeking vengeance for her sister’s murder, she’s morally grey. But beneath her anger and hatred of the man responsible for the slaughters of her people, there’s a flicker of goodness. It’s just enough to give her character a satisfying arc, without making her grovel and apologize for all the wrongs she’s committed. I also loved Elijah, and found his character very charming and the perfect counterpart to Victoria’s.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Besides the romance I loved Victoria’s dynamic with her siblings, including Elijah’s with his brother Corbin. The aesthetics were fantastic, too. Made it easy for me to navigate the story which is always so important to me.

On a side note, I actually wouldn’t mind having a novella with Corbin and Alex. ;) Just a thought…

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this book
World Building- 5/5
Character Development -5/5
Romance -3.5/5
Side Characters-5/5
Victoria- 5/5

A tale of tragedy with revenge, spiced with romance and tied with family bonds.

This book took me by surprise. I was immediately pulled into the world and felt deeply for the characters. The only part I felt was a little letdown was the chemistry between Victoria and Elijah, but individually the characters, showed a lot of promise.

Will watch for more books by this author.

A witch out for revenge against the hunter who killed her sister and the son of a witch hunter getting ready to take continue his father’s legacy. Victoria Amberwood is a witch, and her family is filled with witches... but living in a kingdom where witches are hunted and killed isn’t the most ideal situation. Victoria is constantly concerned about protecting her family and keeping their secret but when a hunter comes into town and she witnesses her sister being killed Victoria vows to get revenge no matter what it cost her. The perfect solution comes when the hunter’s sons come into town too and Victoria decides that she will first destroy his entire family before killing him herself. Elijah Shaw is the son of the famous witchhunter Damian and his father wants him to continue his legacy but Elijah doesn’t want it, but he can’t seem to tell his father no. Victoria takes up a new identity and decides to get closer to Elijah in order to get closer to his father and destroy their entire family but the two seem to find that they have more in common and that the line between enemies and lovers isn’t always as clear. Soon Damian and Victoria will have to face harsh truths about each other and their complicated feelings. I loved this standalone story and really enjoyed the dynamic between Victoria and Damian. They’re both caring and protective of their loved ones but a little bit broken and a little bit perfect for one another. This was a great fantasy romance with a touch of enemies to lovers!

*Thanks Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

4/5

Do you know what I want? I want booktok to read this book I feel like they would eat. This. Up. I mean, I read this book in one day (thank God I had no class)!

It was really good! This book was all dark and twisted and really a villain origin story! I loved Victoria’s character and how she became just a little more twisted as the story went on. This was my first time reading a Rebecca L. Garcia book and I can really see myself picking up more of them if they are all like this!

This book releases on December 14th! Consider picking this one up!

This story caught me off guard, I did not expect to like it so much.
I love reading about imperfect characters, about the morally grey. In this novel, you are sure to find one of the best portrayal of character development. The portrayal of grief, in particular, made me tear up a few times.

This story follows the journey of revenge of Victoria, Cas and Alex, bent on avenging the death of their sister, Ember. Their plan to ruin Damian through his family, however, derails because of the intricate nature of human relations. Despite their worst intentions, fueled by grief and guilt, they learn to navigate their overwhelming feelings and seek the truth in their hearts.

Victoria is one of the most interesting characters I've read about.

As this novel shows, at our core, we are all trying to do our best and it reminds us to be kind to ourselves.

My review is published on Goodreads, on Saturday 4th, December 2021.

After the death of her sister, Victoria plots revenge on the man responsible for her murder. Aided by her brother and youngest sister, Tori's revenge hinges on taking an eye for an eye... or a son to replace her sister.

I found this book to be a delightful standalone read. I liked that the author wrote from both Elijah and Victoria's perspectives in a way that wasn't at all distracting, and which helped to drive the narrative forward. The plot hums along nicely, but I found myself wishing for more substance (more character development and world building maybe?). As a result, I found it hard to really emotionally connect with any of the characters. There are some books that absolutely gut you when the main characters face tragedy and heartbreak-- this just wasn't one of them.

I'd recommend this book to someone who's looking for a light fantasy read to take on vacation.

Pacing 5/5
Characters 4/5
Writing 5/5
Romance 5/5
SPICE 4/5

After Victoria's sister dies at the hands of a famous witch hunter, she is driven to only one choice in the face of heartbreaking grieve: revenge. From the start, you connect with Victoria. She is critical and over analyzes everything. She grieves her past mistakes that cost her happiness and is now succumbed to the darkness that is slowly creeping into her actions as long as it keeps her family safe. She is fully aware of the sacrifices that must be made in order to keep everyone alive when they are in hiding. When faced with the death of her sister, she accepts that one thing must happen: Damian Shaw must die.

