This book is set in a world that was the setting for previous novel. This book grabs you from the first page--a newly awakened witch who did not know she had powers and was never trained. A husband who was cheating on her. Put the two together and watch the results. I would have liked to have more back ground on where her powers came from.

Thea Harrison is a name I’ve seen pop up on my feed a fair few times over the past couple of years and with plenty of positive reviews, so what better opportunity to dive in and test the waters for myself than with the first in a brand new series.

“It’s not every day one runs into an awakening witch.”

This was a bit of a mixed bag for me with aspects I loved and those less so, but the author did more than enough to keep me invested in the characters, story and series. And it all begins when Molly discovers a pair of panties in her bed, the bed she shares with her husband and which kick off a chain of unexpected events which lead her to a man who tests both her patience and her resolve.

“Nobody else can teach you what I can teach you. Nobody else will encourage you to be whoever you want the way I would. To shed your inhibitions and explore everything you’re capable of being.”

The demise of Molly’s marriage and subsequent events shows us how strong she is and she takes nothing lying down as she discovers just how much power she wields...literally. And it wasn’t just her patience that Josiah tests—arrogant and overbearing, he’s like that annoying mixer tap that always runs that bit too hot or too cold and there were points when I could have happily throttled him—but he has a softer side and the tidbits we’re fed of that do help redeem him.

“ I don’t understand how we got to this place. I didn’t even like you when I first met you.”

Throw in action and suspense amongst the romance and magic and American Witch was an enjoyable introduction to Thea Harrison’s writing. I’ll be checking out the rest of the series for sure.

For the past several months strange things have been happening to Molly Sullivan, car breakdowns, electrical surges, while preparing a dinner party for her husband's colleagues Molly discovers that he has cheated on her, again. Enough is enough she confronts him in front of his guests including the new DA. when she leaves she has the smarts to grab all financial documents before her soon to be ex can hide their assets.

Josiah Mason is the new prosecutor in town. He is also a powerful witch and leads a coven bent on revenge against an ancient evil. When Josiah meets Molly at the party, he realises she is a witch who is only now coming into her power; he hopes to enlist her aid, the powerful attraction he feels for her is just a side benefit.

Molly is shocked to discover she is a powerful witch and when she realises her husband has been involved in illegal activities she passes the information to Josiah, but it seems Molly has found herself drawn into a complicated and dangerous situation. When her husband is killed along with her divorce attorney Molly must flee to save her life. At nearly forty and just out of a nasty marriage Molly wants nothing to do with Josiah and his revenge plans. She has enough going on in her life, but sometimes fate has a way of stepping in.

Thea Harrison is a new to me author, but I will definitely be looking into her other works. This story was a gripping read full of twists and turns with complex characters. I also loved the fact that Molly was a mature woman, not your typical heroine in fantasy novels. Even though an awful lot is going on in this book plot-wise, the author does an excellent job in balancing out the details, so the reader isn't overwhelmed. I look forward to reading more in this story and discovering more about the background characters.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This author writes with such eloquence it's easy to fall into the book and hate putting it down. Molly fascinated me from the start. Such inner strength and moral compass. Reading her story of discovery, devastation and renewal was an exemplary read. I loved it.

I received an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a totally different take on the Elder Race World. A great start to a new series.Molly is a newly awakened witch. Josiah is a powerful witch out to get revenge.When they come together sparks fly! This is one of the best Paranormal Suspense books I've read in a while. Action Packed from beginning to end. Keep them coming Ms Harrison.

I have never read a Thea Harrison book, so I had no idea what to expect, which is always a fun way to discover new authors. Even if you come into a world created years ago with no prior knowledge of it and how it worked. Though this is a new series, it may have been easier to get into if the previous books had been read first, it did not seem like a must.
I really enjoyed the story, from start to finish. I loved the characters and their complexities. Their interactions with each other and separately. The way she came into her powers and the adversity she suffered was real and intense. The courage it took to meet it all head on, with the forsite to realise what she would need to make a break for it was incredible to watch unfold. When her powers bring her to the attention of other magical beings she meets that head on to, and stands up for herself and what she needs. Even if it's the infuriating witch that oozes power and raw masculinity. I loved Josiah and all his quirks and his all consuming need for revenge. His coven was an interesting group of people I would love to see more of in the future. A lot of stories to be told.
All in all, this was a great five star read that took me on a journey of healing, acceptance and above all else, love.

