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Preternatural Affairs #6
Ashes and Arsenic
Agent Cèsar Hawke is in his element when he’s investigating magical crime. And with his boss out of town, Cèsar gets to pick which cases he works on. He’s bent on doing nothing involving demons, zombies, or fallen angels this time. Instead, he’s going to find the witch who used magic to rob a bank.
Easy stuff. Cèsar plans to catch the perp before his boss gets home.
But when he digs into the robbery, he finds much more than missing money. He also finds a deadly turf battle between two covens and a trail of bloody violence.
A trail that leads directly to his brother, Domingo Hawke.
Domingo wants Cèsar’s help taking down his enemies. Forget that Cèsar works for the Office of Preternatural Affairs, forget allegiances, forget pesky “contracts” and “conduct.” Domingo is calling in a favor and the Hawke family is too tight to refuse.
Blood is the most powerful ingredient in any witch’s spell, after all…
Easy stuff. Cèsar plans to catch the perp before his boss gets home.
But when he digs into the robbery, he finds much more than missing money. He also finds a deadly turf battle between two covens and a trail of bloody violence.
A trail that leads directly to his brother, Domingo Hawke.
Domingo wants Cèsar’s help taking down his enemies. Forget that Cèsar works for the Office of Preternatural Affairs, forget allegiances, forget pesky “contracts” and “conduct.” Domingo is calling in a favor and the Hawke family is too tight to refuse.
Blood is the most powerful ingredient in any witch’s spell, after all…
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2015
46 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Reine
114 books2,007 followersHi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.
If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil
If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 28, 2019
There aren't that many UF series with male mcs. Not that I know of anyway. Yeah, I hear you. I know all about the Iron Druid Chronicles guy. Damn, what was his name again? Can't remember. His dog Oberon was pretty cool though. The fact that I only remember the dog's name should give you a pretty good idea of how impressed I was with the book. But I digress. So. There aren't that many UF series with male mcs. Not that I know of anyway. Yeah, I hear you. I know all about Harry Dresden. Haven't had time to get to it yet. Anything else? No? Good. So, where were we? Oh yes. There aren't that many UF series with male mcs. Not that I know of anyway. You got that part didn't you? Right. As many of you know I'm addicted to kick-butt heroines. The thing is, sometimes only good old testosterone will do. Okay, for that other thing too but I'm talking about books here. Focus people, focus. Right. I can do this. Am I boring you? Sorry. Not really thinking straight these days.
Before I tell you just how fantastic this book is, let's get something out of the way real quick. SM Reine, we have a problem. Your book covers. You really have to do something about them. They're not ugly ugly but they kinda look cheap you know. And they do none of your books/series justice. Well that's my humble opinion anyway.love LOVE the guy. Sara could write a book about Cèsar buttering a toast and I'd still read it. Yeah I know, I've got it bad.
And whenever things go wrong he can always count on fellow agent Suze to support him.love LOVE her. What I wouldn't give for a Suze POV! And the girl definitely needs a series of her own.
Ashes and Arsenic is action-packed, full of twists, false leads, humour and crazy/shady characters. As an added bonus no lovely Isobel Stonecrow to be found in this instalment. After what happened in Deadly Wrong the bitch can rot in hell for all I care.
This series really keeps getting better with each new instalment. It's a good thing Sara is a fast writer, I can't wait to find out what she has in store for Cèsar. Gimme gimme, I want more! Witch Hunt, the first instalment in this series is available for free on Amazon. So do yourself a favour and read it.
· Book 1: Witch Hunt ★★★★
· Book 2: Silver Bullet ★★★
· Book 3: Hotter than Helltown ★★★★
· Book 4: Shadow Burns ★★★★★
· Book 5: Deadly Wrong ★★★★
· Book 7: Once Darkness Falls ★★★★★
· Book 8: Bitter Thirst ★★
Before I tell you just how fantastic this book is, let's get something out of the way real quick. SM Reine, we have a problem. Your book covers. You really have to do something about them. They're not ugly ugly but they kinda look cheap you know. And they do none of your books/series justice. Well that's my humble opinion anyway.
Spoiler alert: despite my best efforts, I didn’t die.Meet Cèsar Hawke: federal agent, Office of Preturnatural Affairs, Magical Violations Department. Crappy witch. Allergic to magic. Can't stand the sight of a dead body. Snarky, self-deprecating mayhem magnet. Pig-headed macho man sometimes. Aspis to his boss, Fritz Friederling (the billionaire ninja of Beverly Hills). Brother to a magical mischief expert. Agatha Christie fan. I
“I’m not sneezing. We’re probably fine.” “Sneezing?” “I’m allergic to magic,” I said. Her nose crinkled. “You’re a terrible witch.” “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. Thanks.”So here we have dear old Cèsar acting as MVD director while Fritz is out of town. Lord help us. But hey, it's good to be the king. You get to pick the cases you and your butt-kicking sidekick work on. So what will it be: boring bank robbery or dead witches washed up on Redondo beach? Let creepy Aniruddha go to the beach. Because everyone needs a rest from crazy witches, demons, zombies and fallen angels once in a while. What's the worst thing that could happen in bank robbery case anyway? Ha. Poor Cèsar. Today's not your day. Again.
