Hello everyone!
This week on my book review list comes one that I actually wanted to read much earlier but somehow got too distracted by every other book thrown my way.
And yes, there's a lot of those!
But I can never stay away from Serenity Woods for too long, no matter what else I'm doing, and I'm blessed to have been granted the chance to read and review this particular prequel to a new paranormal mystery romance series!
If that sounds like a lot of adjectives, you're right. There's a bunch.
But they all convey the message they're supposed to!
If you've been following Ms Woods and her career for a bit, you'll know she's usually more of a contemporary romance writer, but let me tell you, that's not stopping her from making this book absolutely fantastic.
So let's check that the cauldron's bubbling, and see what Hunter's Moon Witch is all about!
Now, onwards!
Hunter's Moon Witch is the story of how a shaman and a witch fell in love, beat the odds against decrees written by the gods themselves, managed to blow out Exeter's power grid, and defeated the forces of darkness trying to make Halloween a little less fun and a lot more spooky.
How does this all happen?
Well, Damien finds Kimi.
Kimi doesn't know she's a witch - she's living on her own after leaving her aunt and uncle's house, because she was always told she was unnatural there, a freak of nature, a sinner (in reality, her aunt and uncle serve the forces of darkness), so now she's out and about, and dancing the night away to try and quell some restlessness on her part.
And Damien finds her because of her magical aura - and because she's being tracked by a vampire.
He's immediately attracted to her, but initially doesn't know whether that's because of the aura she's throwing off, or if it's just because he's a man and wants a woman. In any case, he sort of kidnaps her - but saves her from the vampire so she's all aboard this kidnapping.
Damien explains about shamans and witches and their training at The Crux, the central coven and training facility of England, where he takes her to be trained as well, since he senses she's the most powerful witch he's ever encountered.
Ironically, the other Elders at the place are all like HELL TO THE NAWZ and want to kick her out of there, so it's little wonder she tries to sneak off.
Only to get attacked by more than just one vampire.
With the veil super thin between this world and the demonic realm, they need all the help they can get, and Damien, as the most powerful shaman right after his father (and a midnight shaman at that, someone who can cast magic in any form and even control time), and thus one of the two most powerful men in the country, is the only one who can actually train and guide her.
This doesn't help the attraction bit whatsoever, of course.
And you know how it goes. You're BOUND to know.
Damien and Kimi close a tear in the veil together and she manages to channel the ley line perfectly, and then ... dot dot dot.
Gotcha, didn't I?
The two of them have sex, and end up blowing out the power grid as a result, although they both sense another presence even as that happens, but things are moving super fast at that point. The other Elders come running, because in the natural balance of things, if a witch and shaman get together, one of them has to lose their powers.
Damien sacrifices his because he can't live with the idea of being responsible for Kimi's loss, because his own mother was stripped of her powers after sleeping with his father.
Devastated, Kimi follows him to his mother's house, where they make a tentative plan: she'll plead with The Powers That Be to get his powers back.
Which is how she ends up in the sacred grove (where all witches and shamans go when they meditate, on the astral plane) and speaks to Herne, the god who sent Damien to Earth to do his bidding. She's fully prepared to sacrifice her own powers in return for his, but the Goddess intervenes, saying Kimi is her own special chosen one, so that won't be happening.
Also, that something more than just lust is drawing Damien and Kimi together.
But before they can figure THAT out, they need to head to the Crux and help stop the invasion, at which point it's revealed that a demon possessed Damien's father and he's been the one sabotaging everything for a good while now. While Damien and the rest battle whatever creepy crawly comes through the veil, Kimi focuses on closing it, asking for help - and receiving it.
Damien joins her, kissing her to help fuel the power raging through her - and they seal the rift together.
Afterwards, it's revealed that Kimi is most powerful during a Hunter's Moon, which helped them since that was the moon on Halloween. They also received help from both the Goddess AND her consort, Herne, who refused to cede Earth to the denizens of the demon realm.
And another little detail: Kimi's pregnant. And when she asked for help to connect to the Deep Network of the ley lines that crisscross underneath the soil and physical plane, the baby helped her connect to that, indicating it would be an especially powerful individual.
A child of a midnight shaman and a witch?
Oh yeah. Bring it on, baby!
Definitely different from regular contemporary romance, I really enjoyed the magical aspect of the book as I felt it was very well researched. It wasn't just 'oh you say some words and the spell is cast' but there was actual discussion about connecting to nature and the natural power of things before you can do any of that, meditation, chakras, that sort of thing.
I also enjoyed the aspect of the Goddess and her consort, Herne, and I promise there will be more on that next week with the review of the first book of the actual series.
So if you enjoy some paranormal with a sprinkle of romance and a hint of mystery, go pick this up! You won't regret it.
And tune in next week for Black Moon Witch.
And tune in next week for Black Moon Witch.
xx
*image not mine
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