Magic Ember

Enchanted #2

by Sara Dobie Bauer, Em Shotwell, Wendy Sparrow

The second of a trio of trilogies by three amazing romance writers. These stories all have two things in common: magic and romance!

“How to Capture Your Match” by Wendy Sparrow:
Being the demigod of pain and a bounty hunter in Vegas have made Corbin Slone very aware of one truth: they always ran. When his match, the demigoddess of healing, kissed and ran, they had a problem. Without some very close time together, they’d both die. In that respect, he had no choice but to abduct Tam for a courtship. Tam might be into Corbin, but demigods? The guy was hot, but Corbin was no mythical god, even if he kissed like one. Love might heal the pain of a demigod’s lonely existence, but was it worth the gamble?

“Destiny’s Dark Light — Part Two” by Sara Dobie Bauer:
The love story of Cyan and Liam continues. Due to the violent arrival of a dark witch in Charleston, Cyan’s powers awaken. She is the foretold white witch, fated to save the world, but her skills must be honed with the help of her powerful family. Liam fears the loss of his beloved Zoe while feeling strangely connected to Cyan. His entire life is turned upside-down when wicked witches involve him in the forthcoming War. The search for a dark witch intensifies, as do questions surrounding Liam’s past.

“This Hollow Heart” by Em Shotwell:
New Orleans witch-turned-tattoo artist, Marchland Murphey's bad luck with men has led her to swear off love for good. When mysterious client, Chase Kimberley insists she go out with him, she says no, but soon finds herself tumbling into his bed. At first things are great, and Marchland thinks Chase could be the one to turn her bad luck around.

Until Chase's pregnant wife shows up demanding an explanation. The women compare notes, and with the help of Marchland's magic conspire to teach Chase a lesson he won't soon forget.

But Magic has a mind of its own, and while Marchland struggles to deal with the consequences of a spell-gone-bad, she could miss out on the possibility of a good thing with favorite client, sweet single-dad, Samuel White.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2018

About the author

Bestselling romance author.
Green witch.
Feminist. Pro-choice. Anti-censorship.
Timothee Chalamet freak.
Horror movie aficionado.
Vampire mermaid in a past life.

Sara Dobie Bauer somehow survived her party-hard college years at Ohio University to earn a creative writing degree. She lives with her precious Pit Bull in Northeast Ohio, although she’d really like to live in a Tim Burton film.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gahhhh... I loved this book so much! "Magic Ember" is another hit for Em Shotwell. I've become a huge fan of this author after reading her Blackbird Summer books. This is the follow up book to "Magic Spark", so I would strongly suggest you read that one first. They are technically stand alone stories - but I think it helps paint the picture of this incredibly mystical story. I normally hate cliff hangers and this one leaves us with a doozy - but I will forgive Ms. Shotwell as long as she doesn't leave us waiting too long for the next story. The writing is so good and the story sucks you in. This isn't my normal genre, but the way she writes captivates me in a way few others do.
This author is a must have to any avid book reader's collection.
Happy Reading...enjoy!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely do I find a sequel to be better than the original. In the tri-storied Enchanted series it does for all three tales. Exciting, suspenseful, rapidly paced with wild turns, I love Magic Embers.
HOW TO CAPTURE YOUR MATCH: A DEMIGOD’S SURVIVAL GUIDE follows Corbin, demigod of pain, as he chases bail jumpers, then prepares to die before a young nurse reveals remarkable healing abilities. Of course he must abduct his comatose, nearly dead match before he combusts and she fades. Their snarky banter is delightful.
THIS HOLLOW HEART involves the youngest of the sisters as her magical tattoos bring joy, confidence, healing, and protection. When betrayal and deception lead to abuse, she seeks the greater magic of the three as her solution, and again it is performed at the wrong phase of the moon, with disastrous results.
DESTINY’S DARK LIGHT: PART TWO continues revealing Cyan's evolving powers and the path to war. The unexpected twists and surprise turns, the opening battle between light and dark witchcraft, and the loving interference of her family left me breathless.
All three stories are so unpredictable, just amazing reads.

[Randi Perrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I said of Magic Spark, you put my three favorite authors together in one anthology and I am so freakin' there. So of course, I was all in for Magic Ember.

Wendy Sparrow's demigods are adorable in their you-need-me-but-you-don't-know-it-yet plots, and no one tops Wendy when it comes to really subtle, intelligent humor.

Em Shotwell's sisters are, well, magical (cause duh), and her world-building is top notch. It makes me jealous, if I'm honest. Her quirky southern charm and humor always shows up in her writing as well.

Sara Dobie Bauer, well... I was on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen with Destiny's Dark Light's second installment and now I'm dying after that twist at the end (which I predicted, but totally didn't want to happen so I shoved my prediction into a box on the shelf, pretending it didn't exist).

All of these writers bring something different to the table, but no one can touch the three of them when it comes to paranormal.

*Wayne's World 'I'm not worthy' bow*

Gimme that third one...

