Title: Lightning in Her Hands
Author: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Publisher: Berkley
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Lightning in Her Hands" by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

My Perception:

'Lightning in Her Hands' was a good read about three sisters, a mother, and magic. There is another book I didn't read, but you can keep up with what is going on without reading the first book, 'Witch of Wild Things.

Teal, one of the sisters, seems to have had her magic broken by her mom. What was that all about? Why was Teal wanting to get her control of her magic back at this time? Well, a best friend named Carter wants to mend their relationship, and when he presents a fake proposal, she accepts. Be ready for a journey that these characters will go on. I will say the two main characters [Teal and Carter]were something else in all the presented trauma. There will be 'trauma, neglect and abuse' that will continue, but I will stop here and say you must pick this story up and see how well this author presents magical realism, especially if you like magic in one's intriguing romance.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Witch of Wild Things last year, and I was thrilled to receive an early copy of book two about the Flores sisters. Now I’ll be eagerly anticipating Sky’s story, assuming it will be coming next!

The Flores sisters each have a gift, and Teal’s has to do with the weather. As her mood grows angry, storms pop up in their small town, only ceasing when she finds a way to control her emotions. Her control of her gift has never been perfect, and Teal believes that to finally gain control over it, she must find her mother. While dealing with that family issue, she also finds herself agreeing to a marriage of convenience with her lifelong best friend Carter.

Tropes abound for the romantic portion of this witchy read, and the chemistry between Teal and Carter absolutely smolders off the page. They could communicate a bit better and avoid an issue or two, but isn’t that authentic? The love story drew me in, and I enjoyed seeing the bond between them grow stronger as they learned how to stand up for one another and how to help each other.

Teal’s past is full of trauma, and there would be trigger warnings here for emotional and physical abuse. Her healing journey is one of highs and lows, and I was happy that we leave her in a much healthier place at the end of the book. Her family finds their own ways to support her along the way, and I absolutely loved any scene involving the family members and their relationships.

Thank you to Berkley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the story of Teal Flores, a woman with an unstable ability to control the weather, whose quest to repair both her fractured gift and her relationships leads her into a fake marriage with her estranged childhood best friend. As the second book in a series, I enjoyed revisiting familiar characters, but Teal was pretty insufferable this time around. The story handles tough themes like mental illness and trauma quite well, but I struggled to sympathize with Teal’s actions, even with her backstory. The romance also fell flat for me, as it relied more on telling than showing the connection, but I really enjoyed the focus on the sisterly bonds. The witchy vibes are my favorite thing about this series though, so while I didn’t like this book as much as the first, I’m still excited for the next one.

The second book in the Wild Magic paranormal romance series is by far my favorite so far!! This marriage of convenience love story features middle sister, Teal Flores, who strikes a deal with her former best friend Carter to marry him so he can receive a hefty inheritance in exchange for being her date to her ex's wedding.

This book deals with some heavy topics from, Teal's depressive bipolar disorder, her history as a survivor of domestic violence and parental abandonment. It is also a moving story about sisterhood, friendship and second chances.

Determined to get control of her ability to influence the weather, a gift or curse depending on how you look at it but it involves tracking down her mother who has the power to stay hidden. The other reason her deal with Carter is so appealing for Teal is that with her cut of the money she will finally be able to afford a private investigator to help find her mother.

Full of magic, romance and family drama, this was a spicy slow burn that has me itching to finally get Sky's story. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Lightning in her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is the 2nd book in her Wild Magic series. Having read the first book in this series, I looked forward to Teal’s story. Teal was only 4 years old when her mother left the family, and she was the only one who saw her leave. Each of the sisters have their own magical gift, with Sage (the oldest) having an affinity for plants; Sky (the youngest) has an affinity for animals; and Teal’s gift is the weather. Teal has no full control over her gift, which responds to her emotions; but she learns many years later, that her mother took something from her the night she left; which causes her to feel unworthy; Teal also has a bipolar issue.

Teal has been best friends with Carter Velasquez most of her life, and when she moved on with a new boyfriend, their friendship fell apart. Now that Teal is no longer with her ex, she tries to convince Carter to go with her to her ex’s wedding, as she wants to resume their friendship. At first, he says no, but a short time later, he agrees to go to the wedding, if she will help him gain access to his inheritance. Carter needs a marriage of convenience, and after some thought, she agrees to the fake marriage with Carter, especially with both gaining some money. When they get married, both Carter and Teal begin to feel strong feelings for each other (as Carter has always loved her). Teal moves in with Carter in his gorgeous house. Along the way, the sex scenes between Teal and Carter are very hot and spicy; they were great together.

