WOW! I adored book one, but the sequel exceeded even my high expectations. Read if you enjoy...

✨Complex characters that are still somehow so very relatable
✨A FMC with a backbone! And magic! And a law degree!
"I don't owe you forgiveness because I love you."
✨An enchanted law library that I wish I could visit
✨A powerful still sort of evil MMC who will cheer on his powerful partner
✨A MMC who will support the FMC's bigger career but still kill for her
✨Characters who build actually healthy relationships (even in fantasy books!)
✨Resistance to destined love
✨TENSION that is off the charts!
✨Slowburn (you really have to wait for the romance but the payoff is totally worth it)
✨"Wait, why don't I hate you anymore?"
✨"Damn it, I really hate that I don't hate you."
✨Multiple romances
✨Sister (and coven dynamics!)
✨Women supporting and not at all murdering women
✨Vampires who get taken down a level
✨Fighting corruption and the system™️
✨A series with the potential to take over the world! (Just like Sadie and Gabriel!)

The Binding Mark is the perfect combination of legal thriller, romance, and urban fantasy full of morally gray characters that I didn't know I needed. I can't wait to read more from Williamson, and I only with the Practitoners had a spell to go back in time so I could read the story for the first time all over again.

I had a delightful, if somewhat confused, time with this duology! I loved how fierce and strong Sadie was, and how no one was entirely good -- even if they justified their actions. The characters felt more real in this respect, despite being practioners. There were definitely pacing issues, especially in moments where you got an info dump about how the magic system works, that pulled me out of the story. There was also less tension in this book, which did make it less compelling than the first book in this series. I was also disappointed and confused that Sadie's character development went out the window when she accepted the lien from Lavinia and asked zero questions about what was to be required of her. It cheapened a lot of the work she did in the first book, and made the happily ever after feel a little less earned.

Overall, loved the love story, could have done with more of the tension of the first book, but excited for the possibility of a spin-off with other characters!

This book picks up right after the first book ended.

We follow Sadie’s story and adventures around London with the coven of witches and her having to balance things out with Gabriel and her family.

It was painful to see some of her actions and I was left wanting to shake her a little bit because of the decisions she was making. It felt a little predictable but understandable with the story.

I am excited to see where the next book takes us.

Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Williamson for the ARC.

After the events of the first book, Sadie's back in London, trying to reclaim her life and put space between herself and Gabriel. She's invited to join the London Coven by Lavinia, an old friend of her father, and makes her decision when a client is killed by a vampire. Up north in Mannith, her brother Bren is trying to acclimate to his new low-magic life, with the help of Gabriel's best friend, Nikki.

Every time Sadie and Gabriel were in a room together, you could feel the tension and chemistry simmering below the surface. He definitely opened up to Sadie more in this book, and I was happy with their Hallmark Christmas movie ending, though selfishly, I could read about their lives forever. The London Coven plot line was interesting, but predictable, though I appreciate how it was left open-ended at the end of the book. I did feel more sympathy for Bren in this book, and I'm hoping the next book in this world focuses on his and Nikki's relationship.

It’s so fun to be back in Sadie and Gabriel’s worlds and all of the characters we’ve gotten to know in the first book. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this next chapter. Plus, we get some new faces as the circle of magic expands to include some new + intriguing witches and…vampires 🤩🔮⚡️ From sibling relations to witchy magical + villainous moments, this one had me hooked again — just wanted more S&G scenes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Binding Mark is the second book in the Witch Trials series. The beginning of this story picks up right where the first book left off. I liked getting to read more about Sadie and her time in London. This story focused a lot more on her career with the London Coven. I will say that some of it was a little confusing. It almost felt as though certain political stances were shoved into the book, and they didn't coincide with the story in my opinion. It took the focus away from Sadie for me. I liked learning more about the two families and the side characters. I would've liked to see more character development for some of the characters, but hopefully that will happen within the next book. Overall, this was an okay read for me.

Tad disappointed but not surprised. I thought the previous book was good, it had some hints of progressive politics, like white privilege and etc. It didn't add to the story and then started reading the sequel and does it from the beginning. My personal preference for fictions novels is not for political stances for an author to proclaim they are an ally. It just doesn't seem genuine and I don't care for it. Overall it is unnecessary and detracts from the story in my opinion. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed following Sadie’s life & career in London and with the London coven. Some of it was a tad confusing for me - but overall a great read.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eCopy to review

I enjoyed the Binding Mark by Sophie Williamson. This time it focussed on Sadie's life and career in London. She joins the London coven and works with them to bring down the vampires. However, strange things keep happening to her family and Sadie's behaviour becomes very odd. Bren makes a truce with Gabriel to send him to London to help find out what is wrong with Sadie.

I enjoyed the alliance of the 2 families in Meredith, the relationship between Nikki and Bren, and the ending was beautiful. The only negative was the vampire/Lavinia storyline was a bit to complicated and long winded and not enough scenes between Sadie and Gabriel

I loved the first book in this series so much that I was worried this book wouldn't live up to my expectations, but I was SO WRONG! This book was equally as wonderful and I read it in one sitting. This book picked up right where the previous one left off and detailed Sadie's adventures in London and her dealings with the coven of witches there while she balanced her loyalties and responsibilities to Gabriel and her family back in Mannon. I spent half of this book SO angry with Sadie for her choices and the way she was so clearly being manipulated, but still desperately hoping for her to work out her situation so that she could make it work with Gabriel. Sophie Williamson did such a wonderful job developing this story and these characters that this story was impossible to put down and these characters were impossible not to love! I loved every minute of this story and I can't wait to read the next one!!!

A follow up to The Twisted Mark, this has one of the main characters, Sadie Sadler, leaving her home in the North of England, after being freed from the binding lien used by Gabriel Thornber. She heads back to London and her life as a barrister, but gets summoned by Lavinia, the powerful leader of the London Coven. Given an ultimatum to either join the Coven, and all that entails, or get out of the city, she reluctantly joins, but it becomes clear that everything isn’t quite what she hoped for.

An interesting read, if a frustrating one. Sadie has just got herself out of one situation that clearly wasn’t good for her, but seems willing to get caught up with another, very similar situation straight away. I got a definite sense of deja vu. For a strong woman, she comes across as a bit naive at times, which for someone who is the top of her game career wise, and a powerful witch doesn’t sit quite right. However, the story is good, it is written well and there are some nice sub-plots going on. Also, this time Vampires play more of a part in the story. I like the idea that the Sadler family has safe guarded their home town for so long, and we learn more about both them and the Thornber families. A read that had me wanting to know how it was all going to work out, without being able to completely work it out is always good. There were some nice twists, and I really want to know what happens in the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3 1/2⭐️