Eva Chase

In a world where only the women have magic and their consorts refuel said magic by being intimate, we meet Rose Hallowell, a witch soon turning the critical age of 25. If she hasn't taken a consort from one of the other witching families by then, she will lose her magic spark forever.

Returning home after a forced 11 years absence fills Rose with joy, even if it is to fulfil an arranged marriage. It also brings back memories of her 5 childhood friends with whom she grew up and who were show more ultimately the reason she had to leave. They were unsparked and as such not fit company for a witch so they took her away.
Wanting to know how they are doing, she sets out to meet them. Only to discover she is fiercely attracted to not one, but all of them. Rose cant stay away even when she knows she is destined to marry a man she has no feelings for.

When she discovers a heinous plot against her the race against time and a magic wielding stepmother has started.

My take on the book:
I was actually surprised how good this was :)
Not that I had no faith in the author, but with it being a pretty short book I was afraid it would feel rushed... it wasn't :)
It was well written and as far as I could tell, there were no errors in the book.
Pacing was good, the author took the time to go into detailed descriptions at times so we could follow along effortlessly.
Character development was good. We got to know the history they shared, what happened during the time they were apart and we have an imaginary best friend who really is the best! (wish I could have one myself as cool as Philomena!!).
The relationship between them felt normal. Yes there was that attraction (they are prime male specimens after all), but starting of as reunited friends, they got to know each other again.

Since this is a Reverse Harem, yes, there is sex involved. This is by no means a slow burn RH.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book, courtesy of NetGalley, and I really enjoyed it! Now let's hope we don't have to wait that long for book number 2 :D

If you're looking for a quick fix to your RH craving, search no further and go read this one! show less

The worst kind of bully romance magical school.
The MCs motivations for everything plot-relevant make no sense and are deliberately constructed just to drive the plot.
I thought for a long time I just hated bully romance in general, but after reading The Folk of the Air series I realized there is a specific reason related to the bully part.
I hate them because setting up a believable set of circumstances and motivations to have the MC take so much abuse while not making the MC appear show more spineless, TSTL or constructing some obviously absurd scenario is just really hard and this one, just like most, fails spectacularly at it.
The necessary willing suspension of disbelief is just way too much to ask for.
In this case, it is a mix of spineless while pretending the opposite, utter stupidity and outright brain damage which I don't mean as an insult but as the only explanation I can come up with for some of her behaviour.
I totally understand the draw of these kinds of stories. They can easily keep emotions high and very intense constantly by swinging between hatred and attraction.
If done well this can very much improve the engagement and emotional investment but just like in this book it usually seems more like a very cheap and lazy tool.
Btw The Folk of the Air series is by no means perfect in that department either but it does it a LOT better than anything else I've read so far and by painting a so much more believable picture the emotional impact is in turn much higher. show less

If you think Rory was going to get a break in this book then you are WRONG! Things do start getting better regarding her relationships with her fellow scions, however she still has to keep her wits about her. Not to mention top on her mind is learning who killed her mentor and why?!?! What doesn't help are her money thirsty paternal grandparents and the surfacing of her bio mum's supposed longtime best friend who is also a dreaded black suit. Who can she trust and who should she keep away show more from! All in all trying to keep her grades up and jumping at shadows. At least the guys are starting to see the real her and NOT what their parents are brainwashing them to think. Here's hoping they can finally work together to find and get rid of the true evil undercurrent at work. Just my theory...I'm wondering if the joymancers were innocent of the charge of murdering her birth parents. Something else truly dark seems to be at play. Here's hoping the younger generation figure out what's afoot in the next chapter of this exciting series! I love Rory's heart and spirit. How she looks out for those she loves and those that need help. All combined with immense inner strength! Three cheers for Rory!! I can't wait for the next book, and seeing how she and the guys continue to grow! show less

I would like to thank author Eva Chase for an e-copy of her book to review. Though I received this e-book for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review.

Goodreads Teaser: When she was a child, Avery Harmen watched her father die at the hands of a Glower--a breed of demon that feeds on dreams of fame and glory. Now she secretly protects the rising stars of Los Angeles from the
demons that prey on them, determined to make sure her clients never suffer
the same fate.

Then Avery finds show more herself assigned to Colin Ryder, a young indie rocker who
just landed a major label deal. Colin is cocky, rebellious, a brilliant
musician, and already in the Glowers' sights. He's also far too hot for
Avery to ignore the chemistry between them--especially when she gets to
know the tender side behind his celebrity facade. Though Avery knows she's
falling too fast, she's willing to risk heartbreak if fanning the flames
of attraction distracts Colin from his Glower-tempting antics. But Colin
is keeping a secret of his own, one so big it will put both her heart and
his soul on the line.

This is the first book in a series, yet each book is a stand-alone story in its own right. And this happens to be Avery's & Colin's story. I was quite surprised to find that I liked both the protagonists from pretty much the very beginning. I think I was expecting another formulaic rocker falls for good-girl romance, with a side dish of paranormal to make the story stand out from the crowd. And while the paranormal aspect does make this story stand apart from all the other rocker romances out there, it's not some gimmick thrown in as an aside. The paranormal portion of this story is actually really integral to it; impacting the story without overwhelming it.

Avery ran from her dreams of being a drummer, ran from her own talent; not that she's ever admit that fact, maybe not even to herself. Her fear of being to weak to say no to the otherworldly beings that feed on creativity and fame led her in a different direction. Now she guards other famous artists from those very demons, though the people she protects have no idea why she's really there. They just think she is acting as their professional minder - keeping them on track and keeping their investors (labels, concert venues, merchandisers, etc.) happy.

Avery's second assignment happens to be Colin Ryder, an up and coming rock star. And a real handful. Avery is Colin's third, and possibly final, minder. She feels the weight of keeping him safe, and not just because she takes pride in her work. There's more going on behind the scenes than her sense of professionalism, and much more at stake. But it doesn't take long at all for Avery to lose her grip on her professional persona and fall under Colin's spell. For good reason to; Colin is much more complex than one might expect, especially given his behavior and antics.

As Avery struggles to balance her job and her personal desires, Colin reveals his own layers. Layers you wouldn't expect from a rock god who looks like him and has the talent to back up those looks. Actually has the talents, musical and otherwise. The man knows how to make his chosen instruments sing and then some. He's not afraid of his emotions, which immediately moves him to the front of the list of famous rockers in books like this.

But all that aside, what I found so refreshing was the honesty in each character's voice. They were true to themselves, or at least the current version of themselves. Neither one played games, and they didn't run away from each other and cause those oh so predictable scenes that we've all read a thousand times before. Both Avery and Colin, young as they are, show far more maturity than most people twice their ages. Not to say they don't have fun or make mistakes, but they own their baggage - the good and the bad. And that's what makes them so appealing to spend some time with, to go on their journey with them. The sex scenes don't hurt their story either; nudge, nudge, wink, wink if you know what I mean. This makes for a fun read, doesn't matter if you're at the beach soaking in the rays or curled up with a soft blanket on the sofa while the wind is howling and snow is piling up outside the door. show less