For me, I know a book hits when I want to reread it, no matter its flaws. That’s definitely how I feel about this feminist Victorian romantasy about a witch who discovers a werewolf heritage. I had some critiques of clumsy exposition and pacing, a few holes in the world building, but I don’t even care because the characterization and relationship arc of our MCs was *chef’s kiss* magnifique. Plot-wise, this was a great set up for the series, with smart plot twists and enough resolution to satisfy while leaving us with tantalizing questions and unresolved conflicts.


But back to what I loved about the central romance Cordelia, witch and newly discovered daughter to the alpha of the Albion werewolf pack; and Bishop, the alpha’s heir—>

🐺Cordelia and Bishop are both so sensible, so wary and curious. I love how they see the truth of each other
🐺 Perfect execution of several favorite tropes: his irritation clearly masks his desire for her; the gowns and books in her room were clearly provided by him
🐺In spite of several omissions that leave Cordelia blindsided, Bishop continually disarms her with earnestness and honesty, I am here for it
🐺From introducing her to his friends to flirtation about scents and unguarded laughter to protecting her even from himself, these are the trust and relationship building moments we need!!
🐺Bishop makes Cordelia feel safe to feel lusty! I usually get irritated at drawn out sexual fantasies that seem like a cheat for slow burn romance to give us some steam, but Delia’s dreams about him are perfection
🐺So many god tier micro tropes: taunting him into angry kissing her; moving his hands to her throat; calling him “my alpha” then saying he has to “earn it” before she’ll say it again; Bishop punching an attacker mid-bloody battle kiss
🐺Archer understands that a true alpha isn’t just strong, he protects and he comforts. The scene where Bishop comforts Delia in her grief is the best scene in the book, I know I’ll return to it over and over

This was the kind of “first book” that had me salivating for the second, because I know the craft will only improve and all the foundation I need is there.

Okay, wow. This book came in hot and did not let up. It's like someone hit the gas and just forgot where the brakes were. Action? Everywhere. Chill moments? Not really a thing. The supernatural world here is wild—in the best kind of chaotic way—and I was totally into it. That ending? Rude, honestly. How dare it be that good and not have a sequel already out. Also, witches and werewolves mixing it up? Yes, please. If this was just book one, I’m bracing myself for the absolute chaos coming in the next one

Such a fun read! This book not only included my favorite trope, enemies to lovers, but also a mix of my favorite genres—fantasy/paranormal romance and historical romance. We initially find a young woman out with her friends on a shopping excursion when she runs into a mysterious and handsome stranger who implores with her to leave with him immediately as her life is in peril. Yeah, no. Cordelia can take care of herself and as a descendent if Levine witches she knows she has power in her own right to protect herself. Untillllllll she can’t. Re-enter Bishop, blushing werewolf Bishop.

I loved the cleverness of our mmc and fmc, side characters and the feminist approach to a very patriarchal time and paranormal wolfpack.

I would suggest this to anyone who is a lover of the genres listed and is looking for an enemies to lovers romance with twists and intrigue!

A spell slinging witch and a feral wolf make a brutal duo in this blood-soaked battle for dominance, only one Alpha walks away.

Cordelia is a 23 year old witch living with her aunt, Lenora, and keeping her head low amongst the humans. When a handsome young stranger approaches her in the street and tells her she’s a Lucan does her whole world change.

This book will have your heart hammering in your chest. Action, tension and the romance between a fiery witch and a secret cinnamon roll werewolf will leave you panting for more.

When Daniel was Bishops says “I’ll fix this”, it’s time to sit down and let the wolf work.

2.5 stars
This book had potential. I really enjoyed the first quarter. Cordelia is a witch in Victorian England who gets attacked. Her savior? A werewolf named Bishop, right-hand man to the father she never knew she had.
Unfortunately, after that the story just kind of... stops? I kept waiting for a moment where Cordelia stood on business. It never happens. She just kinda goes along with everything under the guise of "observing and planning". But she never really does anything. Her and Bishop also felt insanely insta-lovey for no real reason. They had such good tension at the start, but it faded so quickly once Cordelia got trapped in the house. For a witch, that girl never uses her magic.
It's not a bad read, but I was just left wanting more.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Within two chapters of this book, I was hooked. The first 80% or so was very easy to breeze through, with tension, plot twists, and the romance unfolding (and some physical moments). If you are looking for spice, this may not be the book for you. Granted, there are elements of spice but not full spice. The writing is pretty decent and the FMC is a strong witch who knows when to pick her battles—which I LOVE when MCs aren’t super headstrong and know how to strategize. The MMC is a great partner and werewolf. He is definitely one of the better romance book boyfriends. “Witch of the Wolves” had me equally kicking my feet and mad for the MCs due to what was happening in the plot.

However, as for the last 20% of this book, I think due to the amount of pure plot unfolding it was hard to keep up and with all of the side characters it was easy to lose track of who-was-who.

Overall, this was a quick read and I’d love to read more of this world!

