Grave Magic

Counterfeit Psychic #4

by Thea Atkinson

It will take an empty grave to bring her to life.
When dead animals start piling up on Brie's doorstep, she knows the cult is sending her a message. They are coming for her. Again. And if she can't find her mother before the moon wanes, there will be no stopping them when they make their move.

The trouble is, the magic within almost killed her before. She isn't so sure she'll survive it the next time.

With Layne busy guiding a fledgling werewolf safely through her transformation, and with Parrish buried in tests she believes will solve the case, Brie is left alone to search for answers. That's when she begins to think faking her death might be the only thing to stop the cult in its tracks.

But convincing a black coven who deals in death that their target isn't alive will take more than a bit of magical suggestion. It's going to take a journey to the underworld to unravel the web of lies her mother spun about her past.

And what waits for her there is a darkness so black it just might overcome her…

Genres: Urban Fantasy

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2022

About the author

Thea is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling Author. She used to have a black lab at her feet when she wrote, warming up the calves. It can be cold in rural Nova Scotia. Now it's just a cuppa tea keeping her warm.

Her urban fantasy pulses with dark themes and action-packed intrigue. Her characters are always deeply wounded creatures struggling for redemption.

Hang out with her on Instagram or Facebook or follow her on Amazon. Grab a free book at her website.

Find her on the web:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0046DIT0U
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaatkinso...
TT: http://https://www.tiktok.com/@theaat...
<<<>>>

a special shout out to Brenda Levy Tate for the awesome author photo wherein I don't look too dog-lady crazy.

Reviews

[Debra Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa, hold onto your hats with this one because this series just keeps getting better and better. Brie nearly died in her last interaction with the black coven and when Parrish suggests she fake her death to give her a reprieve from being hunted by them, she reluctantly agrees. But...that sets a whole other sequence of events into motion and none of them are good. She thought she was protecting Layne, but news of her death sends him into a spiral that he may never recover from. Brie is running out of time. She has to find the secret to her magic and that path leads her into dangerous magic territory. Can she control the magic this time or will it send her into the depths of hell?

Ms. Atkinson does it again with this heart-stopping, action-packed story. There are so many twists and turns, you'll get fabulously dizzy trying to keep them all in your head while following Brie on her quest to find the answers she needs. I can't wait to read the next book!

I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.

[Nickole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rcvd an advanced reader copy from Booksprout for giving my two cents...O..M..G...sums up what I thought of this book. I couldn't put it down. We left the last book with Brie's life on the line. Brie wakes up in the hospital with Parrish keeping watch and Zach treating her. Brie can't remember all the details on what happened...but Parrish and Zach state that maybe they should fake her death...to find answers and take down the coven. What they didn't count on was Laynes reaction to hearing of her "death." Parrish uses cosplay gear to disguise Brie as her new lover...this way they can go to Bries store and get some stuff and it will look like she is consoling Parrish and helping her. What Brie doesn't expect at her store is her mom's familiar looking like death in her store and the cat she has fed dead at her door. Things are not what they seem and it seems there is more to uncover...but at what cost? Will Brie find some answers or will it cost her? Soooo good...couldn't put the book down...now to wait for the next one...not sure I have the patience ;)

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate times call for desperate measures and that is certainly where our heroine finds herself. At this point she doesn't know which is worse, the problem or her solution.

This is book four of the series, but it works pretty well as a standalone. All the essential bits are explained early on.

This is a urban fantasy story. The story is well written and easy to read with an intriguing setting that is fun to explore. The characters are well developed and they are what drew me into the story. I particularly like our heroine and her partner. I also continue to enjoy exploring more of the world. The plot moved at a solid pace, keeping me engaged and flipping pages. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing what happens to our heroine.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes.

[Tahnia Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brie wakes up in the hospital. Parrish and Zach confirmed that she had died and come back to life. When Parrish and Zach tell Layne that the human woman he loves is dead, he goes feral and has to be locked up. This story has action, and romance, ending in something like a cliffhanger. Very highly recommended.

