One hundred and fifty years ago, a terrible curse descended on the Wilcox clan, dooming generations of women to an early death should they bear a child to the bloodline of Jeremiah Wilcox. Now Angela McAllister is carrying Connor Wilcox’s child, and if she can’t find a way to break the curse, that same doom will fall upon her.
The solution to her dilemma lies somewhere in the past—her own, and that of the woman who cast the curse so many years before. Angela’s quest to find the answers she needs will transform the lives of everyone she knows, Wilcox and McAllister alike, and will forever change everything she has ever believed about herself.
A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family’s Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Many reams of dead trees later, she’s happy to announce that her debut novel, Fringe Benefits,was published by Pink Petal Books on April 8, 2010. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the new journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Her paranormal novella, Playing With Fire, was released on August 5, 2010.
While Fringe Benefits is a straight contemporary romance, she writes in a variety of genres, including paranormal romance, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and historical romance. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection.
After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix. Her house is pink, but don’t hold that against her.
This is book three of The Witches of Cleopatra Hill series. It is primarily based on breaking the Wilcox curse casted by Jeremiah's wife Nizhoni. The series was definitely a promising ride to quench one's thirst to experience a world of witch clans and warlock territories.
I didn't have high expectations from it because they were crushed in the second book, Darknight itself. But this turned out to be more thrilling than #2. Albeit book 1 still stands at the top. Christine Pope continued her effortless writing throughout the series that made it easier to connect with the characters. Every time she mentioned tapas and Aunt Rachel's scones I could feel myself longing to eat them😂. There were a few elements lacking though. I wished the plot had more spooky-dooky, magical and action-packed encounters (as book 1 set the bar right then and there with Damon Wilcox).
Angela was as good as always. Had no issues about it. She didn't lose her essence in the entire series. But it felt all about Angela. Connor should have had an essential role to play in all the curse-breaking events. He felt like a side character. All he did was drive her to destinations, sit with her during meditations, make love to her and be handsome. I mean, he's the primus now.....shouldn't his role have strengthened somehow? His powers were merely depicted in a few words and couldn't be visualized on a deeper level.
Lucas' role was more impressive to say the least. He's another one added to my list of fictional crushes. The next book is about him and I'm excited to know how deeply I'd resonate with his character. Sydney! She's a friend everyone needs to have in their life whether they're a witch/warlock or a civilian.
I'm gonna up a star because of how creative the solstice and the entire going back to the beginning theme was. It's the end to Angela and Connor's story and I'll miss them so much! 😭😭😭
Okkkkaaaaay I'm a sucker for happy ending so I'd say it was good. I did want Angela to make Connor beg or you know make him suffer for being a jackhole buuuuuuut knowing the circumstance I say she played it maturely and wisely, plus she does love the guy. And vice-versa.
I like that when some mystery or a problem comes up, the plot doesn't drag, you know in three/four pages ahead, you will get the answer or the solution. So that was refreshing. For me, it's a light reading, nothing intense. Angela and Connor are cute together and their love are mixed with their duty to their clan, so there is no intense love triangle or playing hard to get.
The only thing that was messed up is the clan business, esp Angela's one because they appeared to be very old-fashion and turn talks to gossips. Esp about Jeremiah and his so called kidnapping of the Navajo witch. I don't regret reading this series, but I'm not so suckered into it to read the rest of the books. I just wanted to know what happened with Connor, Angela and the kids.
But I do recommend it. Quick read, nothing intense-well depend on the reader. ;)
This series started off so strong with the first book and I loved it; the witchcraft, her aunt Rachel, the story of the rival coven clans, the story of her developing her powers and becoming prima of her coven. Second book was a BIG 'WTH'?! with the whole Stockholm syndrome love affair going on. And now this? Darkmoon was a huge stupid disappointment. This book was so flat and filled with tons of internal monologue. Pope would write Angela having all of these thoughts and then arguing with herself or thinking better of something and then coming to the same conclusion as the other person. It was totally unnecessary and very unbelievable. Connor became a shell of a character, and other vital characters just faded away never to be mentioned again. Angela was such a dumbass in this book with her poor decisions and selfishness in many ways. I literally couldn't stop talking about how dumb this book was to my friends. So dumb. The dumbest.
I really wanted to finish this trilogy - despite the fact that the author decided to extended the series.
I really enjoyed this one, however despite the length of the book it seemed to be far too quick and rushed for me.
I liked Angela and Connor however this one had even less of the extended families which I found a little confusing and there wasn't much that she did - throughout either book 2 or 3 that had much to do with her clan - she didn't seem to care at all... She was more focused on Connor being the Primus and how she had to be there for him... Which I do get to an extent but she totally ignored her clan, which I found quite annoying and weird for how she claimed to constantly be in charge of the clan but was never there to do anything or actually be the Prima
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So good that I wanted to continue reading the next book in the series! See my extended review on the boxed set! On to Book 4, SYMPATHETIC MAGIC by Christine Pope. Happy reading!
