Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the arc!

I wanted to like this, it's about witches in the woods in eastern Washington—what's not to love?

I think the two main shortcomings I had with this book were the length and the tell-not-show nature. I think shorter books can work. This one is about 190 pages on the Netgalley copy I received, and there wasn't quite enough space for the author to do what they wanted to do. I also believe that because of the short page count, the author cut corners in character development. It felt rushed and the romance felt undeserved because there was no growth between them. You can't just say two people are "mates" (barf) and thus they can start saying "I love you."

There was a lot of therapy talk in this,, and honestly it felt like someone going to therapy, walking themselves through thought process in a complete monologue, stating they worked through their issues, thanking the therapist, and then leaving. You can talk about working through the internalized misogyny all you want, but sarah isn't cured two chapters later. Doesn't work like that.

I think this would be best for a younger audience,, like 14-16 years. But it didn't do much for me.

I was excited for this book but it fell short for me. The story started well but the speed in which the main relationship moved was too quick in my opinion.

The author could have taken more time ti establish the main characters as individuals before the instant relationship.

It was a quick read so good for an afternoon of reading but not a book I will revisit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Witch Oriana leaves her abusive ex husband behind wanting to start a new life. She moves to Obsidian Fall to open a yoga studio. The witch coven there has been waiting for her and is all about protecting the sacred forested area. Sarah is there to help build the studio. She has her own background that she is trying to escape from. Oriana and Sarah seemingly have a very instant connection.

The story is fast paced with plenty of action. There are demons, hell hounds and other entities. Everything, including the romance, feels rushed. At times I felt like I was already supposed to know things about this world. This wasn’t listed as a sequel but it may tie into other books from the author. At just over 200 pages this is a quick read. But I would have liked it to slow down and let me get to know the main characters a little better.

Set in a world where supernatural creatures and humans exist together, Sarah is recovering from leaving her oppressive family's Hunter ways with her chosen family of Wild Women. She meets Oriana who has just left her abusive ex-husband and is growing as the newest with of Obsidian Falls coven and learning to heal.

I always love reading new WLW representation and it's always so fun to see it in a fantasy/supernatural setting. Both the women come from a history where they have suffered extensive trauma and it gives them more substance; this is something that I found was worked well into the story and would also liked to see it developed more. While the dark past and current struggling troubles are laid plain, the resolution was quick and unfulfilling. Their character defining history is quickly discarded for the ending of their romance. The first half or so of the book was great, but then there was too much extra history/context/characters introduced that were just dropped in with bare explanation. I think this concept would have done wonderfully as a series if it was fully developed; it wouldn't be the first of its kind but with WLW, it would've been something different and grand for me. Once new information was introduced, the writing got lazy and rushed. It even started to include phrasing that just seemed out of place. Personally, I think the romance was developed too quickly and it made their connection seem... empty and a product of circumstantial attraction. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who likes reading WLW romances in supernatural settings.
2.25/5

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC

Oriana loves her new home, a home without the stress and unhappiness caused by her ex husband. Here she is free to be what she truly is, a witch, and free to connect with the nature around her. The only problem with it is that there’s no yoga studio. Which, as someone who intends to make a living teaching yoga, is a bit of a downside. However, Felicity’s daughter is a mix of huldra — a nature Wild Woman — and a Hunter. As such, she will need guidance coming into her powers and care to keep her from struggling, as she draws powers not only from the earth, like her mother, but from the water. In exchange for Oriana’s help, Felicity will see to it that Oriana gets her yoga studio.

Felicity brings a group of Hunters, men of great physical and magical strength who have been bred and trained to hunt and kill witches and Wild Women. With them is Sarah, a tall woman who catches Oriana’s eye. Obviously, Oriana won’t allow the men to stay, but Sarah is welcome to help build the studio. The two of them don’t quite hit it off, though Oriana doesn’t know why, but when Oriana’s husband calls her, again and again, it’s Sarah who takes the phone and hangs up on him, offering comfort and support. A comfort and support that soon turn into something more.

Because I found this book confusing on several levels, I shall be including a few spoilers while I explain what worked for me and what didn’t. The plot is confusing, the characters almost but don’t quite work, and the ending irritated me. I will, however, try to keep the spoilers as vague as possible for readers who may want to give this book a try.

This book feels like the second in a series, or a spin-off series following a completed one, though the book isn’t marketed as such.* Characters refer to previous events that have some small impact on this book, but never follow it up. The events of this book hint at a greater world and a great evil, but this book isn’t where any of that happens. This book is, in my opinion, a lot of wheel spinning plot wise and some character moments, but ended up leaving me waiting for something to happen.

