Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Crucible #3

Strange Brew

Rate this book
Feeling out of touch with her magical gifts, Aislinn Carmichael is a witch seeking a means of restoring her ability to its fullest potential. Despite the warnings of family and friends, the endeavor inevitably drives her to accept the initiation trial of a witch coven called The Trine.
Their test demands the capture of a supernatural creature, a task Aislinn has little doubt she can accomplish with relative ease. But of all the potentially benign creatures she could’ve snared, none other than a feral werewolf stumbles into her trap. Making matters worse is The Trine’s intentions for her dangerous captive, forcing Aislinn to release him and potentially risk retaliation.
But vengeance is the farthest thing from the werewolf’s mind.
Troy Ashland is a werewolf standing at death’s door, slowly losing his humanity until there’s nothing left but savage instincts. It’s a process all werewolves face, and the only thing that can appease his restless beast is his mate. So when word arrives from an oracle saying to travel to the Southern US to find her, he’s on the next flight out.
After his arrival in Arkin City, the last thing Troy expects is to be caught in a magical trap. But all is forgiven with one glimpse of his temporary jailor, who turns out to be the very woman he was searching for. Still, the task of winning her is surprisingly difficult. Not only is Aislinn inexplicably resisting their attraction, but The Trine won’t leave well enough alone …

422 pages, ebook

First published October 31, 2014

17 people want to read

About the author

Angela Colsin

10 books35 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
5 (41%)
4 stars
7 (58%)
3 stars
0 (0%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Debra.
131 reviews2 followers
February 14, 2016
Stay with me on this review: I will get to the point. Maybe I need to state the point first. Okay, I will. One of my mantras is “Trust Your Author” and sometimes I have to remind myself of this. Now, stay with me! Aislinn is a human witch and Troy is a 195 year old werewolf who is desperate to find his mate because he is turning savage and will run the risk of having to be put down before he becomes uncontrollable. Now, Aislinn is working on a ritual spell that needs her to capture an immortal for one night as part of this spell. She captures Troy. They are fated mates and this is how they find each other. The first part of the story centers around their relationship and becoming mates through a series of interesting events. Admittedly, I was concerned a little bit at first because I usually like relationships in stories to unfold over time. However, it worked in this book and was necessary. Trust Your Author and they will take us where we need to go! And Ms. Colsin did. Once they become mates, they have some issues to solve, especially considering we have a witch and a werewolf. But then, the real story starts to unfold and I really enjoyed that story. It surrounds a coven of witches, a dead spirit and entities looking for a long lost magical book. I thought this story was very enjoyable. The point of “Trust Your Author” came when I realized that Aislinn and Troy’s mating was crucial to the unfolding story. To see how, you will need to read the story. I hope you enjoy because this is a fun read.
Profile Image for Dawn West.
538 reviews43 followers
October 27, 2016
The Romance Review



**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for honest review.**

When a witch and a werewolf find love, it's pure magic!



Get it? Magic? *snorts* I kill myself, sometimes...

We return to Arkin City, but this time it isn't a lupine that we're rooting for. It's our resident witch, Aislinn, who we met in the first book of this series. We do catch a glimpse or two of our original characters and a few new ones!

Aislinn is a witch on a mission to fix her magic, which has been out of sorts as of late. The ritual that will hopefully set her magic to rights requires that she abstain from intimacy for two months. So now would be a very bad time for her apparent life mate to come into the picture...

Troy has been searching for nearly two centuries to find his mate. And the longer it takes him to find her, the harder it becomes to hold on to his humanity. You see, Troy is a werewolf and his immortality comes with a price. He either finds his mate or loses himself to the savage beast inside of himself.

A not-very-chance encounter brings our witch and werewolf together. Troy realizes immediately who Aislinn is to him, but she needs a bit of encouragement to discover that her soul mate is right in front of her. Having her choice of a partner taken out of her hands is almost as startling as the intense attraction she feels to the werewolf.

Unfortunately, her vow to avoid intimacy isn't the only thing coming between her and Troy. The return of an absentee father, scheming witches, vexing ghosts, and ancient tomes get in the way of our couple's happily ever after. It will take an act of life-altering proportions to save Troy from a future of savagery and convince Ailslinn that she can trust fate with her heart.

This book was almost as good as the last two. Almost. The only thing that I think it was missing was more believable angst. I found Aislinn's planned ritual to be a weak reason for her to avoid getting to know Troy. Maybe if she were facing the loss of her magic entirely by breaking her vow, or something more dire, I would have agreed with her hesitancy. Other than that, this book was paranormal perfection!

In closing...
This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Each story is entirely different, filled with creatures of all kinds and romance aplenty. Four suns and on to the next book!

Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/review-strange-brew-by-angela-colsin.html
Profile Image for Penny.
610 reviews15 followers
June 5, 2016
4 PNR goodness Stars

Strange Brew was a great story that I enjoyed very much.

Troy is a werewolf on the verge of losing his humanity, this is a curse they all face when they can’t find their mates before reaching 200 hundred years of age. He has almost given up hope when he gets word as to where his mate is… and he doesn’t waste time getting there.

