PLEASE NOTE: Due to explicit sexual content, this book is intended for mature readers 18+ only.
In a week, straight A student and total good girl Leah Todd is supposed to graduate with her bachelor’s degree. Then she receives a mysterious tarot card in the mail and everything changes.
The tarot card seems to serve as a VIP ticket into a show by a metal band called The Forbidden. She’s never heard of them before, but the instant she lays eyes on the lead singer, Rage, she knows that she’s much more than a fan. She’s found where she needs to be.
Weirder still, the band agrees. They’ve been waiting for a tarot witch like Leah to save Graham, a dying werewolf, by mating with him. The problem is that Leah’s not a witch, she doesn’t believe in magic, and she quickly falls for the wrong werewolf. But Donne doesn’t seem to return the feelings. In fact, he might kind of hate her.
As high priest of his coven, Rage has solutions for Leah. All she needs to do is surrender her life to the coven, the werewolf pack…and to him.
Hi 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
As I said it before about Sara Reine: "she moves pretty well among different characters and types of women. You don't read the same thing or about the same "person/ality" twice in her books. They are never a mold for each other, quite the opposite."
And so Leah wasn't something I've read in her books. But unfortunately she still reminds me a little too much of Rylie. Not because she's the same character, simply as she's 20 and naive. Not much to like it for me, quite the contrary. NA isn't my gig, as much as YA isn't. I really am glad I left 20 behind....
Mostly I couldn't connect much to the story. I don't like mates, when this means a way to skip the reasoning part. Here, Leah being too much a doormat, I had quite a few problem with her lack of reactions. She was kidnapped, and what they wanted is pretty bad, if you turn the setting around. (sorry, trying to avoid spoilers.)
Still I'm sorry there's not an other book in the series. If you have read book one, don't expect the same, this isn't gritty nor dark at all.
Leah has led a sheltered life… she certainly has never attended many concerts. But even she’s pretty sure concerts don’t usually end up with you waking up on the tour bus surrounded by naked people - and sexy werewolves and witches
I am going to, again, reference my pledge to read every word SM Reine has ever typed in her entire life ever.
One of the mild downsides to this is the Tarot Witches series - because this would probably be a series I would never pick up at any time. It’s a paranormal romance where the romance and sex both is the focus - and it’s a werewolf romance. And for some reasons there’s something about the canine and furry that invites the worst tropes round to play. But with this world, with its complex and overlapping characters, I can’t guarantee some of these characters won’t be super relevant later. Especially since the underlying concept of the Tarot witches is really intriguing - these witches who have some kind of plot to resolve linked to these destiny predicting Tarot cards. All of these women can be extremely different people, facing massively different challenged with this woo-woo bringing the disparate women together. All for a deeper, richer and more mysterious purpose
And damn it I want to know what that mysterious purpose is! This is the world with the whole godslayer narrative, an author who has produced some of the most unique and genre breaking storylines I’ve read and a world so complicated and interlinked that I NEED to read all of this to appreciate the vastness and amazingness. Whatever else happens in this series, I will charge through it because I know some of these elements or characters may inform the Dana McIntyre Must Die series or the The War of the Alphas, I want them to be included, I want to see all these vastness come together because there’s so much here I love
But… this book really isn’t one of them. It has so many romance tropes I find unpleasant: inexperienced female ingenou vs experience male love interest; Magical Mating Bond that get complete strangers to fall in love without getting to know the slightest thing about it; woman instantly trusting love interest despite the extreme danger she’s in; man barking orders and commands and control over woman; woman giving no more than a token protest to all this. And there’s not even a real story like there was in Caged Wolf. No dark past to escape, no figure to defeat - no, the meaning of her card is, not-even-a-spolier, to basically do what her captors say
Yes I said captors. Innocent, naive, Leah, good mormon girl with only a couple of ex-boyfriends and little experience in the rock star lifestyle goes to a concert at the urgings of her Gay Best Friend (yes a gay character. Yes, he’s a walking stereotype. No he does nothing in the book except be Leah’s friend. We even open to him giving her a make over. Actually that’s pretty much all he does). There because of woo-woo she’s given VIP treatment which means getting this very naive woman drunk (at one point tipping her head back and pouring alcohol down her throat when she seems reluctant) after which she gets heavily groped by two men and sat in a bus witnessing. No she didn’t say no. But she was extremely drunk as she makes clear on multiple occasions. This is not ok.