“If you hear horrible screams, it’s probably because we’ve died a fiery death. Bring marshmallows.”Abductions, human sacrifices, explosions, turf wars, fires, sociopathic high priestesses, barbecuing spells, words of power, gunshots, suspicious mausoleums, havoc, fun family reunions, destruction… But hey, no demons! Things really are looking up for Cèsar!
And whenever things go wrong he can always count on fellow agent Suze to support him.
I started to wheeze, smothering the sound in my sleeve. “You’re so fucking lame,” she whispered. She was probably just jealous of my awesome mutant sneezing powers.That's Suzume Takeuchi for you. Loveliest partner ever. And she kicks serious magical ass.
Suzy leaped in, drew her hand across the gap in the containment circle, and shouted. What came out of her mouth was a word that wasn’t a word, a sound that didn’t reach my ears but made the whole OPA campus shake like there was an earthquake. A word of power.Well, I have to admit Suze can be slightly abrasive sometimes (and maybe a bit harsh too) but she really is a delightful girl. Well, not really haha. But hey, the girl can use magic to manipulate dimensional space. Pretty cool huh? I
Ashes and Arsenic is action-packed, full of twists, false leads, humour and crazy/shady characters. As an added bonus no lovely Isobel Stonecrow to be found in this instalment. After what happened in Deadly Wrong the bitch can rot in hell for all I care.
This series really keeps getting better with each new instalment. It's a good thing Sara is a fast writer, I can't wait to find out what she has in store for Cèsar. Gimme gimme, I want more! Witch Hunt, the first instalment in this series is available for free on Amazon. So do yourself a favour and read it.
· Book 1: Witch Hunt ★★★★
· Book 2: Silver Bullet ★★★
· Book 3: Hotter than Helltown ★★★★
· Book 4: Shadow Burns ★★★★★
· Book 5: Deadly Wrong ★★★★
· Book 7: Once Darkness Falls ★★★★★
· Book 8: Bitter Thirst ★★
May 8, 2015
I really love this series. It's a good thing Sara writes so much throughout the year, because this short one left me wanting even more! Can't beat an author who tells a great story without fluffing up the word count just for the heck of it!
March 1, 2015
ARC - Review
Some TV-shows they start out great and then get worse with each episode, others take what seemed at first a less promising start and build on it to turn the show into enjoyable entertainment, featuring characters you look forward to meet again.
The Office of Preternatural Affairs series belongs for me to the latter.
We follow Cèsar on his fifth outing (book six in the series, book five was a special episode revolving around OPA contractor Isobel Stonecrow and Fritz Friederling, Cèsars boss).
With this episode I found myself liking Cèsar as a character a lot more than usual, although he’s still a flawed person and has one of his typical dick-headed “I’m a macho pig” moments towards the end.
However, in-between he does his best to defend colleague Suzy on their workplace, yet easily acknowledging her not just as an equal partner but actually admitting that between them she’s the better OPA agent (and given the number of times she had to save his ass it would foolish of him to say any other), and putting his brother Domingo in his place when he complains about his “greedy” ex.
Maybe it is these conflicting messages that we get from Cèsar, acting like a dick when trying to hit on them at one hand, and showing respect and admiration for the women close to him on the other hand that makes him feel realistic, or least keeps me thinking that there’s still hope for this guy.
Well whatever my feelings about Cèsar, Ashes starts out with my favourite part to each episode, Cèsar and Suzy together at the latest crime scene. There’s a perfect easy chemistry between those two characters, which makes it always a joy to read those scenes:
The story itself, Cèsar getting caught in the crossfire between feuding witch covens naturally reminds one readily of Spaghetti Western classic “For a fistful of dollars” and part of the suspense comes from the question who’s stirring up those two. Author SM Reine mixes this storyline up with enough false leads and shady characters, including Domingo, Cèsars brother, to keep it interesting, and have you guessing at each characters ulterior motives.
For the fans of her works there’s also a few guest appearances (by name) included to make you smile and nod knowingly, without them overwhelming the story, so that for this instalment goes the same as for Hotter Than Helltown:
Even if it’s part of an ongoing series, there’s no need to have read any of the former instalments, nor any of the other books set in the same Universe, to follow the story.
