Title: The First Spell
Series: The Magic Series Prequel
Author: Rachel Carrington
Tour: No
Published: July 2012
Format: Ebook received for review
Though a prequel to the Hot Magic Series, this is a standalone book. None of the other books in the series, Indigo Spell, Breaking the Spell, and Unchained Spell, need to read first!
Captivated by a wizard with amnesia, Jensen knows he’s only asking for trouble when he takes her to his world. Finding out she’s a member of an enemy guild doesn’t change his connection to her. And their first kiss only strengthens his need to keep her close.
Barely knowing her own name, Charlemaine begins having horrible visions of impeding doom, and she’s labeled an enemy of Jensen’s guild. She doesn’t trust she isn’t being used as bait to bring down the group of powerful wizards, but she doesn’t want to leave Jensen.
Jensen will risk anything to save Charlemaine’s life when magic gives way to betrayal. But will the need for vengeance overcome even the strongest love?
I really enjoyed this story. This was my first book from this author, and I was expecting something a little different. I thought there would be more heat. I am not sure why, maybe cause I have just been reading so many things that are just full of heat lol.
Anyhow, this was a good story - full of magic! I liked the characters, I think I'd say Jensen was my favorite. He is a wizard at The Assembly, and he takes great care of Charlie, a wizard from the Nocturne Guild. I found him to be very protective, which I love. He was a noble character with a good heart.
Charlie was pretty fun, when she wasn't almost dying. I bet if given a whole book and really allowed to flourish she could be a real show stopper. She has just the right amount of brazenness and attitude to make her fun. Plus she is a wizard on top of it, so that is just all icing on the cake my friends.
The rest of the characters were pretty interesting, although I didn't really feel a connection to them. In this short of a story, you aren't supposed to. I loved the mystery behind who had attacked Charlie to make her pass out in the woods in the first place. The whole thing had a very Romeo & Juliet meets Hamlet meets Harry Potter (since I have no other magic reference for movies) air to it, but it worked for it. I think I will definitely put the rest of the series on the TBR for the future.
But don't go away yet! I also have a guest post below, from author Rachel Carrington!
*** Guest Post ***
Oh, the Ideas You Will Have!
Rachel Carrington
Because I’m a
writer, I often get asked where my ideas come from and what inspires me to
write a particular story or at all. My usual answer (though I do try to spin it
differently each time so it doesn’t come across as the same old boring reply)
is that I have an overactive imagination. I mean really overactive. It doesn’t
take much effort at all for me to get an idea for a story. Case in point…
The other day
I was getting the tires balanced on my car, and this lady, who looked like
she’d stepped off the front cover of Vogue, rolls up the bay in a Mercedes.
Through the window, I watched her have a brief conversation with one of the
mechanics. I say quick because she dismissed him within thirty seconds,
demanding to speak with his supervisor. I could hear her abrupt tone even
through the glass.
Now, you
wouldn’t think such an interaction would be enough to spark an idea for a
story, but, for me, it was like gold. It’ll be a suspense novel. Ladies of
wealth are getting killed by a mechanic who has been overlooked his entire life
by the upper echelon of society.
In another
instance, I was watching Dancing with the Stars, and as the camera panned, I
caught a glimpse of an audience member in a wheelchair. Immediately, my mind
began churning. I don’t want to reveal too much, but one of my next novels is a
thriller that involves dancers and a particularly nasty individual in a
wheelchair. I worked out the entire plot during a commercial.
One of my
upcoming suspense novels, Now You See Me, came directly from an interaction I
had with a killer (I didn’t know at the time he was a killer, of course). And I
got the idea for yet another, Extreme Measures, because of someone I knew who
was all about revenge. That thirst for vengeance sent him to prison, but even
that didn’t sway him.
So when you
ask an author where they get their ideas from, and they tell you they have an
overactive imagination, believe them. For me, a spider crawling up a wall can
ignite a spark. And while people might think I’m slightly off my rocker when
they see me busily writing in my notebook in the middle of the mall, it doesn’t
bother me. Because that just means I’m only 50,000 words or so away from
finishing another story.
And here is where you can find Rachel online!
