Magic Uncorked

Magic Uncorked by Annabel Chase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book felt so real, even with the witchy elements. The story is built on characters who were unique and believable, not flawless or perfect.

Libbie has a pretty OK life at the start of this book. She’s got two great kids, a standing cocktail club gathering every Friday, a job, a boyfriend, and a very supportive ex-husband. She might not speak up as much as she should, but she gets by. After the organizer of the cocktail club ends up passing away suddenly, the girls all need to accept the fact that they have inherited witch powers. Libbie is the first to “receive” them, I’m the form of some magical cocktail recipes. The first one ends up giving her the confidence to stand up for herself and shaking her life up.

On Libbie’s journey, we get to watch her grow into a confident woman, not afraid to go after what she wants and have greater control over her life. While I am usually only reading smutty paranormal romance books, this one was noticeably absent of smut. I have to admit, though, that I didn’t miss it, especially because Libbie has an opportunity to go down that path and decides instead to focus on herself. I see that there are several more books in this series, so I will add the next one to my to-read pile right now!

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Banshee Power

Banshee Power by Jen Katemi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book landed somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, so I rounded up. Admittedly, I took a very long pause between book 2 and 3, so I had a bunch of catching up to do, but I still enjoyed this world. Are there tons of family issues in this one? You betcha! But do we get to a happy ending? Sure do!

Maewen is only half banshee, but she uses magic to suppress even that smaller part of herself, leaving her essentially human. She works for what amounts to the supernatural cops and is currently focused on trying to track down the big bad who is destroying the human and fae worlds. It’s this mess that prompts Rho, the prince of the winter court, to insert himself into Maewen’s investigation and life.

Maewen’s sisters have all already had their big heroic moment with their magic, but she continues to keep her magic bottled up the same way she is treating the baggage she has around her mom. It takes a very stubborn prince to open her eyes and convince her that her magic, while inconvenient at times, can be a gift. There’s sizzle and pop throughout, though a bit more along the lines of fated mates rather than romance and flowers. I thought this was the end of this story but now it looks like there is a book 4 out there somewhere that I will likely pick up.

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