Reviewed by Taylin
This is a Series Review of Witchbane Series (Books 1 – 5)
AUTHOR: Morgan Brice
PUBLISHER: Darkwind Press
SERIES REVIEW:
The Witchbane series comprises five novels and one novella. Book six was released on February 8 – and will have an independent review. However, a brief outline of its predecessors is included in a short review.
1 Witchbane – rating 4 – very sexual in a getting-to-know-you way.
1.5 Burn – rating 4.5 – novella, mostly training.
2 Dark Rivers – rating 4.5 – my favorite, with badass action, priests, and military.
3 Flame and Ash – rating 4
4 Unholy – rating 4.5 – Action-packed and well-balanced.
Seth and Evan are the central figures in this series, with other characters making awesome appearances. The story takes off when Seth loses his brother, Jesse, in a paranormal sacrifice of mistaken identity. The tragic event sets Seth on a mission to rid the earth of the warlocks associated with the dark witch/warlock Rhyfel Gremory. On route, Seth encounters Evan – a man destined to become a sacrifice. Instead of death, love brings the two together, and they become hunters of the paranormal.
Each novel can be read as a standalone – thus, there is some repetition of backstory. Overall, the series is superb. In some instances, the stories can be exceptionally sexually charged. Still, with each adventure, there is training, personal growth, progression – And of course, there’s always a supernatural bad guy wanting to upset everything resulting in a big battle at the end.
They aren’t technically brilliant – hence a range of 4 and 4.5’s instead of 5 stars. That aside, the scene-setting and extended cast were superbly written, especially the ghostly encounters, which makes me forgive some technicalities. There were many occasions when shivers went down my spine, and I could imagine myself there. Absolute highlights were the paranormal encounters. I loved how the drama’s played out, and there were occasions when I cried.
This is the series that got me hooked on reading paranormal stories.
SERIES RATING: 
TITLE: Witchbane
RELEASE DATE: February 19, 2018
LENGTH: 246 pages
REVIEW:
While on their way to get video footage of an urban legend, Jesse and his ex-army brother Seth reminisce over childhood pranks and ghost stories. The blurb says that Jesse is murdered, so I’m not giving any spoilers when I say that the moment is relived, and it broke my heart. Rarely have I cried so early in a story. When Seth lost his brother, fate intervened, ensuring he lost everything. He learned the hard way what lurked in the shadows. Jesse’s death was linked to a warlock whose immortal coven renewed the blood pact every year. A mission to become a warrior for good against the paranormal bad guys follows. On route, he encounters Sonny, a conflicted man who sends Seth’s heart aflutter. Both end up putting their lives on the line.
Witchbane contains abundant action of the fighting and bedroom variety, coupled with plenty of emotion.
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TITLE: Burn
RELEASE DATE: September 25, 2018
LENGTH: 120 Pages
REVIEW:
In this installment, Evan, aka Sonny from book one, must get used to fighting supernatural beings. The two are off to Pittsburgh, where it is believed the next sacrifice in the cycle will be. Seth uses some paranormal situations, including the haunted house variety, to train Evan, who soon realizes that dispatching nasties can include getting covered in rotting guts and having the life sucked out of you. While Evan is enthusiastic about learning – the reality of killing is a work in progress. As a result, love may exist between the two, but not necessarily trust – especially as both carry some hefty baggage with all the associated emotional trappings.
Burn is a compact train the newbies, consolidate life, and love novella that I enjoyed. Nearly every dramatic element resulted in tension releasing sex, and I found it amusing how some nasties have a sweet tooth. In this action-packed read, the leads are loveable, and Evan is learning to hold his own.
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TITLE: Dark Rivers
RELEASE DATE: October 23, 2018
LENGTH: 238 Pages
REVIEW:
Life between Seth and Evan is good – working more as partners than questioning acquaintances. Our intrepid heroes make it to Pittsburgh in search of the next warlock, intent on renewing their immortality.
This installment contains more investigative processes, and some aspects send them into supernatural situations that are both information-gathering and deadly. There is a network of mystical fighters throughout the USA who trade information and help each other when needed. These characters add an element to the story that I adored. Evan, too, has some shining moments making him one badass agent against dark forces. The final battle had me glued to the page.
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TITLE: Flame & Ash
RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2019
LENGTH: 229 pages
REVIEW:
In this novel, the hunters become the hunted. Seth and Evan head to the Blue Ridge Mountains to meet up with Seth’s surrogate fathers – Toby and Milo. They combine forces to save the next sacrifice in a warlock’s bid for vengeful immortality. Unfortunately, word has already reached the evil witch’s disciple, who decides to be proactive.
This story of me watching you, watching me, watching everyone else – was different from the others in the series. Meeting the parents’ sparks worries for Evan, which Toby and Milo sense as they want the best for our heroes. As an older person in my 50’s, I passively objected to the way Milo and Toby were as good as described as needing Zimmer frames. Thankfully, the older generation proved that experience has its place.
With Flame and Ash, Evan proves his worth, despite old insecurities being used as a weapon against him. He has effectively earned his hunter stripes and can hold his own. The story contains magic, drama, emotional anguish, wily experience, sex, and men with a cause—a delightful read.
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TITLE: Unholy
RELEASE DATE: February 5, 2020
LENGTH: 224 Pages
REVIEW:
Seth and Evan travel to Charleston to deal with a psycho witch-disciple hellbent on getting his dose of immortality. On route, the couple is involved in an RTA. While in hospital, a curse is forced upon them, making Seth’s touch painful to Evan. It is discovered that the evil dies with the act of death itself – the end of the warlock, Seth, or Evan.
The warlock in question is better prepared, and more powerful than any of those previously faced. Luckily, Seth and Evan acquire their own Scooby gang, including a psychic, a medium, and a vampire. The coalition rallies the troops while, due to the curse, Seth and Evan grow weaker by the day. Intertwined is a series of discoveries that include ghosts, gang warfare, magical black-market dealings, and a whole lot more. This story took a step-up in the fight against supernatural bad guys and broke the pattern of the others in the series. It has a beautiful blend of backstory, drama, angst, love, embedded storylines, new theories, and ass-kicking.
Unholy is the wildest ride thus far in the Witchbane series. There is a lot to like, some parts I loved – I cried at one point. And, there were a couple of places where I wanted to slap someone. However, I found Unholy to be the best-balanced book and a turning point in the overall fight against the Gremory disciples’.
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