I read this in ONE sitting. It is rare to find a good female villain arc where you can't help but empathize with the protagonist. And to add more spice to the mix, it was an ENEMIES TO LOVERS ARC TOO! But it wasn't that simple. The love story is gradual. While you knew Victoria's intentions the entire time, you can't help but question yourself at her actions. Is this truly still revenge? Is this love? Elijah's kindness is apparent from the beginning despite his "asshole" demeanor that he keeps up for his father. Slowly you watch as his empathy and patience cracks at Victoria's cold heart. Family is a big part of this story, both within Victoria's family and the Shaw family. Both families struggle to love each other in the face of adversary, often by those who you should normally trust.

One thing I did not like was that I wanted MORE. At times the story felt rushed in spaces where I wanted more dialogue and hashing out of emotions. There is a lot of suspenseful buildup, which was all worth it by the way, but once you reach the climax it was only a couple of pages and you kind of just had to accept what happened at the end and move on. I desperately was entranced by the story of Victoria's little sister, Alex, and wished we saw more of her.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed this book and can't wait to pick up other books by Rebecca L. Garcia.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy this ARC!

Warm regards,
Diana Banana

Victoria is a witch living with her family, blending in with humans until the deadliest witch hunter shows up in town and her sister ends up dead. Victoria vows to take revenge on the hunter, moving with her siblings to his town, taking on new aliases. She meets his son, Elijah Shaw, and decides he's perfect for revenge, until soon feelings come out to play.

Victoria was a highly compelling character, I enjoyed reading as she delved deeper into dark magic, making many sacrifices like her mind to avenge the family she'd lost to the witch hunter Damien. The author wrote these characters so well, I was hating Damien almost as much as Victoria.

I highly enjoyed this book, couldn't stop reading it as soon as I started and was able to finish it in less than a day. I love the cover too! Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story of witches, family, revenge and a sprinkle of spice.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the opportunity to read the arc.

WOW! Wow.... This is one of the first books I've read lately where I sat at the end and thought, "that was a friggin awesome story!" I've never read anything by Rebecca L. Garcia prior to Hear of a Witch but this book definitely has me wanting more. This is a dark and twisted tale about how overwhelming grief and anger can drive a person to madness and a need for revenge at any cost.

Victoria Amberwood is a witch. She lives in a kingdom that hates witches and is forced to hide what she, and her family is. When a Dark Magic club gains the attention of a notorious witch hunter, Damian Shaw, it gets raided and Victoria's younger sister ends up dead. It forces Victoria and the rest of her family to change their identities and flee the home they adored. She vows the darkest of revenge upon the man who killed her beloved sister and will stop at nothing to get it. She moves her family right under Damian's nose, worming her way into his town, his church, his home, his life...determined to destroy everything he holds dear, starting with his son, Elijah. Her goal is to make Elijah fall in love with her, and then ruin their lives from the inside.

I can't say anything more without totally getting excited and dropping spoilers. As I said previously, this is a tale in which you see how heart-wrenching grief can blind a person to the point they no longer recognize themselves and the actions they take. However, it is also a tale of how just a tiny bit of love and empathy can crack the armor most people build around themselves when faced with such unimaginable tragedy.

While this is an "enemies to lovers" trope, I loved the natural progression of the relationship between Victoria and Elijah. They didn't just fall into immediate lust and then love. Victoria's heart truly had to be thawed before she recognized her feelings.
I also really loved the overall thread of hope that danced in the underlying background even in the midst of the darkness of Victoria's story. You really didn't know if she'd come out ahead, or if there would be a happy ending but her love for her family, her willingness to protect them at all costs, and the empathy that was shown to Elijah and Elijah to her, as they chipped away at each other spoke loudly as the overall message of the book.

I loved this book. I'm so enthralled with it and can't wait to read others by Ms. Garcia!

I devoured this book in nearly one sitting. I was so immersed in the story and the world building with really great characterisation.

The main female protagonist Victoria, is morally gray, and moving rapidly into villain territory and it was perfect. She was such a complicated and intricate character who struggled between doing what is right and her getting her vengeance. Her love for her sister (and family) balanced out the darkness within (though it was also that love that drove her to embrace the dark).

I also fell for Elijah who is very charming and the tension between the two of them was very real. it was nicely paced and I appreciated the push and pull of the characters with a nicely developed love story.

I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to read this book!

I love Rebecca’s stories and this one did not disappoint: a captivating story, complex characters, dark magic and heroine who is willing to succumb to her darkness, to get her revenge.
I read it in one day.