Thank you for the eARC NetGalley & St. Martins Press!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for giving me an ARC of this book. This was a strong debut from Kaylee Archer, and I look forward to reading more from her as she continues to write. This was interesting as a Romantasy, a little Bridgerton x Bride – fun times set in alt. Victorian London. I’m a fast reader, and the book read at a good pace for me and kept my interest. This is the start of a series, so we didn’t wrap everything up in book one, and I look forward to rejoining Cordelia and Bishop in book two!

I read the Witch of the Wolves by Kaylee Archer from NetGalley. A romantacy set in Victorian times with super natural beings as the focus. We follow Cordelia who is a strong willed, intelligent witch who is sheltered by her Aunt in London and after being abducted finds out the truth about her father and that she is half lycan. Her father wants to marry her off to the man who abducted her so that other packs will not be able to steal her away. Cordelia wants only to escape and get back to her Aunt and the life she has in London and does everything in her power including going along with the idea of pretending to fall for the man her father wants her to marry. Feelings arise along with danger and deception. I am looking forward for the next book in the series to come out.

If I have to give a star rating I would give it a 4.5 out of 5 star rating it's a wonderful story to get lost in with interesting characters.

Tropes: Magic, Forced Proximity, Kidnapped

Spice: 3/5

Victorian era plus magic plus wolves, let's go! This book had me hooked instantly, which is quite difficult in this day and age of all things rom-antasy. This is a fast paced without leaving any details behind. It is only when you are nearing the end do you realize that the entire story took place in eight days instead of months. I am not a fan of anything set in the Victorian era, but the societal rules help tell this story. The primary couple of this story is snarky, something that at first I didn't interpret as text, but once it clicked, it made this story feel like an action movie.

The FMC, Cordelia, is a strong and independent witch that had been raised by her (now deceased) mother and aunt. We quickly learn the differences between witches and sorcerers, a fact that I appreciate as it pauses any plot holes. Demons and werewolves and witches live amongst humans though they keep their identities secret. Cordelia knows that she is different from her fellow witches as her senses are stronger than others. Within the first few pages, she comes across our MMC, Bishop Daniels, as he tries to tell her that she is in danger.

We come to learn that there are numerous threats against her life. She is the daughter to the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, and Bishop may be the only one to protect her. And to protect her, she of course has to marry/mate him. Lies and deceit are rampant in this book but you don't even have time to predict them before another bombshell is dropped.

I strongly appreciated Cordelia's desire to be her own woman in a world where men always have the final say. She repeatedly stated that her decisions were her own, even if it meant standing up to a family member. As a female myself, I would become angered by the opposing characters because these debates are still ongoing. Kaylee Archer is a mastermind by giving a voice to our own thoughts.

The pacing of Cordelia's reactions and emotions made sense as this is a story and you can only convey so much on a page. She experiences grief and hope and treachery. Her attraction towards Bishop was very quick but I cannot critique that too harshly. I also appreciate that while these two have great sexual tension, the idea of love is too much. Characters can like each other and be lustful, but it does not have to immediately jump to love.

This is the first book of a trilogy, but I feel that it could be read as a stand alone. I will read the second when it is released, but the ending could be enough for numerous readers. My biggest critique (and it is a minor one) is that because this book moves quickly, I forgot which character was which. I mixed up Harry and Henry all the time because I couldn't remember who was good or who was bad. The wolves within the pack also had jobs, such as the Financer or the Enforcer. I wish there had been some chart or table to help remember these details. I also wish there had been a family tree, but I also understand that it would contain spoilers. Maybe the family tree could be at the end?

Either way, I highly recommend this book. I cannot give it a five star rating as I didn't feel the need to reread it immediately, but it is worthy of being purchased and pursued.

I just couldn't get on board with the premise of the plot. I think it was a hard book to write correctly and it just didn't hit the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc, This my honest review!

This books is about witches, werewolves, Victorian time era, and necromancy. I liked the different time period but the characters having ‘modern’ ideals compared to back then kind of threw it off a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I am a believer in those modern ideals but back then it just wasn’t a thing.

Cordelia and Bishop are enjoyable to read about. They are an enemies to lovers type of couple for sure.

The beginning was kind of slow paced but towards the half to end part it picks up and becomes more action packed and the ending sets up for a book two (hopefully)
The magical and romantic tension was interesting to read but if you’re looking for full on spicy spice, not in this book. It can also get quite violent in the book, including death so just a warning for that

For me, it didn’t reinvent the wheel but it was a fun fast read and I would recommend it.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable read for me!
Towards the end I hated the villain so much I wanted to reach through the pages and strangle them 😂 they pissed me off so much. I think it was written so well I couldn't realize it was fiction and I needed to calm down.

Cordelia was so witty and strong and funny I loved her immediately and Bishop was so hot and brave and protective of what's he considered his it was so easy to fall for him also. Cordelia and Bishop together? Made the book perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s press for an advanced reader copy of this in exchange for my honest opinions.

I’d like to start by saying that I completely did not expect the time frame this was set in. For some reason, based on the description (or lack thereof), I did not expect this to be set in the Victorian Era. This isn’t really stated in the very beginning, but it’s fairly easy to infer based on context clues.