I can confidently say that the series keeps getting better with each new episode.
Some TV-shows they start out great and then get worse with each episode, others take what seemed at first a less promising start and build on it to turn the show into enjoyable entertainment, featuring characters you look forward to meet again.
The Office of Preternatural Affairs series belongs for me to the latter.
We follow Cèsar on his fifth outing (book six in the series, book five was a special episode revolving around OPA contractor Isobel Stonecrow and Fritz Friederling, Cèsars boss).
With this episode I found myself liking Cèsar as a character a lot more than usual, although he’s still a flawed person and has one of his typical dick-headed “I’m a macho pig” moments towards the end.
However, in-between he does his best to defend colleague Suzy on their workplace, yet easily acknowledging her not just as an equal partner but actually admitting that between them she’s the better OPA agent (and given the number of times she had to save his ass it would foolish of him to say any other), and putting his brother Domingo in his place when he complains about his “greedy” ex.
Maybe it is these conflicting messages that we get from Cèsar, acting like a dick when trying to hit on them at one hand, and showing respect and admiration for the women close to him on the other hand that makes him feel realistic, or least keeps me thinking that there’s still hope for this guy.
Well whatever my feelings about Cèsar, Ashes starts out with my favourite part to each episode, Cèsar and Suzy together at the latest crime scene. There’s a perfect easy chemistry between those two characters, which makes it always a joy to read those scenes:
Suzy and I fell a few steps behind Gareth to talk. “Better watch the tone you use with Janet,” she said in a low voice. “You’re acting like you’re important.”
“Hey, I am important.”
“Director Friederling is important. You’re important-adjacent. Like six feet from important.”
“Actually, I’m about two hundred miles from important, since Fritz is at the semi-centennial summit right now.”
Suzy rolled her eyes. “Just pointing out, you’ll lose authority when he comes back and Janet can make your life miserable.”
“She already makes my life miserable.”
“Shut your mouth, Hawke.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grinned. “See how humble and obedient I am?”
“Obedient, my ass,” Suzy muttered, following Gareth into the vault.
The story itself, Cèsar getting caught in the crossfire between feuding witch covens naturally reminds one readily of Spaghetti Western classic “For a fistful of dollars” and part of the suspense comes from the question who’s stirring up those two. Author SM Reine mixes this storyline up with enough false leads and shady characters, including Domingo, Cèsars brother, to keep it interesting, and have you guessing at each characters ulterior motives.
For the fans of her works there’s also a few guest appearances (by name) included to make you smile and nod knowingly, without them overwhelming the story, so that for this instalment goes the same as for Hotter Than Helltown:
Even if it’s part of an ongoing series, there’s no need to have read any of the former instalments, nor any of the other books set in the same Universe, to follow the story.
I can confidently say that the series keeps getting better with each new episode.
February 3, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
As usual, other readers have spelled out what this book is about better than I could have.. so this review is about Ashes and Arsenic, and the series as a whole.
Cesar Hawke is a character you just WANT to know more about, and Ms Reine is good at stringing us along(in a good way), giving us more and more insight into his life, a little at a time, as this series progresses. This time we learn more about his brother(who is in trouble, again) and his Pops.
The more I learn about Cesar, the more I want to learn. And with Pops' involvement in this story, now I want to learn more about HIM! (A background book, even a short story, would be awesome. *hint*hint*)
I am hoping this book sets the stage for more "family" adventures, because any ride with Cesar's family, like in his book, is going to be a fun one!
As usual, other readers have spelled out what this book is about better than I could have.. so this review is about Ashes and Arsenic, and the series as a whole.
Cesar Hawke is a character you just WANT to know more about, and Ms Reine is good at stringing us along(in a good way), giving us more and more insight into his life, a little at a time, as this series progresses. This time we learn more about his brother(who is in trouble, again) and his Pops.
The more I learn about Cesar, the more I want to learn. And with Pops' involvement in this story, now I want to learn more about HIM! (A background book, even a short story, would be awesome. *hint*hint*)
I am hoping this book sets the stage for more "family" adventures, because any ride with Cesar's family, like in his book, is going to be a fun one!
January 31, 2015
I received Ashes and Arsenic in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Out of all the characters that S.M. Reine has created (I still have a couple more to meet as I continue the Descent series) Cèsar is one of my favorites. I love his ‘voice.’ He has a strong sense of right and wrong and an even stronger sense of loyalty. In other words, he’s not afraid to bend the rules if someone he cares about is in danger. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he pretty much knows his limits. All of this combined is enough to love him as a character, but I think it’s his snarky, witty personality that I love most…
“I haven’t been this serious about anything since I thought Jennifer Henry gave me herpes in sophomore year of high school.” She hadn’t, for the record. I’d just gotten intimate with poison ivy on a comping trip. But that was a story for another time.
