Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Signs and Wonders
SERIES: Witchbane #7
AUTHOR: Morgan Brice
PUBLISHER: Darkwind Press
LENGTH: 211 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2023
BLURB:
When a coven of dark warlocks killed Seth Tanner’s brother, Seth became a man driven by vengeance, sworn to stop the cycle of ritual killings, willing to die for the cause. He never expected to fall head over heels in love with the witches’ next intended victim. Evan Malone didn’t believe the supernatural was real until Seth swept in with his magic and motorcycle to save him from being the next sacrifice.
Now they’ve gone on the road together, hunting the rest of the coven while they figure out how to keep the white-hot, once-in-a-lifetime bond between them. Days are filled tracking their paranormal quarry, honing their monster hunting skills, and gaining control of the small magics that have made a life-or-death difference. Nights are spent together, entangled in adrenaline-fueled passion, learning how to make this love last forever despite the odds. Seth fears that if they don’t eliminate the rest of the coven, they’ll be on the run forever, and more people will die. Evan is afraid that Seth’s obsession with revenge means they might not survive to get a happily ever after.
Seth and Evan head to West Virginia to confront one of the dark warlocks, a master con man running a cybercrime empire. Can Seth and Evan save the warlock’s next target, bring down his crime syndicate, and live to tell the tale?
Signs and Wonders is a thrill-packed supernatural thrill ride with plenty of paranormal suspense, hurt/comfort, hot nights, found family, deadly magic, immortal witches, determined hunters, haunted places, creepy ghosts, impressive explosions, spooky chills, and sexy thrills, and features an evolving, established romantic relationship with all the feels.
REVIEW:
When Seth saved Evan’s life, they also fell in love. Now, they are on the road, rescuing others from the same fate. But when will it end? Neither would change what they do, but the prospect of not surviving the next job and not growing old together weighs heavy.
Signs and Wonders is the seventh book in the Witchbane Series. There are twelve warlocks to dispose of in the overall arc, so unless some books double up, we can look forward to more installments in this highly recommended adventure. As for book seven, I very much enjoyed this tale of ghosts, relationship growth, power boost murders, a tech-savvy warlock, and good vs evil. After a bit of a hiatus, it was a welcome return to the series and to characters I’ve come to love.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Seth and Evan. Thoughts were written in italics, making them easy to recognize and read. The scene setting traverses the beautiful West Virginia countryside, which is also spooky enough to contain a remote retreat, a hospital asylum, a quiet government zone, and plenty of paranormal entities that need encouragement to move on. Morgan Brice’s writing style also seamlessly flowed together all the scenes.
Evan and Seth experience a blip in their relationship when events prompt thoughts of what comes next, whether we can walk away from this fight, etc. They’ve been so busy ridding the world of warlock disciples that they didn’t have time to wonder if the war was worth the price. It was lovely to read these – stop and pause – moments to see Evan and Seth think of each other’s needs and the way forward.
By now, Evan and Seth are confident experienced hunters who know their strengths and limitations. They encounter future recruits to the cause and have a network of contacts that help them win the good fight. It was great to see them have a few tricks up their sleeves that put them ahead of the game, including traditional amulets, magic, and some impressive hacking.
Cameron is the latest descendant destined to be a warlock’s sacrifice. His relationship with his best friend, Tyler, was sweet. Having grown up in a traditionally homophobic state, they gained hope from the bond they saw between Evan and Seth – provided they got to survive the impending threat to Cameron’s life.
While the journey between Evan and Seth is superb – the scene stealers in this story (and previous ones) are Travis and Brent. I cheered whenever these two were on the page. They are old hands at this paranormal gig, rock solid, and provide backup to Seth and Evan. The way ex-priest Travis co-opts the services of willing ghosts was blooming awesome. And I had a fangirl moment when a favorite from a past book also made an itty-bitty appearance.
In conclusion, all I have to say is – wuhoooooooo welcome back to Morgan Brice and Witchbane.
RATING: 
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