Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I think this book suffered from Second book syndrome. I felt this was confusing and parts of the plot don't make sense. Part of this could be me as I've found this a few times recently and will be willing to try again in the future.

I enjoyed the first book but found this second instalment much harder to read and found some choices made by certain characters to be confusing and out of character. The pacing was much a slower and yet chunks of time would be jumped and little context given of that time. I enjoyed the first book and would a to lol like to see where the series goes, but I just struggled with this one.

Although I enjoyed The Twisted Mark, I found parts of the plot frustrating because they made no sense, and unfortunately this got worse with The Binding Mark. I was ready for a lot more romance than the first book now everything was set up, and I was disappointed on that score as well. The book was well written, but I'm not sure I can cope with any more plot holes!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

I did not realize this was a second book and follow up to the Twisted Mark. After going to grab the first book, I COULD NOT wait to read The Binding Mark! This books picks up right where the last one left off and sucks you in right away. This is a great mix of fantasy and romance. I definitely recommend reading in order.

I really wanted to like the Binding Mark but I found the plot ridiculous. It seems absurd that Sadie who spent years stuck with an unwanted lien mark would know so little about them. It also seems that solutions were far too easy. Why did no one think of the solution to expanding the dome years ago of it was so simple? I thought we would see more depth in Sadie and Gabriel's relationship but I still didn't see why they wanted to be together other than lust and Sadie's protestations as to why they couldn't seemed a bit absurd given her family was equally if not more so villainous than Gabriel.

When I first requested this book, I didn't realize it was part of a series so after being a bit confused for the first few chapters (although the author does a great job of providing the needed context for the previous book) I immediately used up my audible credit and got the Twisted Mark. I was hooked! I like the author's writing style and it didn't take long to become attached to the characters. Very much an enemies-to-lovers story. The Binding Mark picks up after Sadie Sadler leaves Mannith again, back to London. Before long she finds herself summoned to the leader of the London Coven of Witches, where she is told, in blunt terms, that if she wishes to stay in London she must pledge an oath to the leader and join the coven. Desperately wanting to give herself some space from her, possible soulmate, former enemy, Gabriel Thornber, she reluctantly agrees to join the coven and act as the coven lawyer. Her first case? She works alongside the charismatic leader Lavinia in staging and bringing forth a case against the very vampires her family is trying to ally with. In this book, we also get to see from her older brother Brendens' point of view. Having lost the majority of his natural magical powers after putting Sadie in mortal danger, he finds himself spending more time with Nikki, a taught practitioner and his (still current) enemyy, Gabriels' best friend.

I gotta say I loved the Brenden/Nikki storyline! I cannot wait to read the next book to see where these two go! I enjoyed this book the whole way through! I can't believe the author was able to release these two books so close together!

Thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and the author of this ARC. All opinions are my own!

I absolutely loved the Twisted Mark (book 1 of this series) so much and was super excited for the story to continue with The Binding Mark. Maybe I expected too much, but this book was just ok for me. It didn’t go where I thought it would and went in other places that left me feeling frustrated and confused - especially given the character development that was established in the first book.

I will start with the positives:
- Still same great characters - give me a morally grey character any day., More than one? Yes please! This book has a ton of good/bad/and everything in between with its characters and I simply adore this about the series.
- The way that sex is treated in the book: This might be a “no” for some, but I found it refreshing that the characters didn’t get hung up on the monogamy aspect. I also loved that there was a pro-love-who-you-want-regardless-of-gender understanding in the world so cheers to diversity.
- More great depictions of London - I can’t get enough of that city and I loved how the locations themselves acted as characters within the book.
- Sadie’s profession - I loved from the first book that she was a smart, sophisticated and accomplished lawyer in addition to being a witch.
- Multiple POV- I really was excited to see an additional POV to this book- tho I ultimately would’ve wanted it to be Gabriel (he’s such a mystery).

