Paige Winterbourne was always either too young or too rebellious to succeed her mother as leader of one of the world’s most powerful elite organizations—the American Coven of Witches. Now that she is twenty-three and her mother is dead, the Elders can no longer deny her. But even Paige’s wildest antics can’t hold a candle to those of her new charge—an orphan who is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil...and evil is all too willing to claim her. For this girl is being pursued by a dark faction of the supernatural underworld. They are a vicious group who will do anything to woo the young, malleable, and extremely powerful neophyte, including commit murder—and frame Paige for the crime. It’s an initiation into adulthood, womanhood, and the brutal side of magic that Paige will have to do everything within her power to make sure they both survive.
Type: Urban Fantasy, 1st Person, Witches
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5
Dime Store Magic brings us into the world Paige Winterbourne and her coven of witches. So far this was my favorite book in the series and I think it's because Paige and Lucas really aren't your typical hero/heroine. They're not masters of their respective crafts, or all all that big and tough, and really Lucas leans more towards the geeky than being a sexy alpha male. But they're both just good people who are determined to do what they think is right no matter how hard things get.
While the plot wasn't all that complicated I found myself really enjoying everything that was going on in Paige's life. After taking in Savannah, a teenage witch, who dear God may be one of the most annoying characters I've ever met, Paige finds herself in a custody battle from hell and on the verge of losing Savannah, who's a bit morally shaky when it comes to magic, to her darker counterparts. Not only that but they're playing dirty. Framing her for murder and exposing her as a witch to the public which causes all kinds of insanity from the humorous to the extremely hostile and causing her Coven to abandon her when she needs them most. The girl seriously cannot catch a damn break but I must say I loved how she handled herself and, with Lucas' help, managed to kick some ass.
“Could you please put this--could you all put these--could you get dressed, please?"
The woman only bestowed a serene smile on me. "We are as the Goddess requires."
"The Goddess requires you to be naked on my lawn?”
Now, Savannah. Oh. My. God! I did not like this kid one damn bit. Kelley did a fantastic job of creating an incredibly bratty teenager who would throw terrible fits until she got exactly what she wanted. She had such a volatile personality and more than once I really wanted Paige to just hand the little monster over to the bad guys who were after her and call it a day. And Lord help me the chit has 3 books with her as the heroine later on. Gah! Excellent writing but damn!
This was a very nicely done UF with lots of action, chaos and well written characters that kept me entertained for hours. Things were pretty light in the romance department between Lucas and Paige but the potential for something more down the road was there and the relationship was still very entertaining and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading more about the two and seeing what happens next.
Do you like urban fantasy? Have a favorite set of UF characters? Do you like a bit of romance involved or like it romance free?