Review: Makin' The Love Monday - Wicked Magic by Madeline Pryce
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 11, 2014
Makin' The Love Monday - Wicked Magic by Madeline PryceSam and Trent are like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Sam has actually been waiting years for Trent to put his chocolate in her peanut butter. Trent's a little leary about mixing the two great tastes into one delicious bite because he fears that once he does he might never be able to crave any other brand of nutty butter ever again... Plus his father has warned him that sometimes peanut butter becomes an addiction; better to let his brother, Miah have Sam's smooth sweet spread than let Trent fall for it. He's struggled to accept that and fight the need to sink his chocolaty sinfulness in her hot melty peanut butter. Forbidden and unrequited love, how sweet, eh?I think it is the inner dialogue of both Sam and Trent that made this story great. They both keep things light while remaining frustrated about their relationship and commitments status--despite the tenor and stress of violence. Madeline never downplays or belittles the brutality of the attacks in her books. I give her props because if anything she takes a great deal of risks in the scenarios she puts out there. Many authors fear, I have to say legitimately--but I won't say respectfully, taking risks; they cater to the sensibilities of readers believing it makes a better story. I feel that you need to write what the plot demands. Books should not be bent for the whim of a market model. This might be why my books will never sell, but I write not because I'm looking for that bank deposit, I'm a writer, I write because it demands to be heard. Madeline's books have an honesty that feels unfeigned and as vicious as many of her depictions are, they are rewarding when the payout comes and the animals, bas-tards and naughty, trouble-doers need to be put down and need to pay because it feels beautifully pure.When Trent and Sam first meet it's somethin' somethin' at first sight. Sam is barely a girl-woman and Trent is looking to sink his ball into the best putting greens, Sam's golf course is still growing grass. But Trent's animal notices who it belongs to her and it greets and meets Sam's magic letting her know that he is her familiar. Her teen brain jumps with ecstatic joy and presents her with only one solution to this hormonal math problem. Familiar + Witch + Hormones = Deep Dickin'. Just no one let Trent in on the plans that his shifter pleasure wand and Sam's magic cauldron were going to be making a love potion.  Deep Dickin' - Youth + Lack of Acquaintance = X. Trent sees a child throwing herself at him; he's five years older than her and she's only sixteen. Solve for X. Sam is his little brother, Jeremiah's, friend and his dad is always telling him that girl's like her just want to make shifters their slaves. He's constantly telling Trent that Sam is for Jeremiah. X=Rejection.For a smutty romance with guys with sharp teeth and waggin' tails there is a crazy amount of action and adventure going on in this book. In my opinion it's not even THAT long--the book not the tails, I hear you can tell a lot by the length of shifter's tail. I'd tell you how long the book is but it's not posted anywhere, I'll make it up--the book is only 127 pages and it felt as if it were easily 180 pages or more. Call me out about it if you really want to, I really have more important things to worry about than fibs. By the way, yo momma!As I was saying, this book packs a lot in it's pages, it is really worth it's pennies and dimes. I wish the ending didn't end so abruptly; it felt as if it was clipped and noticeably so. The big climax, resolution and finale is a steep descent and it actually happens in the Dark series books in a similar fashion. I really like the end of Crimson Sins because the end is drawn out in an epilogue and it's a perfect book cool-off. I guess maybe it's because I'm a cuddler. Maybe Maddie rolls over afterward and passes out--we've established in earlier reviews that she is a nailer, that's got to be tiring.This book is one you will want to read if you enjoy any of Madeline's other novels. Susan A Bliler's Luna Lodge series would be a nice recommendation. And I loved the Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh and it would be a great shifter series if you wanted to pick up a series with a lot of books in it that you could really dig into. (This review was written for my blog All The Things Inbetween at Alicrean.com)