Charmed and Dangerous by Debbie Herbert ~ Review

Title: Charmed and Dangerous (Appalachian Magic Series #1)

Author: Debbie Herbert
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Length: 263 pages
Publisher: Secret Quills
Release Date: January 20, 2016
Source: Self-Purchased
Rating: 4
Heat Rating: 3
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Apples and oranges, dogs and cats, everybody knows witches and immortals don’t mix.

A young witch, Callie, returns home from exile after a traumatic Ouija board incident seven years earlier. She falls for classmate James MacLauren and struggles to keep her magical abilities a secret from him. Then there’s the even trickier problem that her rogue warlock father and his coven will kill anyone who prevents Callie from joining them in dark magic. Someone like James . . .

But James has a secret of his own. He’s part of a hidden race of immortals living in the Appalachian hollows and the last thing he needs in his life is a witch who could imprison him with a binding spell.

But it will take all of his superhuman physical strength, and all of Callie’s extraordinary magical skills, to survive when two covens and an army of immortals engage in battle. Should they fail, they face either death or utter domination by the power of dark magic.

Callie is a lot of fun. She's a witch on her own, returning home for the first time in years. She's not too happy about it either - she feels abandoned and forgotten by those closest to her, but she's about to find out the real story. The real story is: she's in danger and now she is going to need her family and their coven to help protect her.....from what, she isn't sure yet.

Shortly after returning home, she runs into James, who knocks her off her feet. But he's far more than what he appears at first, and he's terrified of Callie's magic. They make a very unlikely pair in their world, and trust is needed if they are ever going to make it last. This trust will be pushed from all directions; close family memebers with an ax to grind, as well as the enemy to try and make them weak.

This was a very exciting book and I really enjoyed learning about the world Debbie Herbert has built. It's familiar in many ways, but with some nice surprised to set its lore apart from the rest. With quite a suspenseful ending (but don't worry, no cliffhanger), I know that I will want to re-visit the Appalachian Magic world to see what else is in store for these great characters.

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Appalachian Magic Series

Changeling #2

Changeling by Debbie Herbert - Review

Title: Changeling (Appalachian Magic #1)
Author: Debbie Herbert
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal Romance
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Indie
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Source: Author
Rating: 4
Heat Rating: 2
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

She thought she was a witch...she's more.

Skye's a teen witch who sucks at spells and works at a metaphysical store, The Green Fairy. Strange things are happening there at night: black specks of movement out of the corner of her eye, mysterious buzzing noises, unidentified dragonfly-like carcasses in the basement, and a hidden cache of absinthe (aka fairy crack).

Kheelan is a human changeling. Raised with the fairies, he's viewed as an inferior species whose only use is to serve his kidnappers. He's been totally screwed by the Fae and his only goal in life is freedom. When he meets Skye, he sees an opportunity to escape. The last thing he needs is to be distracted by feelings for this quirky witch.

Skye stumbles upon the remains of dead fairies at the store and is approached by Kheelan who has been sent to investigate the pixie murders. Skye falls for him--only to discover he's using her to win his freedom. He tells her she is half-fairy and has secret powers, but Skye finds it hard to believe when she can never get a spell to work.

As Samhain, the witch's Halloween, draws near she must make a bold move to claim her heritage and power, restore order in the fairy realm, and try to win Kheelan's freedom and love. Absinthe, autism and augury meld into a paranormal cauldron where fairies are sly tricksters waiting to trap you in their Realm.

Fairies are not always bright shiny things. Even the Seelie can have their darkside. I love that Debbie Herbert kept her fairies a bit sinister. They are tricky and conniving and look down on anything outside of the Fae. This includes the changeling, Kheelan, and the human girl, Skye.

Kheelan was amazing. He was just the right amount of dark and brooding with a bit of wistfullness about him when it came to his human family. He's instantly enthralled with Skye the first time he sees her and isn't surprised to find out that she's something a little special.

Skye on the other hand, wasn't quite as strong a character for me. She was very well-rounded and I loved her reactions to finding out about her true past, and she had a bit of a goofy, humorous side to her personality that Kheelan was definitely missing. They made a great combo and are a pretty good example of opposites attract and all.

The fairy realm was still one of wonder and enchantment - but it was a world at war. The Seelie were looking for a savior and the Unseelie were looking to stop a savior. There's a good dose of excitment and battle of sorts in the pages. My only complaint was the ending. It was, in theory, a very satisfying conclusions. But it lost some of the gritty edge that I had really enjoyed throughout the story and got just a tad bit sticky sweet in comparison.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

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