Witch Way Bends
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Witch Way Bends (Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy #1)

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3.83 of 5 stars 3.83  ·  rating details  ·  249 ratings  ·  57 reviews
Devan Stowe has only one thing on her mind when she teams up with Kent Crosby and his associates—putting an end to her father’s child trafficking business. Her determination takes her on a journey to discover her true strength and the one man she was destined to love. In his arms, she’ll learn the meaning of trust, honor, and courage. Devan will unlock an amazing gift that...more
Kindle Edition, 283 pages
Published November 23rd 2011
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Beckyloohoo Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ aka Mrs. Acheron Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Ooo boy. I got this book for free on Amazon and read it as part of a book challenge. If it hadn't been for the Challenge, I would have put down this book and not finished it. I know that there are several people here on GR that loved and raved about it, and that's great, but this just wasn't the book for me.

The book begins in what feels like mid-chapter, or even 3 or 4 chapters in, in the middle of what seems to be an important scene. But we have no idea who anyone is, or what's going on. Other...more
Buffy Kennedy
Olivia Hardin’s writing style reminds me a bit of Jacquelyn Frank’s in that a passage might focus on one character’s point of view, but we could still shift slightly to know what others are thinking or feeling. The tone of the story is also reminiscent of JF by having fairly demure love scenes and a big focus on the characters, story, and world itself rather than the individual events that transpire, such as every little thing during a fight scene.

As for the story, it grips you from the beginnin...more
Bookie | The BookChick
My Rating: ★★

Book Description:
Devan Stowe is a woman on a quest. She has only one thing on her mind when she teams up with Kent Crosby and his associates—putting an end to her father’s child trafficking business. Her determination takes her on a journey to discover her true strength and… the one man she was destined to love. In his arms, she’ll learn the meaning of trust, honor, and courage. Old friends and new will come together to help Devan unlock an amazing gift that will free her from her...more
Annette M Guerriero Nishimoto
Today's review is on Witch Way Bends, Book 1 of the Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy by Olivia Hardin.

This book grabs you from the very beginning with our heroine Devan Stowe contemplating weather or not to join in on the "mission". The mission to thwart her fathers business of selling children. To succeed she has teamed up with Kent Crosby and his men.

Unknown to her, Kent and his people are not what they seem. They are a mixed team of supernaturals. Langston is a Shaman, and the only person in the group...more
Kira
This was the best kindle freebie I've got yet. It's nice to read some paranormal fantasy stuff whilst waiting for some other books to come out. This was a good, fast paced (and quick) read and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Beth Wright
This is one incredible unigue paranormal book. *Drool* sexy, hot male lead who clearly loves to tease his lover for a while before he finally gives in. Come on now i would have thrown him to the floor and taught him a thing or two about teasing lol. Witchs, fairy, vampires and lots of action, and love gonig on up in this book :D I love their unigue powers and her imaginary friend is a hotty as well 0.o you must read this book. Things are not as they seem in this story. I so can not wait for part...more
Emily Alburns
This review was given to me by the author for an honest review.

From the beginning of the story the reader is sucked into Olivia Hardin's world of magic and mystery. After discovering her father's disgusting business of selling children to the highest bidder, Devan is determined to see him ruined. She feels her best bet is to join Kent and his teammates, though she gets strong opposition from Kent. Fortunately, his mentor/partner Langston, sees something in her and advises Kent to bring her along...more
Phaedra Seabolt
Witch Way Bends is such an appropriate name for this story (you will have to read to find out why). Devan thinks she is just a normal woman with a very bad family. Her family seems to be into trafficking children for purposes that no one would approve, but she doesn't know the truth. What she knows is only half the truth. Yes they are trafficking children and yes you would not approve of the reasons, but the reason is supernatural instead of just sick. What Devan also doesn't know is that she ha...more
Andrea Heltsley
I got this book as a kindle freebie on Amazon. It sat on my shelf for a while until one day I came across it and decided to finally pick it up. Yeah, so I am glad I did.

*Kent* *sigh* You've gotta appreciate a sexy guy in any book. To be a fly on the wall in many scenes of this book, I would love to be. I liked his character and his part of the story that unfolded as the book continued.

