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SERIES REVIEW: Signs and Wonders & Cursed (Witchbane Books 7 & 8) by Morgan Brice
Witchbane: Signs and Wonders – Morgan Brice
When a coven of dark warlocks killed Seth Tanner’s brother, Seth became a man driven by vengeance, sworn to stop the cycle of ritual killings, willing to die for the cause. He never expected to fall head over heels in love with the witches’ next intended victim. Evan Malone didn’t believe the supernatural was real until Seth swept in with his magic and motorcycle to save him from being the next sacrifice.
Now they’ve gone on the road together, hunting the rest of the coven while they figure out how to keep the white-hot, once-in-a-lifetime bond between them. Days are filled tracking their paranormal quarry, honing their monster hunting skills, and gaining control of the small magics that have made a life-or-death difference. Nights are spent together, entangled in adrenaline-fueled passion, learning how to make this love last forever despite the odds. Seth fears that if they don’t eliminate the rest of the coven, they’ll be on the run forever, and more people will die. Evan is afraid that Seth’s obsession with revenge means they might not survive to get a happily ever after.
Seth and Evan head to West Virginia to confront one of the dark warlocks, a master con man running a cybercrime empire. Can Seth and Evan save the warlock’s next target, bring down his crime syndicate, and live to tell the tale?
Signs and Wonders is a thrill-packed supernatural thrill ride with plenty of paranormal suspense, hurt/comfort, hot nights, found family, deadly magic, immortal witches, determined hunters, haunted places, creepy ghosts, impressive explosions, spooky chills, and sexy thrills, and features an evolving, established romantic relationship with all the feels.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Vigil
Artist: The Mars Volta
Album: The Mars Volta
Witchbane: Cursed – Morgan Brice
Seth Tanner and Evan Malone head to Savannah, Georgia, to hunt the seventh of the coven members responsible for the death of Seth’s brother and so many other victims over the past hundred years.
Seth and Evan fell in love when Seth rescued Evan from one of the dark witches, and they went on the road together to stop the murders. Their relationship is new and intense, growing deeper with the danger, giving them both a reason to survive and gain vengeance.
Sterling Vernon is a prominent restaurateur with a thriving array of businesses, and he’s also the seventh witch-disciple with a new victim in his sights. His reputation and wealth protect him, and his dark magic enables him to evade consequences. Vernon needs to work his ritual to replenish his power soon, and that requires a new sacrifice.
Paxton Miller is Vernon’s next intended victim. When Vernon puts a killing curse on Evan to force a confrontation with Seth, it’s going to take all of Seth’s courage and cleverness, as well as help from their friends with supernatural abilities, to save Evan and Paxton and stop Vernon once and for all.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: The Curse of the Fold
Artist: Shawn James
Album: The Dark & The Light
Witchbane by Morgan Brice has become my comfort read, and by now it’s easy to see how the series has evolve while still delivering everything we love about Seth and Evan’s scenic paranormal quest.
Signs and Wonders, the 7th book and possibly the shortest installment so far, takes our boys to West Virginia’s National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), where radio transmissions are heavily restricted due to scientific and military reasons. What started as a mission for two now involves a network of friends across states, with delightful cameos from the author’s other series.
This time, the witch they’re hunting runs a wellness retreat inside the zone and taking him down is tricky as magic and technology don’t mesh well. Seth and their hacker allies target the witches’ cybercrime empire while Evan infiltrates the wellness orientation seminars.
While the plot is straightforward, the writing is fast-paced and there’s plenty of tactics and action to keep things exciting. I loved going over the how-tos of the mission and Seth and Evan collaborating with the secondary characters made it even more dynamic.
There’s also a change in internal dialogue, Seth and Evan think less of revenge and more about life after the mission. Despite lingering fears, they remain rock solid, comfortable and settled yet always passionate. I enjoyed their cozy boyfriends dynamics and how they’re still as endearing as ever.
Cursed, the 8th book, took our boys to the food havens of Savannah, Georgia which seriously made me hungry. The witch is a prominent restaurateur mentoring his next victim, a food truck owner. This is another tricky setup because how would Seth and Evan convince him of the danger? Also, Evan was hit by a curse which left him in the sidelines.