Aislinn is a born witch whose magic hasn’t been quite right lately. Feeling off she is taking every opportunity that arises to help her get her powers up to what they should be. Her mother suggests a ritual for her 25th birthday, and having gotten an invite to join a coven, she accepts their initiation test intuiting something good will come out of it.

She certainly didn’t expect to entrap a werewolf, and much less for the werewolf to follow her home. That is the last thing she needs, now she doesn’t only have a coven miffed at her for refusing to join them, she also has to maintain celibacy for 2 more weeks with a giant piece of a werewolf hunk that pushes all her buttons…mostly in a good way. And that certainly puts a crimp on Troy’s plans.

Troy can’t believe his luck when the witch that catches him during the full moon is the woman he has been waiting for, for almost two centuries. Just being in her presence is slowing his feral turning, and while that won’t stop completely until they are mated, he is finally feeling some hope that he will not lose his life.

But meeting each other is the easiest part of their story, as both are facing enemies they can’t even imagine and who'll jeopardize their bond.

While this is the third installment of the Crucible series, it was not overly hard to keep up with, there’s not a lot of world building but reading the short preface will give you the basic info you need to just go along with the story. Overly descriptive at times (I skimmed a bit, I won't lie), Strange Brew was still a great read, filled with steam, suspense and action. And their time together is seriously hot.

Troy by nature was super possessive and I loved him, he is certainly devoted boyfriend award winning material, I wouldn’t mind one little bit being mated to someone like him.

Aislinn was my favorite kind of heroine she is a badass with some kick-assery, not just a helpless damsel in distress, and while hardheaded at times (bordering on stubborn tantrumy 3-year-old) she worked through her issues and asked for help when things became too much.

I had a great time reading it and while this can be read as a standalone I think there’s a continued story line with some of the things that happened in this book and that leave open future plot lines.

I think I’m going to get my hands on the other books in this series and I’ll be on the lookout for what comes next.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Profile Image for Kelly  - Kelly's Book Blog.
466 reviews22 followers
June 11, 2016
4.5 of 5

Adult Romance/Paranormal Romance

Copy provided for an honest review.

Troy is a werewolf who is losing a bit of himself every day, leading him to the brink of death. Decades and decades have past and he has yet to find his mate. His mate is the only person who can stop him from changing into a monster. After watching his brother’s long search for a mate that ended with him being executed before he was capable of murdering others, Troy has accepted the fact that he will face the same fate and die. Then one day he is told to move because his mate had been located. Moving with very little information he must find his mate before death is the only option…

Aislinn is a young witch. Working two jobs, a waitress at Blue Moon and at the family owned business, Strange Brew, she is learning to control her powers. She has many choices ahead to make. One being if she wants to join a local coven or work solo. To join the coven, she is given the task to capture a magical being and hold it overnight. With no knowledge of werewolves moving to town, she is surprised when she captures one in her trap. The werewolf is aggressive, unpredictable and…sexy!

Here’s another fantastic paranormal romance by Angela Colsin! In this book we get to see witches and werewolves AND get a glimpse of Ashley/Cade’s story (from Book 1 – Blue Moon). I really enjoyed this story. This story was a little more “laid back” and “slow” compared to Books 1 & 2 – and that’s okay! I was able to read this one more leisurely. Although it was more laid back it still had the hot and steamy romance and chemistry that I would expect from Angela Colsin.

Angela does an amazing job of setting up this paranormal world, providing readers with the needed back stories and information without bogging the story down or making it feel like work to read. I find this quality hard to find in the paranormal genre! This book is fantastic! All the characters, including Aislinn and Troy, have stories that are relatable and believable! Aislinn and Troy make a great couple. She is young, smart and fiery and he has the alpha personality mixed with the right amount of chivalry and compassion. Their banter is cute and their chemistry is HOT HOT HOT!

The plot in this story will not disappoint! There is mystery and twist/turns that will keep you captivated until the end!

Check out this read! Amazon –https://amzn.com/B00OYVY7BO

Also check out:

Blue Moon (Book 1)
My Review - https://kellybookblog.wordpress.com/2...
Amazon- https://amzn.com/B00BGY4FQO

Light of Dawn (Book 2)
My Review - https://kellybookblog.wordpress.com/2...
Amazon- https://amzn.com/B00HMY7I84
Profile Image for Jilly.
418 reviews
April 23, 2015
I found this one more entertaining than the others, no idea why! lol!
Profile Image for Fangirl Musings.
427 reviews109 followers
May 24, 2017
DOWN & DIRTY QUICKIE REVIEW!

One Sentence Summary:

A badass, sasstacular human witch is targeted by an evil coven, which makes her beta wolf-boy mate none too happy!

What part made you fangirl squeal:

1. 2 words. RITUAL! SEX!
2. Any time Aislinn kicked magic ass or verbally bitch slapped somebody!
3. Every time our boy Troy flew his “I’d rather die than disrespect her” flag.

Favorite Character:

BITCH DON’T MAKE ME PICK. Fine, but only after 124 hours of torture- Our heroine’s momma! That hilarious woman is everything I wanna be when I grow up!

