Spotlight - Old Magic

Cover revamp and relaunch time!

Old Magic

by Marianne Curley

What they say: The moment new guy Jarrod Thornton walks into the room, Kate senses something strange and mesmerizing about him. Something supernatural. Her instincts are proven correct a few minutes later when, bullied by his classmates, Jarrod conjures up a freak thunderstorm inside the classroom.

Only, Jarrod doesn’t believe in the paranormal and has no idea his magic is behind the strange incidents that plague him. He finds Kate’s convictions about magic especially frustrating because of the magnetic attraction between them. Why can’t he fall for a normal girl?

But, eventually, not even Jarrod can dismiss his gift…or the mounting danger it’s causing. To save their future, Jarrod and Kate embark on an incredible journey to the past where they must foil the curse that has plagued Jarrod’s family for centuries. Can these fledgling witches summon the strength to emerge victorious?

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Am Reading - Thorn

Thorn - Dauntless Path #1

by Intisar Khanani

What they say: For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed.

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.

But powerful men have powerful enemies--and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving Alyrra the first choice she's ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she's never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

Thorn will be re-released by HarperTeen in Winter 2020.

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Spotlight - Devoted

Devoted

by Jennifer Mathieu

What they say: Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy. But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from, and increasingly finds that neither the church nor her homeschool education has the answers she craves. Rachel has always found solace in her beliefs, but now she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul. 

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Released Last Week - Fragile Like Us

Fragile Like Us / Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

I originally read the UK version released in Feb 2016 as Beautiful Broken Things...

What they say: Caddy and Rosie have always been inseparable. But that was before Suzanne. Now the twosome has become a triangle with constantly shifting alliances.
Caddy’s ready to be more than just the quiet one. She wants something to happen. Suzanne is trying to escape her past and be someone different, someone free. But sometimes downward spirals have a momentum of their own. And no one can break your heart like a best friend. 

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Released 18th July as Fragile Like Us!

Summoned - Review

Summoned #1 by Rainy Kaye

What they say: Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told—literally. Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker.Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well. When he meets the assertive, sexy and intelligent Syd he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can’t tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn’t the type to tolerate secrets.Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl’s ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming — the wish that will destroy him.A dark twist on genie folklore, SUMMONED follows a reluctant criminal as he unravels the mystery of the paranormal bond controlling him.
Rerelease - first published in 2014 but has been updated & edited
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Buy links:
US * UK

I received a copy from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: Honestly I'm conflicted about this one. I've seen the many reviews which either seem to be really for or against Summoned, but I fall somewhere in the middle. I'm going to start by saying how much I loved the concept. I haven't read much about genies or Jinn/Djinns and relished the chance to discover more. I have to say I couldn't seem to really connect with the characters because I didn't find Dimitri of Syd all that likeable.
Dimitri is trapped in a family curse aka genie bond. Stuck without powers he's at the beck and call of his hideous master. What would you do with your own genie? Karl wishes for murders, kidnapping and exploitation - all of which Dim has no choice but to carry out.

Dim is really cynical and disassociated but to be honest I completely understood why. He's coping technique is to stop viewing humans as people. That is until he meets Syd who forces her way into his life and refuses to leave. 

I didn't understand Syd who seemed more that a little unhinged at times. I kinda expected her to go all Fatal Attraction on him, but my doubts were misplaced as Dim has other far more dangerous women in his life.

Their relationship happens pretty quickly so I found it difficult to invest in them as a couple, but after a particular event I found myself more involved in their story and hoping they could find a way out of their dilemma.

3 Stars in my Sky

Author Spotlight:
Rainy Kaye is an aspiring overlord. In the mean time, she blogs at RainyoftheDark, edits for amazing authors, and writes paranormal novels all from her lair somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona. When not plotting world domination, she enjoys getting lost around the globe, studying music so she can sing along with symphonic metal bands, and becoming distracted by Twitter.
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