THE TWISTED MARK
Author: Sophie Williamson
Date released: July 26th, 2023*
Category: Urban Fantasy Romance
Synopsis: Sadie Sadler lives in the big city. Takes the train to work each day. Drinks fancy coffee. Does yoga… and never, ever does magic, lest it leads Gabriel Thornber straight to her door.
Sadie’s family have used their magic to protect the small northern town of Mannith for centuries. But now, Sadie’s brother Brendan is on trial for murder, and Gabriel, the charismatic and sinister head of the Sadlers’ only rivals, is moving to take the town. Only Sadie has both the knowledge to save Brendan and the magical strength to face down Gabriel.
The trouble is, there’s a good reason Sadie left home and turned her back on she bargained away her powers and her body to Gabriel to save her damn brother the last time he got in trouble. If she comes home, Gabriel will try to collect… but there’s no way she’ll allow her brother to rot in jail or her family’s strength to wane.
Returning in disguise, Sadie’s plan to save Brendan and get out is tested as she’s dragged back into a world of magic and power, with Gabriel at its centre. Battling both her long-standing terror of him and a growing, dark attraction, she must decide who Mannith’s real villains are and how far she’ll go for her family.
A promise made… a magical debt unpaid. This is a fight that could cost Sadie everything.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The UnReel Take:
Story: 3.0
Writing: 1.0
Characters: 3.0
Setting: 3.0
UnReel AR: 2.5
Bottom Line: I mean… I finished it. Granted, that had more to do with the fact that I was having fun hate-reading, but I put down a lot of books, so finishing does mean something. Seeing as how I made notes on almost every page of this book, I could probably write a dissertation on why I didn’t like it but suffice-it-to-say this was like reading a trashy soap opera where every character talks like a Lifetime movie (weird image I know, but I stand by it).
Ideal Reading Location: North England. Or, if that’s not possible, just put on a background compilation of Jamie Tartt talking.
Drink Pairing: Gin. I’d say Beefeater, but dealer’s choice.
Maybe your experience will be different!