Oh my this author really got my attention with purple panties served in a cocktail glass ! Yes this story about Molly and her transformation from perfect wife to amazing Witch hits the ground running and totally surprised me. Molly isn't the typical heroine either as she's a mature woman and not some girl who acquires Powers at puberty. The traumatic event sees her weathering her own personal storm but can she trust the only person who seems to be offering help ?
Josiah is the new hot shot district attorney but he's so much more than just the jaded, cold arrogant male he first seems. On a mission of his own the last thing he needs is the complication of a local Witch and if I'm honest I really didn't like him. However there's so much more to discover about Josiah and he just as much as Molly has to make hard choices but alas to say more would ruin the glorious surprises and revelations in store for readers.
So this starts what seems to be a trilogy set within the Elder Races world and if you pay attention a firm favourite of fans just might appear ! However this story is primarily about Molly and Josiah as they both embrace a completely different outlook. A lot does happen but I certainly wouldn't describe this as action packed although as we reach the end the big bad that Josiah has been hunting makes his play and yes it's a violent confrontation . The scene is set for at some point an epic battle with interesting supporting characters and yes I'm definitely left thirsty for more.
This voluntary take is of an advance copy and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

This author can be hit or miss for me. I really love her Elder Races books, so when I realized this book was set in that world I had hopes that this book would be a good one for me. This one grabbed me from the start, I felt for Molly as she discovered things that felt like the straw that broke the camels back. Her reactions, to me, were spot on of someone who had had enough. I loved that Molly confronted her husband in front of everyone, then later her mind clear enough to make sure she was taken care of in the upcoming divorce. I don't know that I would have been able to do the later.

I found it interesting that during all this drama Molly's powers as a witch were awakening. I do wish that there had been more on this, why now, was the ability in her family some how? Molly adjusted very well to learning she was a witch and dealing with all these powers. Sure she had some help from Josiah, who I really wasn't sure of at first. Josiah seemed to be hiding so much and I wasn't sure if he was a good guy or not.

Molly and Josiah managed to create this odd relationship, one that was built on heighten emotions during Molly's drama, yet there was something more there too. I did like that at each turn Molly let Josiah know how much she was willing to give and stuck to her guns, knowing that first and foremost Molly needed to look out for Molly.

This lead to some interesting choices. I liked that Molly left, searching for someone to help her. She landed at the perfect spot, a spot that welcomed her and allowed her to blossom. This new community was so good for Molly and she was good for them. Things were going great, so you knew something not good was going to happen.

And sure enough it did. The big bad that Josiah had been chasing reared it's big head, hitting him and his people hard, causing Molly to do something. Things got a bit crazy, but at the end most of them were ok, they truly knew what they were fighting at this point and realized they had a choice. To keep fighting, only working towards revenge or let it go a bit and start to live again. I liked the choice they all made, even as I know the threat of evil is still there, biding it's time to come after them again.

I'm a huge Thea Harrison fan, so when I saw she had a book coming out centered around witches that's tied to her Elder Races universe I was giddy with excitement. I read the entire Moonshadow series and several of the Elder Races books, many of which were five star reads. There are some authors you click with, and she's one of them. She's one of my top favorite paranormal authors for her amazing world building, attention to detail, and addictive stories. I enjoyed the fact that while she kept supernatural elements with her main characters, they are human, living in the setting of the human world which is a departure from her norm.

Molly isn't even aware that she has latent witch powers waiting to surface until her philandering husband loosens her control over her emotions which in turn, releases her hidden abilities. Her rage is a powder keg that unleashes all of the fury of a woman scorned and it's a glorious thing to see. You want to give her the biggest high five for how she smartly turns the situation to her advantage and humiliates him in the process. I absolutely loved the beginning chapters and I was immediately invested in how she would reinvent herself in her new life.

Josiah Mason is the new DA in town, witness to her embarrassing scene when her marriage imploded, and he just happens to have ancient and powerful abilities of his own. He may have a squeaky clean image and ambition to get elected governor, but he has a secret agenda that he and his coven have been working towards for decades. He's been fueled by revenge for longer than he can remember, and nothing will stop him from finally making it happen. Not even the complication in the form of a fledging witch who may or may not be tangled up in something she isn't prepared to defend herself against. As much as he tries to keep his distance, he just can't stay away from the beautiful woman on the brink of coming into unimaginable power.