This was by far the best one so far. Starts right where the last one left off. This one was all about breaking the curse and going back and finding out who her father is. The relationship starts out Rocky but they get that HEA that I love. Trying to mend the stress between the clans and the strong personalities. I loved lucky Lucas!!!!! And his attraction to the stoic Margot.
I enjoyed reading this trilogy,which I read straight through. The first book was a little slow getting going, but this is where the author built the background & details needed for the three books. I thought it was very well written & all the characters were well bodied, not just the main two characters as some authors do. There were a few things I wasn't expecting, but ending to the main plot I had been waiting for since book two. That said it was well executed & there was a nice little twist in it. I'm finding it difficult not to give away what happened along the journey Angela & Connor took, so I recommend reading yourself to find out, I don't think you will regret it. Just a note, unlike some trilogies you can not read this without reading the other two, as 2 & 3 literally start in the same scene as the previous book ended, so you would have no idea what was going on! I have seen there are two more books in the series, but with different main characters, so the first three books can stand alone as a trilogy if you don't wish to read the final two books.
So I've read all 3 books and I'm happy I did. I am not happy about the way the story was told by the author because Angela came across as a but of an a$$hole, but overall it was interesting. Book 1 had me curious, Book 2 annoyed the crap out of me and Book 3 made it right. My question is why did the author introduce Connor as a half interested spy. There was no indication that he was really interested in Angela. He knew who she was before he met, yet he maintained perfect control. Then he forces her to leave and stays away under the instruction of Marie.... Difficult to process.... I found it difficult to understand .... Sigh All in all it ended well and everything was explained, but it was a difficult read. Did I enjoy it? Not really.... I just had to satisfy my curiosity. Not horrible but not satisfying.
The way, Christine Pope, has constructed the series, has made for a beautifully woven family saga. The Darkmoon, has brought the series to a close, that was very satisfying.
The book is full of surprises, that gives you the, can't put it down, feeling. The characters are nicely done and consistent with the rest of the trilogy. As is, the descriptions of the scenery. The dialogue flows through out naturally.
The only flaw, is the end of the trilogy. I will miss Angela and Conner.
I recommend this trilogy for lovers of paranormal romance.
I received the, Darkmoon, free from the author for a unbiased review. Thank you, Christine Pope, I enjoyed it.
Angie and Conner continue on their odyssey to unite the McAllister and Wilcox families. Angie is pregnant and worries about the curse and how to stop it from killing her and any other Wilcox women. Working out details of Angie's deceased mother and unknown father, to help her learn to break the curse. The organization of each other's clans and unification. All new territory for any witch or warlock who are leaders of warring clans.
So this is the last in the series focused on Angela and Connor I am glad i got to read it and see how it ended. I will start on the negatives so I can end on a positive! I do think Angela forgave Connor too quickly at the start. I understand they were in love and fated to be together but she spent two months in utter misery thinking he no longer wanted her. Then he explained it away as Marie told him to. I would have been a bit more upset than accepting that explanation. It is not really an exciting read, it's not a bad read though. It does go into the day to day, telling us what she's drinking, eating, wearing quite a lot. To me it was detail I did not particularly need or want but respect some people do. She is meant to be Prima and really needs to spend more time in Jerome, I get why as they are not helpful. They are spiteful. But they are her clan, as soon as she was with Connor she disappeared again. If Connor spent more time with them they would grow to like and accept him. It was to break the curse which I liked, but there were times they did nothing and she spent little time at home even though she said she was ready to be Prima. She also does not take part in any rituals and ceremonies like in the first book and I would have loved to have read about more. I don't like the elders for Jerome. Or her clan really. She spends her year being 21, being told she HAS to find her consort to make the clan strong. She finds him and they constantly put her down and expect her to leave him, treating her like a child. Some of the characters started to disappear. This mainly focused on Angela. Even though Connor was there, he was there to hold her hand. Sidney, Rachel and Tobias were not really part of it either which made me sad as I liked their characters.
What I did like was Lucas. His character was more involved, he was supportive and a great character. I actually quite liked Marie. I understood why she disliked Angela. I also liked that she left, as a seer they would have expected her to solve their problem. With her gone they had no choice but to do it themselves. But she came back when she was needed most. I did enjoy the concept of the story and how they broke the curse. I love Angela's power and was so glad it was used as part of it, that we got the true story from who was involved. As Primus and Prima, I liked that their powers grew together making them even more powerful. The story of Angela's Dad was revealed, I really liked his character, I felt for him for what he had to sacrifice but got his happy ending overall. I enjoy the world building, the clans and the politics. That permission is needed to go to other clan lands etc. Still very territorial! But shows who is allied and friendly with who. It did not take long to read, I would say its definitely worth a read but the writing style is not for me. I am not committed enough to the whole series, nor do I like Margot enough, to continue the series. However, I would consider reading other series from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
"Darkmoon" is book three of "The Witches of Cleopatra Hill." If you want to read "Darkmoom," you must read, "Darknight" and "Darknight," first. Together, the three books make one pretty darned good novel.