I did not particularly connect with any of the characters. Cordelia feels a bit like an overpowered Mary Sue. Not only is she frustrating, but she just won’t deal with things. I also feel like she’s got some kind of Stockholm syndrome or something.

This is marketed as a sexy romance, but to me it felt a bit dark, and the MMC is honestly irredeemable. I understand this is the first in a series but I will not be picking up the second.

Witch of the Wolves
by Kaylee Archer
Pub Date: Sep 30 2025

Cordelia Levine comes from a long line of powerful witches. She's been flying under the radar in the human world, focused on strengthening her magic. She loves working at her aunt's apothecary in London, secretly serving supernaturals.

Until the truth about her family is revealed.

She always assumed her enhanced sense of smell came from her French perfumer father. But when Bishop Daniels abducts Cordelia at the request of her father, the Alpha, Cordelia learns she's a lycan--sharing both witch and werewolf traits. She's brought to Trevelyan, the pack estate, under the guise of protection from foreign threats who want to use her to continue their bloodline.

She quickly learns that to keep her from being sold off to another pack, her father intends to give Cordelia as a mate to Bishop. His second in command and the future Alpha.

Cordelia refuses to accept this as her fate. She can't rely on her magic alone to escape and when she learns Bishop plans to challenge her father's power, she reluctantly begins to trust him. The cracks within the Pack become evident and something is bound to break. And Cordelia and her growing desire for the man who shouldn't set her on fire are right at the center of it all.

Witch of the Wolves is the first book in this Victorian romantasy series, featuring an intense and sexy romance and a world on the brink of change.

This really sucks to say but unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me at all. It doesn’t deliver/ execute the premise well. The story felt immature, and the main character’s reactions were unrealistic and emotionally disconnected—especially when major events like the aunt’s death happened. Instead of showing us character growth or relationship development, everything was told to us, which made the story hard to connect with. I’m big on the show me don’t tell me aspect of stories, but the show and immersion wasn’t in the room with us. The romance lacked chemistry, and the love interest didn’t feel compelling. The plot had potential but ended up feeling repetitive and underwhelming. There were a few interesting moments, but not enough to keep me fully engaged. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

Witch of the Wolves

I picked this up for its stunning cover and was met with a wild, tale about a witch that just wants freedom at the end of the day.

Cordelia is a witch held captive by a pack of wolves. Everyone seems to be lying to Cordelia - including the ones she trusted in the past.

The story is a bit slow in the beginning and I almost DNF’d. But it starts to pick up around 40%. Then by 60%, I couldn’t put it down. By 80%, I felt like the book was being set up for a part 2.

Tropes:

✅ Enemies to lovers
✅ Forced Proximity
✅ Stockholm Syndrome
✅ Anti-Feminist Themes (lots of misogyny. Although there’s no on screen rape, there is a villain trying to force them to breed.)

You’ll enjoy this if you like:

✅ Dark Romantic Fantasy (torture, beatings, kidnapping)
✅ An Unhinged Villain that makes your blood boil (think Joffrey Baratheon level of hatred)
✅ Werewolf Pack Dynamics
✅ Witchy coven dynamics
✅ Lots and lots and lots of twists

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed the Victorian England setting mixed with the paranormal romance elements. I did find that I didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters or have any attachments to them. There wasn’t enough of the mmc for me to like anything about him, he didn’t display any actions or feelings that drew me to him. The pacing was good and there were some good action scenes, but there were also so many side characters I found myself getting them mixed up. The fmc, Cordelia, who is supposed to be a “powerful” witch didn’t really stand out to me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

Started off good but then kind of got preachy and it distracted me from the story. I understand that authors want to be PC, but if you are writing a fiction set in regency England shouldn't it be somewhat similar to the time period. This author writes her character to have today's morals, like sex work positive, anti homophobic, and also got abortion in there like a bingo square. It’s annoying that fiction can’t be free of these types of issues, because they had little to do with this story. I am seeing this a lot and do not like the trend of authors who want to please the perceived “morally right” people. It was well written, as I was able to finish the book. I felt like the major plot points were resolved with just like "yeah they lied to you." I think the cover and the blurb are great to gain interest but the book fell somewhat flat to me. I probably would not read the rest of the series. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first chapter had me hooked. the FMC is so clever. i love the way she is with words. the banter hits. this book is a VERY easy read.
i know a lot of wolf books are spicy. so, if you’re here expecting spice, this isn’t the book for you. there is very little to no spice. definitely a slow burn romance. you can feel the tension lol.
there are parts where of the book where “i saw it coming”. but near the end, i did not see this particular plot twist coming.
i love how the author incorporates wolves, witches, magic, necromancy, etc etc. i also love how the world & history is written in the book. i’m kinda sad i have to wait till the second book comes out to see what happens next.

This book is unique in that it occurs during the Victorian era and involves the supernatural. Cordelia comes from a long line of powerful witches. She didn’t know her father and learns that he is the Alpha in a werewolf community. All is not what it seems. Actually, not much is what it seems in this book. Bishop is the second in command but he has his own story to tell. There’s plenty that is hidden and threatens when it comes to light. I loved this suspenseful and passionate tale.