Her Sweetest Downfall by Rebecca Hamilton

Ophelia's been successful at hiding her true identity, until the mark of the serpent appears on her neck — a death sentence, should it be seen by anyone in her town. Hiding the mark might save her from falling victim to the witch hunts of her era, but the scorching sensation it carries can't be ignored.

When the mysterious Ethan is sent to collect her for a life of something more, she learns concealing the mark is the least of her concerns. She's destined to do a new task — to join a dark, supernatural world and protect the future of people she may never meet.

What she doesn't know — what she learns too late — is that her initiation won't be complete until she kills the man who's captured her heart.

Ophelia wakes up to find an Ouroboros on her collarbone - this is bad news for her as it'll apparently get her branded as a witch. She gets sent on an errand by her boss and loses her horse then gets grabbed and stolen by a dude. Dude is Ethan who says he has been sent to help her, he has to make sure she fulfills her destiny. But of course they fall for each other - which is not a good thing since they won't see each other after her destiny is fulfilled. She changes as she should do and infiltrates a society that she is to (very slowly) take down from the inside until she's needed.

I didn't like this as much as Forever Girl but I think it's just 'cos I'm not a huge fan of books set in olden times - they tend to bore me. I didn't like Ophelia and Ethan as much as Sophia and Charles and Ophelia's accent just kept completely throwing me off course. Just as I was getting into the story, her accent would flare up and make me cringe. I still have no idea where she was meant to be from.

On the plus side, I did like the story, it was interesting but I just kept getting dragged from it. Also, as a small plus, look at that cover - it's GORGEOUS! I've really liked both the covers in this series and I can't wait to see what the third one looks like.


Amazon UK: Her Sweetest Downfall

The Forever Girl by Rebecca Hamilton

Sophia Parsons' family has skeletons, but they aren't in their graves...

Solving the mystery of an ancestor's hanging might silence the clashing whispers in Sophia's mind, but the cult in her town and the supernaturals who secretly reside there are determined to silence her first.

As Sophia unknowingly crosses the line into an elemental world full of vampire - like creatures, shapeshifters, and supernatural grim reapers, she meets Charles, a man who becomes both lover and ally.

But can she trust him?

It's not until someone nearly kills Sophia that she realizes the only way to unveil the source of her family's curse: abandon her faith or abandon her humanity. If she wants to survive, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.

I instantly liked Sophia. She lives in a town that seems a bit stuck and behind the times, they all look and point at her 'cos she's a "witch" ...... if they only knew what was really lurking in their town. Her mother is part of a cultish church group, the leader of which is trying to scare Sophia out of her family home and threatening her with ye-olde-witch hating tactics - the bible. She meets Charles (and man, is Charles just DELICIOUS) and finds out there is a whole other world within her little normal one, one that involves vampires and shifters and witches (oh my).

Sophia comes across as very down-to-earth and totally likeable. She doesn't let all the hate in the town get to her and she refuses to give in to her mothers culty friends. Then she meets Charles and he's just completely nomable, although he does have his weird moments.

Hamilton manages to keep you interested the whole way through, she throws in enough twists and cliff hangers to interest you but not so much to piss you off. Her characters are well written and she writes a great, descriptive story. I would definitely recommend this to any other fellow supernatural lovers. And the great thing is, it's part 1 of a series so I get to read more of Charles and Sophia!


Book Depository: The Forever Girl
Amazon UK: The Forever Girl