I must admit, I wasn't the Josiah's biggest fan in the beginning. He's very self-serving, abrasive, and difficult to warm up to. I was worried for a little while there that he wouldn't be redeemable in the end. He tries to manipulate the heroine every chance he gets, but the good news is that she puts him in his place every single time. Although she is at a very difficult time in her life, no one could ever call her weak. In fact, she's more empowered than she's ever been in her life. Not only was she bullied by her pathetic excuse for a mother, she was used by her husband to complete his perfect cookie cutter image. Now she's ready to take charge of her life, and she isn't allowing anyone to take that away from her.

Once you learn about Josiah's past and what he suffered, you can empathize with his need to bring down the mysterious witch who wreaked havoc in so many people's lives. It's not just about getting revenge, he's trying to prevent others from needlessly suffering or losing loved ones. Shortly after the halfway point you really see him softening up towards Molly. He lost his selfishness, going above and beyond to show her that she was now his top priority. Making sure she's safe, happy, and attempting to find a way for them to merge their lives so that they could have a future together.

There is an underlying mystery in the plot regarding Molly's ex and if the shady business he's involved in could be tied to the man Josiah has been hunting. It held my interest throughout the book and kept me turning the pages to see the confrontation that would undoubtedly happen at the end.

In the end, Molly showed her strength and courage, though the scene was a bit anticlimactic as it was pretty brief and left unresolved for future books. Overall, I was really happy with the romance. I wasn't sure if I liked these two together at first, but Thea Harrison brought me around like she always does. I'm really looking forward to reading more installments in the series in the future! I'm hoping Steven, geeky tech genius gets a book because he's the character that intrigued me the most out of all of the secondary characters. This was a solid start to a new series filled with magic, mystery, and plenty of potential to grow.

This is the first book I've read by this author, though I've curious to read something by her prior. I've heard many good things about her writing. I was so happy to find that they were true and not exaggerated. This book is a wonderfully crafted piece of world-building upon Ms. Harrison's other Elder Race series (though, thankfully, it isn't required that you read those to understand this book). The story is one of magical intrigue and light romance. Not so much romance that it deters from the plot or the determination that is the very backbone of the characters, but the perfect balance that is called for in the storyline. The characters, Josiah and Molly, after complex and evolving. They stay true to their basic characters as, I feel, real people would. The plot along with these characters weave this story that is so engrossing that I found myself up until 4am. I just couldn't put it down. I will definitely be read more from this author and hope there will be more from Molly and her Witch friends in the future
**I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Well I love books that start off with a bang and this one does it in spades. On page 1 Molly has just found out that her husband is cheating on her and things get really loud and noisy from there . Additionally, she is developing her witch powers a bit late in life but she has no clue what is happening for awhile and watching her evolution is part of what I found so entertaining about this book although at a point later in the book it seems to have moved on a lot faster than should have been expected but a minor thing.

Josiah Mason is a Powerful witch and the leader of a secret coven and they play into this story in a major way but there seems to be a bit of insta-love but not too badly since he does spend a bit of time pretty much detesting her so it is a romance not like most others.

There is a "Big Bad" that we don't get to see too much of yet but since I believe this is going to be another trilogy it will end up in some epic battle in book 3 but for book 1 of a trilogy a LOT happens and we are not left with a truckload of cliffhangers. It is more of a knowledge to the reader that "this ain't over yet". 4 Stars

Wonderful! So great to read a new book in Harrison’s Elder Races series. American Witch is the story of a woman who suddenly starts exhibiting powers that she doesn’t understand and can’t control. Circumstances put her in the path of a powerful coven leader and together they work to overcome an ancient enemy while dealing with an unmistakable attraction to each other. I didn’t want to do anything else while I was reading this book. Highly recommended.

This is my first book by Thea Harrison and while it's set within the larger Elder Races universe you can easily read it and enjoy it greatly even if you're new to this author. I did.
I loved the main characters and I especially loved that both the heroine and the hero are around 40 years old and they also act like it. I'm a little tired of immature characters that authors more often than not try to push as heroines and heros. Molly and Josiah were a very welcome step outside of the norm and I loved them. Molly is defenitely one of the most pleasant, level headed and interesting heoines I've read about in a long time. The hero, Josiah was intriguing and just the right amount of alpha man, just the way a good hero is supposed to be.
Everything I hoped for when I started reading this book I got: magic & witches, the action, sparks filled relationship between Molly and Josiah, fabulous secondary characters, interesting mythology... There are also some great relationship dynamics that I'm hoping get explored more in the following books. I'll definitely be on the look out for the next one in the series when it comes out. The book was thoroughly enjoyable, the story itself wass interesting and engaging. The dual narration was excellent, I was very surprised because, well,I don't remember the last time that worked so well. Maybe it had to do with the fact that both were excellent. Kudos.
So, in short: it was awesome. It really was and I highly recommend it.

Molly discovers that her lawyer husband has been unfaithful once again, (and in their own marital bed!) on the day of an important dinner party. She's had enough so she confronts him in front of their guests, which include the new DA. She leaves after the showdown, but first she takes all their papers and financial records, prepared to get her share of the marital assets after so many years. She finds disturbing information in those papers and takes steps to protect herself while she figures out what's going on.

Josiah, the DA, is a centuries old witch bent on vengeance. He's been following an evil man for decades and thinks he's finally tracked him down in Atlanta. The last thing he expected to find was an emerging witch of Molly's power.

Molly is a wonderful heroine. She's 40 y/o, a full-grown woman who's had a hard punch. She doesn't bend or break. She forges ahead, remaking herself while trying not to become hard and bitter. The thing I enjoyed the most about her was how she took care of herself.

Josiah as a hero was more problematic for me. Don't get me wrong, he's a Harrison hero through and through: smart, strong, driven. My concern is that his character's change was too abrupt. I found it hard to believe that a man consumed by a single-minded goal for decades would just change his entire life so quickly. I guess I would have liked to see more interaction between Molly and Josiah to better understand their interaction.

I thought this book's more about Molly's journey of self discovery, both of herself as a woman and as a witch. For a good part of the story the hero and heroine are physically apart.

On the other hand, this romance is about adults with plenty of baggage making the tough choices and still managing to develop a personal relationship. Well done, Ms. Harrison!

Full review to be published online in late May.

AMERICAN WITCH is the first book in the new 'American Witch' series by Thea Harrison. I admittedly have a love/hate relationship with Harrison's books. Most of the 'Elder Races' full length novels are enjoyable reads. The between-the-books novellas, however, are usually overly expensive, overly wordy fluff; with far too many and long descriptive passages to plump up the word count. I always get the feeling they were tossed out to make a quick buck.

AMERICAN WITCH is a pretty good read, and the series shows promise. I like the fact that the h is a little older and with a not so perfect life. I will probably give the next book a go.

Loved this!! Harrison creates a completely relatable character in Molly. She is pushing 40 and her witch abilities are just awakening, she's been in a crappy marriage and everything is coming to a head. I loved and hated Josiah in equal measure at different times. Which made him all the more relatable too. This story just had a really different feel to it and I had a hard time putting it down. Can't wait to see more from this series.

Although I had heard of this author I hadn't read any of her previous books, and I don't think it was necessary to have read the Elder Race series in order to read this book, but maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had. I didn't love American Witch. I felt that it moved too slowly, with too much internal dialogue, and without any real surprises. The "romance" was more insta lust than anything else. And finally I just never warmed up to any of the characters except Sarah. Overall it's not that I hated it, just that I wasn't very invested or interested. 2.5 Stars.

Molly has been married to Austin for 20 years. She finds evidence of an affair on the night of a corporate party arranged for her husbands boss. Molly has had enough and confronts Austin at the party with unexpected rage and her developing Witch powers emerge. The new DA Josiah Mason is a powerful Witch and his first contacts with Molly who is trying to show independence does not go well.
The development of Molly and Josiah’s relationship (with threats all around from old enemies) takes a large leap through the latter part of the book. It takes most of the book before you begin to engage with these main characters. This book sets you up for a greater development of many of the characters in future stories.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Molly Sullivan has been an ideal wife, except perhaps in the sex department as evidenced by the poorly hidden purple panties she finds in her marital bed. This is not an ideal situation but the timing couldn't be worse since Molly is in the midst of preparing to host a party for the managing partners of her husband's law firm. As Molly pulls the panties and stuffs them in her husband's martini glass, asks for a divorce and storms out leaving a roomful of stunned guests behind, I could already feel the pulse pounding start of a book I wouldn't be able to put down.

On her way out Molly manages to grab the contents of the safe certainly not realizing the explosive potential of the contents that she is unexpectedly gifted with. At the same time as her well ordered life is failing apart, Molly finds out that she's am emerging witch, a very powerful one at that. The new District Attorney whom she briefly met at the ill fated party and contacts regarding the provocative nature of some of the contents has his own secrets to hide that definitely do not need a raw and powerful witch sending out beams of power attracting attention.
In addition to all that power is the explosive chemistry that takes down the well disciplined Josiah and results in a night with unexpected consequences. Molly and Josiah struggle to find an answer to the demands and commitments that Josiah has with Molly's need to harness her powers and find herself. Josiah has lived a long life thirsting for revenge and it's so close that he can taste it but is it worth a relationship and a life? Molly finally knows what she needs and wants and will not compromise. Read the book to find out how this tangle sorts itself out.
Are some things improbable? of course but this is a story, a paranormal one at that so if you can look beyond that this is a fantastic story that will keep you reading way too late in the night and thirsting for more when it's all done.

