Mr. & Mrs. Witch A novel

Savvy and Griffin are ready to spend the rest of their lives together. But at their wedding, unexpected guests lead to the revelation of the bride and groom's secret identities: Savvy is a witch and Griffin is a hunter. Their powerful organizations have been sworn enemies for centuries with peace only being enforced by old accords that are suddenly forsaken as they're ordered to terminate each other. When they hesitate, both C.R.O.N.E. and H.U.N.T.E.R. put bounties on their heads, forcing them to fight alongside one another and figure out the true reason for the bloodshed between their factions. While the story unfolds after the couple's halted wedding, it also brings back the past as it narrates how Griffin and Savvy met and fell in love, effectively encouraging the reader to root for their happily-ever-after. Savvy's coven of close friends and their lovable animal familiars add to the charm of the story. VERDICT Bond's (The Date from Hell) unique take on the witch and hunter feud is fantastically imagined and makes for an exhilarating, modern paranormal romance.--Hazel Ureta

About to say "I do," a witch and a witch hunter have their true identities revealed, kicking off a kill-or-be-killed enemies-to-lovers romance. Savannah Wilde and Griffin Carter have only been together for a year, but they're ready to tie the knot despite their friends' and family's reservations. They're also hiding some monumental secrets from each another: Savvy is a powerful witch with an organization called C.R.O.N.E., while Griffin works for a group called H.U.N.T.E.R. Both truths are revealed on their wedding day when the bride's and groom's sections come to blows. Now Griffin and Savvy have a new goal, and that's to eliminate one another for the sake of their rival organizations. As the pair meet over and over again in a series of dangerous situations, they start to notice a third presence that wants to eliminate both of them. Against their better judgement, Griffin and Savvy unite to defeat a common enemy. Their teamwork makes them realize that the attraction they felt and the love they shared over the course of their yearlong relationship were very real. At first, the obstacles to a happily-ever-after seem insurmountable. How do you overcome years of ingrained hatred for a group of people? The notion that two centuries-old groups could coexist peacefully as part of a happily-ever-after is a tall order that isn't quite delivered. The worldbuilding is also rather slippery, with a host of acronyms that don't make it completely clear what the witches and hunters do and how they operate. Savvy and Griffin's story is buoyed by the way the narrative jumps back and forth in time, from the present day to moments they shared as they were falling in love. While the romance starts off charming and quickly rockets into a high-energy love story, the stakes are too high and the environment too confusing to fully absorb a reader. Interesting and quirky in concept but muddy in delivery. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.