Magic Untamed

Arcane Arts Academy #2

by Elena Lawson

Finding out I’m descended from royalty should have been like winning the lottery. Except I got all of the renown and none of the spoils.

That’s what it means to be related to the dark prince.

Still reeling, I throw myself into uncovering more about my dark heritage. Meanwhile, Cal and Adrian try to solve a mystery of their own. Shifters from other packs are going missing…and all the evidence points to witches.

Elias says it isn’t my problem, but he’s wrong. And when my worst fear is realized, I set off on a risky crusade to make it right. What I will encounter along the way is more terrifying than I ever could’ve imagined and could shake the foundation of the witching world forever.

NOTE: This series was previously published under the same series title of Arcane Arts Academy, however these versions have been altered to include lots of bonus content and all-new chapters from the guys' points of view!

Reading Order:
Soul Bound - May 18th
Magic Untamed - June 15th
Blood Pledged - July 20th
Shadow Tainted - August 24th
Death Kissed - September 28th

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Vampires, Witches, Shapeshifters

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2021

About the author

Elena lives in Canada with her husband, daughter, and their Siberian cat overlords. She writes dark, why-choose romances full of feisty heroines, unforgettable heroes, and their kindle-melting chemistry.

When she comes out of her writing cave, she can be found binge-watching true-crime shows, obsessively rearranging her bookshelves, or chasing the sun around the globe.

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlealately

Reviews

[Che is Slowly Getting Back to Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a surprised turn of events, this book is the one that brought me out of my book funk.

Her and Elias relationship still a bit ugh but i choose to ignore it, i understand there's witchy magic thing but still dont like it. Mostly here for Cal and Adrian and maybe a sexy vamp

So on to the next book i go

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this carry’s on from book 1 and it is a doozy to start with! Then add tons of action, mystery, more shifters, vampires, conspiracy, more slow burn romance and you will not want it to end!! I adore Harper and her men (I mean who wouldn’t want a hot and sexy professor!!! ) and cannot wat for the next book!

[Bella Suarez-Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed!!!

I like reading the first version, but this one is better and I feel in love again with this story. Harper and her guys. This one goes not in detail of Cal and Adrian. Most definitely a good read and look forward to reading the next one.


*** received arc for my honest review ****

[Betteroffwithbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off slow but when it finally picked up it was amazing. It was beautiful to see how Harper would do just about anything for her familiars. I hope that she is able to find who is kidnapping the endurans and the vocari and stops them. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5-2 stars. Sigh.. Well For the most part we are getting more reveals in book 2 here. I mean its like partial reveals and just leads to a heck of a lot more questions, but I'm finding that the story itself isn't putting me off. Its the characters, they just aren't well rounded, and to be honest I have no idea why any of them are even interested in Harper.. not that our shifters have much of a choice. Also I CANT stand all the secrets Harper keeps.. constantly. Not only does she like.. never.. find things out on her own but she is constantly alienating everyone by not trusting them.. and then getting mad when they don't trust her. Bianca the BFF, I feel so sorry for you girl, I can't believe your still hanging on with this girl. Harper, while totally willing to throw her life away to save others.. which seems totally selfless, is also constantly acting totally selfish. The contradiction is killing me.

These Cliffhangers.. I don't even know what to say about them lol. I'm going to have to finish book 3 just to get this off my kindle.. I'm at the point now where its like the author is "daring" me to finish it. Yea well... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** No Spoilers ***

Another excellent book for this series! Definitely a slow burn RH. Elena does a great job keeping the storyline intriguing. There are some questions that still hasn't been answered, which makes me crave more. I'm looking forward to the next book! This book does end with a cliffhanger.
I recommend this book/series!
*** I have received this book as an ARC for an honest review. ***

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic Overload

Poor Harper just cannot catch her breath for a minute as we pick back up where book one ended. The is to her ancestors she has a huge secret to keep and on top of that she is still handling the abnormal familiar situation. This leads to sneaking, lies, and constant searching for answers. The answers are a nice twist which lead to all kinds of surprises that lead to the cliff ha her ending. Book three is going to be explosive! Perfect for fans of academy paranormal reverse harem books. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this carry’s on from book 1 and it is a doozy to start with! Then add tons of action, mystery, more shifters, vampires, conspiracy, more slow burn romance and you will not want it to end!! I adore Harper and her men (I mean who wouldn’t want a hot and sexy professor!!! ) and cannot wat for the next book! I love the extra bonus content and the men’s pov’s as it adds to the story and makes it an even more addictive.

[Francina Alley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book number 2

I loved the continuation of Harper's story. The way that Elena Lawson draws you in and creates a most captivating story is awesome. I continue to look forward to the next book in this series to find out what happens next for Harper and her men.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 stars

Again, I had to mark down for language. Liberal swearing and several f-bombs. Great story. Spunky characters. Mystery, danger and romance. She needs to calm down her hormones and quit kissing anything in pants!

