Her Spell That Binds Me: Her Spell Trilogy, Book 1

I enjoyed reading the story of Ariadne and Iona, the sex is hot and the story has a good plot that really kept me engaged. I'm not a person who really notices punctuation or grammar stuff unless its really bad and I didn't have any problems with that here. The world building was fantastic and I'm interested to know about some of the other side characters in this storyline but I definitely got the sense this could be a series but its a HEN and wraps up everything so that if its not a series I'm not left hanging. I liked the little displays of jealousy place within the relationship, it added tension to the ultimate buildup. The character and setting descriptions were spot on I felt like I could "see" everyone and everything clearly. I'm positive I will be rereading this and I think if you like witches, lesbians,sex, secrets, with a bit of rivalry thrown in you will like it too.

4.5 stars When I first started reading it I thought that the writing style was a bit awkward and that the names were used too often, but once Iona and Ariadne met I pretty much stopped noticing anything else. Their rivalry, their banter and their eventual romance were simply enthralling. I liked them as individuals too, Iona so timid only until challenged and Ariadne so guarded and arrogant to hide the insecurities within, but I loved it when they were together. They brought out the best in each other, eventually. The magic was interesting, I quite liked the illusions, and the plot was fine. I figured out who the villain was pretty quickly, but, as I said, it was the romance that had captivated my attention. Still, if the reveal hadn't been so obvious and the writing had been a little more polished then I would have rated it 5 whole stars. Eagerly awaiting the sequel.

I initially gave this 3 stars, but it really needs a 4. Well crafted(pun intended), with action, twists, and turns. Some may give 5 stars, but I do not like the waste of words and pages, detailing out sex, several times, for several pages. I usually just skip books that have so much of it. I'm glad I didn't skip it because it is a good story.

I was immediately taken aback by the quality and elegance of the prose, which is what got me initially hooked. I like to think my vocabulary is pretty developed, but reading this book taught me some new words, which was quite delightful. I was admittedly a bit put off by the choice to use present tense, but I was able to move past that pretty quickly. The romance itself was really something else. You could feel the chemistry building between Iona and Ariadne at every stage of their relationship’s development—it was extremely well executed. There are a lot of fantasy romance books out there, but this is the first I’ve read where the relationship actually *felt* magical. My poor little sapphic heart could barely handle it. There are some gripes I have, of course, aside from the choice of tense. The ending was a little trite, I think. **Spoilers Ahead** Like, you spend the entire book building up Morgan’s pendant as this ancient magical artifact of unmatched power, only for someone to pull another equally ancient and powerful artifact out of literal thin air in their moment of need at the final climax? That is some Deus ex Magica right there. And then your other friend apparently has a third ancient magical artifact of power too? I will confess to rolling my eyes a little bit at that point. **Spoiler End** Honestly, though? I can forgive a little triteness. It was a moving gay romance with a charming setting and an enjoyable mystery, and there aren’t enough of those. It’s…

I loved the characters, they were all well thought out and had so much depth. Ariadne, especially, had an amazing redemption arc and an interesting backstory that kept me invested. The world-building was gorgeous, with just enough detail to make the setting vivid without overwhelming me. The forest scenes especially stood out; I found myself wishing I could step right into that world. The romance was surprisingly well done for a bully-to-lovers trope (which i would normally dislike); it felt real and earned, with great pacing and chemistry that kept me hooked.