Witches of White Willow by Angela Addams

PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Publication date: 09/20/2018
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

Guest Review by mom, romance fanatic, and (someday) published author Summer Raines!

This book review request came to Romance Rehab promising a Grey’s Anatomy meets Charmed feel. I disagree. Just because it’s about witches doesn’t mean it’s anything like Charmed. And just because it’s about witches in a hospital, doesn’t mean it’s anything like Grey’s Anatomy. This book is much better than the two of them combined. I personally don’t like those shows but I very much enjoyed this book.

The heroine is a witch born with unique magic abilities, so she’s referred to as the Promised One. Her mother has groomed her to give up her life to join the Circle. Once you join, you must spend your life diverting magic to your fellow witches.

Hazel is proud to fulfil her destiny. What higher honor can a witch receive than supporting the healers from behind the scenes? With her power, she could do so much good. But the constant grueling training her mother puts her through takes its toll. She needs to blow off steam, so she sneaks out to spend time with the humans.

She met a man who she feels a deep connection with. They’ve been meeting off and on for the past year, but they haven’t shared their names and they keep their faces mostly hidden with masks. This lover has given her so many wonderful moments. Hazel Knight feels prepared to face a lifetime alone, using the memories of her covert tryst with this glorious man to keep her company.

Now all Hazel has to do is get through one year as an intern, learning what it’s like in the hospital and the field, so she can understand how to divert her magic to the healers on the ground. Her mother has personally chosen a mentor for her. But when she meets Healer Hart face-to-face, there’s no denying that he’s the sexy “human” she’s been sneaking off to see.

Duke Hart recognizes his village girl as well. He immediately understands why she’s always been scared of her mother and tried not to be a disappointment. Duke has seen enough in his life to know that destiny and prophecies can be interpreted in different ways, so he’s hell bent on proving to Hazel that nothing is written in stone. He can’t allow her to be a slave to the Circle when he’s just found the love of his life.

This book beats the romance stigma because Duke and Hazel have been developing a relationship for a year before we meet them. Without knowing names, they’ve cultivated a deep friendship and become lovers over a long period of time. There’s only a couple of sex scenes, but they’re smoking hot scenes. Witches know how to have a good time.

Since they’ve already developed their relationship, you don’t see much progression or growth with the characters, other than Hazel deciding whether she’ll take the leap with Duke or fulfill the destiny her mother insists is hers.

It’s an entertaining action/ adventure story with unexpected twists and turns. At times, the witches would sense that something was wrong, and I had absolutely no idea what would be waiting around the corner. As someone who’s hard to surprise, I’m always impressed when an author can be sneaky.
If you’re a fan of supernatural stories, you should enjoy this first book in The Witches of White Willow Series.

Full disclosure: We received an ARC from the author, free of charge.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s an awesome 5-star read that punches that stupid romance stigma right in the gut.

Other reading suggestions
We don’t actually read too many witchy reads here at Romance Rehab. But, we do like the Deathless Night series by LE Wilson. ​

---