Like in the previous book, our boys had help from friends and the local good witches. The culinary angle has a gruesome aspect with monster meat being sneaked in. The victim’s boyfriend is a musician and I loved the neat musical spell he and Evan used in the end to power up the good guys.
There’s a change in Seth and Evan’s hectic pace, our boys finished dealing with the bad guys early and took some downtime. They went on a proper date, sight seeing around Savannah and enjoying the food. There’s more talk about dreams of a life after the mission and while I’m rooting hard for a happy ending for our boys, I couldn’t help but feel a pang that the series might be ending soon.
Witchbane is my tour guide across America, taking us to real life weird and wonderful places. I hope the author could give us a map of Seth and Evan’s roadtrip because if ever I could afford a trip to the US, I want to trace their journey.
Overall, I’m happily tagging along till the end!
P.S.
Witchbane should be read in order. Follow the map below:
Burn
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SIGNS AND WONDERS: Amazon UK | Audiobook
CURSED: Amazon UK | AudiobookIf you like my content, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or PayPal. Your donations will help keep this website going. Thank you so much!
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REVIEW: Alliance by Cari Z
The Triad: Alliance – Cari Z.
One wedding. Two grooms. Three lovers, preparing to fight for themselves, and their kingdoms.
Symon Parador is a prince in name only until the day he’s bartered away to the neighboring kingdom, to marry their queen’s brother, Petur. A mage in a nation full of shifters who distrust his magic is bad enough, but even worse is the fact that Petur is already as good as married—to an assassin from the north named Deyvid, who’s immune to all magic.
He doesn’t expect to love either of them, but Deyvid’s surprising kindness is too addictive to run from, and even Petur’s ferocity is lightened by his sly sense of humor. Sy could see himself falling for them…if any of them survive the sudden onslaught of attacks against the royal family.
Entwined in a dangerous game of survival, love, and loyalty, the cost of saving his lovers may be Sy’s own life.
Alliance is a polyamorous M/M/M fantasy with enemies to lovers, graphic violence, snarky humor, and explicit sexual content.
Alliance is the series opener of the polyamorous fantasy series, The Triad by Cari Z. It’s been a while since I read MMM romance so I grabbed this book immediately.
Prince Symon, one of the realm’s most powerful mages, is suddenly arranged to wed Prince Petur, a shifter from a neighboring kingdom. Everyone knows Petur already has a long-time lover, Deyvid, a magically immune assassin who doubles as his bodyguard.
Wedding day arrives and Symon and Petur already got off on the wrong foot. Alone in a foreign court, Sy finds unexpected friendship with Deyvid, who is determined to keep the marriage intact even as the royals become a target of an assassination plot.
Symon isn’t just a mage, he’s also a skilled herbalist from humble roots. His late mother was an herbalist, his father a city guard who married the queen. While only 22 years old. he entered his marriage with open eyes, but Petur almost dumping him on their wedding night was still a cruel blow. His easy companionship with Deyvid stands in sharp contrast to his antagonistic dynamic with Petur.
Deyvid, a 40-something high harrier from the Northern land of people immune to magic, is the sensible one in the relationship. Bleached of color, his skin is grey, his eyes silver and his hair salt and pepper. It was pretty obvious that he and Petur have a deep connection and their affection for each other leap off the page. His growing fondness for Sy was palpable from their first meeting.
Petur is a 37-year old shifter who can shift to four forms, a rare ability. I think every reader is frustrated with how he treated Sy, but he later came around. I was glad when the three men finally cemented their alliance, it’s just that Petur’s turn-around was too abrupt.
The story is from the POVs of the three man. The plot is mostly romance with an assassination subplot which was sadly not well-developed. There was palace intrigue that felt surface level. Even the world-building, which would have been fascinating, didn’t feel exciting which is the main issue with the book.
This has all the right ingredients for an epic fantasy series but sadly the execution was dull. I was audiobooking this and even the great Michael Ferraiuolo couldn’t keep my attention from wandering. I wanted so much to like this book more.