Right now, you can get them all in one Kindle bundle for free.
I bingeread the first two novels in the groups. I took a break, and then I started this one and got sucked in, as well. Getting sucked into a story is my criterion for a 5 star book, so this book wins.
The main character, Angela McCallister, has solved most of the problems confronting her, but the solutions have just lead to more problems.
The world building is excellent and the main characters well-drawn. My major problem with all three books (and I know, I gave all of them 5 stars) is that there is a lot of Angela's internal dialogue. And this quantity increased (it seemed to me) particularly in this, the third book. If some of the repetitive inner dialogue were removed and the books squished together, the three books would have been one of my favorite novels ever.
Plus, in this book, a character disappeared, which irritated me. Although she reappears at the end, I was never satisfied with why she disappeared. I get that her emotions were involved, but since she did all the (not very nice) things she did for her witch family, why not stick around for this. Particularly since she knew nothing anyway. She should have at least told them what she knew or didn't know before she left. Instead, she just left a note, "I can't do this."
Nice to have only one plot gripe about a three-book story arc! I figure if that's the only problem, then these are three books I can highly recommend to everyone.
I waited until I finished this series before writing a review. I can't give this less than five stars because it kept my interest from the first page of book one until the last page of book three.
The story of Angela, new prima of her clan, and the task of finding her consort is fraught with the suspense of a young woman's desires and the traditions of her clan. Just when you think the story is going in one direction it takes a little turn and has you nodding in agreement or annoyance.
I won't ruin the story for those who still don't know who Angela's consort is or what role the Wilcox clan plays in her life. But I will say that for those who love a little magic thrown into a love story then you should be quite pleased with this one.
"A Little Magic" is definitely the correct phrase when referring to this series. If you'd like more magic and a show of everyone's powers then you may be a bit disappointed with this read. Although you get a glimpse of the powers it isn't a book where that is what's most important.
Angela and Connor are Prima and Primus of their clans, yet the fumbled around unable to make a decision for their clans. Frustrated at their actions, they finally got themselves together and made decisions necessary for their people.
Sometimes I felt like the story read in circles leaving me going back a paragraph or two. There also were times where the words were choppy and did not flow. This caused stumbling and I had to re-read the sentence.
All in all, there is enough story to keep reading the next book in sequence.
Oh, there is one section towards the end of the book where Angela learns how to walk in the spirit world. I liked this part of the book.
Okay, I liked how this ended. I couldn't figure out how they were going to end the curse, and it turned out to be simpler than I imagined, yet fitting. All in all, and enjoyable, light read that ends this arc. The next 3(?) books in the series are going to be about Lucas and Margot instead. I read the preview first chapter of the fourth book, and it already seems to have a lot more humor to it, I think just because of the characters themselves.
So this edition of the series was ok, it wasn't bad just got wordy here and there, felt more like filer.
I have read all the comments on this series and never having read twilight, I have no idea if the premise is the same or not. They were rather well written, there were spots that seemed to drag.
Overall a good book, if you want something easy to read. Not sure if I will read the 4th installment of this series......
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of this title (Audible Membership)
"Go back to the beginning," they were told. But whose beginning? Where she had been conceived by parents, she never knew. Or, back when the curse was originally invoked. It's a journey that had to be travelled, back to events that were either very vivid or muddled by the person who misinterpreted the other person's responses.
So glad that Christine Pope writes a good enough story to keep me wanting to finish the trilogy. Fairly early on in the second book I was wanting to tell Angela to grow up and consider others. By the end of it I wanted to push Connor off a pier. By the end of the third book I liked both characters again.
I liked this book better than the previous one. I enjoyed seeing the curse resolved. I also liked that Marie reached out to Angela and helped bring her back. It is an easy, fun read. I still found myself rolling my eyes at Angela from time-to-time, but much less than in the previous book in this series.
siento que despues de tanta cosa, de que era imposible rompera la maldicion y todo. la autora hubiera decidido darle esa conclusion al libro, es decir, sabia que en algun punto se resolveria todo, pero siento que fue tan facil. que hasta me desiluciono, esperaba mas drama.
I liked the story and how it kept moving I also like the actress/voices she does a great job This is a great sequel to the previous 2 books so anyone who has already read/listened to those books should enjoy this one as well. I really like almost all of Ms. Pope's books and this one is no exception to her running tally IMHO.
What a lovely "finish" to the series. There are offshoots of the story coming up, but this finishes one couple. It's a light read with a touch of suspense to keep you going. I can definitely recommend this series.
This novel ties up a lot of loose ends about Angela's past and the curse of the clans. Things are put into perspective for the lovers and it is time to figure out if they can plan on forever.
Really enjoyed the first 3 books of this series following Angela and Connor’s love story. Not a fan of Margot so idk if I really want to continue the series or not. So far so good.