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Motor City Magic
Urban fantasy with a Detroit soul.
In the heart of Detroit—where the rhythms of Motown still echo and coffee brews strong—Nolan West runs Detroit Bold, a cozy café with a loyal following. But when a mysterious regular reveals something… impossible, Nolan’s quiet life is shaken.
Drawn into a hidden world that pulses just beneath the surface of the city, Nolan begins a journey that will test his beliefs, awaken unexpected gifts, and force him to confront truths he’s long ignored. Along the way, he forms unexpected bonds—including a romance that might just change everything.
Blending magic with real Detroit history, Motor City Magic is a debut novel about wonder, identity, and the power of discovering there’s more to the world—and yourself—than you ever imagined.
Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London, and contemporary fantasy with heart, Motor City Magic will transport you to a city where the coffee is strong, the jazz runs late, and magic is always just around the corner.
Step into Detroit Bold. Order your copy today.
In the heart of Detroit—where the rhythms of Motown still echo and coffee brews strong—Nolan West runs Detroit Bold, a cozy café with a loyal following. But when a mysterious regular reveals something… impossible, Nolan’s quiet life is shaken.
Drawn into a hidden world that pulses just beneath the surface of the city, Nolan begins a journey that will test his beliefs, awaken unexpected gifts, and force him to confront truths he’s long ignored. Along the way, he forms unexpected bonds—including a romance that might just change everything.
Blending magic with real Detroit history, Motor City Magic is a debut novel about wonder, identity, and the power of discovering there’s more to the world—and yourself—than you ever imagined.
Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London, and contemporary fantasy with heart, Motor City Magic will transport you to a city where the coffee is strong, the jazz runs late, and magic is always just around the corner.
Step into Detroit Bold. Order your copy today.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2025
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2026
The MC owns a coffee shop near Detroit Eastern Market. He has the hots for his part time employee who is also a researcher for the public library, sees a customer who is also into her, but the customer can do magic. We learn the customer has erased the MC's memory a few times, but this time agrees to teach him some magic. The MC is super special and had four different types of magic.
Oh, and the LI is also part of the magic world. And there are magic police and a whole copy of Detroit, but magic, behind a veil.
The author uses a lot of Detroit flavor, and I also give props for not sending the MC into Harry Potter college or anything. I took one star off because 1. everything is rushed and jumbled the last one third of the book, 2. Characters keep the MC in the dark too much for no real reason, and 3. The author has this slightly annoying issue where the MC narrates something to the reader, and then says the same thing a second way for no real reason.
Oh, and the LI is also part of the magic world. And there are magic police and a whole copy of Detroit, but magic, behind a veil.
The author uses a lot of Detroit flavor, and I also give props for not sending the MC into Harry Potter college or anything. I took one star off because 1. everything is rushed and jumbled the last one third of the book, 2. Characters keep the MC in the dark too much for no real reason, and 3. The author has this slightly annoying issue where the MC narrates something to the reader, and then says the same thing a second way for no real reason.
May 6, 2026
I was really hoping I would enjoy this book a lot more than I did. I was born and raised in Detroit and I love fantasy so it was right up my alley. The general story idea was great and the MC was relatable. But I think this book could really use some heavy editing. I think he did a little too much with the Detroit references, and by that I mean he’d mention a place and then go into some facts about that place, even though it didn’t fit the storyline. There was one part about the People Mover that literally sounded like a Wikipedia definition.
It was a decent first novel and you can clearly feel the love the author has for Detroit, so I applaud him for that. If you love Detroit you will love all the references and a little magic is always fun.
It was a decent first novel and you can clearly feel the love the author has for Detroit, so I applaud him for that. If you love Detroit you will love all the references and a little magic is always fun.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews