A brand new steamy paranormal romance about learning to love all of yourself.In a world where people judge one another by exacting standards of size and style, being a big girl like Eudora Splat was never going to be easy.Though trouble is brewing between magic folk and human purists who would see them all destroyed, Dora, a half–giant, tries to eke out a quiet, unnoticed life for herself, but it's hard to be subtle when you're over seven feet tall.Losing her job as a gardener due to human complaints, Dora is recruited as a prison guard, where she's enlisted to protect the magician Evander “Bear” Gordon from human purist attack. Bear encourages her to embrace her power and celebrate her heritage, introducing her to a world where she can be extraordinary and not just weird. But after years of hiding and shying away, can Dora find the strength to grab onto a new life – and hold on to the man she's falling in love with?
Well, this book definitely had a different paranormal spin to it from what I normally read. Overall it was a pretty good story. The characters were likable and it flowed well. It was a quick and easy read. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Admittedly, not what I expected - which is neither good nor bad, per se.

Dora is a half-giantess, who lives with her human father and longs to find love and understanding. She finds both in the form of a magician prisoner she's tasked to guard, Evander "Bear" Gordon. When extremists who despise magical beings - and who may have been responsible for her mother's death, as well - try to kill Bear and her on a prison transfer, Dora helps the man escape. Together, they discover what has been denied to them for all their lives from the opposite gender, and struggle as they try to outrun their pursuers and survive.

Like I said, this wasn't a story I expected. It was, in all honesty, quite thrilling and hot, and the pace was fast during the chase. There was a lot going on, and there were a lot of things that added to the enjoyment of this book. Dora was a sweetheart, and yet she hid an inner, personal strength that only Bear could bring to the surface. Bear himself was a true gentleman, though he still had urges like any guy around the object of his affections would, and I liked how he made her feel special and love herself more.

However, there were a few parts that didn't feel right. First and foremost, Dora's naive nature at times. I get that her father made sure she lived a life as shielded from the world's cruelness as possible, but come on, after a few incidents, she should have been somewhat used to people trying to trick her. Or use her. And though she did her very best at being tough and independent, I didn't really appreciate how the males around her kept either insulting her, or blaming her musk for wanting her. Especially that creepy dude who couldn't decide whether he wanted to kill her or screw her raw - I'm still shivering just thinking about it!

All in all, it was a nice story, and if I was any other person it might have ranked a bit higher. The problem doesn't lie with the story itself, but me and my personal sensitivities.

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

This was a nice easy read.
The let down being the story line was very obvious.
Nothing to dislike though.

This was a different read it was interesting, it just wasn't exciting kind of boring, unfortunately. Dora is part giant strong but very naive she falls for Bear who has some magical ability. She finds her place with him after being ostracized by humans. I was expecting more from Bear's character he was in prison I was expecting him to be Alpha and a bad ass, I was wrong. His magic served no purpose he didn't even heal her when she was injured. She was the bad ass sort of, rescuing him always. I would recommend this for the readers who like a slower read.

I wanted to like The Magician's Keeper more than I did in the end.

It started out well. The beginning establishes just how lonely Dora is and gives a really clear picture of the prejudice she faces as a half-giant. She chooses to remain isolated at work, rather than face the microaggressions (and sometimes just aggressions) of her colleagues. This microcosm also shows what things are like in this alternate Australia.

I also enjoyed the setting. The action takes place in and around Perth. When we start out, Dora is working at the botanic gardens and there are some brief but evocative descriptions. It's a setting that suits Dora's nurturing nature, making the prejudice and heartbreak she faces on losing her job all the more poignant.

Readers who have difficulties with depictions of sexual harassment may want to steer clear. I appreciated the way things built up, beginning with small infringements of Dora's boundaries, and the way there are times when Dora hasn't given whole-hearted consent but is insecure enough that she doesn't speak out, either.

Unfortunately, there were a few things that didn't work for me. I really enjoyed Bear as a character. He was sweet and considerate. He was also the only other decent person in the story, which I felt undermined the romance somewhat. Adding to this was the fact Dora and Bear spend relatively little time together--even less as anything approaching equals. While I felt it was plausible they could make a relationship work, given time, it did have a flavour of insta-lust.

The sex scene also didn't do much for me and I found it decidedly unsexy in places.

I also had an issue with the introduction of nano bots. There had been nothing in the worldbuilding to prepare me for this possibility and it broke my suspension of disbelief. It also served no purpose, except to render Dora temporarily "ugly", so that Bear could show he cared about her beyond her looks.

Overall, I felt that The Magician's Keeper had some great potential, but didn't quite work for me.

The Magician's Keeper takes place in a world where humans and magical beings find themselves at odds and there are extremists on both sides. I liked our heroine, half giant, Eudora Splat although I found it odd that she could be so strong sometimes and so wishy washy at others. The magician Evander “Bear” Gordon was okay but could really have used a better sense of humor. All in all I enjoyed the book but must admit it took a bit to finish. Fans of UF romance might want to give it a try.

I love a book with a misunderstood, overlooked or unusual heroine. So, when I saw that the heroine in this was probably all of those things I jumped on the change to read. The fact that it was a paranormal romance was just the cherry on top, I’m always of the opinion that magic in a book can only make it better! However, this wasn’t quite the case with The Magician’s Keeper. I desperately wanted to like it, instead I found myself bored.

Was it the characters? Maybe. Although I liked them all well enough, I wasn’t swooning over the hero or cheering on the heroine. And the romance between them, although it was supposed to an instant attraction never seemed that passionate to me. Even if they did that thing which equally amuses and frustrates me when, halfway through being chased by enemies they decide to stop for some hanky panky.

Much like the romance, the whole book felt luke warm. The story was okay, but nothing that made me want to read without stopping, once again I found myself reading just to get to the end rather than out of sheer enjoyment. I didn’t mind the world, where being magical meant that you were persecuted, but I don’t think this aspect of the story was really capitalised or explored. Instead, the book focused more on the romance, which I wouldn’t mind if the romance was more interesting, more explosive, more emotionally charged, just more.

Unfortunately, although from the blurb this had elements that I know I normally enjoy, it didn’t hit the spot for me.

This is a different kind of read for me in that it didn't include the usual group of paranormal beings. I'm also not used to giants playing an intelligent character. They are normally stereotyped as being a little slow or even dumb. So it was fun to read about Dora, a half-giant because she was very real. She had all kinds of emotions and ideas. She was also pretty tough and held her own in every fight she had. She was the one who rode in and saved the day. (I always like when the female characters are tough and kick a$$). The author did a great job creating a fantasy world but mirroring it close enough to real life that it was relatable. The plot wasn't fast-paced, but I actually found that enjoyable. Too many books just bombard the reader with intense action scene after intense action scene, and they forget to develop the story and characters. I think this book made for a great start to what could become a decent series.

Reviewed by Terri of the GothicMoms Review Team

I liked The Magician's Keeper, the character interaction was enjoyable and Bear and Dora were well suited. I will recommend this book

a superbly written spellbinding romance. Totally enjoyed it.