And when she falls asleep that bus drives off and leaves the state. And when she expresses a wish to leave she is denied. As we go on she is repeatedly stopped from leaving and even physically picked up and carried by her love interest when she tries to leave. And then tied up. Her protests to this are minimal… and seconds after being restrained they decide her sexy smell is distracting so it’s necessary to make her orgasm. If she’s less horny her smell won’t be distracting, apparently.
I knew this series had potential! Book 2 was leagues above the first! For starters, Leah is way more likeable than Ophelia was as a lead protagonist. Leah is curvy, nerdy (English major who loves to read), and her first concert was The Backstreet Boys; girl after my own heart. Leah's internal dialogue is downright hilarious and surprisingly realistic, and it also helps that she starts off as a "normal" person. In this vulgar world of S.M. Reine, we meet this meek little Mormon (ex-mormon?) girl who's offended by those who take the lord's name in vain; classic! I enjoyed how the stories crossed, and seeing Ophelia through someone else's eyes made me soften towards her. This story wasn't without it's flaws (like what took Leah so long to call for help? And does no one have a cell phone?!) This world created here (witches, demons, werewolves) isn't new, but the take on it is... and it's dark... I wasn't sure about it after book one, but now I'm thinking that I like it. There BETTER be a book 3!
I wanted to shake this main character until she got some sense in her through the entire book. I could not get into this until Ofelia from the last book made an appearance. The "heroine" was a ninny, as well as being incredibly young, and it didn't interest me at all. The storyline for this book was also absurd. I only kept on because I have the entire series on my Kindle, so it'll be easy to continue. I am planning to keep reading the series because the premise is interesting,as long as the next MC has a brain.
I am loving this Tarot Witches series. Okay, it does get into more adult erotica but the stories are still quite interesting. The characters are full and flawed but lovable. This series takes you back to the beginnings as it were with werewolves and the worries those guys bring to the world. But now we have witches who are just learning that they even have that inner talent of magic.
This is the second book. The author sent me a free copy but then I bought the Amazon Kindle version so I could read it on any of my readers. But either way, I try to make my reviews as honest as possible. The most honest thing I can say here is that this series is not for children or young adults. New Adults and older is the audience the books are aimed for. If erotica or werewolves aren't the tea you drink, stay clear of this particular series. I love Sara's writing and her sense of adventure so I have been enjoying all her work.
I didn't always enjoy the werebeings but I started with S.M. Reine's Six Moon Summer of the Seasons of the Moon series and I couldn't stop. Now after all her different series which often overlap, I think I am caught up. Dare I say it? Last time I said it another two books were ready for me. I hope other enjoy her worlds like I do.
From book 1 I knew that this series is a very steamy, 18+++ rated one. But I couldn't warm up to this one. The whole story feels stupid and I am a bit outraged at the content of abduction, bondage and partonising.
Leah gets abducted by Rage and his Band. She falls for Donne, a werewolf, but him and Rage want to save/sacrifice her for Graham, Donnes Dad. Noone really is interested in what she wants. She is a mere “kitten” and that's fine for her. There is lots of sex including cutting and bonding and fellatio. Allthewhile Leah started off as the Ugg and Leggins wearing little straight A student who had just little sex and never seemed to be interested in it. Until she meets the Forbidden and within 2 days she becomes a sex driven Tarot witch with enormous power. Do you need to know more?
I didn't like Leah, she is contradicting herself, altough she is self-reflecting but it just seems like such an uncharacteristic behaviour, hard to believe that she should become so powerful when she lets others do with her what they want and just sits and waits for her friend to save her (and then totally forgets him).
Still, it was interested in seeing where it leads. Having read the Magecraft series already and knowing what becomes of Leah and Rage, I am puzzled what will happen next.
