Magic Restrained

Calliope Jones #3.5

by Coralie Moss

What is it about having a necromancer at the dinner table that invites the dead to rise?

Maritza Brodeur--born to a witch in a graveyard in México--was blessed with the ability to commune with the deceased and cross into realms where spirits dance and secrets are buried.

Set to welcome her new apprentice over dinner, Maritza watches her life come undone by the revelation of the Brodeur family curse.

Alabastair Nekrosine--descended from a line of celebrated necromancers--has tended to the departed from the moment he could grasp a child-sized Death Rattle. Meeting his new mentor, his extreme confidence may salvage the evening’s festivities--or cause his ruin.

With less than twenty-four hours to answer the curse’s summons, will Maritza and Alabastair reject its demands and suffer the consequences, or embrace the restraints of fate?

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2019

About the author

Author Coralie Moss likes to start her fantasy stories with witches and other Magicals and plunk a surprise or five into their seemingly normal lives.

The Goddess by Proxy Series begins with The Goddess & the Woodsman, and includes the paranormal romance, Medusa's Proxy.

The Shifters in the Underlands Series, set in Manhattan and Ukraine, includes Paper Dragon, Blood Dragon, and Moon Dragon.

The Sister Witches Urban Fantasy Series follows the lives of the Brodeur sisters: Alderose, Beryl, and Clementine. The three meet up in Northampton, Massachusetts for the reading of a will and within minutes, family secrets start messing up their plans.

The MAGIC series is set on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and features Calliope, a 41 year old divorced earth with two teenage sons. Calli's let her magic wither. Until one day, a seemingly normal investigation turns up a dead... (you'll have to read Magic Remembered to see what it is).

Coralie just happens to lives on Salt Spring Island, the site of much magical inspiration, with her husband and two rescue cats. To find out more, visit her website, https://coraliemoss.com

Reviews

[Jessica Calla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novelette from Coralie Moss, author of the Magic series (MAGIC REMEMBERED, MAGIC RECLAIMED, MAGIC REDEEMED). Bas, a necromancer, arrives at Maritza's place as her apprentice, as she's a witch and necromancer also. But it turns out that there's more between them than either could have imagined! I loved how Bas and Maritza share their knowledge and approach their challenges so openly, and I was rooting for them from the start. A wonderful read in the mix of a wonderful, magical series.

[Felicia Grossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely story, both of Mari and Bas coming together and navigating their romantic, spiritual, and professional bonds as well as the sort of continued story of Mari's deceased sister and her husband. I love the multiple dimensional magic as well as the always well-weaved world Ms. Moss builds. The romantic elements were fiery and the magic believable, if that makes sense. It's a quick, good, fun read, an excellent addition to the series and on its own.

[Texas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic Restrained #3.5 – Somehow I missed Magic Redeemed, the third book of this series, but it did not matter with reading Restrained. The characters include the family but it is basically the story about Maritza and Alabastair, and is told from both their points of view. The first twenty-four hours they face together after he appears at her parents’ home to begin his apprenticeship under her. While the background information is interesting, I wished I was reading Redeemed. The storylines are good, but this companion book just was not substantial enough for me, compared to the first two books. I like seeing them in action with brother-in-law and the ghost, original. I contacted the author to review her books and received this book through Booksprout. 4*

Magic Remembered #1- This is my first read by this author and I was surprised to like it. The beginning got on my nerves with a bit of covert preaching, not religious, PC, that everyone nowadays must forced down readers' throats. Who are they to decide the proper way to act and live? But I'm big enough to know that some things work out and this story did for me. I like the fact that Callie is 41-years-old and a self-assured woman, even after discovering she's a witch. Not realizing it she had been practicing magic in her own way. Anyway the ball gets rolling on her becoming a trained witch.

There's a not-so-nice festering boil for an ex-husband. The characters are interesting and mature, even the teenagers; no stupidity. They blend in well with the well written storylines and keep the reader interested in every page. Moving along at a steady pace, the author's descriptive style doesn't bog down, although she has detailed scenes. The care Ms. Moss shows throughout the pages actually enhance (except with clothing) the story; there's a reason for the detail.

I did get bored with the constant lust she has for the stranger helping her; why does this happen at inappropriate moments? There is a difference between sexual tension and the common, overused lookingathisparts&wantingtoravagehim,etc. Ms. Moss did have some originality with her witch and the twists in the plot, and I'd like to read the next book in this series Magic Reclaimed since I like this type of witch and the writing style. I found this book on Booksprout. 4*

Magic Reclaimed #2 - I like this second book almost as much as I like the first. Just take the review from the Remembered and add a few new, interesting characters, more action and drama, and romances. For those who care, there's explicit sex that covers three chapters straight, which I skipped since written sex is boring to me, and some vulgar language usage in certain instances.

Callie is learning more about herself and has a group of friends and family help against her ex and his family. The rituals are well described, although this author shares that insistence of making the character not pay attention to what is happening, at least many of her thoughts weren't sexual. Some of those thoughts are stupid. There's better sexual tension between Callie and Tanner, but that stops after the sex happened. I contacted the author to review her books and received this book through Booksprout. 4*

[Buttercupp77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is well-crafted and ads layers of understanding to several characters from the main series, which is exactly what I had hoped and expected from it.

The pacing is excellent, and the author skillfully weaves description amongst the action, so it never feels bogged down. The character development is also very well executed, with the story being narrated in alternating chapters by the two main characters of the novella. Other characters are less vividly rendered, but that is to be expected given the first-person perspective, as well as the focus of the story.

I really enjoy this universe, although I have only read the first novel in the main series, and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed delving into the lives of Mari and Bas, albeit briefly. It was kind of funny to watch them manoeuver around the sticky situation they found themselves to be in. I was actually surprised at how much content Coralie was able to put into a novelette and still be able to tell the story she was looking for. She gave a lot story without it seeming to be mashed in their. I was very pleased with Mari and Bas' story and am hoping there will be more to come.

[Anne Dwyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maritza was born with the ability to speak to the dead - but she couldnt contact her sister Moira. Alabastair is a necromancer, and has come for her to be his new mentor. Then she finds out about the family curse - is Bas meant to be more than her apprentice?
They only have 24 hours to figure out what they were going to do - loved it, and I hope there is more to come! :-)

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

[Teri Ruscak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic Restrained
Coralie Moss
This is the first book I read by this author in this series. However it can be read as stand-alone book. It was interesting to read about the necromancers Alabastair and Maritza.

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

[Siyka · Rating 4 out of 5]

That is the first book by this author that I have read and I liked that it could be read as a standalone.
It was interesting that there were two viewpoints of the story of the start of an apprenticeship.
It was a good read with a promise for more!

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

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an entertaining read. Maritza and Alabastair are necromancers who may belong together in more than a mentor/apprentice way. The storyline is well written and engages your interest.

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

[Martin Keogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good to get the backstory on some of the minor characters. Though I imagine they are going to play bigger roles in future books in this series.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and well-written, but I should've read the other books in the series first. Full disclosure: I received an ARC free of charge from Romance Rehab/Romance Remedy.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was enjoyable and I liked finding out about Bas and Mari’s first encounter. It seems like they have quite the adventure ahead of them.

[Sharon Duran]

I enjoyed the read.