This second adventure in the world of the ‘Another Healing’ series is just as spellbinding and fascinating as the first. North is a witch who has been dealt a severe blow by an evil demon, has retreated from the world to live on his own island, and has no intention of ever having anything to do with anyone other than the members of his small coven. Alan is a demon sent to him for training – the only thing North will still do – except Alan is an adult and North only trains kids and teenagers. But the difficulties don’t stop there - North and Alan have to face their fears, the truth of their bond, and the attacks of North’s enemy and nemesis.

North is an accomplished witch, but thanks to the unscrupulous brutality of a demon he once loved and trusted, he has been through hell. After he recovered from almost dying, he has made a life for himself, but his self-esteem is almost nonexistent and he avoids contact with others whenever he can. Even though he is only twenty-six, he feels more like a grumpy old man, and that is what he sees himself as, gleefully using it to shield himself from anything resembling emotional attachment. Imagine his anger when his coven’s second-in-command sends him an adult demon to train – the exact nightmare scenario that got North into trouble before. North has a hard time dealing with the idea, but being around Alan has its charms.

Alan is twenty-one and had no clue that he had any magical abilities until he fell off a roof and saved himself by flying. He is shocked to find out about the world of demons and witches, but keen to learn. Some things come to him naturally, and the raw power he can send North’s way compensates for some of those shortcomings. Cooperation is easy for him since he trusts North implicitly and since Alan has no trust issues, he is the first to recognize and admit that he is falling in love with North. Some of the abilities he discovers are quite scary, but he is relaxed and determined enough to make them work in a positive way. Working with North enables him - for the first time in a life spent in foster homes and kicked out of the system way before he was ready - to feel at home.

The relationship between North and Alan isn’t easy at first. North refuses to acknowledge his feelings and what they mean, and Alan is too inexperienced in magical matters to understand that they are even more than lovers to each other. Their witch-demon bond, when it does begin to form, is very strong, and with enemies like North’s ex out there, they need it to be! Different from the first book, this time it is the demon who is untrained, and it was great to see him discover his talents. And while North has lots of training, his past experiences and fears stop him from using them effectively until he learns t trust Alan. With a mysteriously appearing dog and a baby in mortal danger, the suspense was more than sufficient to have me glued to the pages.

If you like stories about demons and witches working together for reasons nobody understands (yet), if you want to see two men who are haunted by their pasts discover that they may have a future together, and if you’re looking for a read that is mysterious, intense, and full of magical discoveries, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I certainly hope there will be another one soon!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )