This blows
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Witches and Warlocks make up a hidden supernatural community where the two sects, `The Coven' and `The Duskoff' have a long lived standoff, Warlocks only differ by being rouge Witches, ones that break the laws put in place by the Witch governing body. Witches are connected to the world in a way that humans aren't, different Witches can control varying elements; earth, air, fire and water by utilising their own innate magic.
Mira Hoskins is a waitress, with aspirations of going to college, she is trying to rebuild her life after going through a nasty divorce and is now struggling to recover from the effect her cheating ex had on her. She is the epitome of the average luckless soul, with low self esteem, trust issues and poor prospects. That is until Jack McCallister turns up at her work, he saves her from some thugs and when she wakes up he tells her that she is an air witch, the most powerful of castes he also proclaims himself to be a fire witch. Because she is untrained `The Duskoff' will be after her with the aim of sacrificing her life by taking her magic in a demon circle, a witch from each element is needed to open the portal. If this wasn't troubling enough to remain safe she must stay in Jacks apartment until its safe to move, just the two of them...
Considering the guilt Jack feels about the night years ago when he acted as a witness to four deaths by his father the head of `The Duskoff', Jack jumps at the chance to absolve himself of this lingering pain by helping protect Mira, the daughter of the air witch who died at the time. For this reason and the fact that Mira is his bosses estranged cousin he can't have her but the attraction between Air and Fire is intense...
I don't rate this book, it is clichéd, badly structured, poorly written and with boring characters. Jack begins as a womanising thug but with an artistic soul who finds love with Mira who is possibly one of the dullest characters I've come across; she works in a diner, she's treated ill by her husband (who was adequate in bed) but over the course of the book discovers she is special, powerful, has status and finds she is desired by an amazingly attractive and powerful man who is brilliant in bed. She gains everything but doesn't grow or develop as a character, only in her magical talents. Throughout the book till the end she insists she doesn't want commitment after being burned by her husband this irritating refrain is constantly being brought to our attention by a poorly imagined and flat heroine. In fact it's both characters that have their own mantra they repeat; Mira that she's just with Jack for `hot sex' and doesn't want commitment, Jack that he can't have her but is unable to resist her. This was so pitifully dense.
The books structure was uninspiring, the writing merely around the sex scenes, these are graphic and to a degree passionate, but they aren't used intelligently in the books structure to develop the romance, they are simply sex, which make them for me less effective. The structure overall goes something like this: Sex, training, sex, training, sex, sex, small skirmish, training, sex, training, sex, stuck on ending.
I also found the writing itself wasn't very good at all, it's highly uninventive, I wasn't too bothered with the first half but by the second the half it was really starting to grate on me. It also very much follows the formula of Jack did this, Mira thought that, it's all very bland and dull. There are also some really cringe worthy lines and moments:
`She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You came to apologise for lying to me?"'
`It wasn't any kind of hurt, it was hurt with a capital H.'
"What were you thinking?...Oh, that's right, you weren't."
`By the wan light of the moon he could see his...'
I concede the fact that many books contain these clichés, but they don't bother you or even get acknowledged because of the quality of the writing, the inventiveness that the author shows in the surrounding world and for me this didn't happen, the concept is interesting but it became for me just a vague outline without decent characters, writing or development, if it does interest you then you might want to give it a try as other reviewers have rated this very highly and the excerpt in the back of the next instalment 'Witch Blood' looks a lot better but I can't faithfully recommend it given how bad I thought it.
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Burning with Brilliance
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'Mira Hoskins doesn't know she's a natural-born witch who possesses the rare-and powerful-element of air. And she never expects to find herself tied to a mahogany bed frame, captive of a man who aches to fulfill her every desire and let loose the magick that dwells inside her...
Heat emanates from elemental fire witch Jack McAlister. The Coven, a governing authority of witches, has sent him to protect Mira from a band of warlocks who drain witches of power...and life. Long ago, he saw Mira's parents murdered by this same dark magick. He'd like to quell his guilt and offer her everything she deserves. But she's the long-lost cousin of his boss-making seduction off-limits. With Jack's strong guidance, Mira is luring forth her inner magick. But his sense of duty is quickly swelling into insatiable hunger. He was warned about the natural attraction between air and fire. Now he risks being consumed by the woman he shouldn't want-but can't stay away from...'
'Witch Fire' is the first novel in the fantastic new 'Elemental Witch' series.
I Love it! It's great that the series starts off with an unsuspecting 'normal' waitress and therefore allows the reader to uncover the new 'magical' world along with her. Mira is a strong, funny and loveable main character. Along with the tough, protective and caring Jack, these two make entering this new world a delight of not only the elements, but the senses. Throw in some more intriguing characters, magic, foes, a yearning to know more and you have one extrordinary first book!
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Book one of the "Elemental Witches" series
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Twenty five years ago warlock William Crane released a demon into the world by sacrificing the lives and magicks of four elemental witches; each with power over fire, earth, water or air. That night, Mira Hoskin's mother and father died; their bodies left unable to function following the rape of their magick. Realising their child would undoubtedly be born an air witch (the rarest and most powerful of elemental magicks), Mira's parents kept her existence hidden from "The Coven" the governing body of witches. Following their last request prior to their deaths, Mira's aunt raises her niece in complete ignorance of her magical heritage, yet even with no proper training Mira instinctively taps into her power; small events she is easily able to pass off as coincidental. Unfortunately once Crane learns of her existence he will stop at nothing to harness the power of an air witch.
Thrust suddenly into a magical world; a world in which someone very much wants her dead; Mira is put under the protection of fire witch Jack McCallister. Although fire and air always produce an intense attraction, Jack's pretty sure he can keep his hands to himself until their magicks settle ..... how wrong can he get? The pair quickly give in to the chemistry flaring between them; however both soon find their initial passion developing into something far stronger and permanent. Yet Jack keeps a terrible secret to himself; fearing Mira will never forgive him for past deeds, whilst Mira; still vulnerable from her messy divorce from her cheating ex-husband has huge trust issues and perhaps cannot forgive Jack his reticence when she learns of his past.
This is a fantastic paranormal romance and a hugely entertaining read. With its almost epic action as witches battle warlocks plus plenty of explosive love scenes between Mira and Jack, "Witch Fire" is a magical read. Secondary characters are well developed (both good and bad) and the powers each elemental witch can wield (dependant on their magickal strength) are diverse and cleverly thought out by AB. I now eagerly await the second part of this series to make it into print in March next year. "Witch Blood" will be the story of Thomas Monahan (Mira's earth witch cousin and leader of The Coven) and Isabelle; a water witch determined to avenge her sister's murder by The Dustoff; the evil counterpart of The Coven.
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Scorching summer read
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If you like your romance with a paranormal twist, & enough eroticism to start an inferno, then this book has it all.
This is the start of Anya Bast's series for Berkley & I can't wait for the next installment.
But be warned, if you like your love scenes with the door closed then this is NOT the book for you.
Loved it....Write faster please Miss Bast
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