[Tori Bulmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great YA book but still fell flat to me.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving quickly

Things are moving quickly for Harper, and we are learning more as she does, but more mysteries pop up as well. Riveting reading, and now I’m on to read Of Beasts and Blood.

[debturk1970_bookvibes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Really Good Storyline But it Needs To Start Giving Us Answers!!😍🙏
(Read using Kindle Unlimited)

This is a good Academy read, one of the better ones actually. But the secret keeping from her BFF & especially her Familiars is so out of line to me!!😔
I still don't like that she's starting a romantic relationship with a teacher - it's gross & creepy!!😡😷😞 Regarding it being a RH, if it gets any slower on that front it would be difficult to class it as romance at all - come on already, please 🙏 This isn't even slow burn, its barely a spark at this point 🙈

After my moaning, I will say that the storyline itself is good, it's leading to explosive revelations - I hope!!😃💥 The addition of Rose was interesting but the others were really creepy, in a scary way!😳👻

The story regarding the missing shifters was awful!😭😭 I was not a fan of their Alpha, Atlas, especially at the end 😡 I did like Draven & wonder if he'll become a part of her harem!?🙏😉💙

An action packed, tension filled read 🌟

[WiccaMagic74 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooo GOOD

I love that these books don't dwell on the rubbish that goes on everywhere around the MC and just gets on with it.
The plot is exciting and fun and I am going to read book 3 right now.

[4foxsake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is not awesome.

Except the book of course. But man was there Strife! Finding out who you are related to and what they did to the different races... inheriting a castle... mean girls blackmailing... losing your bonded.... a forbidden romance destined to never get off the ground... oh, and crazy dead relatives talking in your head. Just another day at the Academy! Can’t wait for the next book book but hoping so etching good goes Harpers way!

[Michele Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

The slow burn is awesome in this series because it is allowing the reader to see the relationships develop. The world building is phenomenal and I am so excited to read book 3!

[Lisa P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pack rules

Missing wolves and vampires... and as Harper's luck would have it, she's indirectly involved. There are a few changes going on at the Academy, some better than others, that affect Harper as well.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This book was a fantastic read. I love Harper's unique character along with all the others. It has a good plot and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Richard Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreading

Very good story with some unexpected results, this story works and keeps you reading. look forward to the next book

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

This book was incredible! Harper being haunted and finding those hidden papers. So much keeps coming at Harper, I can't wait to read more!

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two in this series continued Harper’s journey to discover the mysteries of her ancestors and keep the bond with her familiars a secret. Its plot picked up right where the first book ended, maintaining a decent pace as the characters tried to adjust to their new normal, and worked toward uncovering the truth to the many uncertainties surrounding them. This book slowly introduced new characters and ideas so as not to overwhelm readers, creating a compelling story that kept me fully entertained throughout the different POVs. As this book involves an underage MC in relationships with older men (one of which is her professor) a full breakdown is included in the trigger warnings I've listed at the end of my review.

I really liked how this book seamlessly picked up the previous book’s plot while also including more problems for its characters to deal with. The author made sure to set up events for later in the plot and even for the rest of the series, but never neglected any older plot lines so the story flowed nicely from one event to another. It was written well and was easy to get lost in, having just enough hints at answers to keep me fully engaged and eager to figure things out along with the characters.

As a why-choose romance, the MC has (so far) three tentative relationships happening at once, but since she’s still underage, the author made sure to not cross too many lines as far as intimacy goes. A full breakdown of what happens is in my TW list below, but the gist of it is that the MC is a few months shy from turning eighteen, and the twenty-something men she’s magically drawn to avoid taking things too far because of her age. A few kisses and embraces happen, but I assume the rest of the series will take things further (hopefully after the MC is older; I don’t think I would be able to keep overlooking her age if the opposite were the case). For right now, the relationships between them all are full of support and understanding, setting the foundations for strong partnerships as the series continues.

After reading, I can say the plot is only getting better; adding more puzzling complications for this group of magically involved characters to unravel while also slowly unveiling the bigger picture for the entire series. I liked this series so far and can’t wait to keep reading!


TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Due to context, spoilers ahead.

UNDERAGE MC: Like in the first book, the soon-to-be eighteen year old MC is still in a mild relationship with her twenty-something professor, but things have been taken a bit further with them sharing kisses, light intimate touches, and a dinner date in his cabin on school grounds. They do try to take things further before realizing what a bad idea that is (he could lose his job and she could be expelled and sent away from both him and her familiars) but they both want to be together regardless. It’s mentioned several times that along with a physical attraction, it’s a magical connection they share, and with the professor having his own POV readers can assume he’s going to be part of her why-choose group. Still, they’re both fully aware she’s a minor and that their relationship is “forbidden” aka wrong in this point in the book (he’s an older authority figure to the underage MC in school, after all). The relationships with her familiars are slightly more tame with only one or two kisses shared, but as they too are twenty-something compared to her seventeen, it’s still concerning.