3.5 Stars

This is a weird 3.5 stars review because I loved the heroine and the writing style so much. I really did. I wanted to give them 10 stars. I even found the hero intriguing. The story was so engrossing. If you're a Thea Harrison fan, this book is guaranteed to be a good read. I think Molly might actually be my favorite Elder Races heroine to date. But in the end, I couldn't justify giving it 4 or 4.5 stars for the following reasons:

1) I was really uncomfortable with how the word "holocaust" was used (twice within the same scene). More on this below.

2) Midway through the book, a plot point emerged and (through no fault of the book) is just a plot point that I personally dislike. I'll discuss this later under spoiler tags.

3) Even though I liked the main couple together, I was dissatisfied by how their romantic arc ended (it was happily, that isn't my complaint). Again, this is extremely spoilery so I'll discuss under spoiler tags.

THE PREMISE

Molly Sullivan's dirtbag of a husband is cheating on her. And she finds out by discovering another woman's panties on their bed. Filled with rage, she storms into their dinner party and causes such a scene that I wanted to stand up and cheer. She destroys her husband's reputation in front of all his colleagues, packs up the essential items (including the financial documents), and leaves the house. Oh, and she manages to shatter a vase across the room without touching it. It's unclear what exactly is happening to her, but her latent magic is awakening and her power is infinite.

“You broke my heart the first time you cheated on me,” she told him. “Broke it into a million pieces. I was only twenty-one and a junior in college. You were twenty-two and had just graduated, and we’d only been together for a year. But you were so sorry, and oh Lord, my mother was so damn insistent. So I stayed and gave you another chance.” She turned to Russell and the powerful-looking stranger who stood beside him. “He can be persuasive, can’t he?”

One of the men at the dinner party is the newly-elected District Attorney. Josiah Mason is nothing like he appears and has secrets of his own. He's a witch and recognizes Molly for exactly what she is - an incredibly powerful witch with immense power. Josiah's primary goal in life is to kill the unnamed powerful witch in Atlanta. He's been waiting for decades for this opportunity, and has been plotting out the logistics with members of his coven, who also despise the unnamed villain and are committed to their destruction. Molly is a sore distraction for Josiah - he has to teach her to control her burgeoning powers and also keep her out of danger. It turns out that Molly's husband has ties to Josiah's nemesis and that Molly's decision to divorce her husband has put her in imminent danger.

No amount of words can fully convey how much I love Molly. She's so strong and I wanted to cry at all the pain and misery thrown at her. She always puts herself first: regardless of this strange attraction to this dangerous man, she doesn't put up with his arrogant-asshole act and tells him off at every opportunity.

"A younger, softer Molly might have listened. She would have been eager to please and anxious to smooth things over. But she wasn’t that younger, softer Molly anymore. She felt no need to contort herself into another shape just to fit other people’s desires or expectations."

This might not be a popular opinion, but the romantic arc felt secondary to Molly's journey to find herself. Don't get me wrong - Josiah is there a lot and we see his POV equally. But this book is about Molly learning how to deal with her powers and to make herself into a new woman after her husband's betrayal.

So, there is obviously a lot I loved about the book and I couldn't put it down for the four hours that I was reading it. But there were also some negatives, which I'll discuss now.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

1) I was really uncomfortable with how the word "holocaust" was used (twice within the same scene).

Okay, I *know* that the word holocaust has definitions and contexts that aren't related to the 20th century genocide. I know this. But the word has reached a certain stature in our society - it has a *very specific* meaning to most people and that meaning is almost always related to the genocide of Jews during World War II. So it feels incredibly jarring to see the word used *twice* in the same scene.

“She had called so much Power... [redacted]... that she lost control. She was a holocaust, and she didn't care.”

And pages later:

“They were all fuel for the holocaust of fury that drove him now.”

The context for this scene is a large magical battle. In the first quote, Molly has lost control and is using the brunt of her power to defeat the bad guys. In the second quote, Josiah is thinking about all the things that motivated him: the years of waiting, planning, and thinking. This is the fuel for the "holocaust of fury."

