The Beltane Witch

Cloudburst, Colorado #2

by Siobhan Muir

Magic, mayhem, and motherhood… a witch’s work is never done, but Sabrina draws the line at the Fae. After almost two decades as a practicing witch in Cloudburst, Colorado, Sabrina Foxglove is done with men, magic, and the fertility rituals of High Beltane. She’s dealt with all three before and ended up with a young daughter and no partner. Twice. She’s looking forward to a magic-free May Day, with nothing more exciting than making brownies for a kindergarten class and decorating a May Pole. She definitely doesn’t have time for a handsome, Fae-touched man. After almost two centuries as the human chamberlain to the Fae’s Summer Court, Darius Winterbourne is a man accustomed to getting his way. So when the Summer Queen tasks him with finding a witch to perform the annual rituals and strengthen the ancient warding magicks, he figures it should be easy. He doesn’t expect Sabrina’s hardheaded refusal, her untrained abilities, or his attraction to her. With less than a week to Beltane, he must gain Sabrina’s trust before he loses his home, his position…and his heart.

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Amazon

1 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2013

About the author

Siobhan Muir lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with her husband, two daughters, a kitten who thinks he's a dog, a cat who's not impressed, and the dog who just wants to be walked. When not writing, she makes miniatures, bakes, knits, and sews. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy, her husband gave her a paranormal romance for Christmas one year, and she was hooked for good.

In previous lives, Siobhan has been an actor at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, a field geologist in the Aleutian Islands, and restored inter-planetary imagery at the USGS. She’s hiked to the top of Mount St. Helens and to the bottom of Meteor Crater.

Siobhan writes kick-ass adventure with hot sex for men and women to enjoy. She believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal and dauntless romance stories.

Reviews

[Silver James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beltane Witch is Ms. Muir's very fun and sexy addition to her Cloudburst, Colorado series. The first book, A HELLHOUND;S FIRE is free and a great intro to the series. This line from the blurb pretty much sums it up: Magic, mayhem, and motherhood… a witch’s work is never done, but Sabrina draws the line at the Fae. The fae in question is Darius Winterbourne, Chamberlain of the Sidhe Summer Court. He's arrived because the Queen has decreed Cloudburst as the site of the Fae's Beltane celebration and Sabrina Foxglove as the witch to be honored as the May Lady. Yeah. It gets sexy. REALLY sexy.

Darius is arrogant and at a loss when Sabrina says not only "no," but "HELL no!" He has to convince her. At the same time, there are some locals causing the single mom some real problems. Sabrina is my kind of heroine. I hate to use the words sassy and feisty, but she's exactly that. And I enjoyed the heck out of her, out of Darius and this book!

[Emerald Emerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a treat to read. First, the sexual tension was sensationally done. From the first chapter, it was there, making this a scorching read supported by the suspense of obvious and intense fireworks rife with angst and resistance from both sides.

Beyond that, the story was delightful, fascinating, and endearing, filled with warmth, lovely narrative and character development of the family unit with two young daughters, and a lot of detail pertaining to Beltane and the surrounding traditions and magic.

I will admit that I was a bit frustrated with the hero regarding the final conflict, as I felt his character would know enough to act slightly differently by that time, but it ended up being a minor thing, as of course it all worked out and culminated in a beautiful story rich with imagery, magic, intrigue, and relationship development! (As well as, again, very hot sex.) A highly recommended read!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm certainly not opposed to a "bad first impression to friends/lovers/whatever" scenario. But they usually take more than a week.

Good banter, hot sex scenes, and more details for the intriguing world building seen in A Hell Hound's Fire . But like that one, the characters change (even more drastically) in a very short amount of time, and with even less rationale.

An enjoyable reading experience in the moment, but doesn't stand up well to reflection. Not sure I'll pick up more books in the series.

[Angel Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read.

[Mags (mbooksbycandlelight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was fun. A little ridiculous, but in a good way.

[Erzabet Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first foray into the Cloudburst series, but I completely enjoyed it. Not expecting a modern day magical society complete with fae and swordplay, I was thrilled. Sabrina has her hands full and being a single mom in Cloudburst makes her more of a target than most. When she is saved from attack by the very sexy Darius, sparks fly and passions ignite.

When Sabrina learns the reason for his sudden appearance, she is not a happy camper. The Fae are trouble and she wants none of it. Even if it is Beltane. She has had one too many quick romps with no man to show for it and it is pretty unsure if Darius is going to stay in town long enough to put his boots under the bed for keeps.

The sex is hot and the sorcery hotter. Great book with some fun twists and turns. I will be going back to read more about Sabrina and her world of witches, the fae and sexy heroes who make a girl dream of Beltane fires and smoldering eyes.

I received this book in exchange for a fair review from the author and am going back to buy anther one from this fun series. A do not miss if you love witchy adventures with smokin hot sex.

5/5

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Darius Winterbourne tells Sabrina Foxglove that she will have the honor of leading the Beltane (May Day) rituals in the presence of the Summer Court of the Fae, he can't understand why the human witch would refuse the honor. Maybe because the rituals are basically a fertility rite, and every time she participates, Sabrina gets pregnant. She loves her two girls, but their flaky father baled on her, and now she's a single parent just trying to hold it all together. As the Chamberlain to the Summer Queen, Darius has to convince Sabrina to take part or the fractured magic in the area may suffer and he may lose his job.

Seemingly at odds from the beginning, Darius and Sabrina also share a deep magical connection. So even though he's a total stranger, Sabrina gives him a week to convince her to participate. If she happens to get an insight into his caring nature and some hot sex in the meantime, so much the better. This is a sizzling hot read in a world where most of the people in Cloudburst think it's perfectly normal to have magical powers. I liked Darius' old-world manners from the Fae court brought into the modern world.

[Wildchildeditor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Muir starts the story out with a bang. Darius saves Sabrina from a group of local yahoos. When he tells her why he’s there, she thanks him but refuses the honor. And let the fireworks commence.
I truly enjoyed this entertaining romp. There were some bad guys who get their comeuppance, a reluctant heroine, and an arrogant hero who falls hard and becomes an attentive, caring beau. Add humor, sweet moments, some hot sex, and magick, and you’ve got a winning combination. When the story ended, I was smiling from the happy ending, but sad because I didn’t want the story to end.

I look forward to reading more of Ms. Muir’s works.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was better than the first in this series. It was well developed. Somethings could be better explained like he creature or place over the bridge. Overall, a good read.

[Maureen]

Magical

Fascinating! I love how Siobhan has mixed the world we live in with the nuances of magic and witchcraft. I think living in Cloudburst would be a delight.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.