How smexy was the smex?

I shit yall not; it’ll make yo dead great-great-great grandma blush!

Name That Trope:

Alpha Heroine/Beta Hero, Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Hero In Pursuit

Whose Line Is It Anyway:
Aislinn: You’ll be seeing dad again soon, right?

Witch Bitch: Probably. What’s your message?

Aislinn: It’s simple. Tell him that he’s not my father, and if I ever see his sorry face again, I’ll rip it off and use it as a Halloween mask.

Got any bitching to do?

Sadly, our OTP went from Meet & Greet, to horny pants, to hearteyes, all without much of a development bridge between the 3.

Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:



Famous last words:

While I feel the romance could’ve been developed a little better, HOLY SHIT YALL THERE’S SOOO MUCH TO LOVE! Hella powerful sismances, badass world building, swoontastic hero, kickass heroine, hot sex- the list is endless! Tl;dr? READ THIS BOOK!

-----------------------------------------------

For a more in depth and LOL-fest discussion on romance novels and romance Asian dramas, HERE BE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6fO...
Profile Image for Anna.
10 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2018
Book: Strange Brew: The Crucible, book 3
Author: Angela Colsin
The Lovers: Aislinn Carmichael & Troy Ashland
Tropes: Paranormal, Haunted house, Magic Powers, witches, werewolves, mates, alpha male, sassy female
Hotness: Not Safe For Mom

Strange Brew was so amazing! The “mates” trope is a crux of the storyline. This is evident from the synopsis and prologue. But what I love about how this trope is used is that the werewolf in question, Troy Ashland, was respectful A.F.! Rather than meeting Aislinn and just running over her wants and needs, pounding his chest in a show of dominance and declaring her his mate, he finds a way to help her discover that information, easing her into the idea. He doesn’t want to scare her away. Now, sure, there is an immediate, fiery attraction between the two of them, but multiple times through the story, they repeat the mantra of many new couples, “let’s just take it slow.”

This is one of the few stories of this kind (that I’ve read) where the two lovers actually sit down and talk about what it means to be the mate of a werewolf. Aislinn is admittedly and understandably resistant to the idea that being mated to a werewolf + being marked by a werewolf = turned into a werewolf. She’s got her own life! A store to run! Magical power to gain! And Troy respects that. He *gasp* listens!!! They sit down and talk about what being mates means and how werewolves run their pack. Gosh how refreshing, adult conversations about adult topics.

“The only person I could ever turn is my mate, and the prospect has never agreed with me. Any ferine worth his salts doesn’t wanna change his woman, he wants her exactly the way she is. So altering you isn’t something I’m eager about.”


Actually, one major thing I liked about this book was the fact that Troy and Aislinn talked to each other. They were honest conversations about adjusting to each other, adjusting to what being mated means, and adjusting to what that means for their respective futures.

The Romance
So, confession, I have a major love for male characters that are pretty much all mush on the inside. You know the ones I’m talking about. The heroes who recognize that their partner doesn’t need them, but wants them anyway. The heroes who are ridiculously protective even though, again, their lover is more than capable of protecting herself. The heroes who hold their lover when they’re in need of comfort. You know…Troy Ashland.

I think I have a major crush on this fictional character, guys*.

Aislinn is a fiery, redhead who doesn’t back down, who is powerful in her own right, who is outgoing and smart, who is confident in her own sexuality. She’s…kind of a badass.

And man, is it fun to watch/read these two flirt with each other. Cause Troy is trying is hardest to win Aislinn over but because of her ritual, she’s resisting and going insane, cause she wants this werewolf in a bad way.

And once they do get together, their passion is…woah! Like wowza is it hot! Like, mom, for reals, this’ll make you blush mad-hard.

[image error]

via GIPHY



Conclusion
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I really liked this book. It is the third book in the Crucible series and, honestly, the only book in the series I’ve read. So, it works pretty well as a stand-alone novel. I do get the feeling that some of the characters that we meet are introduced in previous books. I also think, though I’m not sure, that there could be a larger, multi-book plot going on. I could be wrong, and I don’t think it affects the readability of this book, but some of the events make me think this could be the case.

Other Things I liked
• Troy and Aislinn’s respect for each other. Oh, I’ve mentioned this already? I really liked it, okay?
• Troy’s Southern drawl and charm
• The Lupine “family” that Aislinn has.
• Aislinn’s mother, Miranda. She was so hysterical, even though she wasn’t in the story too much.
• The way Miranda celebrates Aislinn’s birthday and completion of the ritual
Sighing dramatically, her mother retorted, “Yup, and to commemorate the fact that you’re finally entering into a serious relationship this year, I had the balloons made out of condoms.”

…Grinning, Miranda mentioned sarcastically, “There was a choice of condom balloons, or penis-shaped candles on the cake. Either way, congrats, you’re a woman now.”


Swoon Worthy Quotes
• “…I guess I really am comfortable with you.”
“Of course you are. I’m the love of your life, remember?”
• “I’ve fallen a little more [in love] every day since we met, darlin’, and I know I won’t stop until I love you more than any woman’s ever been loved.”

Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.