Teal knows she lost something all those years ago, which causes her gift to not be where it should be. Teal, Carter, Sage and Sky embark on trying find her mother, to get her power in full control. I was happy that Teal slowly knew she needed to improve herself, as well as being less selfish. If they can find the missing mother, Teal will fully restore her ability. The three sisters will find their mother, and they will need to get Teal’s full power back from the mother.

Lightning in her Hands was an intriguing, fun, emotional, romantic and sexy story. Lightning in her Hands was very well written by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland. If you enjoy a paranormal fantasy, with terrific characters, I suggest you read this book.

I missed the first book in the series but this was still a satisfying read as a standalone. While on the surface it looked like it would be one big fake engagement forced proximity trope, it's deeper thanks to Teal. Teal's struggling with a troubled past, her mental health, and her inability to control her ability to well, control the weather. Carter doesn't have these burdens but he does need to be married to get his inheritance and he surely does feel for Teal. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. There's some spice, good dialogue, fine storytelling, and characters you will root for.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I listened to the first book in the Wild Magic series immediately before starting Lightning in Her Hands which is the second one. The series is about three sisters with magical gifts. Witch of Wild Things is about Sage, the oldest, who is a plant whisperer. Now we have the story of Teal, who affects the weather. The youngest is Sky, who at 16 fell off a cliff 8 years ago. Sage left home after losing Sky and just returned during her book. The three girls were abandoned by their mother shortly after Sky was born to their aunt Nadia. They had three different fathers they never knew. I would read these books in order for the world and character developments.

Teal was not very likable in Sage's book. In fact, I disliked her. Now, she has decided to be less selfish, better to her sister. She also decides to get back her best friend, Carter. Carter was always her best friend but when he tried to get closer, she always pushed him away. She has felt broken since her mother left, like she didn't deserve anyone.

Carter has other ideas. He decides to try to win her over when his grandma withholds the money from his grandpa until he gets married. He convinces Teal to marry him, and then show her what a good husband is like. He has a bit of a learning curve though. There's definitely some misogyny running through the Hispanic families. Carter is a good guy though, does love Teal, and pushes back on those gut reactions.

I'm not sure how I felt about Teal but she has quite a journey of personal growth. I like the magic. The romance is obvious because Carter loves her and has always loved her. There is quite a bit of sexy in this series.

Teal has to navigate her own feelings and issues, dealing with her grandma, Carter's grandma, her mother and her aunt. Teal has let others' words define her but now she will define herself.

Narration:
The same narrator has performed both books in the series giving the characters their voices. I enjoy her accents which feel appropriate. She infuses the emotions into the story. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.

Raquel has instantly become one of my newest go-to authors! I absolutely LOVED Witch of Wild Things and I was elated when I found that all the Flores sisters would be getting their own books. I've been eager to dive into this one and I simply couldn't get enough.

Let's just say that I went through so many different emotions with this one and the amount of gut punches (of angst)... it got me every single time. I was a teary mess pretty much this entire read. I will say that Teal will frustrate you until no end, but she recognizes what she's doing and tries to be better. I loved when she kept referring back to her checklist, even that had my tearing up. There's just so much growth around that list as it's mentioned every single time.

While I did like Carter and we can't really fault him for his reasonings of trying to keep his distance. (Yes, communication would go a very long way, but they're working on that.) His execution of how he said and did things, 0 out of 10, sir! Again, me...crying.

Teal has gone through so much and I just wanted to hold her, and say that she's okay. And that she is loved. We get to see her sisters surround her and support her as best as they can. It's not going to happen in a day, but I felt happy and light by the end. And there was lots of cheering!

I wish we got a little bit more of the romance between Teal and Carter. It almost was like we quickly flipped a switch and all was right. I think it could have transitioned a little better from being this marriage of convenience/friends to lovers.

I loved it and I'm so ready for more especially with Sky! I can't wait.

Language: R (12+ swears, 1+ "f"); Mature Content: R; Violence: G+
The sexual content got very descriptive in chapter one, and I don't care to read more of it, which is too bad because the random storm powers that the main character has was intriguing.
The mature content rating is for innuendo and kissing.