His inner dialogues are even better. ;)
Just because Cèsar’s character is on the ‘light’ side compared to S.M. Reine’s other characters doesn’t mean that he finds himself in less dangerous situations. He’s fighting the same battles, in the same world. He just handles things in a different way.
Ashes and Arsenic brought the danger to his doorstep in a very personal way. It also took a lot of twists and turns. I spent as much time as Cèsar both sympathizing with and not trusting Domingo. By the end I still wasn’t sure. I have a feeling that if S.M. Reine ever decides to put the entire Hawke family in one book, the results will be explosive… and I’m not just talking emotionally.
There was a lot going on in Ashes and Arsenic and there were as many questions raised as answered. It was kind of hard to keep track of who was on which ‘team.’ There are a few characters that I’m still not sure about. In this world, there’s definitely a fine line between good and evil. Regardless, it looks like things are going to get quite interesting for Cèsar. Ashes and Arsenic didn’t necessarily end in a cliff hanger, but it did end with this reader wanting answers. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for these characters next.
Out of all the characters that S.M. Reine has created (I still have a couple more to meet as I continue the Descent series) Cèsar is one of my favorites. I love his ‘voice.’ He has a strong sense of right and wrong and an even stronger sense of loyalty. In other words, he’s not afraid to bend the rules if someone he cares about is in danger. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he pretty much knows his limits. All of this combined is enough to love him as a character, but I think it’s his snarky, witty personality that I love most…
“I haven’t been this serious about anything since I thought Jennifer Henry gave me herpes in sophomore year of high school.” She hadn’t, for the record. I’d just gotten intimate with poison ivy on a comping trip. But that was a story for another time.
His inner dialogues are even better. ;)
Just because Cèsar’s character is on the ‘light’ side compared to S.M. Reine’s other characters doesn’t mean that he finds himself in less dangerous situations. He’s fighting the same battles, in the same world. He just handles things in a different way.
Ashes and Arsenic brought the danger to his doorstep in a very personal way. It also took a lot of twists and turns. I spent as much time as Cèsar both sympathizing with and not trusting Domingo. By the end I still wasn’t sure. I have a feeling that if S.M. Reine ever decides to put the entire Hawke family in one book, the results will be explosive… and I’m not just talking emotionally.
There was a lot going on in Ashes and Arsenic and there were as many questions raised as answered. It was kind of hard to keep track of who was on which ‘team.’ There are a few characters that I’m still not sure about. In this world, there’s definitely a fine line between good and evil. Regardless, it looks like things are going to get quite interesting for Cèsar. Ashes and Arsenic didn’t necessarily end in a cliff hanger, but it did end with this reader wanting answers. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for these characters next.
January 29, 2015
Another amazing Cesar adventure. One truly can not help but seriously love this guy! This time Cesar finds himself in the middle of a turf war..at least on the surface that is what it looks like. Because of his brother's involvement Cesar finds himself neck deep in trouble with not enough answers to keep his brother, let alone himself out of trouble. As with all of Sara's books, this one does not disappoint and truly makes you eager to see what she comes up with next!
December 8, 2020
(Read in plain old epub from Kobo.) Some interesting & fun stuff. I am tired of Cesar's self-congratulatory sexism, though.
June 18, 2017
This is a good side series for Reine.
September 10, 2017
Ashes and Arsenic
Cesaer was great in this investigation but blood is a weak spot for him. Good luck in the future Ceaser
Cesaer was great in this investigation but blood is a weak spot for him. Good luck in the future Ceaser
April 15, 2018
Excellent
Very imaginative and a good fun read, loved the characters and the plot. Magic in a modern setting and very believable.
Very imaginative and a good fun read, loved the characters and the plot. Magic in a modern setting and very believable.
April 29, 2018
Good story, not the best series but enjoyable enough.
March 24, 2021
Wow, this book kept surprising me it’s more revelations and bigger magic. So glad we finally got to meet Pops! Feel like some of these events will definitely be leading onto bigger events later.
December 7, 2023
Story is coming along! It really is getting better and better.
July 9, 2025
Icl v much felt like a filler book I dragged my way through this but I can tell there’s bigger plots being built up to explore in the next books so
February 2, 2017
Entertaining
February 11, 2015
I think this is Sara's best series Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering. – Dalai Lama
Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue. – Andy Stanley
Cesar Hawke isn’t really much of a witch in the eyes of his coworkers at the Office of Preternatural Affairs. I mean, come on – the guy has massive sneezing attacks when he comes in contact with magic – nothing like a witch being allergic to magic. And he is a potions witch, not a pumped up spell slinger. Well, he ‘is’ pumped up with strength spells every morning, but that is neither here nor there – after all, being the new aspis for his boss, Director Fritz Friederling (and you really should read the previous book where he was awarded that dubious honour) he needs every leg up he can get.
