Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: The Enchanter’s Flame

SERIES: The Ellwood Chronicles #1

AUTHOR: Michele Notaro

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 245 Pages

RELEASE DATE: August 18, 2018

BLURB:

Strange things are happening all around Brinnswick. Things that remind me of a piece of my past I’d rather forget. Girls are being killed, drained of blood, and left with strange markings on their bodies. When I finally connect the cases together, a specialist is called in—though, what he’s a specialist of is beyond me.
When the chief assigns him as my new partner for the case, I can’t help but groan on the inside. Why of all people would I be assigned to Ailin Ellwood? The man is a disaster waiting to happen and a jerk to boot. A sexy jerk, but a jerk nonetheless.
What will Sebastian think when he discovers Ailin’s specialty? Will he make a run for it or will he stick around and discover a world of magic hidden beneath the city’s surface?

REVIEW:

I never use to be a fan of anything that even gave a whiff of fantasy. Witches and demons and any other sort of paranormal creature? No thank you. But lately I’ve been on an absolute fantasy binge read. I just can’t get enough of them. I’ve read the good, the bad, and the very very ugly, but The Enchanter’s Flame by Michele Notaro has definitely been a highlight.

For this series the author has created a new world, but for the most part it’s exactly like the one we live in now. Our main character, Sebastian is a detective who has recently transferred to the Brinnswick Central Agency just in time to catch a case of grisly murders where young women are found carved up and drained of blood. His boss, who is luckily “in the know”, calls in a specialist to help Sebastian solve the case. Ailin is, unbeknownst to Sebastian, more than just the Goth bad-boy he presents as. He’s the most powerful witch in the country, which is an obvious shock to Sebastian who has no idea that paranormal creatures exist.

I really liked what the author did with this story. While it is the first book in what I believe will be a trilogy, it has one complete story arch to satisfy the readers while setting the scene for what is still to come. We learn about some of the different magical beings out there and how they affiliate with each other. We get to know the good guys and some bad guys and get an idea of how some of the magic world’s dynamics work.

There isn’t any rush to get Ailin and Sebastian into a relationship and they argue their way through the majority of this story. Even when Sebastian does grudgingly start liking his new partner, he still frequently lets Ailin know that he’s an asshole. The author takes the time to really let us know both main characters individually and then as a couple. We are also introduced to some great secondary characters, mainly in the form of Ailin’s large and complicated family. I am dying to see more of these guys in the next books of the series.

While the ending isn’t a cliffhanger, it leaves us with some revelations about our studdly detective that will leave you desperate for his story to continue and gives us a sneak peek at the next batch of bad guys our men will face. Meanwhile, I’m going to have to check out this author’s other books as I patiently wait for the Ellwood Chronicles #2.

RATING: 

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