Four and a half stars, I knocked one off because I didn't want it to end.

Molly Sullivan is a normal housewife, married to a lawyer, used to entertaining her husband's colleagues and clients. Until one day she finds another woman's panties in the marital bed, on the night they are hosting a big reception for her husband's clients. Angered beyond belief Molly experiences some strange phenomenon and creates a massive scene in front of her husband's senior partner and the new District Attorney. A woman scorned she may be, but Molly is smart enough to empty the family safe when she leaves, even if she doesn't remember to bring both her left and right shoes or toothpaste!

Josiah Mason, the new District Attorney, isn't all that he seems, in fact he is a powerful witch and he is not best pleased to find that his plans for revenge are jeopardised by the emergence of a new, very powerful witch in the area. But his attempts to coerce Molly into joining forces fall very flat until Molly discovers secret papers from the family safe which put her life in danger - who else can she turn to but the District Attorney who also happens to be a witch.

I feel like this is a new genre, a hybrid of a contemporary romance and your more traditional paranormal romance but I can't put my finger on why. Maybe because, although there is a lot of magic and Molly learning her craft, the novel is firmly focused on the relationship between Molly and Josiah.

Anyway, I loved it. Authors, if you want to know what a strong woman looks and sounds like, look no further than Molly Sullivan. She was assertive, she didn't take any of Josiah's macho posturing or throwing around orders, but she also wasn't one of those heroines who puts themselves in danger. She was smart, funny, sassy, thoughtful and very powerful. I cheered her on several times when I was reading this novel, when Josiah tried to get her to stay away from danger, when he told her what to do, when he tried to make decisions for her and she slapped him down each and every time with wit and logic.

I just cannot wait for the next book in the trilogy - will it follow Molly and Josiah or will it focus on another member of the coven? I just don't know.

Warning, this isn't a cliffhanger per se but there is definitely a 'to be continued ...' with the overarching plot.

I received a free copy of this book from the author via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Molly Sullivan has been married for 20 years, the perfect wife to her lawyer husband Austin, when she discovers he has cheated on her - in their own bed. Enraged she confronts him during a party they are hosting and she leaves the house with the contents of their safe.

The last months Molly has been experiencing strange occurrences and she is shocked when she is told by District Attorney Josiah Mason she is a powerful witch, just like him and that she needs guidance to harness her powers. All Molly wants is to divorce Austin and she is very opposed to Josiah manipulating her. She finds leverage against Austin in the papers from the safe but after filing for divorce it becomes clear he has been engaging in dangerous matters and with dangerous people.

The only book I have read by Thea Harrison is the first book of the Elder Races, but this one stands completely on its own. I must admit I never really warmed to Molly at all. At first she comes across as a trophy wife scorned, who wants to just gather her assets. That does change, but still I couldn't relate to her at all.

The relationship between Molly and Josiah is a bit too insta for me (or is it lust?) and Molly keeps it very business-like. There was (a lot) more going on in the story than just Molly gaining her powers and forging a new life for herself. It is the first in a new series, so I assume the story will continue with maybe other characters we have met in this book.

Overall it rates between 3,5 and 4 stars for me. The writing is excellent, but it is lacking in the romance area for me. Of course that opinion is just my own and I am sure fans of the Elder Races series will be very happy with this addition to the booklist. The Elder Races are mentioned in the story, but have no storyline. Overall it is more like romantic (fantasy) suspense than a romance novel.

I’ve read lots of Thea Harrison’s books before this and was excited to see this one offered for review on Netgalley. And I wasn’t disappointed! It’s the first in a new series, American Witch, which I’m assuming is a trilogy, like her Moonshadow series. Certainly in this novel while the main couple Molly and Julian resolve their relationship and Molly’s personal situation (and powers) resolve, there are clearly plenty of loose ends to continue into the next book in the series.

I enjoyed Molly. She was practical, able to stand up for herself, worked hard on her new powers and did not put herself pointlessly into danger only to be rescued by the hero. Nor was she afraid to call Julian out with he treats her poorly. Interestingly, although her life changes because she comes into her powers as a witch, I don’t think she as a person changed much over the course of the book. This isn’t a complaint, in fact I found it made her all the more an interesting character. I think she started out as a practical, level headed woman and was able to apply those same characteristics to dealing with her cheating husband as she later does to her developing powers and relationship with Julian. He, on the other hand, did change over the course of the book and for the better. I wasn’t at all sure I liked him to start with. But when Molly forced him to look at himself and he didn’t like what he saw, he worked on that and was prepared to change where he was heading.

I highly recommend this book and will be looking out for the next in the series!

I will post this review on amazon.co.uk once this book is published and reviews can be left.