It has been a really bad couple of months for Cesar, Fritz, and the OPA. And things are about to get a lot worse – especially for Cesar. Because his black-sheep brother, Domingo, is up to his old tricks again. And this time? Well, let’s just say death and destruction is once again raining down on Los Angeles – and Domingo is right in the middle of it. Cesar and his grandfather, Pop, tried to save Domingo in the old days. But this time? Well, this time there may be no saving him – or any of those who surround Domingo. Including his family.
Once again S.M. Reine has written a book of beauty and power that is both creative and interesting on many levels. Not only the paranormal writing level, but in her interest in and understanding of the lengths that family will go to in order to protect their members. Even when the member in question doesn’t really deserve their support.
There are convolutions on top of convolutions in this newest book of the Preternatural Affairs series (This is book 6, you can enjoy this one without reading the others, but the whole series is so enjoyable there is no reason not to read them all!)
Greed is not a financial issue. It’s a heart issue. – Andy Stanley
Cesar Hawke isn’t really much of a witch in the eyes of his coworkers at the Office of Preternatural Affairs. I mean, come on – the guy has massive sneezing attacks when he comes in contact with magic – nothing like a witch being allergic to magic. And he is a potions witch, not a pumped up spell slinger. Well, he ‘is’ pumped up with strength spells every morning, but that is neither here nor there – after all, being the new aspis for his boss, Director Fritz Friederling (and you really should read the previous book where he was awarded that dubious honour) he needs every leg up he can get.
It has been a really bad couple of months for Cesar, Fritz, and the OPA. And things are about to get a lot worse – especially for Cesar. Because his black-sheep brother, Domingo, is up to his old tricks again. And this time? Well, let’s just say death and destruction is once again raining down on Los Angeles – and Domingo is right in the middle of it. Cesar and his grandfather, Pop, tried to save Domingo in the old days. But this time? Well, this time there may be no saving him – or any of those who surround Domingo. Including his family.
Once again S.M. Reine has written a book of beauty and power that is both creative and interesting on many levels. Not only the paranormal writing level, but in her interest in and understanding of the lengths that family will go to in order to protect their members. Even when the member in question doesn’t really deserve their support.
There are convolutions on top of convolutions in this newest book of the Preternatural Affairs series (This is book 6, you can enjoy this one without reading the others, but the whole series is so enjoyable there is no reason not to read them all!)
January 31, 2015
Looks like she did it again folks
Ok, if boring low action non violent books are what you want... your in the wrong place!
Agent Hawke has done it again. He has come to kick but and take names later! I feel right into this book reading none stop from cover to cover! It was just as wonderfully written as all her other books! I could not believe how creative the author was in this story! How captivating it was!! I missed a couple characters this time but the absent of them was made up for by the events he went through! I was there! In the corner watching it all take place. Everything happens so smoothly that you will not miss a beat with this one. Never a dull moment either. I give my review of books not book reports so I will not be telling you the story line! I will tell you I am glad I pre-ordered this book! I will tell you this book was crazy good, and not at all surprising. The author has a way of grabbing you by the heart and pulling you into her world. I can't lie...I have read and loved every single book this author has written and this book has not let me down. I mean really the creativity of this one is so good, I would have never thought of where she went with it! Please do yourself a favor and grab not only this book but all her books! I guarantee she will become your favorite to date! I know she is mine! Oh...p.s. there are a lot of.. well I would tell you but that would just ruin the story for you. ;) you will enjoy this book tremendously! I'm sure!
Ok, if boring low action non violent books are what you want... your in the wrong place!
Agent Hawke has done it again. He has come to kick but and take names later! I feel right into this book reading none stop from cover to cover! It was just as wonderfully written as all her other books! I could not believe how creative the author was in this story! How captivating it was!! I missed a couple characters this time but the absent of them was made up for by the events he went through! I was there! In the corner watching it all take place. Everything happens so smoothly that you will not miss a beat with this one. Never a dull moment either. I give my review of books not book reports so I will not be telling you the story line! I will tell you I am glad I pre-ordered this book! I will tell you this book was crazy good, and not at all surprising. The author has a way of grabbing you by the heart and pulling you into her world. I can't lie...I have read and loved every single book this author has written and this book has not let me down. I mean really the creativity of this one is so good, I would have never thought of where she went with it! Please do yourself a favor and grab not only this book but all her books! I guarantee she will become your favorite to date! I know she is mine! Oh...p.s. there are a lot of.. well I would tell you but that would just ruin the story for you. ;) you will enjoy this book tremendously! I'm sure!
