Scarred: Urban Fantasy

Ann Gimpel

Mar 2023 · Bound by Shadows Book 1 · Ann Gimpel Books, LLC

About this ebook

Magic runs strong in me, but power isn’t enough.

Magic confers an unnatural beauty on everyone with talent. Everyone except me, that is. I’m a witch, to be sure. No doubt about my birthright. When I was young, Mother hid me away until I was old enough to hold a glamour to conceal my flaws.

And hold it I did for many a long year until I grew sick of siphoning off that amount of magic on something stupid. I was a valued Coven member. Surely, they’d accept me. And my wolfie familiar. All witches have them, except most are cats or birds. Something small, manageable.

Eh. Getting off track here. The unpleasant truth was the moment I sloughed my glamour, the council held an emergency meeting. The next day, I was out on the streets. They booted wolfie along with me.

No more home. No more sisterhood. Hah. What a joke all those of years of bonhomie turned out to be. If I sound bitter, darned right I am. Bitter and moving forward.

I’ll show them if it’s the last thing I do.

Ratings and reviews

Scarred is the initial installment in Ann Gimpel's Bound by Shadows trilogy. Lose yourself in a world where coven loyalty means nothing, everything you've known since birth turns out to be a lie and unusual bedfellows become your most trusted allies. Ann Gimpel, as usual, does not disappoint, as she utilizes her extraordinary world building skills to create a plot with so many twists and turns your head will spin. The storyline is fast-paced and very well written, filled with magic and mayhem, evil, witches, fae, adventure, danger, intrigue, subterfuge and a slow burn romance. The characters are well developed and engaging. They are so life-like, you truly feel as if you are part of the story, right alongside the main players. Overall, scarred is a great start to what I can only assume will be a fantastic series!

Love these new characters, Morgan, Damien, and of course Zeke, along with others. To be honest witches and faes have never been my favorites, but somehow this author always wins me over and I can't remember ever reading one of hers that didn't eventually win me over. The story is filled with who, what, and why's, startling secrets, action (gory and non-gory), terrible loss, tentative friendship that becomes much more. It shows us the bounds of love between man and animal, trust of ones own kind, as well as by others, and worse, the most hideous of betrayals by those you were supposed to depend on. Do yourself a favor, read this first in a series book and take a journey with your new found heroes.

Ann Gimpel's world intrigues and delights you. This urban fantasy has witches, fae, familars, humans and so much more. Book 1 is the back ground laying with plenty of action and interest. It has its own little twists and surprises that delivers. Scarred does end abruptly but book 2 is out Cursed - so grab them both. Many thanks for the arc, I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #scarred #boundbyshadows #anngimpel # anngimplebooksllc #booksirens

About the author

Ann Gimpel is a USA Today bestselling author. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in many webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. Once upon a time, she nurtured clients. Now she nurtures dark, gritty fantasy stories that push hard against reality. When she’s not writing, she’s in the backcountry getting down and dirty with her camera. She’s published over 100 books to date, with several more planned for 2023 and beyond. A husband, grown children, grandchildren, and wolf hybrids round out her family.