A Stormy and Sultry Sea, the second book in the Witches of the Island series, is live!
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Blurb
A witch and a Fae aren’t supposed to fall in love, nonetheless be soulmates…
New witch and midwife Cassie Strega helped a human mother through the tumultuous birth of the queen of the demons, and now Cassie and the baby have been kidnapped by one of the four demon princes fighting each other to lay claim to their new queen. Cassie hopes she can appeal to the human side of the child in order to save humanity, but as the child feeds upon her soul, Cassie must also battle the four demon-prince-uncles who intend for the infant to fulfill her dark destiny.
The love of Cassie’s life, the sultry Fae warrior and heir to the Fae kingdom, Orion, is still searching for the Fae queen he’s been tasked to find, but he is also desperate to save Cassie from his archenemies. He is torn between his heart and his duty, but if he doesn’t save Cassie by Beltane, the blood bond that connects Cassie to Orion will forever be severed and she will be marked as an enemy to the Fae—one he is sworn by oath to kill.
Fate was cruel when it linked Cassie and Orion together. Their attraction to each other is undeniable, their love assured, but these fated lovers are doomed by a curse that threatens to keep them apart. Every touch during every shared dream, every kiss during every cherished moment together is driving them closer to what will either be a victory of humanity or an end no mortal will be able to survive. Will love, in the end, truly conquer all or will it destroy them all?
Review
5 stars!
Katie McGarry rocked my world with the first book of this series, and I have been desperate to get my hands on this book, which is middle instalment in the trilogy, and which continues the story of Cassie and Orion in an exciting and emotional urban fantasy that I cannot get enough of.
This book is a direct continuation from the first in the series, A Wicked and Beautiful Garden, so if you are hazy on some of the details, I would recommend a reread. I reread it to refresh my memory, and just for the joy of it, and then after that nasty cliffhanger I dove straight into this one, and I adored losing myself in McGarry’s fascinating fantasy world.
Quick recap (spoilery for the first book, but no reveals that aren’t already in the blurb) – the world has suddenly woken up to the existence of witches, and small country-town midwife, Cassie, has just discovered that she is one of them. Hunted by those who want to burn her at the stake, she is rescued by her fae ex-lover, Orion, who she thought was dead, but who clearly isn’t. Her entire life is upended, and while discovering her powers and who she truly is, she is dealing with her feelings for Orion which never went away, the devastating betrayal she feels over him leaving her literally broken so many years ago, and the intense urge that she has to find an unborn baby that speaks to her in her dreams – a baby believed to be the future queen of the fae. The first book ended with a cliffhanger when Cassie delivered the baby she has been searching for only to learn that it was, in fact, the queen of the demons. Believing that the half-human infant has capacity for love and for good, she protects the little girl and is whisked away with the baby and her demon prince uncle, promising to return to Orion as soon as she can.
So now, Cassie and Orion are separated. She is caring for the baby, literally losing pieces of her soul every day, but she is determined to shower the little one with love and teach her that there is good in the world. Meanwhile Orion continues the search for the actual fae queen, while desperately searching for his missing soulmate, and he is one sensationally determined fae-in-love!
“I love her!” I roared, and the electricity throughout the mansion flickered with my anger, the walls shuddered, and the ground beneath us shook. “I leave if she tells me to leave. I stay if she tells me to stay. I hold her when she doesn’t want to be alone. I fight for her when she is in danger. I am at her mercy. I am her husband. That is the amans oath I made to her, whether she remembers it or not.”
I was captivated by Cassie and Orion’s story in the first book, and was desperate for them to come together but other than small glimpses, we were left hanging. Well, this book is the culmination of all of that build-up in the first book, and it was well worth the wait because holy. freaking. swoooooooon!
“I love you, Cass. I have loved you since the moment I met you, and I have loved you in our years apart. I have loved every argument, every silence, hug, sigh, and kiss. You are my life. You will always be my life.”
*dreamy sigh*
The intensity and depth of emotion between Cassie and Orion is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a true soulmate bond, and when they are reunited once again, they are all in, letting nothing stand in their way, and their love story is sexy, sweet, all-consuming and absolutely stunning!
“I am yours. My body, my heart, and my spirit belong to you. Only you.” He lifted his eyes to meet mine. “Please take care of my heart.”
It’s romance-reader heaven in the midst of all of the fantastical intrigue and action. And even with all of the heartfelt declarations, there’s still a sense of flirtation and playfulness between them, which I absolutely loved, and which balances the heavy really well.
“How much experience do you have?”
“With another person involved?” I asked, because so far, I was the only one able to come close to satisfying my urges.
His lips twitched. “Yes. Though I reserve the right for details on your solo projects. I won’t lie, that could give me many nights of material for my own self-endeavours.”
They are just gorgeous together. But they still have some massive hurdles to cross, none more so than the fae council themselves, led by Orion’s mother, who wants Cassie nowhere near her beloved son. And then there’s the fact that any future they could have together is cursed, with a devastating prophecy hanging over their heads, but despite all that stands in their way they are determined to overcome it all to have a life together.
“My love for your transcends all that is and all that will ever be.”
Meanwhile, Cassie remains connected to the young demon queen, they continue the hunt for the still-unborn fae queen, there are witches going missing all over the world that need to be found and a mystery boy may hold the key, members of their own crew are in danger, and Cassie is still discovering her powers as a witch, what she is capable of, and what it means for her, Orion and their group of friends. There’s a lot going on, but it’s all wound together beautifully to create an exciting, dramatic, emotional and intense story that had me glued to my kindle from start to finish.
Characters from the first book all appear, and I loved seeing them again. They are a close group, with great dynamics, and there are some fantastic twists and turns for them throughout the book, which I loved! They take Cassie and Orion’s backs without question, and I love that they have their own storylines happening, and I’m keen to see how their stories progress in the next book.
Speaking of which, if you thought the cliffhanger of the first book was a doozy, this second one is a killer! OMG, I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next book, but I am so excited to see how the story is going to end, and look forward to rereading the whole thing so I can experience it all over again.
McGarry has created a wonderful urban fantasy world. Both the fae and the witch lore are really well-developed, I loved exploring more of the demon side of the story, and I’m so intrigued by how it all fits together and where it’s all going to go from here.
Fantastic progression for the series, I loved it and couldn’t put it down. 5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Witches of the Island
A Wicked and Beautiful Garden (#1)
Review
Buy: Amazon
About the Author
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.
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