I am a big fan of SM Reine and I have over 20 of her books, but I was very disappointed with Forbidden Witches. If this book was to be read by young adults, I would never have allowed my girls to read it. The story started out, in my opinion, glorifying kidnapping a 20 year old woman for the needs of others. Once under this rock groups control, Leah Todd is enveloped into a world of alcoholism, drug abuse, perverse sex abuse and actual violence upon her person. None of this is what I expected from this author. The rest of the story line involving witches, werewolves and tarot cards, once again in my opinion, did not justify the way Leah was treated. No man or woman should ever be forced into a bondage situation to appease the desires of another. I will read the next book and hope it comes up to SM Reine's usual excellent standards. Kathy Barber Doyle - 3/26/2018
I received this ARC book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
I did enjoy this book, but I wasn't a fan of the main character to be honest. Leah is the sweet and innocent straight A student when her friend convinces her to go to a rock band's gig after she received a tarot card, which she believed was an invitation! One of the road crew of the band noticed the tarot card on her and dragged her off to meet the band and from there the whole story develops.
She claimed she was kidnapped by them, yet didn't try to escape until it was too late. She was supposed to be meek and mild yet let the band members and crew do sexual things to her that she would never have done before as she had been drinking. Did she so desperately want to fit in with a group of people that scared her? They were constantly telling her that she was powerful and they needed her, yet were reluctant to explain why, but she didn't seem to see it was an excuse in part to keep her form leaving. I know what I would have done in that situation and to top it off she missed her final college exams. no way would I have done that for a rock band who I didn't even know!
It was great seeing Leah come into her powers though and the appearance of other characters from the series was a surprise. I hope now the tarot witches are banding together that their powers and strengths will increase greatly and they will show us what they really can do!
Leah is a straight A student, innocent, Mormon girl who is excited to finish finals and graduate college. Until the night her and her friend, Chad, go to see The Forbidden and she ends up in the VIP section thanks to a mysterious card she received in the mail. Her life is never the same after that, she was very naive and didn’t believe in witches or werewolves or demons. She believed in god and she believed she was meant to graduate college and marry a good Mormon man and have tons of grandchildren for her parents. The nights after the concert she realizes just how naive she was. After seeing Rage perform she realizes she is much more than just a fan. She sees things she never thought possible and parties with rockstars, she never dreamed she could crave something so opposite from the life she’s always known, but at what cost?
She is meant for greater things but what happens when she falls for the wrong person? Can she still do what the band needs her to do or will she ruin everything?
The chemistry in this book is off the charts hot! I LOVED it!! Sara really knows how to portray the feelings and desires of the characters. The Tarot Witches Series has been one of my favorite series of hers thus far!
Leah is a twenty-year-old Mormon graduating two years early with a bachelor's, but when she's brought into the new world of magic and 'monsters', it's hard for her to accept anything. It's because of this that I had a hard time enjoying Leah. She was close-minded, a little judgmental in my personal opinion, and she really had a difficult time near the end, but her constant need to continue satisfying her curiosity- and maybe even the parts of her that she rarely let out -made me continue on without too much of a headache.
I enjoyed the aspect of this book being a little more educational. Compared to the first book, this one talks more in detail about the witches and what they do in this world. Not too much was revealed to ruin the mystery, but I thought that in spite of this not being my favorite, I liked the idea that this installment carried a tone different from Ofelia's and something that matched Leah's personality more appropriately. Donne was pretty quiet but he was sexy to me, adding to the world that Leah had a hard time getting into. I did like band a lot and how they came off as family with each other, and it's something I wish had been more present or explored.
Were there any PoC? Yes! No main characters this time, mores the pity.
Were there any Queer/GLITTFAB characters? Yes! Explicitly! There was bonus NonMonogamy that wasn’t shamed! So good!
Was it worth my time? Yeah. Seeing a privileged, religious youngster learn all about the beauty of Sharing & Loving was pretty delightful. Learning more about the mysterious tarot cards was pretty good, too. I did enjoy how there was at least an attempt to weave Leah’s very strict religious upbringing with the very sexual & occult nature of the Forbidden. Not to say there weren’t problematic things that showed up in here. The way Leah ended up on her adventure, the way information was kept from her… mm. Problematic.
Would I re-read? Only as part of a series revisit, I think.
Would I recommend this book? Only as part of the series. I don’t think this one was quite as strong as the first book, but not by much.