Since nothing is taken too far, it’s relatively easy to age the MC up in your head as you read, but I seriously wish the author made the MC older to avoid the ick factor of her being just shy of an adult age.

MENTAL HEALTH: A big plot point in this book is about the MC’s ancestors suffering from mental illnesses, often being referred to as being crazy or psychotic. Though the MC does say that it’s somewhat normal for many families to have mental illnesses in their history and she shouldn’t be too concerned, the language attached to these discussions are almost always negative. I’m pretty sure the way the MC speaks about it is part of the story (meaning it has to do with the type of magic her family used and how it twisted their minds) but it’s still a very blunt way to speak about mental illness.

This book also includes mentions of committing suicide (on page; both the story of how and why it’s done and the wound from the injury is on page), mentions of medical malpractice (off page), and kidnapping (on page).

[SD Jericho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Book 1 was the foundation and the skeleton, if you will, Book 2 certainly adds more meat to the bones; especially in light of Harper’s identity and more information about her familiars. Harper has a much better idea of who she is and where she comes from in terms of her history and she gets so much closer to knowing her ancestors than she actually may have ever wanted to, no matter how many questions she had about herself. But while the light falls on so much information for her, there is still so much left in the shadows and much more mystery to solve.

Bianca and Harper are both overwhelmed by reeling emotions and the weight on both of their shoulders because of multiple revelations and reversals of fortunes for both girls. It has a definite effect on their relationship as neither of them are exactly the sharing type. However, they are not the only ones who experience huge emotional turmoil and these other challenges introduce us to additional secondary characters, some of whom are marvelously, scintillatingly intriguing and some of whom need to be knocked upside the head.

There was a situation early on in the book with another student that really didn’t serve a purpose for me and just distracted from the importance of the other events in the book and also only served to cause frustration for me about the secrets that Harper chose to keep.

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the expansion of the world – my only wish is that the pace was more consistent throughout the book instead of just picking up after the halfway mark. Two things are very clear though, and that is the fact that Harper is going to have to trust more if she hopes to maintain and keep her balance AND… the ramifications at the end of this book are going to make for interesting reading as they spill over into the next installment.

There was so much mystery and intrigue in this book, so many questions answered and yet, we’re left with so many more realm-wide mysteries and an amazing additional assortment of unanswered questions. In addition, relationship-wise between all the parties, there is so much that needs to happen and be cemented and… STUFF!
It is my most fervent hope that this series isn’t a trilogy, but rather that there are 4 books because I can’t see only one more book doing this all justice. That, and my issues with letting go…

Thank goodness Elena knows how to keep you holding on even through the scary parts where I read through my fingers! Can you even imagine what could be coming next?

I adore this series and I can barely wait for more! This is why this book is already a #1 New Release – Its frigging awesome!

[AHCuteArt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did you read this book?
I liked the first book in this series and wanted to read the others.

What format did you read this book in?
Listened to the audiobook on Scribd.

Is this an educational book or a book for entertainment?
I read this book for pure entertainment purposes.

What genres do you think this book belongs to?
Chick Lit, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

What was your favorite part in the book?
My favorite part is when the protagonist finds her best friend followed her into the wolf shifter camp and was captured.

Who would you suggest this book to?
Anyone who like slow burn fantasy romance.

What is your general opinion/ rating of this book?
I liked it as much as the first in the series. It’s an entertaining fantasy RH, with bits of mystery and action mixed in. It’s a slow-burn romance, which I appreciate. Overall, it’s not a bad story but it’s not exceptional either. It’s a nice easy read.

Are there any cliché scenes or concepts?
The protagonist is from a special bloodline. There is a mean girl bullying her (for no good reason). Magic makes the main character and the love interests insta-attracted to each other. The protagonist is born from a special blood line that makes her super powerful.

How intense are the intimacy scenes?
There are none, except for some brief kissing scenes.

At what “burn” level is the romance?
Slow burn.

Love interests, how many of them are there and what gender?
There are 3 love interests, all males. One is the protagonist teacher, the other two are her shifter familiars.