I was a little sad that Devan jumped so headfirst into everything that was thrown at her. She was just too acc...more
Laura
The writing style doesn't grab me. It's not very tight and the description comes in large dumps that work in world-building fantasy novels but not here. It's chocked full of adverbs and adjectives that could be omitted if a stronger verb were chosen or eliminated altogether. It also tells a lot rather than showing, and most of the telling could simply be cut. Devan certainly "feels" a lot of things. The only reason I kept going was because it was part of a challenge for the GR book club I'm a pa...more
Rae Ryans

This story featured a solid plot and combined it with excellent characters. At times your uncertain who is friend or foe, but this is done on purpose in the beginning. There is plenty of steamy romance, vampires, witches, magic and secret organizations on both side. This story is action packed, but still has enough paranormal and romantic tones to keep you pulled in.


Will Devan be able to accept who she really is? Is she crazy or is Roon real? Can Langston teach and guide her before it's too late...more
Armi
YA badly disguised as adult fiction

Reading some of the other reviews and seeing the ratings, I seriously wonder if we all really read the same book.

I read Witch Way Bends as part of a group challenge, and I have to say, if it weren't for the challenge, I would not have finished the book. Sorry.

The book starts in the middle of a scene, a scene which is not explained until later, much much later, in the book. No! You can't throw the reader in in the middle of something and not explain it right awa...more
Amy The Book Diaries
www.the-book-diaries.blogspot.com
I was very skeptical in the beginning of this story because it feels like you start in the middle of a story. It works though because you learn a bit more towards the end that pulls it all together. Devan, who believes she is an ordinary woman, is working with a group of men set out to destroy a group called the Org. Devan has personal ties to this group because her father is one of them. Kent, Nicky, and Langston all have gifts that help support their cause. Dev...more
Kirsten Lenius
I am usually a fan of this genre, but this book has far too many flaws for me to appreciate it. To start with, there are misused words which is a huge pet peeve for me, and the female main character's name spelling changes from Devan to Devon and back.

The story as a whole is disjointed and inadequately explained. I actually read the first third of the book twice, just to make sure that I hadn't missed something.

The characters themselves were presented as being older, yet they acted and reacted...more
Donna
All I can say is I loved this book. This has become one of my favorite new series for the year and an author to watch.

From the beginning you are pulled into the story. You meet Devan, who is on a mission, personal but serious. You meet Kent, who is on the same mission but with different orders ad priorities. Devan does not know who or what she is. But Kent's friend and coworker, Langston, does. We see them all come together to achieve their goals. And to watch Devan learn to control and use her...more
Sharon Michael
Good introduction to a series, with good development of the main characters, though a bit slow to present the background and magic setting. I would have preferred a little more explanation in several areas.

The romance seemed a little contrived somehow and I just did not get the impression of maturity I thought should be present with characters of those ages.

Interesting plotline, with an different twist on the usual human/vampire/witch/fae involvement. Generally speaking, from a personal point o...more
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Witch Way Bends is a good introduction to the series, it gives you a feel of things and a taste of OHardin's writing style and world building. I enjoyed book 1 of the Bend-Bite-Shift and I love the plot and the direction its going. Devan Stowe is a witch and she's going up against her father, Eden Stowe, for his involvement in child trafficking and other offenses made against the supernatural world. The entire story is yet to unfold but looking at the premise, OHardin is hinting...more
LunaBelle
I find this book like a movie you are bored to watch but you still watch it 'till the end. There was too much randomness in it. The idea isn't bad at all but the conversations, the actions were too immature. There were gapes in the novel, details that I felt were just thrown here and there. And other details were missing which created a lack of coherence and it annoyed me.

I really couldnt picture Dev and Kent like two adults. The novel only felt right when I imagined them like two 17 years old...more
Melissa Lummis
I'm reading this paranormal/fantasy series backwards, as I read Bitten Shame first, the second one. That happens to me sometimes, but it made absolutely no difference in my enjoyment of this book.

I love Olivia Hardin's talent for making her characters emote in such away that I am drawn in to their lives and am able to bond with them. I got lost in Devan and Kent's journey to right the wrongs of their past, to forge ahead despite the obstacles and to take the biggest leap of faith: to trust them...more
Lyndi
This was a shortie and though I enjoyed it, I feel like I'm not totally sure what happened. Some of the bad guys got away, but nobody worried about it. Things were hinted at being important, but the story abruptly ended and we didn't find out what the hints were all about. So, the whole book felt a little incomplete, maybe disjointed. I don't know what happened to any of the other surviving characters.