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

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book for of the Counterfeit Psychic and the man character is Brie, a witch, who runs her mother’s shop and used to work as a psychic but thought she had no magic or special powers. That was until women like her were being killed and she was the main suspect, but then saw their ghosts and managed to prove she had nothing to do with their killings, with the help of Detective Layne, alpha wolf shifter and son of the current pack alpha Owen. The killings brought links between her mother and a cult known as the Blackburn coven, who dabbled in black magic. At the end of the previous book, Brie was left almost dead, after being attacked by Honey and the rest of the black coven. Layne and Parrish are looking out for her in the hospital, with someone closely linked to Parrish’s past, Doctor Zach Goode, the one to treat her and keep her presence secret, hoping there won’t be another attempt on her life, like the last time she was in the hospital. She has found out more about her mother and the magic she accessed is too much for a mere mortal like her, giving her clear proof her mother wasn’t just a witch, but in fact, so much more. The black dog, Abbi, has made another appearance and the dark man, who calls her daughter, is trying to tell her something. As is the ghost or soul of Scarlett, her short lived employee, who was brutally murdered by her ex!
Layne is busy with the fledgling rogue wolf they rescued and Parrish starts working through a series of tests, to solve the investigation and put a stop to the woman who tricked her into a date, whilst really targeting Brie. Brie needs to figure out what is really happening, but may have to fake her death, to get the cult off her back and give her time to figure things out for herself. It’s going to be hard to make the death cult believe in her death and after already hurting Layne with lies about her feelings for him and his father Owen, this fake news might send him over the edge! Only Zach and Parrish know the truth and Parrish helps hide her at her apartment, shocked when it is Owen who turns up asking for her help. Layne has gone feral and Owen was unable to pull him back into his human self and now Parrish is his only help. Not that he has ever accepted Parrish, who has a history of her own as a rogue, until Layne saved her. She has personal and painful experience of what Layne is going through and lots of regrets she can never forgive herself for. The true alpha hidden in the darkness behind the death cult, is a shocking revelation and it isn’t until Brie comes out the other side and after a shocking trip to the underworld, that she fully understands everything that has happened to her and her parents. Her mother is broken, split into many parts and she needs to put her back together, to have the magic to defeat the cult once and for all.
Brie and those she loves will be placed in danger yet again and the black dog will appear again, just as dead animals keep turning up wherever she goes. Parrish puts her in disguise, but Owen is still controlling things and she worries he will discover the truth about her. Honey is definitely a nasty piece of work, but then the alpha connected to the black coven is even worse, creating his own army of turned wolves, forced to obey the orders of both sire and alpha from the same person, leaving them no chance of having any freewill in their actions. How big this army has gotten, is unknown, but along with the dark coven, only bring more danger for Brie and co. The pack has been betrayed and Layne will seek revenge at some point, but is biding his time, until the time is right to take action. Brie knows what she has to do and also where all the different parts of her mother’s spell were hidden. She has to pretend to be afraid of the cult until all the pieces are in the correct place, as her mother placed them after her husband, John Smith’s death, when the rest of the dark coven tried to steal all of her magic. They can’t command her magic, nor can they yet control John Smith, or her mother’s familiar, the black dog Abbi, so Brie still has an advantage. They need to regroup and recover, get back to their full strength and come up with a plan to take them all down, once and for all. I can’t wait to see what they come up with and how Brie and Layne’s relationship will develop. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Vannessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was just awesome! Definitely the best one in this series so far! This book picks up straight after the events of the previous one, Ritual Magic, with Brie being on the brink of death at the hands of the witches of the coven. Witches, who until fairly recently, she didn't know were working with someone else to kill her. When Parrish suggests that Brie fakes her own death to make the coven take some of the constant pressure off her, she reluctantly agrees, but that decision had some devastating consequences for Layne.

Now Brie has to take on the persona of Parrish's new lover in complete disguise, but she is still under the scrutiny of the werewolf pack. Owen adamantly claims that Brie put a curse on his son and Brie finds it hard to hold her tongue around him! She has to before she reveals herself though! But how on earth are Parrish, Zach and the other wolves going to save Layne from himself or will it be up to Brie to do it?

I loved this book and how Brie handled herself and her ever growing, ever changing magic. I'm still a little confused with what Abbi was trying to do to her with all the animals, but I'm sure her real reasons will be revealed soon enough! Was it just to make Brie use this new magic or is there more to it all? I really did think at times that Brie has given herself away, but her luck has held out for now! I loved finding out more about Parrish's history as well as her relationships within the pack.

This series is a great read and highly recommended, but you should read it from the beginning!

I received a copy of this book from the author but this review is all my own, honest one!

[Katheyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to “Grave Magic“, the fourth instalment in Thea Atkinson’s UF series “Counterfeit Psychic”, and Brie’s brand-new adventure, and before you think otherwise, not she doesn’t really wish ‘to kick the bucket’, it just her natural – very ironic – reaction to another impossible situation, and eventually a psychic has to do what a psychic has to do: even it that means seeking the help of the black coven to stop a target that refuses to stay dead. And so the journey begins… into help and hopefully back… literally.

“Grave Magic” is a well-written story, in the incomparable witty/sassy style that Thea Atkinson is already well-known for, with a wonderful entertaining plot, and very lovable heroine, whose apparently naiveté is nothing but. Brie does her job, and need not another reason as believing that it’s just the right thing to do, even if the ‘right thing to do’ takes some wrong turns in the journey to the solution 😉. We will not expect otherwise from Brie, she is a real magnet for struggles, tribulations, sharp turns, and unexpected twists. Thea Atkinson’s very detailed descriptions, interlaced plot, captivating personalities and attractive characters, and generous sprinkle of funny situations and ironic chatter, make the story a great ride from beginning to end. And while we are on the journey, we discover buried secrets and magic intrigue that put a new twist in this series and mark a milestone in Brie’s development. The best book in the series…. for now 😊

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good news Brie survived the ambush set up by Owen and the black coven of witches. Bad news they’re still coming for her. In order to buy some time to figure out how to stop them, understand her origins and reintegrate her mother she fakes her death. Not so easy when the coven you’re trying to hide from deals in black magic and death. In order to hide and protect Layne Parrish and Zach tell him that Brie died and he goes rogue. And if all that wasn’t enough drama dead animals appear everywhere that Brie goes. A goddess, the fallen angel and shocking secrets hidden. For the coven to end the goddess must rise and Brie is the key to it all.
Fascinating, epic, action packed, edge of your seat, riveting pick your word they all work to describe this story. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on what’s what the author throws another curve ball at us. Just keeps getting better with every book!.

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

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picks up where the last book left off. If you haven't read the other books in the series, you need to go and do that first. I'll wait....OK, ready?
Brie is surprised to wake up and realize that she is in a hospital and not dead. She was sure the coven of witches had killed her after Layne's father and the pack's alpha, Owen, had set her up. Parrish managed to keep her alive long enough for Zach to save her. But now what? They have to keep her survival a secret from the coven, and from Owen. This means she has to die. Well, fake die. Unfortunately, for this gambit to work, Layne has to believe she is dead, too. That part does not go well. He goes feral and now Brie is in danger from the very man whose life she was trying to save.

The story is not ending here, so put your patience pants on while we wait for the next book. But first, enjoy this one. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brie is back and of course trouble had found her again. Crazy scenes and situations abound. A black coven problem is back and everything else that can cause problems. I laughed, I groaned but was entertained. Could not put it down as the series just gets better with each book. Had to see what Brie must face and hopefully overcome this time. And what she must do to stay alive. Very good read.

[William Vegvari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Carried on nicely from book 3. The development of the main characters continued to grow and the suspense kept you reading to the end. Looking forward to the next chapter in the series.
Highly recommended.

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

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a read. Once I started reading I could not put it down. It moves along at a great pace which makes for a relaxing read. The characters are amazing and you cannot help but love them and this is a must read. This needs to be on your TBR list no doubt about it.

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better with each book released! I love how powerful Brie is getting, I am curious about what the end game her mother has planned will be like. I can’t wait for the next book. I loved this one!

[Natalie Noblett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe how Thea can keep making each book in this series better than the last. I loved how close Brie and Parrish were. They have become the best of friends and support each other through the ordeals in this book. And they both definitely have them. It was nice to hear about Parrish's background and that she trusts Brie to open up to her. Brie discovers more about her role and with Parrish and now Layne back by her side I can't wait for them to work towards defeating the Black coven.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grave Magic is the 4th book in the Counterfeit Psychic series.. It has tons of action with wolf shifters that are friends to Brie. These wolf shifters are Parrish, Layne and Zach. Brie feels they are family and pack to her and so much more..
Brie has learned so much about who and what she is... and more of what and who her mom was besides a cruel witch doing cruel things to puppies when Brie was a small child. More is told about what happened to her mother and why Brie must do what she plans on doing in order to fight the evil Coven that wants to do bodily harm to her.
Parrish is the Forensic specialist that is super close to brie now that she knows who and what she is.. Parrish is also Brie's bodyguard whenever Brie is in the Hospital
Layne is super.. he goes through a rough patch when he is told about what happened to Brie. in some ways his mental mind gets lost for a short time and he resorts to his wolf.
Zach is the Pack Doctor that takes care of Brie when she is in dire need of medical care.
The ending was phenomenal I loved how Thea finished things but leaving me wanting more.. So What is in store for Brie .. I'm not sure. But I can't wait to find out in the next book.

