⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Mostly, yes. A confounding obstacle course of spiritual and emotional ordeals will hopefully bring an end to a horrible curse.

Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful male witch, fell in love with a MacKinnon. And when the MacKinnon witches forbade him from seeing his love, by secretly hiding her away, he retaliated by cursing the family and its future generations to never find love. But it wasn’t without a cost. Now, Ambrose is imprisoned by those same witches, trapped in a tempest and doomed to outlive everyone he has ever loved. But Doreen isn’t like the other MacKinnon witches. As the 13th generation of the MacKinnon line, Doreen is one of the most powerful witches in centuries, and one of the loneliest. So when she discovers where Ambrose has been trapped, she releases him to help her break the curse, once and for all. Ambrose agrees to help, but with his own motive: vengeance. He plans to use her as bait to enact his revenge on her family. Together, they enter a series of trials, which take them to a castle in Scotland, off a cliff, and into a world beyond their wildest dreams. As they work together, sparks start to fly, but soon Doreen must choose how far she is willing to go to break the curse, and what she’s willing to sacrifice.

MY THOUGHTS

My very first feelings were sympathy for these witches and this curse that basically left them with two terrible choices as adults. The curse was explained in great detail and very cleverly when we met Doreen and Margot in the first chapter. They are two very likable characters and I was rooting for Doreen to find a solution.

Ambrose got a raw deal and his selfish motives at the start made complete sense. For some reason, that I’m not entirely sure of, Ambrose made Doreen believe they were going to see someone who could help with breaking the curse. This led them to the trials in the underworld, which were fantastic and intricate and reshaped Doreen’s view of her own world and abilities. The complicated plot surrounding Ambrose’s curse and Ada’s own history was confusing at times and it took a while to unravel all those parts.

Doreen and Ambrose were clearly attracted to each other from the start, but I wasn’t all that convinced about them as a couple. I wanted to be. Ambrose spent most of the story pining for Lenora and denying any connection to Doreen, and then it all suddenly changed (with a good explanation, I should add). But that made it more difficult to believe in Ambrose’s feelings for Doreen.

Overall, it was an interesting and enjoyable read, but there were a lot of things happening that were difficult to piece together. If you like witches, curses, and spending time in alternate realms, then this might be for you. See what other readers are saying on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Published: February 25, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Subtle