February 2, 2015
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ready for the same womanizing, magic allergic, OPA agent you’ve come to know as Cesar Hawke? We go back into his head in this installment of the series, diving back into a twisty-turny world where you can’t trust anyone, especially not your employer.
Cesar is temporarily in charge while Fritz is traveling and it’s gone to his head. Taking the lesser of two evils, he assigns himself to a bank robbery that he assumes will be relatively easy to solve. Unfortunately it ends up throwing him into an investigation that involves his “reformed” delinquent brother, sneaky women, his family’s shady magic past, and lots of paranoia. Seeing his brother on the security video should have easily meant that he was the bank robber, right? Well, in a world of magic, illusion can be used to do a lot of things. Cesar is forced to reassess everything he thinks he knows as oodles of secrets and lies come to light.
While I don’t particularly like the things that Cesar thinks, or the way he acts, or his blind spots for family and women, he’s still a pretty good investigator. Somehow, while bumbling around, getting kidnapped, and making incorrect assumptions, he ends up solving all the mysteries. It must be a combination of luck and magic. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop reading Cesar’s tale.
Ready for the same womanizing, magic allergic, OPA agent you’ve come to know as Cesar Hawke? We go back into his head in this installment of the series, diving back into a twisty-turny world where you can’t trust anyone, especially not your employer.
Cesar is temporarily in charge while Fritz is traveling and it’s gone to his head. Taking the lesser of two evils, he assigns himself to a bank robbery that he assumes will be relatively easy to solve. Unfortunately it ends up throwing him into an investigation that involves his “reformed” delinquent brother, sneaky women, his family’s shady magic past, and lots of paranoia. Seeing his brother on the security video should have easily meant that he was the bank robber, right? Well, in a world of magic, illusion can be used to do a lot of things. Cesar is forced to reassess everything he thinks he knows as oodles of secrets and lies come to light.
While I don’t particularly like the things that Cesar thinks, or the way he acts, or his blind spots for family and women, he’s still a pretty good investigator. Somehow, while bumbling around, getting kidnapped, and making incorrect assumptions, he ends up solving all the mysteries. It must be a combination of luck and magic. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop reading Cesar’s tale.
August 30, 2025
Het brein is nog steeds niet toe aan serieuze lectuur en dus blijf ik me verdiepen in de perikelen van Cèsar Hawke, want na de excursus rond Isobel zijn we wel degelijk terug bij het standaard hoofdpersonage.
Directeur Friederling is naar een conferentie en dus mag Hawke even interim directeur spelen en kan hij zelf kiezen welke zaak hij neemt. Wanneer er een bankroof opduikt waarbij magie in het spel is, lijkt dat de ideale zaak, zonder veel problemen en vooral zonder lijken. Tot hij begint uit te pluizen en vaststelt dat het eigenlijk om een oorlog gaat tussen twee heksencovens, met, jawel, een redelijk bloederig spoor van lijken. Een spoor dat hem leidt naar zijn eigen, uiteraard compleet onschuldige, broer Domingo. Althans, Cèsar hoopt dat zijn broer onschuldig is. Maar dan beginnen er nog meer doden te vallen links en rechts, en wenst Cèsar uit de grond van zijn hart dat hij deze zaak maar nooit aanvaard had.
Yup, same old, maar wel van de nog steeds amusante soort. Hawke is wel stereotiep neergezet als een gast met een nogal enthousiast libido die elke vrouw bekijkt, inschat naar fuckability en daar commentaar bij geeft. Vreemd dat een vrouwelijke auteur dat op die manier telkens weer doet, want ja, dat begint te vervelen. Voor een man die naar eigen zeggen niet in staat is een vrouw te slaan, reduceert hij ze wel tot seksobject, elke keer weer. Meh.
Directeur Friederling is naar een conferentie en dus mag Hawke even interim directeur spelen en kan hij zelf kiezen welke zaak hij neemt. Wanneer er een bankroof opduikt waarbij magie in het spel is, lijkt dat de ideale zaak, zonder veel problemen en vooral zonder lijken. Tot hij begint uit te pluizen en vaststelt dat het eigenlijk om een oorlog gaat tussen twee heksencovens, met, jawel, een redelijk bloederig spoor van lijken. Een spoor dat hem leidt naar zijn eigen, uiteraard compleet onschuldige, broer Domingo. Althans, Cèsar hoopt dat zijn broer onschuldig is. Maar dan beginnen er nog meer doden te vallen links en rechts, en wenst Cèsar uit de grond van zijn hart dat hij deze zaak maar nooit aanvaard had.