Oriana is a witch new to her power who has recently left an abusive husband and looks forward to starting a new life. She’s still uncertain of her own abilities, always looking to other people for guidance: the ghosts of previous covens, her own living coven, or a magic tree in the forest. She’s afraid, and that fear makes her defensive and angry. Sarah was raised in a cult that prized men over women. Daughters were raised to be wives for Hunters, mothers to sons. They were also given “medicine” that would keep them from having any access to their Hunter abilities, such as greater strength, heightened senses, and the magic used to hunt monsters and Wild Women.

This world is very light on the world building, assuming the reader already knows what’s going on … but I didn’t and I still don’t. Now, I don’t mind being tossed in the deep end, but that works better when there’s water in there to swim around in. Here, I felt like there wasn’t enough given to me and too many blanks that I was left to fill in on my own, which I can do, being familiar with the genre, but I don’t think I should be expected to. I still have no idea what a Wild Woman is, or what they can do, or if they’re magical beings, ancient races, or magical creations. I’m also confused on the Hunters. Is Sarah the only female Hunter here? Are there others? What about the sisters, mothers, daughters of the other men in her group?

Then there’s the plot. The book begins with Oriana being asked to help teach the young child of a Wild Woman and a man who is half Hunter, half Wild Woman. This child is supposed to be powerful, and will have difficulty containing that power as they grow up. Oriana, specializing in children with emotional and educational needs, says yes. She has one talk with the kid where the kid comforts her, and then it’s done. The kid doesn’t need her anymore and that storyline is dropped.

The romance in this book started out decently. Oriana has her biases against Hunters, though she’s never been personally affected by them, and never asks any of the Wild Women — who should hate them — why they’re hanging out with Hunters. Oriana thinks Sarah is a Wild Woman because she’s never heard of a female Hunter (because their powers are taken away from them) and when she and Sarah have some intimate moments, she just assumes Sarah is a Wild Woman. Not once does she ask Sarah anything, though. Their rapport isn’t build on friendship, but a magical affinity towards one another. When Sarah has a moment to comfort Oriana after a tense call from her ex husband, the two of them fall into bed with one another. It’s Sarah’s first time, and she feels an instant connection to Oriana, only to have it all dashed to pieces when Oriana realizes that Sarah is a Hunter. Sarah is confronted with “why didn’t you tell me?” but Sarah never asked anything. This misunderstanding is brushed away quickly, though, and not so much resolved as dropped in favor of just moving on to the next moment.

So, with all of that nit picked, there are some moments I like in this. Some time in the past (though I’m unclear on how far in the past), Sarah and her fellow Hunters broke away from the Hunter cult that raised them. They didn’t want to hunt down and murder Wild Women anymore. Even when Sarah was told the truth about the medicine her father had her take, it took three years of therapy with specialists in deconstruction and cult recovery before she could bring herself to stop taking it. And I liked that mention of how hard it is to get past an entire lifetime of indoctrination and brainwashing, much like I appreciated that Oriana was also in therapy, getting help with freeing herself from her husband and then trying to move past the emotional and mental damage he’d done to her. I always appreciate when characters with difficult and traumatic pasts are shown getting help, be it a counselor, a therapist, or even a strong friend group. I am also pleased that the author shows how it isn’t easy to break away from your past just because you move away; that it can take time and effort to heal and be healed of the harm done to you.

I’m more peeved because I felt like there was potential here. Sarah and Oriana’s relationship, given a little more time to build (rather than a single day between first kiss, first fuck, first fight, and a declaration of love), could have been a highlight of this book, because the author put effort into making them feel like people. The idea of a magical world has always been appealing to me, but I would have liked more than a few names thrown at me. Even the idea of a child with a mixed magical background needing special support and education was one I was looking forward to, but it was gone before it even started.

The book feels unbalanced, and the pacing is rushed when it comes to plot moments, and languid when it comes to character introspection. The writing is fine, but overall feels like just so much missed potential. I’m sorry, but I don’t recommend this unless you’ve perhaps read and enjoy the author’s other work. As a standalone book, even as the start of a new series, it didn’t work for me.

*Note from Jay: After poking around online, it looks like the author has another series called Wild Women, which seems to be set in this same world. However, this book was not presented to us for review with any indication it is part of a series/larger world or that other books were necessary background reading.

Dark, intriguing, and full of supernatural tension, this story pulled me in right away! Oriana’s journey as a new witch in the Washington wilderness was compelling, and the tension between witches and Hunters added great depth. The instalove romance might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed the chemistry and mystery surrounding the characters. There were missing backstory elements that made me want to read the previous books, but overall, this was an engaging first read from this author. I’ll definitely be checking out more!

Witches and other magical creatures. Short light and easy read with female lead. Perhaps a YA target audience. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley,and the publisher for an ARC.