I am enjoying this series. I want to see where the tarot witches take us. I have the 3rd book in my library but I really wish it was on Audible. The narration was phenomenal. Ofelia, our stripping bartender raised as a witch and Leah, our mormon college student were genuine . I would have liked to see more of the relationship between Donne and Leah (more of a spotlight on her blowing Rage than their matting ) but I recommend and plan on finishing series than perhaps moving on to another by this author
I already expressed my opinion of the whole series in my review of the first book. What should I add? Again, the h! This time she's the perfect little girl, not a woman, even if she's 20, a straight-A student, and a Mormon, but not a virgin, strangely enough! And all of a sudden, she becomes a sex-crazed groupie of an occult/goth band, has 'almost sex' with the singer because she doesn't want the man she likes to become too horny on the sex vibes she's broadcasting all over the place and so on. WTF? It would be ⭐⭐ 1/2, but I didn't feel like rounding it up to 3.
Okay, One: the covers does not resemble the Main Character at all from how she is described. I was happy to have a heavy set girl as an MC, but that cover is not. Two: I was very disappointed when I started this book and the characters from book one were no where to be found. Not until near the very end. Three: I found all that went on with this book to be confusing but maybe thats just me. Anyways now that book One characters have come back I will read book Three.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leah Todd’s journey from skeptical student to reluctant magic user unfolds against a backdrop of intense supernatural politics and romantic tension. The book offers plenty of steamy, mature content paired with the excitement of discovering hidden powers and complicated werewolf dynamics. Its mix of romance and paranormal intrigue works well, though some readers may find the character motivations occasionally frustrating.
If you liked the first book, you'll probably enjoy this one. I caught o e or two continuity errors (in the end, Donne is said to be dressed in his sweats, but a minute later, he's taking off his jeans....?), but other than that, good story. In a way, this series is starting to remind me a bit of Night World by JL Smith, and in a good way.
I liked the storyline and that it kept you guessing. It felt more original than many of the books I have read lately. She has no knowledge of the paranormal when she encounters the band and has a rush course on learning magic. I was interesting to watch her journey.
Et kui oodata eksplitsiitselt seksuaalset sisu ja mitte väga loogilist või läbi mõeldud sisu, siis on see väga hea raamat. Kui raamatult mingit storyline edasiarendust oodata, siis on selline meh. Aga selliseks - loen-nii-et-pea-on-tühi-ja-midagi-mõtlema-ei-pea, siis selliseks lugemiseks on väga mõnus :)
So. I know i said in my review of the first book in the series I was intrigued to see where this went? Well. I got part way through this and did not care at all. The consent was waaaaaay dubious (she was hammered) and now they’ve basically kidnapped her? Nope. Pass. Also passing on the next two in the series. Bye bye.
I've read other works by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them, this series, however, has been disappointing because it's not much story and too much sex. It's my fault for now reading the synopsis, I was hoping for my 'witchy' stuff, magic etc. rather than sexual exploits.
It's well-written, as usual, just not my preferred topic.
It is interesting the way the author is weaving the cards of the major arcana into this storyline. A good follow up book to the first book in the series , but I feel the author could have fleshed out the story plot and characters more fully to make it a better book. 3 1/2 stars.
The story of Leah and Donne. Leah is an "A" student and a unknown tarot witch. Leah research a VIP card to a rock concept and she meet and is kidnap by Donne in hope she can save his father. Great story and a fin read.
Love this series so far. This was a great story and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I loved that Leah was changed from everything she used to be so quickly and that was able to accept and appreciate her new found self!
Wow Sara! Second book in the series and the story is developing wonderfully, I can’t wait to read the 3rd... at 3am... who needs sleep? I’ve never been huge on erotica, I’m not sure this qualifies, but it’s definitely hot! Anywho, still enjoyed this story immensely!
I'm liking this series a little more. Now I really want to know where this is going. Witches and werewolves...how can you go wrong with that, right? I kind of wish this book would have gone more into the magick portion, but maybe we'll get more in the next book.
Absolutely love this book! Can't wait to read book 3.
I think the author pours her soul, fantasies, and everything else she has to offer into the books. I cannot resist the temptation to buy everything she writes!
A little magic,a little music and throw in a werewolf. What more could you ask for. Plus you have the characters from the first book to show up. Now for the next book in this series
Part two of the Tarot Witches took a while for me to get into, however once the started it became non stop.The story became full of action and adventure progressing till a dramatic ending. Highly recommended for everyone who is a fan of good paranormal books
Enjoyed the book. I liked the tarot card flavor of it. Thought the first in series was better. The characters weren't brought out enough for me in this one. Needed more depth.