Yup, same old, maar wel van de nog steeds amusante soort. Hawke is wel stereotiep neergezet als een gast met een nogal enthousiast libido die elke vrouw bekijkt, inschat naar fuckability en daar commentaar bij geeft. Vreemd dat een vrouwelijke auteur dat op die manier telkens weer doet, want ja, dat begint te vervelen. Voor een man die naar eigen zeggen niet in staat is een vrouw te slaan, reduceert hij ze wel tot seksobject, elke keer weer. Meh.
February 16, 2015
Agent Cèsar Hawke is not my favorite character. I prefer Ms. Reine's female main characters. But Cèsar is humorous to read about. After all, I don't know of any witch who has a major allergy to magic. Then, again, I don't know many witches. So they may well exist out there somewhere.
Cèsar is self-effacing, definitely not a macho man. He does cause me to giggle every now and then. In this book, we get to know more about his brother and father. We've already met his sister and she's off doing her own thing.
This was a one-day read and as usual Ms. Reine kept my interest. The thing about S.M. Reine is how prolific she is. My goodness, I keep thinking I've read everything by her and she comes out with more. I love it all! Even though she often writes about demons or other scary subjects, she is able to keep the story light enough to enjoy and yet suspenseful enough that I didn't want to stop reading. She throws in her great sense of humor causing the aforementioned occasional giggle.
I want to thank Sara for letting me read her books free for review. Sorry it takes me so long sometimes, but I keep it honest.
Cèsar is self-effacing, definitely not a macho man. He does cause me to giggle every now and then. In this book, we get to know more about his brother and father. We've already met his sister and she's off doing her own thing.
This was a one-day read and as usual Ms. Reine kept my interest. The thing about S.M. Reine is how prolific she is. My goodness, I keep thinking I've read everything by her and she comes out with more. I love it all! Even though she often writes about demons or other scary subjects, she is able to keep the story light enough to enjoy and yet suspenseful enough that I didn't want to stop reading. She throws in her great sense of humor causing the aforementioned occasional giggle.
I want to thank Sara for letting me read her books free for review. Sorry it takes me so long sometimes, but I keep it honest.
February 1, 2015
Man, Cèsar just can't catch a break, can he? He gets all manner of badness dropped on him in previous books (which, amazingly, he manages to fight his way out of) and just when it looks like he's landed an easy case things go sour. BADLY sour. Like, holy crapballs, WHAT NEXT?!?! sour.
Family. You can't live with them, you can't trust them to not rob banks. Or can you?
There's so much double talk and underhanded STUFF going on in this case that Cèsar honestly doesn't know which way is up. He wants to believe Domingo's claims of innocence, but the evidence points in his direction. He can't trust OPA because if Domingo is guilty of this crime he doesn't want him to disappear like so many do.
Trust Cèsar to get into something sticky when Fritz is out of town.
As always, the action is plentiful, Cèsar's brand of magic is leaves you wondering if he's going to be able to pull things off (he's getting better, though. Remember those early books? Things seemed to go BOOM a lot.), and this magical world is just a little crazy.
BLISS!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Family. You can't live with them, you can't trust them to not rob banks. Or can you?
There's so much double talk and underhanded STUFF going on in this case that Cèsar honestly doesn't know which way is up. He wants to believe Domingo's claims of innocence, but the evidence points in his direction. He can't trust OPA because if Domingo is guilty of this crime he doesn't want him to disappear like so many do.
Trust Cèsar to get into something sticky when Fritz is out of town.
As always, the action is plentiful, Cèsar's brand of magic is leaves you wondering if he's going to be able to pull things off (he's getting better, though. Remember those early books? Things seemed to go BOOM a lot.), and this magical world is just a little crazy.
BLISS!
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
January 27, 2016
This is book 6 in the Preternatural Affairs series.
Cesar is back and this time he is in charge since Fritz is at a summit meeting. He is determined not to have to deal with any demons this time around. He wants a simple case dealing with miscreant witches. Unfortunately, this one hits home for him.
The case he investigates involves witches robbing a bank and a murder of 2 witches. Everything seems to center around his brother. Cesar and Suzy rush to figure out who is behind everything while trying to keep his brother alive at the same time.
As per usual, this book is all action. Throw in lots of magic and this book will keep you intrigued all the way to the end. I really have enjoyed this series and can't wait for book 7 to be released. I was a bit disappointed that Fritz wasn't in this book much and Isobel was pretty much non-existent in this one. I hope the next one has all four of them back together solving the case.
Cesar is back and this time he is in charge since Fritz is at a summit meeting. He is determined not to have to deal with any demons this time around. He wants a simple case dealing with miscreant witches. Unfortunately, this one hits home for him.
The case he investigates involves witches robbing a bank and a murder of 2 witches. Everything seems to center around his brother. Cesar and Suzy rush to figure out who is behind everything while trying to keep his brother alive at the same time.