The Hunter and Her Witch by Rachel Sullivan is art is book form. Loved every single second of it. I rated this book 5 stars because I really loved it.

I found the exposition repetitive and I didn’t like the world building. I didn’t connect with the characters. And so, while I tried really hard to finish this book, I ended up stopping at 70%

This was a fun and easy read. It felt a bit cheesy at times, but that’s to be expected with this genre. I loved seeing these characters navigate some of their struggles together!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this is sarah and Oriana story....

sarah is a hunter though as a woman she was never encouraged to be her true self.... her role was to breed to bring her sons into the world, she was controlled with pills....

Oriana was a witch but she was also a victim of domestic abuse.... she finally left her abusive husband and was trying to make a new life for herself and one that hopefully she could be help for others

she had wanted a new studio built to begin her new adventure and when a team of supernatural builders turned up she had to turn most of them away..... they were hunters... and she didnt want them on her land...

what she didnt know was that sarah was a hunter

things were going to get very strange for the two of them...

would have liked a bit more depth to some of the characters but on the whole an enjoyable read... would be interested in reading more from this author

Holy goodness! This book was an absolute delight. I devoured it with my whole heart and thoroughly enjoyed it. It touched upon some relevant societal issues while also weaving a heartwarming love story and showcasing the power of perseverance. My only complaint is that it ended too soon. However, the setup does leave me hopeful that we’ll have more in this series. The vivid background imagery lingered in my mind, making this a truly unique and memorable read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating and thought-provoking story.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Oriana is looking for a new start in life after leaving a relationship that wasn’t great. She moves somewhere new to become a yoga instructor and hiring a crew to help build a yoga studio. She meets Sarah who is a hunter she drawn to her even though Oriana doesn’t know at that time who Sarah is Oriana doesn’t trust hunters because of how they hunt. I enjoy the read I love the action parts of the story and both of main characters were great I just felt the romance was bit rush we didn’t really get see the build up and I wanted more of Sarah and her found family.

First thing I want to say about this book is that the story is a bit darker than what the cover might lead you to believe which was perfectly fine by me. Oriana is a new witch in the middle of deep forested Washington state. The coven there and the ancestor witches, who are still protecting the area, have been waiting for her. Now all she needs is a little help to build her yoga studio so she can make a living. Enter the Hunters who are built like a bunch of Paul Bunyans. It might be the 21st century but a witch like Oriana can’t afford to trust descendants of people who once murdered women, some of them just human and others with supernatural powers, so she kicks out the men. But unbeknownst to Oriana, a woman, who is secretly a Hunter, sticks around to help in the construction.

It’s a great setup for a story. I loved the setting, rainy and foggy, the power of nature to be both healing and sometimes threatening. My favorite aspect of the story is how fast the story moves, the non stop action, battling evil monsters but also taming the demons within. The mythology of ancient Ireland that is used got my attention as well. I also appreciate the running subtext of women fighting to stay independent and strong.

What holds me back from giving a higher rating is that there is not enough development of the mains and supporting characters. If Oriana and Sarah are built up more as individuals, then the impact is greater when they get together. Pre-destined steamy connections between paranormal beings is bread and butter for these type of stories but the characters still need to be defined. That’s all the next book needs. Go deep with the characters and the rest follows.

I love a good paranormal romance, but this wasn't it. This is the first book by this author and I'm not saying it will be last, but this one didn't entice me to read another.

This book was about forging your own path after surviving trauma which I could relate to, so that part was nice, but the relationship between Sarah and Oriana was unbelievable. It was the instant love that didn't seem real with no chemistry and no time to flesh out the relationship. I had a a very hard time getting into this book and had to force myself to finish it.

Unfortunately the story could have been much better, with seeing how Sarah coming to find her found family and etc, but no. This just wasn't a good book, but that may be just my opinion.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review!

To start off, I enjoyed the concept of witches, hunters, and "wild women" with their complicated past and the ramifications of this long history on the characters in this book. This book was truly about forging your own path after surviving trauma and I did enjoy reading how the characters healed from their difficult pasts.

However, I did not enjoy the instant love between the two main characters. I did not think they had any chemistry at all and their relationship was very rushed. I wish this book was longer in order to flesh out their relationship instead of becoming mates within a few days. I really would have loved to read about Sarah coming to terms with her inner hunter and maybe getting advice from her found family. I would have also liked to read more interactions with Friday and Oriana. I just feel like I would have enjoyed it more if some things were more fleshed out.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Me gustó, de verdad que sí. Tanto Ofelia como Sarah me parecieron personajes carismáticos con mucha historia de fondo, pero le falta trabajo de edición, ya que hay partes que parecen incompletas (aunque no lo sean) o se dejan escenas a medias, y en la siguiente ya se pasa a otro tema.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.