I feel so safe and content in Raquel’s books and this was one I was so excited and nervous to start. Teal is a complicated character and I truly enjoyed getting to know her more in this book. Her and Carter deserve every good thing. :)

What to expect from Lightning in Her Hands:
⚡️Cuban rep
⚡️bipolar rep
⚡️marriage of convenience
⚡️reddit posts
⚡️magical gift: emotions tied to the weather
⚠️many references to previous DV & sexual assault; parental abandonment

Teal’s redemption story is shared in Lightning in Her Hands. It’s very much a story of healing from previous trauma while managing her mental illness, and rebuilding damaged relationships. This includes former bff Carter, who needs a wife to get his inheritance. This was spicier than WOWT, but still plot focused. Overall, it was heavy but a good read!

Unsteady in weather magic and love, Teal Flores is desperate for control. She must not only find her long-lost mother to help her navigate her weather gift but also a date to her ex’s wedding. She admits her only viable option to both problems is Carter Velasquez, a man who needs a wife by the age of 30 to receive his inheritance. Teal and Carter’s fake marriage may solve both their problems, but living together is anything but easy. Their attraction becomes too tempestuous to ignore as they embark on a search for Teal’s mother. Giving in to temptation might just make them strong enough to face any problem, together.

While I wasn’t a fan of the first book in the series, I decided to give Raquel Vasquez Gilliland another chance, as I liked her writing for the most part. But Lightning in Her Hands was a miss, ironically for somewhat different reasons than with the first book. However, it once again comes back to “great ideas, not-so-great execution.”
The fraught family dynamics were a highlight of book one, and I enjoyed seeing more of that this time around, particularly as Teal is seeking to find her mother. And Teal herself is very compelling, if rather messy. She was previously in an abusive relationship, and I appreciate the compassionate way the trauma is depicted on-page, along with her mental health struggles. And I love the way this ties her personal arc into the series arc around their dysfunctional family, as she’s seeking to mend fences.
This also somewhat ties into the romance, but this is also where I feel like the book dropped the ball. The romance was also a problem in book one, but at least it was prominent. Carter almost feels like a side character in this story, a means to an end, whose only real motivations seem to be oriented around getting his inheritance and being with Teal, and getting together with Teal easily solves the first issue. All the problems are on her end, with her having rejected him in the past, and now having her walls up in the present. Sure, it’s a nice subversion of the common “alpha, tortured hero paired with the sweet heroine” dynamic, but that’s already been subverted quite a bit in mainstream romance, and at least those often give relatively equal weight to both parties at the best of times. Even the “fake marriage” felt like a means to an end, with no real tension or stakes…it was just “will she give in to her feelings?” And that can be great, if the internal tension is properly developed, but I just didn’t feel like it was. Additionally, it all wrapped up much too neatly at the end.
This book missed the mark for me, and I don’t know if I’ll continue reading Raquel Vasquez Gilliland’s books going forward. However, there are some themes I genuinely enjoy that could cause me to reconsider, and I’d recommend this to readers interested in magical realism with a strong focus on messy family dynamics, with a somewhat significant romantic arc.

Lightning in Her Hands is the perfect romance with a touch of magical realism. Raquel Vasquez Gilliand did a wonderful job at representing Mexican culture and creating an incredible universe. Each character felt incredibly real, Teal's emotions are raw and honest. This is the perfect book for fans of Practical Magic and who love witchy elements.

3.5 STARS

In this second story of the Witch of Wild things series, middle sister, Teal Flores, has decided to get her very messy life in order. She has a list of four important things, one of which is to find her missing mother who took something precious from Teal when she left the family years ago. She also wants her best friend since childhood, Carter Velazquez, back in her life. Carter needs Teal in a contrived fake marriage to get his Cuban grandmother to release his inheritance.

Teal has a myriad of mental and physical issues: she is bipolar, was abused by for several years by a boyfriend, and cannot control her “gift” of calling the weather. Often, wherever Teal goes, bad weather including thunder and lightning happens. Teal’s anger management issues do not help either. Teal is determined to be a better person and get back her stolen magic rather than barreling through life in anger, feelings of worthlessness, and grief over something that happened to the youngest sister, Skye.

Carter is quite the cinnamon roll type of husband trying to please everyone and wanting to keep the peace between Teal and his very difficult grandmother. Teal begins to realize how much she wants the fiction to be fact; however, her deep insecurities hold her back from telling Carter how she really feels about him. Teal and her sisters each wield a different kinds of nature related magic and together, they are quite a force to be reckoned with when protecting one another.