Any trigger warnings?
Racial and Religious: Racism, Racial Profiling, Microaggressions, Prejudice
Mental Health: Self-Harm, Cutting, Romanticized Mental Illness, Panic Attacks,
Violence and Death: Death, Mass Death, Murder, Burning People, Torture, Violence against Children,
Other: Drugging Someone Against Their Will, Kidnapping, Bullying,

[Toula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio book review
This is a fantastic book 2 in audio . Love how Elena the author continued where the first one left off. Love how Elena has more then one kind as a mate for Harper. There is lots of twists and turns that will have you glued to your earbuds till the end .
Harper is trying to deal with her bloodline , she gets visits and hear sounds from her decreased relatives. Harper found out that in court when the tribunal took a blood sample . Her family back way back started when her first male one is a man that was mad and he divided all the shifters and drove them out of their fist homeland
There is a lot happening in Harper has a lot going on and she needs to solve a few mysteries. There is a schoolmate that is blackmailing her , why ? When she went to her fathers estate , which is now hers , did she find anything that will help her find out why her father got murdered.
Her bond with the shifter ( her wolf mates ) grow stronger. Everything is falling into place until her shifter mates go missing.
Grab it and see how does Harper find them , who is taking some of the shifters along with others ?

Love Stephanie Rose voice , her performance was right on , her voice for the characters were great , strong, clear .

[Lisa Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I regret to inform you that the author is still doing this thing where she has the MC comment about someone by using pronouns before she tells you who it is. For instance, they'll walk into the room and the author will say, "she knew he was there," and then follow it by explaining who was talking to her. It might make sense if it related to one specific other character that they had a really deep connection to or that it was tied to another sense, but no, not here. Also, the big twist of this book was so predictable that there really wasn't any other option for how it was resolved, and another one of the big mysteries that was introduced could really be easily predicted by common sense. Granted, I haven't gotten the answer to that "mystery," but it's just so obvious it's not even worse pretending like it isn't. I'm also getting really tired of the main character and her best female friend protecting each other by withholding information all it's actually doing is stunting the story. With all that said, I'm still about to read the next book.

[Tika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Of Wolves and Witches and was so pleased to have the opportunity to read Of Magic and Moonlight, and I was not disappointed.

Picking up right from where OWaW ended, it was fantastic to see Harper's character development, she seems much more mature than she did in the first book, and this showed with her relationships with the other characters in the story. I enjoyed hearing more about her family's history, the series' magic system, her bond with her familiars, and her dealings with Elias.

The addition of several new key characters was very welcome and added a whole other dynamic and setting to the story; loving the expanded world building and I think I spotted a few breadcrumbs for book 3? Can't wait to see if I'm right! Roll on book 3!

Thank you to Elena Lawson for an ARC copy!

[Teralyn Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. *

I enjoyed this sequel a lot. I feel like I got to know Harper better but I hated how secretive she became in this book. She should have told people what was going on so they could help her but it is what teenagers do sometimes. I liked learning more about Harper's past and the world in which this story took place. There was a little more romance in this one and I still love Elias, Cal, and Adrian. I love Harper's relationship with all of them. I actually also really liked Rose even though I don't know if I should and if she's good or evil. Bianca is still a fave and I can't wait to see how much more her and Harper's relationship can grow as the story continues. There's still a lot of questions and I cannot wait to see what happen next with everything! I need the next book now.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy that the book started right where book #1 left off. There were some things that really bothered me about Harper in this one though. She is so overwhelmed with insecurity after learning more about her familial birthright that she dives right off the deep end as far as keeping secrets from the very people she was building trust with that showed her in book 1 that they were trustworthy already. I would have also liked to see more development regarding her bonds with her harem since I haven’t really seen too much with her shifters other than more of the witch-familiar bond.

The book ends in another cliffhanger, but one that didn’t make me want to throw my Kindle across the room (MUCH appreciated!) I’m waiting for book 3 and hope it builds more on relationship development, Harper’s self confidence and maybe (fingers crossed) a fanged addition to her harem!

[Tiffany Copple · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for Of Magic and Moonlight by Elena Lawson. This is book two in the Arcane Arts Academy. It picks up right after the cliffhanger in book one. Harper can not seem to catch a break. Her familiars are two werewolves, she has a relationship with her teacher that is up and down, and then it seems everyone is out to get her. Harper does find out who she is related to and why she is so powerful , but there are some side effects that bring up some ghost from the past. I am enjoying how Elena Lawson is adding to the world. It is like I can picture everything she is explaining. The characters, the storyline and the suspense have me on edge and are keeping me hooked. Elena knows how to keep the reader guessing. I am starting book three next. I just can not wait to see what is going to happen next.

[LB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has good plot, needs work on the fluff.

Let me preface this by saying I will move on to book three and I am very interested in where this story could go. That being said, the last 20% was really good and gave me what I was hoping for, while setting up a good storyline into the next book. Most of this book really didn’t hold my interest at all but I kept reading because, again, I’m invested in the potential for this series. I think the underlying plot is so intriguing and that’s why I started this series in the first place. The most unenjoyable part was probably some of the inner conflict and dialogue, and juvenile mindsets of the MC and her best friend, so I breezed through most of this book to get to the good stuff. It was a nice set up into book three and I hope it pays off and the writing improves.