Here’s what I liked less:
- The choices of these characters just didn’t seem to align to the character development that had been established in the first book. Sure, there are elements in the book that revolve around being mesmerized and controlled, but event before all of that takes place, there were just parts that did not make sense.
- The whole “will they? won’t they?” Back and forth between Sadie and Gabriel was just getting too old for me. We had an entire first book with the two of them falling into and out of a relationship and it just felt redundant in book 2.
- I loved the writing, as a whole, in book 1, but in certain parts of this book, the writing seemed to fall flat- or perhaps it felt rushed? There were times when a character would bring up something big and the character’s would just accept it and move on as if it wasn’t a big deal which just didn’t vibe with who they had been set up to be in book 1.
- The whole part of the book where Sadie accepts Lavinia’s lien drove me insane. I couldn’t get my head around this and the reasoning just didn’t make any sense. Again, characters making brash decisions for no reason. She’s been established to be smarter than this and it just felt as though it was doing her character a disservice.

Overall, I felt as though this book may not have had enough meat on the bones to constitute a second book and the fact that it ended with a cliff hanger - potentially indicating a third book - makes me somewhat nervous as to how some of these issues could be rectified in a book 3, I just felt that many of the elements that were explored in this second book could’ve been shortened down and brought into the first.

3.5/5 stars

Special thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the opportunity to review.

#TheBindingMark #NetGalley #ARCReview

omg this was such a fun read. The way everything happened had me hooked like aaaa
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

I was so excited to be back in this world after loving the first book in the series. We find Sadie back in London attempting to make the best of her circumstances after leaving Mannith. After receiving a mysterious letter from Lavinia Morven, she learns she must join Lavinia's coven and be bound by another lien in order to stay in London. She's still battling her emotions when it comes to Gabriel Thornber and can't fully decide on hating or loving him and Gabriel's new alliance with her family isn't helping her decision at all. Suddenly, Sadie finds herself working against her family at the behest of her new ally and even more confused about where she stands with Gabriel. Will they finally be able to work things out or will she be free of him for good?

This was such a great sequel in this series and I loved all of the twists, turns, and surprises throughout the book. Sometimes sequels just fall flat or end up being boringly predictable but I did not find either of those things to be true about this book. I flew through it and couldn't wait to see what happened! I loved the chemistry and tension between Sadie and Gabriel in the first book and was delighted to find it just as present in this one. I definitely recommend picking this up and continuing the series!

The Binding Mark is book two in the Witch Trials Book series by Sophie Williamson.
So now I’m jumping on Amazon and getting The Twisted Mark.
This was a compelling dark, twisted, and steamy fantasy romance. I found myself hooked from the first pages. The plot depths and character development is fantastic.
The story flows fast and the action and twists were fun to read.
And the characters were fabulous! Overall, this was a very entertaining, enjoyable and fantastic story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Storm Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The perfect witchy fantasy romance for this time of year. Sophie Williamson has produced a brilliant follow up to Book 1 that will leave the reader wanting more.

The Binding Mark is the second in the Witch Trials series. After reading The Twisted Mark, I was unsure where the author would take the story - and I really enjoyed what she did! After the events in The Twisted Mark, Sophie has gone back to London and is trying to settle back into life there. Sadie is asked to join the London Coven - a requirement if she is going to stay in London and practice magic. She is not thrilled about the new lien mark, but is insistent on distancing herself from Gabriel. How will Sadie balance this new coven and her loyalty to her family? And why is Gabriel always around?

What I liked: I was unsure where this storyline was going to go, and boy, was it a good one! I liked that we got additional points of view. I hope that we might get to see more of Bren in another book? The new characters were great and the layers of the plot were engaging. The plot was action packed and kept me on my toes.

What I didn't like: I would have liked to see a little more time with her family in this one - it was such a central part of the last book. Also, a little more time with Gabriel would have been great.

I was thrilled to recieve this as an ARC from NetGalley after having received The Twisted Mark ARC previously. Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Witch Trials series, and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the new setting of London, a city I do enjoy visiting frequently. We see some iconic buildings mentioned within the story, The Tower being one which, having visited there made it that much more easier to envision whilst reading. I enjoyed the whole portrayl of city life, living in an apartment, hearing the sounds of the city, very appealing. I also enjoyed the contrast with the POV changing to someone else within the story, set in the small town Sadie comes from.

It was a little jarring seeing the dual POV come in after there not being dual POV in the first book. However, it made sense to the plot and it didn't take long to adjust to the difference, as the second POV isn't as frequent as the main one. We are introduced to many more characters, including, finally, vampires, after they're briefly mentioned in the first book, making me wonder if they were just random mentions, we get to see them in action and to begin to hate them.