[Shayay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn’t in love with the whole lie to them for their own good scenario and how long the lie goes on, but the story is still an entertaining one! I’m really enjoying this series! Lots of action and danger! An exciting series! Brie has barely survived the attack by the evil coven, so Parrish and Brie think it’s a good idea to act like Brie is dead. They go about it in the stupidest way though; the disguise was just ridiculous and why would you go around the people you’re trying to hide from. I wasn’t on board for how they wouldn’t talk with Layne either; it’s not like Layne and his father have the best relationship, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t have been better to have him in the know. Also, this book had a bit too much Parrish; I like her okay, but sometimes she annoys me. Brie is handling stressing things a bit better in this book; she’s a survivor. She’s starting to work with her magic more too; not necessarily a good thing, but it’s good that she’s trying. So much craziness has come into Brie’s life! Fun read; ready for the next one!

[Evelyn Dotson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brie has survived the attack from the coven; barely! Waking up in the hospital with Parrish caring for her was a shock; to discover she died and came back is another~ She will have to let the person she loves most in the world believe she is gone to protect him. When he looks for her, they tell him a lie; he goes feral~ Brie and Parrish will not act like lovers to all others; Brie is in disguise. When they are ordered to stay at Owen’s manse with the pack. They need Parrish to help bring Layne back. When Brie discovers many truths through her mother’s memories, she will strive to make the coven pay for what they have done~ Another action-packed book! So many secrets to sort, a promise to fulfill…most of all…vengeance against many!

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a page turner! I love this series! This book is just as fresh and entertaining as the first one in the series. When Brie goes underground and fakes her death with Parrish giving her direction we learn some interesting things about Parrish. By the end of the book Brie has figured out who is behind setting her up with the black coven, why they want her, and has an idea of what she needs to do to defeat them once and for all.
I am looking forward to seeing how this ends in the next book. Highly recommend this book and series.

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

[Shelby White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brie survived and is back with more action, more adventure and drama. She has sort through secrets and lies to find the source of her magic. Brie is part of a greater happening and she has figure out what everything means, while protecting those around her. Such and intense and riveting read by and author they never disappoints.

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

[Thea Atkinson]

This installment meant I had to wrap a few things up in order to move on, so there are lots of secrets revealed even if there is still plenty of action, magic, and intrigue left to discover. It took me a lot of pondering, and I'm hoping I didn't miss anything, or add in any inconsistencies. I'm sure readers will let me know if I have. LOL.

[Sissy Satterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another amazing story with Brie doing what she does best. I must say that this is my favorite so far and I really want more. This is a great Story, with characters to love and a wonderful story to devour, which I did! I Loved It! No Spoilers!.

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

[Sydney Hopke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally didn't expect the way this story went but WOW! It's an exciting addition to the series and keeps you on your toes. Brie has a lot to overcome in this and she gets help from friends but also has to make decisions that well may not be good in the moment. It's a must read for those reading this series, won't be disappointed!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent continuation of the Counterfeit Psychic Series and is filled with manipulation, betrayal, secrets, lies, violence, drama, and twists. The main characters are developed, intelligent, stubborn, have chemistry, and loyalty. I can hardly wait for the next book.

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

[tburbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another great addition to the story thanks to the endearing characters and engaging story line that kept my attention.

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

[Janice Stansell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a trip this has been

This is killing me! I want/don’t want it to end. Brie is ready to kick butt, and she has her support together to help her. Sure hope Owen gets what’s coming to him. Can’t wait for the next installment!

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reading.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and looking forward to book 5 Mortal Magic.

[Wende · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bittersweet 😭
I loved this series and now it is over.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Brie's story is full of action and love. Even if Layne thinks she betrayed him she still has her best friend to help her.

[Crystal Bookreader Amason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with this series. It keeps getting better with each book.
She's dead, Layne has gone feral from grief, and the coven is still on the prowl. We get to learn more about Parrish's past and Brie's past. There is so many different paths this story line can go and I'm looking forward to the next installment so I can see where it goes.