Verdict: A moody, slow-burning Regency-era dark fantasy where two rival witches circle each other through prejudice, magic, and mounting desire.
Best for: Readers who love rivals-to-lovers, atmospheric witchy worldbuilding, dual POV, and a slow burn that pays off in serious heat.
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ High Spice (Slow-Burn, Open Door)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Tropes: Rivals-to-lovers, sapphic witches, dual POV, forced proximity, slow burn, dark fantasy
With over 1,400 five-star Goodreads reviews and a devoted fandom, Her Spell That Binds Me has quietly become one of the standout indie sapphic dark fantasies of recent years — and it’s a natural fit for our list of spicy sapphic fantasy books. Luna Oblonsky pairs a Regency-era setting with rival witches, dual POV, and a slow burn that readers can’t stop raving about.
If the morally-charged, atmospheric mood of Malice worked for you, this trilogy opener scratches a very similar itch — with a witchier, more Regency flavor.
What Is Her Spell That Binds Me About?
Set at the dawn of the Regency era, Her Spell That Binds Me follows two witches on opposite sides of a deep-rooted prejudice — forced into proximity and bound together by circumstance and magic they don’t fully control. What begins as sharp-edged rivalry slowly warms into attraction, then into something neither of them is prepared to admit. Told in dual POV, it’s a dark, atmospheric romance about power, prejudice, and the dangerous pull between two women who are supposed to be enemies. It’s the first book in the Her Spell Trilogy, and it sets up a much bigger story.
What Makes This Dark Fantasy Work
Rivals-to-lovers with real friction. The animosity between the leads is earned and prickly, so every step toward each other carries weight.
Dual POV that deepens both women. Getting inside both heads makes the slow burn ache — you understand exactly what each of them is resisting and why.
A richly witchy, Regency-tinged world. The setting is moody and immersive, all candlelit tension and simmering social danger.
A slow burn that actually delivers. When the restraint finally breaks, the payoff is worth every chapter of buildup — and it runs hot.
Book Synopsis
In a Regency-era world where magic is feared and witches are divided by old hatreds, two rival women find themselves thrown together by forces larger than either of them. Prejudice has taught them to distrust each other on sight — and at first, they do, trading barbed words and colder silences.
But proximity breeds understanding, and a binding neither of them chose begins to tie their fates — and their magic — together. As they’re forced to rely on one another, the line between rivalry and longing blurs, and the feelings they’ve been suppressing grow impossible to deny.
Told from both perspectives, the story traces their fraught, slow-building romance against a backdrop of danger, secrets, and social peril. As the first book in the Her Spell Trilogy, it delivers a satisfying emotional arc while planting the seeds of a darker, larger conflict to come.
My Review
I completely understand the fandom now. Her Spell That Binds Me is exactly my kind of slow burn — the sort where the tension is so thick you find yourself holding your breath, waiting for one of them to crack. Oblonsky builds her Regency-witch world with real atmosphere, and the dual POV means the yearning cuts both ways; you feel every ounce of what each woman is fighting against.
The rivals-to-lovers arc is the heart of it, and it’s done beautifully. The animosity is genuine, rooted in prejudice and pride, so the gradual thaw feels hard-won rather than inevitable. And when the slow burn finally ignites, the spice is generous and open-door — this is a dark fantasy romance for adults, and it earns its heat by making you wait for it.
If I’m flagging anything: the pacing is deliberately slow, so if you want instant gratification this may test your patience, and the dark themes and prejudice at the story’s core mean it isn’t a light, cozy read — check content warnings if you’re sensitive. It’s also book one of a trilogy, so the larger story is far from over. For me, though, the mood, the ache, and the payoff added up to a near-perfect read. A strong 4.5 stars.
Tropes & Themes at a Glance
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Two rival witches — F/F, dual POV |
| Core tropes | Rivals-to-lovers, sapphic witches, forced proximity, slow burn, magical binding |
| Setting | Dawn of the Regency era — a dark, witchy fantasy world |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ High — slow burn, open door |
| Series | Her Spell Trilogy #1 (followed by Her Spell That Cursed Me) |
| Content notes | Prejudice, dark themes, mature/explicit content (check CWs) |
How Spicy Is Her Spell That Binds Me?
Heat rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ High Spice. This is a proper slow burn, so the heat builds gradually — but once it arrives, it’s explicit and open-door. As an adult dark fantasy romance, it doesn’t fade to black, and the payoff is all the more intense for the tension that precedes it. If you love steam that’s earned through chapters of simmering rivalry rather than delivered on page one, this hits the mark. Just be aware the front half prioritizes atmosphere and buildup over immediate spice.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you adore rivals-to-lovers, slow-burn sapphic romance, witchy Regency-era worldbuilding, dual POV, and a dark fantasy that takes its time before it burns hot.
You may want to skip it if: you dislike slow pacing, you want light and cozy rather than dark and heavy, or you prefer a fully self-contained story over the first book of a trilogy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Her Spell That Binds Me be read as a standalone?
It has a satisfying arc, but it’s the first book of the Her Spell Trilogy and sets up a larger story — you’ll almost certainly want to continue with Her Spell That Cursed Me.
Is it a true sapphic romance?
Yes. It’s an F/F rivals-to-lovers dark fantasy told in dual POV, with the sapphic romance at the absolute center of the story.
How steamy is it really?
High, but slow to arrive. It’s a slow burn with explicit, open-door scenes once the tension peaks — steamy, but earned rather than immediate.
Is it dark? Are there content warnings?
Yes, it’s a dark fantasy dealing with prejudice and mature themes. Readers ask about content warnings for a reason — check them if you’re sensitive to heavier subject matter.
Is the pacing slow?
Deliberately, yes. The romance and worldbuilding unfold gradually, which is a feature for slow-burn fans and a drawback if you want fast payoff.
If You Loved Her Spell That Binds Me, Read These Next
Craving more dark, witchy sapphic romance? Browse the full spicy sapphic fantasy book list for your next spellbinding read. For morally grey fairy-tale darkness, try Malice; for enemies-to-lovers with a fantasy-war backdrop, This Splintered Sea delivers; and if you want a shorter, hotter enemies-to-lovers hit, In Love and War is a quick, spicy treat.
The Bottom Line
Her Spell That Binds Me is a beautifully moody, slow-burning sapphic dark fantasy that rewards patience with genuine emotional payoff and serious heat. With rich Regency-witch atmosphere, a killer rivals-to-lovers arc, and a devoted fanbase to back it up, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who likes their romance dark, tense, and hard-won. A confident 4.5 stars. Check the latest price on Amazon →