In the first story, Teal was an unlikable character for the most part so the author had quite a job to redeem her. While Teal has issues of abandonment and the residual of long-term abuse, she does love her sisters and wants their relationship to be healed. As in the first book, this tale is woman centered with only few men who seem worthy. The author, through her characters, also seems to have a lot of disdain and anger towards Christianity as a whole, and Catholicism in particular. While I think she is a talented writer, the vitriol can be off putting at times. The magical realism aspect of the story is the most entertaining part.

Read if you like:
✨ Magical Stories
🥺 Sad Girl FMC’s
💍 Marriage of Convenience
👦🏼 Boy Next Door
♥️ Friends to Loverd
🔥 Slow-Burns
👯‍♀️ Stories about Family & Sisters
🥈 Second Chances
⚠️ TW Domestic Abuse

Lightning in Her Hands is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of grief, resilience, and the enduring power of family.

The story follows Maria, who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her mother from her life and the piece of her that is missing from the day she left her and her sisters, feeling like an outcast, exiting an abusive relationship, and the loss of her relationship with her best friend.

The portrayal of Maria's grief is both raw and relatable, capturing the nuances of the grieving process with stunning authenticity around her family dynamics, her friendships, and a relationship that wasn’t what you thought it would be and your sense of self that is destroyed by abuse from someone who is supposed to love you.

Lightning in Her Hands is definitely a must-read for fans of magical realism & romances that also deeper topics also addressed . It is a powerful and moving story that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

Thank you so much to Berkley and PRHA for my ARC and ALC in exchange for my review!

Lightning in Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is a captivating and witty tale that had me on the edge of my seat, alternating between laughter and tears. This electrifying romance is a must-read for anyone looking for a beautifully written story that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

This author keeps hitting the spot, I absolutely loved this one. This series is becoming one of my favorites and I want to shove it down everyone’s throats

Lightning in Her Hands is a fun and unique paranormal rom com that follows Teal as she searches for her mother, control of her powers, and a date for her ex’s wedding, and Carter who needs a wife to gain his inheritance. These friends turned lovers turned estranged people soon learn their feelings didn’t end when their relationship did.

Teal and her sisters all have abilities connected to the elements. For Teal, the weather is affected by her emotions. This is a power I definitely would not want to have. lol She can’t hide her feelings very well, as the tumultuous weather proves. She’s an interesting and layered character, who goes through so much throughout the story. I liked Carter too, though he definitely frustrated me at times.

Teal has been abused and emotionally manipulated for years and he, though understanding, doesn’t really get it. He’s being too vague with his feelings and letting her second-guess herself. I hate this. He should know better. And he runs so hot and cold. I’m not loving his character. The fact that he sided with the grandmother earlier and then did this, which feels like a rejection even though I think it’s because she wants a quickie and he wants forever and making love, is so wrong. He has so much groveling to do. He’s so kind and understanding in some ways, it in others, he lacks empathy. I think, like Tral, he is a flawed person who doesn’t always do things right, but that doesn’t necessarily make him unlovable.

They definitely prove by the end that they are perfectly imperfect and they accept each other the way they are, and, overall, I liked their love story. I also really liked the strong messages about family, sisterhood, friendship, self-acceptance, and more. Though it’s a fun and romantic paranormal rom-com, it also has some touching and emotional moments and a lot of heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Berkley for the free book. These opinions are my own.

This is the lovely follow-up to The Witch of Wild Things. We again follow the Flores sisters, this time focusing on Teal. I'll avoid spoiling the first book. Suffice it to say, Teal is facing some key transitional moments in her love life, family, and career. And the most challenging part might be the loss of her closeness to her best friend, Carter. So she asks him to be her wedding date in hopes of reclaiming their relationship.

Carter has loved her for a long time. But her hot and cold treatment of him severed their friendship. She wants to have him back as her best friend. And he needs a marriage of convenience.

More than once, I wished for Carter's POV, as this was only told from Teal's. But it actually made more sense to be structured as it was for the plot. As a reader, I could tell there were things he wasn't sharing.

I loved her goals for self-improvement and to be less selfish. She actively wanted to become a better person, but she had that all tied up with whether she felt worthy of love. I felt so deeply for her.

And of course, I loved all the magical and fantastical elements. Teal's emotions affect the weather. And that mixed well with a strong and accurate depiction of bipolar disorder. This book moved me greatly on several levels.

CW: abuse (before book)

4.5 stars rounded up