I felt so intensely uncomfortable and jarred by the usage. First, it took me out of the text because I immediately remembered the 20th century genocide. Second, it feels like an insult (unintentional, but an insult nonetheless) toward the actual genocide. The usage in question has nothing to do with genocide. It's about power fueling both individuals: magical power in Molly's case and rage/motivation in Josiah's case.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word holocaust has several definitions: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holocaust

1. a sacrifice (see SACRIFICE entry 1 sense 2) consumed by fire

2. a thorough destruction involving extensive loss of life especially through fire

3a. usually the Holocaust : the mass slaughter of European civilians and especially Jews by the Nazis during World War II

3b. a mass slaughter of people, especially : GENOCIDE

I suppose the first passage makes sense. Molly is the holocaust, implying that she's so out of control and will cause a destruction. The second passage similarly implies that Josiah's fury is so vast that he's going to cause a large destruction and commit violence soon.

It's possible that I'm being too sensitive, but this bothered me so much that I actually stopped reading, backtracked, and reread the passage to make sure I was understanding correctly. It's a magical battle with the good guys against the bad guys. The good guys win, mostly because of Molly's immense power. This destruction, however brutal, is not a genocide of any kind.

I guess I can't find a justification to use this particular word when there are *so many* other words that can be used instead. It's not that "holocaust" is the only word in the English language that can express these sentiments. Like I said, I was only mildly jarred by the scene. But I can only imagine how harmful and painful this scene might feel to someone else. To me, that's a good enough reason to avoid the usage of "holocaust" in non-genocide contexts entirely.

The next two reasons why I disliked the book are *extremely* spoilery and spoil the entire book. Seriously, don't read the spoiler tags if you don't want to know what happens at the end.

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2) Midway through the book, a plot point emerged and (through no fault of the book) is just a plot point that I personally dislike.

Molly and Josiah are pretty conscious about safe sex and birth control. She's on the pill and they wear a condom when they first have sex (they explicitly talk about this before their first time). The alarm bells in my head sounded off when the condom broke. But it's all right, they reassure each other, Molly's on the pill! That didn't turn off my feeling of dread. And I was right - Molly later remembers that on a previous day, she forgets the pill (this is due to completely valid and stressful reasons - someone was trying to kill her!). At this point, I was 100% sure Molly was pregnant even if she wasn't sure. And sure enough, one pregnancy test later with a positive sign, she's knocked up.

It's not the book's fault that I was actively begging for her not to be pregnant. It's not my favorite plot line when a heroine is pregnant for most of the book (she finds out at around 60%). The book took a turn into something I wasn't expecting, and that's fine. I'm sure most readers don't have a problem with this trope, so it's very much a "it's me, not the book" thing.

That being said: despite my initial fears, I f'ing loved how Molly decided that she and her baby are far more important than Josiah. She basically says, "Look, I don't want you in my life because you're driven by revenge and violence. And that's not healthy for me and my baby, so you need to stay out of my life." And then she goes to the west coast, finds a new teacher/mother-figure, and becomes a part of a loving coven and community. I loved this so much. Which brings me to my next point.

3) Even though I liked the main couple together, I was dissatisfied by how their romantic arc ended (it was happily, that isn't my complaint).

I really like the idea of Josiah and Molly as a couple. My problem is that they're separated for so long in the second half of the book (Molly is in California and finding her place in her new community). They still communicate, and there's a lot of angst/love on both sides. They reunite in the end to fight the villain, he calls off his revenge quest, moves to California with her, and they all live happily ever after. The last chapter was so rushed. It sped through their tentative steps into a new relationship: their first "dates" as a real couple, doctor visits to see the ultrasound, Josiah becoming an integral part of the new coven, marriage proposal, wedding, and the baby's birth.

I felt cheated. I wanted to see all of this in greater detail: Josiah in the beginning of the chapter (right before he moves to California, when he's still facing the aftershocks of the battle) is completely different than the Josiah at the end of the chapter (a doting father and husband with a new found family). Some of my favorite parts of the book are when Molly is in California without Josiah. She's there for fourteen weeks before she reunites with Josiah and the book ends. It just felt... unfinished, somehow. Like there was more story to tell in between the last battle and the baby being born. I wanted to watch their relationship deepen and grow stronger post-battle.

Despite my qualms, I still really enjoyed this book. I can't recommend this without reservations, but it's definitely worth checking out.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and will cross-post this review on Amazon on release day.