Alliance is a story of magic, marriage, and murder. Overall, the delivery was lack-luster yet the premise intrigued me enough to continue with Book 2.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a likeSoundtrack: Allies
Artist: Stranded Mermaid
Album: Allies
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ALLIANCE: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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BOOK TOUR: Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow
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REVIEW: Stolen Magic by Ava Marie Salinger
The Mage and His Brute: Stolen Magic – Ava Marie Salinger
Magic defines who they are. But what happens when that power can be stolen?
In a Victorian London where magical privilege divides society, Duke Evander Ravenwood and Viggo Stonewall have forged more than just an alliance—they’ve fallen in love. But their happiness is short-lived when a new threat emerges from the shadows of London’s magical society.
A renowned professor from the Royal Institute for the Arcane has vanished, leaving behind whispers of forbidden magic and mysterious experiments. As Evander begins to investigate, complications arise with the arrival of his enigmatic former lover from Paris. An expert called in to help, Leon Beaulieu brings old emotions and new secrets to light and soon becomes a source of jealousy for Viggo.
Meanwhile, troubling rumours reach the Nightshade network: thralls linked to noble families are disappearing across London. Determined to track down the perpetrator, Viggo and his friends are drawn into a perilous hunt for an elusive adversary working from the shadows.
Realising their cases are intertwined, Evander and Viggo join forces to unravel the mysteries behind the professor’s disappearance and the missing thralls. But their search soon plunges them into a web of conspiracies rooted in decades-old betrayals and ambition—where nothing, and no one, is quite as it seems.
As allies become adversaries and the true mastermind closes in, Evander and Viggo will need their wits—and their trust in each other—if they’re to survive the darkness gathering around them.
Stolen Magic is a spellbinding tale of magic, mystery, and romance that will captivate readers from the first page to the last. Perfect for fans of historical fantasy and LGBT romance, this second instalment in The Mage and His Brute series promises an unforgettable journey through a London where love and magic intertwine in the most unexpected ways.
Stolen Magic is the second book of the historical fantasy series The Mage and His Brute by Ava Marie Salinger. It picks up where Arcane Entanglement left off, with dark mages exploiting magicless thralls for nefarious reasons.
Scotland Yard’s Special Arcane Investigator Duke Evander Ravenwood and his team are tasked with finding missing professors from the Royal Institute for the Arcane. Meanwhile, his lover Viggo Stonewall and Nightshade investigate the disappearance of thralls, only to discover the two cases are connected.
I’m glad the main case isn’t a murder mystery, which is a nice change from the usual police procedural. Viggo and Evander initially pursue separate leads until the overlap becomes clear.
Just to spice things up, Evander’s ex and fellow Special Arcane Investigator, Comte Leon Beaulieu, enters the scene to assist, as one of the missing professors was from France. This got Viggo’s hackles up.
Viggo and Evander were refreshingly drama-free despite Leon’s efforts to rekindle old flames. Amid frantic investigations, it’s super sweet how they always make time to be together at the end of their busy day. They’re total relationship goals!
The only sour note is Jasper, Evander’s manservant, who is creepily invested in his master’s sex life. His salacious comments quickly turned from gag to grating
The atrocities done to the downtrodden thralls were even more horrific in this installment. They were used as experimental human conduits to transfer magic, which led to agonizing deaths.
While the villains and twists are somewhat predictable and the fight scenes less intense than in book one, the case itself is compelling. And Evander unleashing his archmage powers to their fullest was glorious!
The unexpected teamwork between Viggo and Leon was a fun bonus. They might actually become friends if they keep this up.
Stolen Magic continues the fight for justice against overprivileged mages. Though lighter on surprises and action, overall, it still delivers heart, thrills, and magic.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Conduit
Artist: The Spill Canvas
Album: ConduitP.S.
The Mage and His Brute is best read in order.
Watch a kungfu-fighting archmage and a trainstopping brute get twisted up in each other in Arcane Entanglement
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STOLEN MAGIC: Amazon UK | Audiobook
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Wild Ride by Will Okati (Excerpt)
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Devil’s Man by Kira Stone (Excerpt)
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BOOK TOUR: The Wicked Sea by Jordan Stephanie Gray
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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: A Hellish Thing by A.E. Lister (Excerpt)
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RELEASE TOUR: The Lost Lovelies by Vanora Lawless (Excerpt)
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REVIEW: Arcane Entanglement by Ava Marie Salinger
The Mage And His Brute: Arcane Entanglement – Ava Marie Salinger
He thought he had to choose between duty and desire. But what if he could have both?