[bookgeek607 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so in love with these anthologies that each story has that spark of magic but are all different at the same time.
Wendy Sparrow brings us on an adventure with Demi Gods as they try to find their match. We get to watch Corbin and Tam as he tries to convince her he isn’t lying about their true nature. A story that spins you through abduction, self discovery, cons, and hopefully the prevention of death in fire and ice for the couple.
Em Shotwell has brought us back those witchy sisters and doesn’t disappoint! This time even though it hang out with all three sisters it focuses on March, the tattooing magical artist that sworn off men due to her mamas revolving mattress partners and the family’s curse. It’s almost like a there was this one time that.... kinda story about her life that you just can’t put down!
Sara Dobie Bauer gives us the third story Destiny’s dark Light part two! Ahhh this one I don’t even know where to begin! This one is different from the other two as the main character focus is the same as book one still about the Loach and the Dorcha and still show casing Cyan and Liam. I really enjoy short stories and I love this one but it makes me yearn for more of this story line and then bam to be continued.
All in all it’s amazing I can’t wait for book three in April you girls have me hooked!!!!

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed book 1 focusing on Em Shotwell's portion of the book, and will continue doing the same for this review. It is, after all, a continuation of the original story of the three sisters who are witches.
"This Hollow Heart" focuses on Marchland, the middle sister of the trio. She is a tattoo artist who uses her magic to "read" her clients through touch. The process tells her where the tattoo must be placed as well as what it must be. The effects of the tattoo have shown the clients to be happier and thus healthier after she finishes. During this process she falls in ---lust?---love? with a client. She knows better than to act on this because of the family curse, but she can't restrain herself. When all the circumstances are revealed, she knows she must end the situation and seeks revenge for herself and his wife. Magic is unpredictable. It often turns to needing more magic, and, well you know...

Em Shotwell is a talented author who has made the world of witchcraft seem totally plausible in her stories. The three sisters are different from each other, and the older two have shown many undesirable characteristics and attitudes. Although Marchland ultimately helps many people, her dark side is an undercurrent churning the whole time. The author has shown the older two sisters in an unfavorable light and yet left the reader to draw their own conclusions about their personalities. It is a story that is unlike anything I have read before, and I am anxious to read the last story that I am hoping will resolve problems that are festering from situations in the first two books.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic has a mind of its own

These stories are all three a bit unconventional. Romance with a magical twist. I liked book 1, this one’s even better. Do read book 1 first, to help understand things better. And beware: there is a part three too, so the stories aren’t finished yet. Per book:

Wendy Sparrow How to Capture Your Match - The demigod of pain Corbin and the demigoddess of healing Tam are a match, but try to convince Tam! I thought this story was very adventurous, it was different and intriguing. I really liked it!

Em Shotwell This Hollow Heart - Magic is finicky at best, especially dark magic… I loved this; it was really good, until the end. The end came too soon, too sudden, yes we have ourselves a cliffhanger, I was disillusioned, but I’ll have to read book 3 too.

Sara Dobie Bauer Destiny’s Dark Light - this is part 2. There is a ‘What you may have missed in part 1’ chapter so you can catch up. The love story of Cyan and Liam continues. This story had twists and turns; very unpredictable. Original! It was good!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these three anthologies . I loved how all three of the authors had their own individualized writing styles. However, their stories meshed well together because they all related to romance and magic. I found it very easy to transition between the three stories. Each of these authors have a unique way with words that enables you to feel like you are part of the story. These anthologies kept me on the edge of my seat the whole book. All three of the short stories were wonderful and it left me wanting to know more about the characters and what happens next in their life. I can't wait to read the next anthologies written by these wonderful authors.

Thank you to Pen and Kink Publishing for the arc copy.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you enjoy a steamy read with elements of the paranormal, this 3 pack has lots of hot in one package!

great weekend read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this story. It is well written and has very strong characters. I am so glad I read this story, I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves a great book to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has three wonderful stories in about love and magic. Each is different but will take you on a journey of discovery and love. Follow them as they try to make this love last

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks go to Pen and Kink Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This is the second of the continuing novellas in the Enchanted series, the first being Magic Spark. From the beginning you know they're going to be novellas and that each will end on a cliffhanger BUT, I say this with frustration - at myself, not at the authors - you forget that they're cliffhangers so by the time you get to the end you're literally wanting to throw your kindle across the room. These authors know what they're doing. They know how to give and give but they also know how to take it away. They're evil geniuses!

The stories themselves all carry on from the first books except that in Em Shotwells and Wendy Sparrows books they're told from different characters but they're from the same world. Sara Dobie Bauer's book is continuation from her first book.

They are fantastic. They don't have a lot of romance in them, there's an undercurrent to it and you feel it all the way through but it's not in your face. The magic is intriguing too and not in a corny way. There's some real sass and real issues.

I can't wait for the next instalment, here's hoping the authors can get their fabulous fingers working overtime so we can find out what's going to happen because guys, I NEED to know!

Highly recommend!!