Series: Stella Mayweather #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published by: Smashwords on May 1, 2011
Format: eARC
Pages: 341
Source: Author
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More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again.
Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from.
There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human? There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence?
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A wonderful debut filled with magic, mystery and romance!
In ILLICIT MAGIC we’re introduced to Stella Mayweather, a twenty four year old who lives a solitary life in England due to her special abilities that she brushes off as her simply being accident prone. Her boring life soon becomes quite the opposite on a night when she’s followed and nearly kidnapped by a group of men called the Brotherhood, who believe she is a witch. Barely escaping, Stella rushes home where she encounters a young woman by the name of Étoile, who has come to take her to American in order to protect her from the evil hunters that wish her dead. In her journey to America, Stella will uncover the truth about herself, her family and be introduced to a world far beyond her wildest dreams.
This book starts off a little slow for me and I have to admit I didn’t feel a connection to the heroine in the beginning. While in England, Stella comes off as bitter, lonely and quite boring. Everything changes when the story shifts to America. We finally begin to see her true personality and the story takes off. Her growth throughout the book is notable and what won me over when I was on the fence about liking her. Étoile is a fascinating character with plenty of charisma that plays a key role in Stella’s “personality makeover” and helps her adapt to her new life and surroundings. Stella’s love interests Marc and Evan are total opposites but each has their own mysterious charm and sex appeal that can make it hard to choose between the two; my favorite of the two is the suave and sexy Evan!
Ms. Chafer gives plenty of depth to her characters and slowly divulges tidbits of their lives that flawlessly tie everything together. Throwing a semi-love triangle into the mix adds uncertainty and a bit of drama to the romance of the story which I love! The action and constant suspense are thrilling and keep you guessing until the very end. The magical element in the story is described thoroughly, giving the reader a bit more insight into this paranormal world of witches, vampires and daemons the author has created. Plenty of loose ends will leave you wanting to start the next installment right away. ILLICIT MAGIC is a perfect read for those who love their magic with a little danger!
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