And the time thing at the very end, containing numerous hints, felt unnecessary and was nothing...more
Debbie Johnson
I really enjoyed this book. Can't wait to find out what happens next.
Karen Fowler
Overall a decent read. I spent a little too much time at the beginning trying to figure out what was going on, since the story starts rather abruptly. (I know, I know... hook the reader and all that.) Maybe there was too many things going on and not enough time to process anything from the start.

I did like the characters, but at times they felt a little younger than I think they were supposed to. The premise of the novel is intriguing, but I felt the ending conflict was done a little too easy,...more
Latte
A Kindle freebie. I found this book very difficult to connect with. It's the first book in a series but it reads as if you've walked into the middle of a story. There isn't really a build up or satisfactory explanation to some of the backstories that satisfy the reader - light on describing Dev's witchy powers, light on the buildup in attraction between Dev & Kent. Characters like Gerry are dropped in but seem to have no real purpose in the storyline, unless it's an intro for a subsequent bo...more
Amber
The characters are a bit older in this book. Witch Way Bends begins with Devan Stowe a woman in her mid thirties just discovering she is a witch. Devan wants to put a stop to her father whom she has discovered is involved in child trafficking and also an awful ex (Robbie).

Not only has Devan began to unravel her magic she has also stumbled head first into romance. A story of a young woman discovering herself and uncovering who she is one day at a time!

Looking forward to reading book #2 in this t...more
Naomi
Witch Way Bends is a fantastic read and I couldn’t help but be absorbed into the world that Olivia Hardin had created. She has taken the usual Paranormal worlds that I have imagined and put more of a magic spin to it as Witches are the main characters in this series.

After discovering her Father’s child trafficking business, Devon Stowe wants to put a stop to it. But she doesn’t realise the Paranormal world actually exists until she is on a mission with Kent and his team. It is after this mission...more
Angie Kregg
I received a copy of this book from the FirstReads program.

While I am a fan of paranormal and fantasy topics such as witches and vampires, I was not entirely sure whether or not I enjoy this book. The plot had me slightly skeptical, combining both the battles with magic that we see today in Harry Potter & Lord Of The Rings with the goal of ending a child trafficking ring that belongs more on an episode of Law & Order. I did not know if two such diverse topics could mesh together well.

Nee...more
Andrea Heltsley
I got this book as a kindle freebie on Amazon. It sat on my shelf for a while until one day I came across it and decided to finally pick it up. Yeah, so I am glad I did.

*Kent* *sigh* You've gotta appreciate a sexy guy in any book. To be a fly on the wall in many scenes of this book, I would love to be. I liked his character and his part of the story that unfolded as the book continued.

I was a little sad that Devan jumped so headfirst into everything that was thrown at her. She was just too acce...more
Delphina
I am not even really sure where to begin. There was so much I liked about this book. While I am going to try really hard not to give any spoilers that will impact your enjoyment of this story, I can not guarantee that I will not inadvertently over share. I apologize in advance, if I do. This is the first book in a trilogy about a woman who discovers she is a witch, as she is helping to bring down an evil organization. I know this sounds like many witch story arcs, but this story is anything, but...more
Cassy
Plus side: The characters are very interesting, the plot line moves steadily and the descriptions of magic are very powerful.
Minus: The beginning! I almost put the book down because it had such a confusing intro without telling you the least of what you are dealing with.
The relationship between Dev and her beau was unbelievably cheesy even for a romance.
Unimaginative bodylanguage: I got to the point of almost deleting the whole thing if someone cocked their head or bit their lip again!
Nelta
This was a quick easy read and had witches, vamps, and Fae...The storyline was good , however with Devan being an older character,35, she acted as if she was 15.....which made me want to smack her sometimes. I liked the idea of having more mature characters in a book as long as they come across that way. I might consider reading the next in this series just to see if the writing gets better and what happens.
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The Free Book Cha...: Witch Way Bends, by Olivia Hardin 2 12 Jan 05, 2013 10:11pm  
Witch Way Bends (Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy, #1)
Witch Way Bends (Book 1 of the Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy)
Witch Way Bends (Book 1 of the Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy)
Bitten Shame (Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy, #2) Shifty Business (Bend-Bite-Shift Trilogy, #3) Trolling for Trouble (MAUCs Series One) A Novelette All for Hope Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

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