Fiction, Paranormal Mystery,

4****

THOUGHTS: This book had an intriguing beginning that drew me right in. I mean, what’s not to love: technology, witches, handsome bosses, intrigue… The writing is good and the story line caught my attention. The world building is really well done. Would I read this again? No. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a good book. The writing is visceral at times and definitely sticks with you, but… is it for me? Unfortunately, no. I’m not the right audience for this book/series. Even though it’s a long book (400+ pages), I stuck with it because I needed to know what was going to happen–and that means it pulled me in. So why didn’t I love it? It gets a little too dark for me in places and I wasn’t enamored of the male main character – he was a little too demanding for me. And the ending… the problem solved, but not exactly a HEA ending. Still, if you like your paranormal thrillers a little on the darker side with demons and all that implies, pick this one up.

BLURB: My mother was a wicked witch. Her spells brought nothing but trouble. Since her death, with no power of my own, I’ve stayed far away from magic . . . In a San Francisco struggling with earthquakes and rising seas, where technology can do things that are close enough to magic, Maggie Lachlan is a computer whisperer. The one they call when no one else can find the elusive bug bringing a complex system to its knees. They call her the TechWitch. But she knows there’s nothing magical about what she does. It’s just hard-earned skill. So, when billionaire Damon Riley, owner of the world’s biggest virtual reality gaming company, comes calling with a problem that his entire empire of geeks can’t fix, Maggie leaps at the job. Riley Arts is the kind of place she feels at home. All tech. No magic. Except, perhaps, for the undeniable chemistry she has with the man in charge. But she never imagined stepping into one of Damon’s games would break a spell she didn’t know she was under and free the magic her mother said she didn’t possess. Now she has a demon hunting her and the magical world she knows nothing about to navigate. To save herself—and the world—she needs to learn fast. Because, when it comes to magic, the games are wicked. And losing can be deadly.