Meriel Owen knows she does things a little differently than
her mom, the current leader of the most powerful clan of
witches in the country, and she's okay with that. In fact,
she's more than okay with that because she thinks when she
takes over, interacting with different clans and out-clan
witches will be necessary to give all witches the best
defenses they can have against "stuck" witches and mages
(addicted to stealing others' power because the Earth no
longer recognizes them). When she goes on a minor mission to
warn the owner of club that he cannot dip into the clan's
font without giving something back, she's delighted to learn
that sexy Dominic Bright is her bondmate.
His whole life, Dominic has been warned away from clan
witches and their "us-first" ways. However, he's bowled over
by how pushy Meriel not only won't back down, but that she
also doesn't intend to drag him off into the clan ranks
immediately: she's willing to give him time to understand
her and her ways. However, waiting to get to know each other
causes more frustration than they know how to deal with! In
addition, Dominic must come to terms with revelations about
his past and his family that threatens their relationship.
In addition to their personal challenges, Meriel has to
track down some mages who have been leaving drained witch
bodies across the country. As powerful as she is, she makes
a delicious target for the magically-addicted.
This is a great new series, and I'm ready for the next book!
The interactions between characters are great, and the
world-building provides a lot of interesting twists and
turns to explore for future books. I also really just liked
the characters, particularly the depictions of Meriel's mom
and dad and how they work together.
Someone is illegally siphoning magic from the font of the
Clan. When Meriel Owen, next in line to control the largest
organization of witches in the country, discovers that it's
the hot owner of a notorious underground club, she strokes
an unusual deal that may plunge them all into the heart of
darkness.