4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. 200 pages. Published April 23rd 2012 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb.
Magical species must never mix. According to the rules, Simon Osborne should ignore the children’s cries for help. After all, they’re werewolf cubs, and he’s an apprentice mage. But for once in his life, Simon breaks the rules and rescues the cubs, saving them from a demon intent on draining them of their magic.
Of course, all actions have consequences, and Simon’s bold move earns him the displeasure of his peers and the attention of the cubs’ alpha, a man named Gray Townsend.
The last thing Gray needs is a mage in his life, but Simon did save his son. Since Simon is now a friend of the pack, Gray doesn’t have much choice about it—or the forbidden attraction that goes along with it. Unfortunately for the alpha, he needs Simon’s help to track down the demon behind the kidnappings—before it strikes again. Simon and Gray must join forces to protect the pack, even as they struggle to resist the temptation that threatens to destroy them both.
Likes:
- Good start to a series.
- Interesting characters all around.
- Unique take on the relationship between werewolves, mages, and vampires.
- Great mystery.
- Decent romance.
Dislikes:
- Lots of unanswered questions about what is going on more broadly (the mystery itself was wrapped up).
This book is a good start for the series, introducing the mages, werewolves, and vampires that seem to make up the three different types of magic users in this world. The book also focuses on the fact that the three species don’t interact with one another, which is not only a main point of this book but also seems like it will be a main point of the other books going forward.
Most of the tension in this book comes from the fact that werewolves and mages don’t mix. It’s the main reason why Gray and Simon are a little hesitant to give in to their instant attraction. And it is instant attraction, not instant love, which is nice.
This book provides a nice deviation from some typical tropes, with the fact that Gray has a son, Garon, and also nicely explains why Gray isn’t involved with Garon’s mother. The werewolf laws and hierarchy are different enough to be interesting but not super important to the story, except to explain why Gray is basically on his own when it comes to finding a solution to his problems.
Big plus for making Garon seem like a kid without being super annoying. Also a big plus that Gray, while being an alpha, wasn’t an asshole, or condescending, and didn’t treat Simon like some weakling that had to be protected. Their relationship developed at a good pace and was really a meeting of equals. It wasn’t the most exciting romance, but it wasn’t bad.
Probably the best part of this book was the mystery aspect. Who kidnapped the kids? Will they be back? Are there more sinister forces lurking in the shadows? At least this part was nicely wrapped up even if there were a lot of other unanswered questions.
The sex scenes were steamy, if a little predictable.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. Is this my favorite werewolf book ever? No, but it’s also not bad. I don’t have any major complaints, except maybe that there was a lot of time spent searching for answers. It’s kind of like no one has ever questioned the way things in the supernatural world/community were done, and that just annoyed me on a personal level.
I’m hoping that the coming books don’t also involve lots of time spent searching for answers to questions that arise because there’s a lack of interaction between the species, but something tells me there will be. I mean, it does add tension just by its very nature, but it’s something that could get old quickly.
Also, the end of the story caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting it to end so soon, with so many unanswered questions, but it was a nice little hook to get me going onto the next book without being a cliffhanger.
Be sure to check out the reviews for Body Magic, Soul Magic, Wild Magic, and the series review.
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