We also see more character progression for Sadie, seeing her making some difficult choices. However, the one choice she makes, sent me crazy, and I spent a lot of time wanting to shout at the book telling her to just give in! IFYKYK.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it will definitely be a good book for spooky season.

Adult fantasy, magic, romance, demons, vampires, family squabbles, and troublesome alliances. A superbly enjoyable read. I absolutely loved book one in this series. The female lead - lawyer first, magic practitioner second - is really entertaining. And this book too was thrilling and excellent read, except that I can’t see her being duped quite as easily as she is. So only 4 stars this time. Why don’t you read the books and see if you agree. Agree or not, you will be entertained. Can’t wait for more from Sophie Williamson. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

What a dark, hot fantasy book. So many twists and turns. I was gripped from the start. Characters you will love and those you will love to hate. Vampires and witches galore. A real rollercoaster of a book.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series. I devoured this book in a single sitting since it was just as fantastic as the first.

It manages to catch you off guard and knock you out cold at the same time while being stunning, disastrous, and optimistic!!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and reviewed it voluntarily
Thank you to Netgalley and Sophie Williamson for giving an E-copy of this book!

I loved this book as I love witchy books but this book's storyline is definitely unique!

First of all, this is Book 2 of Witch Trials although Williamson does a great job of weaving explanations of previous events into The Binding Mark so if you join the story at this Book (as I did) then you're not at a disadvantage. This was great as we are allowed to understand what happened in ... in Yorkshire. (I also love how home to Sadie is The North!)

The story follows Sadie (a lawyer and a witch), having escaped the explosive events of Book 1 and made her way back to London where the London Coven and its leader approach her... this causes a series of events, leading to an explosive ending which threatens Sadie, her family and the special place she calls home.

Just to make this even better, Williamson throws in Gabriel... the gorgeous, half-demon and ultimately Sadie's fate, however hard she tries to run from it.

The Binding Mark is an addictive story of love, revenge and fate, all tied up in a beautiful bow of Sadie and Gabriel.

If you love witches, action and sexy half demons then this is the story for you!

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Sophie Williamson for giving me a copy of this great book in return for an honest review.
This book frustrated me to no end but I couldn’t put it down.
Sadie decided to go back to London to avoid Gabriel but she comes under the radar of the Lavinia and the London coven. Lavinia wants to use Sadie to get revenge on vampires.
I wanted to give Sadie a good shake in this book. She has everything she would ever need in her hometown with her family and Gabe but she wants to live an independent life and it gets her in trouble. I would have liked more interaction between Sadie and Gabe. The author is great at story telling and I am normally able to predict how the story will go but it caught me by surprise. I will definitely be reading more by Sophie and I hope we have more books about the different characters especially Nikki and Bren.

And just like that, we are back in the world of rival covens and magical bargains. The expansion of the world building to include London was really fun, especially with a new cast of characters as well as Mannith coming to London. The plot revolves around ancient grudges being brought to light, which is always juicy. Lavinia is an intensely powerful and even more petty figure that excels in getting what she wants. I could have used more of her backstory, honestly. A second storyline involving a very weakened Bren and rival Nikki was a nice break from the courtroom drama that further deepened the Mannith connection. That relationship was definitely fun to watch and I hope there will be more of it. Also, who knew Bren was such a romantic?

I gotta say, this time around, Sadie’s stalwart stubbornness and need for justice that I loved in the first book really got her in some hot water. I love Sadie as a character, but I was frustrated out of my mind for a good amount of the book as Sadie was clearly being manipulated like a chess piece by forces far more powerful and far older than her. Like, come on Sadie, things are going TOO WELL right now. SOMETHING IS WRONG. I mean, I think we all strive to have that level of delulu to get through our day, but the red flags were flagging. But at the heart of all this is her relationship with Gabriel. I NEED MORE. What I wouldn’t do for a story in his POV. My only criticism is that there just wasn’t enough witty banter, but again, because I need more Sadie and Gabriel. Hopefully, there will be more of that in future books.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the first book The Twisted Mark I was really hoping for more of the same. I wanted more magic and intrigue but for me it was too gushy. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me. A younger audience will lap this up.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.