Witch Hearts by Liz Long

REVIEW

A pleasant surprise

This was a really fun read, which considering the subject matter—a serial killer going around stealing witch hearts—is a slightly weird statement, but I stand by it. It was a great balance of mystery and romance, with a backdrop of witchcraft which was all brought to life through its engaging and likeable characters. I really liked it. And bonus! I believe it's a stand alone, which as you probably  know, are rarer than rocking horse poop these days.

The story follows Ruby, a witch who has just heard the news that her best friend Courtney (also a witch) has been found dead. Murdered. With her heart removed. It instantly raises warning bells for Ruby who knows it might be the work of a dark magick user, and when she finds out Courtney wasn't the first witch to die in this way, and that she might just be next, things get really scary really fast.

Enter Cooper, the older brother of the now dead Courtney. Someone Ruby has known through her BFF for more than 10 years, but only in the capacity of "Courtney's hot older bother who is out of bounds". As often happens, tragedy brings people together and due to Cooper's guilt over his sister's death, he is determined not to let anything happen to the last remaining link to her—Ruby. So he moves in to her apartment for protection and pretty soon, sparks are aflying.

The sexual tension was palpable between these two and I enjoyed reading the great dialogue they had. But my inner smutmonster was slightly aggravated by the fade-to-black technique. Leaving your readers at the bedroom door like that is just cruel, yo! But I understand that sexy scenes may have taken something away from the grief and companionship Cooper and Ruby shared with each other in the days after Courtney's death. So I guess I can forgive it. Sort of.

On a couple of occasions, Ruby was a little bit impetuous; putting herself in unnecessary danger. I realise sometimes heroines need to do this to move plots forward, but I always wish for a better method that just to have them running headlong into danger, because then they look like a nincompoop. But other than that, I really enjoyed Ruby. She was quietly awesome, if that makes sense. She wasn't an over-the-top smartypants type of heroine, but she was cool anyway. And Cooper sounded delicious!

I've gotta say, the ending surprised me. There was another character—I don't know if he/she was an intentional red herring, or if I was just off my game—but it turned out to be someone else entirely. So kudos for the surprise.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a quick and entertaining witchy read with a sweet romance sprinkled on the top.

4 Stars ★★★★
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.