To put it plainly: Cheyenne McCray is an excellent writer with fantastic descriptions and solid pacing, but this is not my sort of book at all.

Silver is a D'Anu witch in San Francisco. When a local group of warlocks starts pulling demons through to Earth, other Fae creatures get involved - including the sexy Tuatha D'Danann warrior Hawk. The cover blurbs mention the word "erotic" a lot, and it certainly does have lots of love scenes in various locales. Those weren't really the problem. Silver and Hawk had nice chemistry; some of the anatomical terms and profanity jolted me, but I got to a point where I just skimmed over the words as much as possible. The problem I had was that there were several scenes involving the demons having kinky orgies amongst themselves, and that just totally turned me off. I skipped over the last two such scenes just because I knew if I actually read them I might not want to finish the book.

So no, not my sort of thing. I liked the paranormal plot, the suspense, and the characters, but I'd rather just stay with the good guys doing good stuff. ( )

“Forbidden Magic is Charmed meets Kim Harrison’s witch series, but with a heavy dose of erotica on top!” - Lyndsay Sands

The quote says it all. Forbidden Magic by Cheyenne McCray is a great read. The main heroine definitely reminded me of Pheobe (from Charmed) and Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison) - she wants to protect humanity from evil and she doesn’t care if she has to bend the rules a little. Add on top of that some steamy erotica with an equally gorgeous Fae warrior and you’re going to get sucked in at some point.

Even with the erotica, the plot didn’t suffer. The story moved along and new plot twists kept popping up. We’re introduced to the story by both sides, and I have to admit, I love the way McCray developed her villains. She doesn’t take the classic approach with them; they have personalities and they don’t agree with the way others view them. They’re not evil, they are just living life the way there were meant to.

For those who are cautious due to the erotica…if you can read Laurell K Hamilton, then you’ll be fine with this book. I can’t say what the other novels are like, but I’m going to find out.

http://www.literaryescapism.com/2008/... ( )

STRANGERS
D’Anu witch Silver Ashcroft knows she walks a perilous line by practicing grey magic. But it’s the only way to protect herself from the evil that surrounds her. After the horrors she has witnessed, Silver thinks she is ready for anything… until the most intensely arousing being she has ever encountered swiftly – and sensuously – proves her wrong…

LOVERS
Hawk is a Tuatha D’Danann warior – powerful beings descended from the Fae. And for him duty has always come before pleasure. Then, clad only in moonlight, Silver Ashcroft welcomes him to her city of San Francisco and makes his blood sing with a passion beyond compare. But the terrifying reality of his mission lurks in every shadow…

HEROES
Only the strongest will survive the upcoming battle, and the forces of darkness are more powerful than ever. Now, warrior and witch must trust in their hearts above all else – for to claim victory, they must first claim each other… ( )

This really wasn't very good at all. It's mediocre porn thinly veiled with a storyline and characters. Not much in the way of convincing world-building. Not throw-the-book-across-the-room bad, just not particularly interesting. ( )

Read about a third of the book. Characters and story did not tempt me enough to keep on reading and I don't feel compelled to pick it up again to finish reading it.