In an alternate Victorian London where magic reigns supreme, Duke Evander Ravenwood hides a dangerous secret — he is an Archmage of unparalleled power. When a brutal murder throws him into the path of Viggo Stonewall, the notorious leader of the underground information guild Nightshade, Evander’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel.
Force into an unlikely alliance, Evander and Viggo find themselves drawn into a web of conspiracy that threatens the very fabric of their society. With tensions rising between the magical elite and the oppressed thralls, they must navigate a treacherous landscape of politics, prejudice, and forbidden desire to find a common enemy.
But in a world where magic divides the haves from the have-nots, their growing attraction could be their greatest weakness — or their most powerful weapon. Can Evander and Viggo’s burgeoning relationship withstand the storms to come? Or will the shadows of the past and the dangers of the present tear them apart?
Arcane Entanglement is a spellbinding tale of magic, mystery, and romance that will captivate readers from the first page to the last. Perfect for fans of historical fantasy and LGBT romance, this first instalment in The Mage and His Brute series promises an unforgettable journey through a London where love and magic intertwine in the most unexpected ways.
Arcane Entanglement opens the fantastic historical fantasy series, The Mage And His Brute by Ava Marie Salinger. Blending urban fantasy, murder mystery, and slow-burn romance, this is a fast-paced, action-packed story that barely lets its characters catch their breath.
Duke Evander Ravenwood, a mage and special arcane investigator with Scotland Yard, is looking into the murder of a charm worker when he stumbles upon a dangerous magical artifact. Dark mages want it badly, and soon Evander finds himself ambushed, hunted, and fighting for his life.
His investigation brought him to Nightshade, an underground information guild led by Viggo Stonewall. The attraction was instantaneous, but with an active case and strict rules, anything beyond a friendship is forbidden. Together with their team, Viggo and Evander must catch a murderer and stop dark mages from obliterating half of London and igniting another war.
Set in an alternate Victorian era divided between magic users and non‑magic thralls, the story explores a society still scarred by a brutal past conflict of the two. Among the thralls are brutes—massive, magic‑immune warriors like Viggo, who possess superhuman strength. It is said he stopped a moving train with his bare hands. The brutes defended the thralls during the war.
I have mixed feelings about the pacing. The author loves teasing secrets, and while I appreciate not being strung along, the reveals often come too quickly to build real tension. Some twists feel predictable or anticlimactic, and major secrets are treated as earth‑shattering one moment, then casually known by everyone the next. Evander also breaks rules, including direct orders from the Queen, with surprisingly few consequences.
One major inconsistency is when a brute was magically compelled to act against his will by the dark mages. Also, Viggo and Evander’s relationship was supposedly forbidden, but then everyone they know was cheering them on. Class tensions are present but not deeply explored, although I’m guessing this will come into play in the next books.
Still, Ava Marie Salinger created a compelling historical police procedural set in an incredibly fascinating world. The writing tends to be info-dumpy, which is understandable because there are so many things that need to be established. The magic system is well-conceived, and the story might be heavy on info-dumps, but it is still easy to read.
It was thrilling to tag along with Viggo and Evander in their investigation, and it’s a delight to watch them fall for each other. It happened lightning fast, but still leaves room for yearning, pining, and delicious unresolved tension. They bring out the best in each other, and their healthy dynamic is refreshing.
My favorite part is the fight scenes. The plot leaps from one high octane fight to another, and it was SPECTACULAR! I didn’t mind Evander’s secret arch‑mage status being revealed early because the display of high‑level magic is jaw‑dropping. Viggo’s train‑stopping moment is pure MCU energy!
So despite some complaints, I was thoroughly entertained and can’t wait to start on the next installment.
Arcane Entanglement is a story of magic, secrets, and murder where the strongest mage and the strongest brute unraveled a plot to destroy the city and bind their destinies together. Overall, a twisty-turny magical extravaganza!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Tangled
Artist: Adrian Crowley
Album: Measure of Joy
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