As per usual, this book is all action. Throw in lots of magic and this book will keep you intrigued all the way to the end. I really have enjoyed this series and can't wait for book 7 to be released. I was a bit disappointed that Fritz wasn't in this book much and Isobel was pretty much non-existent in this one. I hope the next one has all four of them back together solving the case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2015
The sixth "Preternatural Affairs" novel from S.M. Reine is more of the same. And that's not a bad thing. The story isn't entirely coherent, but who really cares when magic is being thrown about, banks are being robbed, and volcanoes are erupting in MacArthur Park (I think that's where it was ...)? My biggest beef about this series is that Reine usually manages to make our hero, Cesar Hawke, look both dim and weak. After the previous novel, in which it turned out that he could pull off a powerful spell as long as he was allowed to do it HIS way, I thought we would see an increasingly competent Cesar. Not in this one. Still worth the low price of admission.
February 26, 2015
Another fantastic book in the series. I love the little bits of humour thrown in.
Like a status that is "hung like a sperm whale".
Over all, the characters are enjoyable.
I've said this before about SM Reine, but she really writes characters that you know and love.
She has a knack of making these characters come alive so that they become your friends, your family, your enemies.
You laugh with them, you love with them and you mourn with them.
Anyway, another book I would highly recommend. If I could give it more than five stars, I would.
Like a status that is "hung like a sperm whale".
Over all, the characters are enjoyable.
I've said this before about SM Reine, but she really writes characters that you know and love.
She has a knack of making these characters come alive so that they become your friends, your family, your enemies.
You laugh with them, you love with them and you mourn with them.
Anyway, another book I would highly recommend. If I could give it more than five stars, I would.
December 1, 2016
You know it's a good book when you end up dreaming that you're a character in it because you fell asleep reading it... I dreamt that Fritz Friederling was trying to recruit me into the OPA because he thought I'd be able to distract Cesar away from Isobel. But instead he made me his 2nd in command after I kept rescuing him. Pretty cool, huh? ;)
@ SM Reine : Thanks so much for writing yet another addicting page-turner... please drop everything and get back to the series, I can hear Cesar begging for at least 3 or 4 more books. :)
@ SM Reine : Thanks so much for writing yet another addicting page-turner... please drop everything and get back to the series, I can hear Cesar begging for at least 3 or 4 more books. :)
February 6, 2015
Love, love, love!
As always SM Reine hits it out of the park! Cesar is such an awesome character, I loved that his brother and pops had a part in this book. Pops was so much fun to read about, I hope we hear more about him. Would also be nice to incorporate Ofelia too. The whole Hawke family in one book working together....or maybe against each other. Cesar and Suzy need to get it on too, there is starting to be a lot of sexual tension between them!
As always SM Reine hits it out of the park! Cesar is such an awesome character, I loved that his brother and pops had a part in this book. Pops was so much fun to read about, I hope we hear more about him. Would also be nice to incorporate Ofelia too. The whole Hawke family in one book working together....or maybe against each other. Cesar and Suzy need to get it on too, there is starting to be a lot of sexual tension between them!
May 14, 2015
Boo, we're back to Cèsar being a putz. This book takes place at the same time as book #5 so we're lacking Isobel and Fritz, much to my dismay. Also, this book ended saying I could download the next book which isn't true since it hasn't been published yet. Huge disappointment. Hopefully we get more Isobel, Fritz, and Suzy. Maybe I am also holding out a little hope that Cèsar will quit being a putz with Fritz's influence/help.
March 9, 2015
A series worth reading!
I enjoyed this book. It was a good paranormal mystery. Plot was strong and kept me guess which is a plus. I don't want to know who did it until the end. Ms Reine is a great writer with believable characters and builds great worlds to enjoy returning to time and again. A series worth reading.
I enjoyed this book. It was a good paranormal mystery. Plot was strong and kept me guess which is a plus. I don't want to know who did it until the end. Ms Reine is a great writer with believable characters and builds great worlds to enjoy returning to time and again. A series worth reading.
January 29, 2015
The latest work in the Cesar Hawke series is, in a word, spellbinding. The characters, action, and sardonic humor are balanced well. The plot is interesting and fast-paced. The reader learns more about the MC's family and you also get to see a slightly more personal side of Suzy. And Pops, you rock! I have enjoyed all of these books, but this one is my new favorite.
October 11, 2022
Audible edition. While Fritz is off at a conference and Isobel is off dealing with her new life/unlife, Cesar is left in charge of the office. There's a bank robbery downtown and some dead witches wash up on the beach. Then Cesar has to deal with family matters as he comes from a long line of powerful witches and it has come home to roost. Another winner in a fun series.
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