Review: Suspense, Magic, and Romance Combine for an Entertaining Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2014
"Blood and Magic" is a romantic fantasy mixed with elements of a Western, and while it was a surprising mix of genres to me I really enjoyed it!The novel opens with the hero, Luke at age 15; his mother has been turned into a wraith and is threatening the rest of his family, and Luke is fleeing to the town wizard for help. That's when he first feels the call for magic, and the book soon after jumps into the future, when a witch named Abigail is escorting her young ward Carolyn to Salt Lake City. Luke, an enforcer, is protecting them and it's lucky he's around, since it turns out Carolyn is possessed by a great evil.I won't go further into the plot, but I will say I found it to be unexpected; while of course I expected the romance between Luke and Abigail to develop, since they're immediately drawn to each other, the other plot elements were fresh and creative. Abigail is a smart and interesting heroine; she has spunk and talent, and you immediately like her. Luke, as her romantic interest, is strong and rugged but sensitive enough to be appealing. The author does a good job of maintaining suspense in the book, and the wraiths and the battle scenes with them are particularly tense and occasionally chilling. The book is also well-written, with occasional humor mixed in with the romance and action, and I liked that she kept the magic an important part of the novel without bogging the pace down by going too heavily into the specifics of it. My favorite character was Aethelred, and I liked the warm and paternal relationship he had with Luke; I wish he had been in it a little more.I would recommend "Blood and Magic" to readers who enjoy fantasy, romance, and Westerns; there are several sensual scenes, as well, so if that's not your thing there may be some pages you want to skip. Overall, though, Luke and Abigail are great characters and I would definitely read another book about them.