Book Summary: Blessedly Bound

Dark Secrets. Bound Magic. A determined witch.

Elemental witch, Gwen Hensley, wants answers. Why was her grandmother burned alive? Was it because she was witch? Did it have something to do the with the dark secrets of the family that orphaned her? Those answers won’t come easy and time is ticking.

Behind the smiling faces of the locals lies a killer whose sights are set on her. Is it one of the friendly shopkeepers? The mysterious neighbor she’s drawn to? Or is someone closer to her behind the gruesome murder? None appear capable of such evil. With the target on her, she can’t be wrong. How will she decide who she can trust?

Review:

Listen to the whole series and discover that when witches and vampires collide, the ever after isn’t so happy.

Blessedly Bound is an elegant work that is like a swirling mist of colors and lights, never the same, yet always hypnotic.

The complexity starts with the story line. It is a murder mystery, but not an ordinary one. A woman has been burned at the stake as a witch. The thing is, she actually was a witch, and so is her granddaughter, Gwen, who is seeking out the murderer. The suspects are not of the ordinary type either, for they are witches, familiars and monsters. Yet, still, the story manages to go even deeper than that. The family has a dark past that lies hidden from Gwen, hindering her investigation even further.

The world the author created takes center stage in this story; it lives and breathes on the pages. The characters are true to themselves, driven to their own hidden goals, yet like most flawed people, seem to throw obstacles in their own path. I found myself worrying quite a bit about some of my favorite characters. Most of the characters walked the thin line between good and evil, except Gwen who is sweet and innocent and spends most of her time struggling to find the truth. At times you feel like she is a snowball thrown into a bonfire, but she tends to surprise everyone, including the reader. I think I liked Gwen the best, because it is difficult to write a purely good character, yet keep them interesting. The author not only managed this, she created a character that was a real stand out from the crowd.

An additional special note, is the mood in this book. One moment you are comfortable, enjoying a cup of coffee in front of a roaring fire, the next moment you’re being dragged into woods by a blood-thirsty assailant. This constant shifting sands beneath your feet makes you feel on edge through the entire book. This creepy, comfortable feel is actually what I love in a good murder mystery, and this was accomplished very effectively in this book.

This book is very well written, sophisticated, and enjoyable. I highly recommend you listen to the audiobook version, the narrator did an amazing job as well.

Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Lucretia-Stanhope/e/B01NGTHHUS/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1