The Witches of Bellinas

The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones

The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones is a hypnotic California Gothic novel about love, power, and the seductive pull of belonging. When Tansy and her husband Guy arrive in the idyllic coastal town of Bellinas, it seems like the perfect place to rebuild their struggling marriage. Bellinas is a lush, isolated haven led by Guy’s cousin Mia—a former supermodel turned wellness guru—and her enigmatic tech mogul husband. Together, they preside over a tight-knit community that has rejected the outside world in favor of curated rituals, clean living, and spiritual purity.

At first, everything in Bellinas seems too good to be true: endless gardens in bloom, protection from nearby wildfires, and an atmosphere of harmony. But as Tansy’s unease grows, she begins to suspect that beneath the surface lies something more insidious. While Guy is blissfully content, Tansy becomes entangled in a seductive, hedonistic cult that manipulates its members with love, beauty, and control.

Told as a raw, intimate confession, The Witches of Bellinas explores what it means to lose yourself in the search for acceptance. In this unsettling, elegant reimagining of cult psychology, Jones delves into the psychology of groupthink, emotional isolation, and the desperate lengths we’ll go to for connection—especially when we already know the danger.

Perfect for fans of The Girls by Emma Cline, Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, and atmospheric feminist fiction with dark, psychological undertones.