Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christine McKay, Mysteries & Magick

Title: Mysteries & Magick

Author: Christine McKay

Rating: Three And A Half Siren Stones

Genre: Fantasy

Sub-Genre: Romance

Keywords: Witches, Angels, Magic

Length: Novel

ISBN E-Book: 978-1419922695

Price: $5.95

Publisher: Cerridwen Press

Buy-Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-8357-288-mysteries-magick.aspx

Reviewer: Stacey Krug

Blurb/Summary:

Poisoned Magic

White magic. Gray magic. Black magic. A witch is a witch. Right? Samantha never meant to cross the line. Hell, she didn’t even know a line existed. All she wanted to do was make sure John noticed her. Dabbling with the herbal magic her grandmother taught her doesn’t seem wrong. Especially when it produces results.

Of course, for those walking in the mystical ways, Samantha’s dabbling is anything but innocent. And for those who’ve long since crossed to the dark side, she’s a downright delectable bit of flesh. But though black magic and its wielders may be able to blind a woman, they’ll never be able to fully control her actions.

Pierce My Heart

Shakespeare’s Hamlet had it more right than he knew. Hierarchies of angels, deities and demons walk among us, mostly unnoticed. But every now and again, Fate steps into a person’s life to bitch-slap some sense into them.

Jessie is one of those “blessed” people. Sissy, a.k.a. Lachesis, an aspect of Fate, is on a mission, and she has angels Michael and Deacon at her disposal. Combining a Virtue and Power creates some potent mojo all on its own, but adding a lonely human woman to the mix is a sure way to shake loose the knots in the weave of life. Here’s hoping Jessie’s thread is strong enough to take it.

Review:

This book contained two separate stories. The first is Poisoned Magic. This story starts out light and fun. The characters are interesting and have fun with one another and I could never complain about the setting. Door County always has a feeling to it, like anything can happen.

As the story progresses, we find the hunter has become the prey that in turn traps the hunter. This plot twist has a very dark edge to it and some aspect of horror. The ending leaves you wondering. A lot is left up to the reader’s imagination.

There were some continuity and editing issues especially regarding the whole fragrance plot line in the beginning of the story, but it didn’t detract too much from the tale.

If you like your stories with a hard edge, an indeterminable ending, and open to your imagination then this is the story for you.

The second story in the book is Pierce My Heart. Here we are introduced to Jessie as she is trying to recover from a heart rending loss. As we drop into her life, we see that grief and loss are ruling her. Christine McKay did a nice job developing Jessie so that as a reader you started feeling her loss and crying with her.

A strange and mystical person shows up and disrupts Jessie’s whole routine. Sissy is a mystery to Jessie and one that doesn’t unravel until later in the story. Sissy helps Jessie come back to the living by providing her with two angels. However, Jessie doesn’t know for sure what they are really. Her two angels bring Jessie’s body and heart back to life with sizzling sex scenes and some very imaginative love play with Deacon.

There is also a second plot line going with a bit of a mystery to it that works itself out in the end. It will have you second guessing some of the characters before the truth is revealed.

Pierce My Heart has a lighter tone and a happier ending than Poisoned Magic.

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