He can hold lightning in his hand, but will love slip through his fingers?Jude Sullivan has one more chance to prove he isn’t a danger to the paranormal community. If he fails, he’ll be stripped of his magic, a painful process to make a witch human. As a test, the Coven sends him to Mercy South, Colorado, to stop a creature that’s been mutilating cows and scaring the locals. Jude hates cows and … Jude hates cows and small towns. The Coven should’ve sent a nature witch.
Rob Mackenzie is the local mechanic and bear shifter. If the locals knew his secret, they’d run him out of town. He wants someone to really know him and not be afraid. With several chewed-up cows and some other weird happenings, he’s wondering if he’s no longer the strangest creature in Mercy.
After meeting Mack, Jude thinks he’s found the cause of the trouble. But the trouble is only just getting started when Mack realizes he’s Jude’s fated mate. As the cow-mutilating creature starts hunting in town, Mack and Jude will have to quit fighting their attraction and each other, to stop the creature from killing again.
For readers who love fated mates, bear shifters and small town gay romance.
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I like Jude and Mack. They are interesting characters with an interesting dynamic. The subplots were entertaining. I wouldn’t mind a more creative twist to the ‘unseen overlords controlling a character’s destiny’ scenario though. I have a bit of trouble empathizing with a character who is intimidated by the powers that be. Jude certainly thumbs his nose at them, but doesn’t seem to have a plan for fighting back even though his incredible power is the source of his problems. I suppose this is part of Jude’s struggle to find himself. Sigh.
I did enjoy the story, and I am curious about the rest of the series. I really appreciated the vivid descriptions of the supernatural creatures and the scenery. The action scenes were also nicely depicted.
The narration was well performed.
3.5 stars-
The Witch’s Familiar had an intriguing storyline complete with multiple paranormal creatures/characters existing within the contemporary world. I love this author’s attention to detail and ability to create worlds, and the magical elements in Witch’s Familiar were done really well.
I loved the idea of strangers brought together to face a common enemy. I also liked many of the aspects about Jude and Mack’s magic and abilities, especially how they were enhanced by their shared connection. Fated mates are a funny thing though. The connection notoriously happens quickly, and to sell that, I want that palpable magnetism. Unfortunately, I never felt very invested in Mack and Jude or their romance, and definitely not nearly as much as I was in their quest to fend off the hellhounds. Really, for the bulk of the story, things felt convenient and superficial and I was a bit underwhelmed with the romance component. Going forward, I don’t know if I’ll read more from this new series, but if I do, I think I’ll be looking for the good paranormal stories and action sequences and expect less of a love story, and I’d recommend Witch’s Familiar to those looking for a fast, intriguing paranormal story with a good plotline with a secondary romantic element.
Mack the town mechanic feels he is unable to get close to anyone because he is a bear shifter. Jude is a witch with rare magic needs to prove he is not a danger is sent to Mark’s town to find out who the creature is terrorizing the town.
Jude and Mack have an instant attraction to each other and with just one kiss they start to bond as fated mates.
I really enjoyed this story from the characters to the story line and the mystery mixed in. I definitely recommend this book!
Jude is a witch, he’s an electrical witch. He isn’t always in control of his power, so the coven decides to test him. He must discover who or what is behind the slaughter in Mercy South in Colorado. If he failed, he will be strip of his power.
Rod is the mechanic of Mercy South and the only shifter in town. He’s a bear shifter and he know that something is wrong with what happens to the cows of the local farmers. When Jude comes in town, at first Rod only see a hot young man, but when he understands who and what Jude is, things change radically for both.
I liked this book, it was an easy read, well written, funny with good action and magic.
Jude and Rod have an immediate attraction, but when they realize they’re fated mates, familiar/witch mate, things change. Jude wants a mate, but he’s scared to fail his mission and to lose his magic and Rod in the process. Rod dreams to have a special someone in his life who will know who he really is, but he doesn’t want to be at the mercy of a witch, someone he will have to submit.
I loved them both, they’re funny, hot and adorable together. Jude is sassy while Rod is quiet. They’re a perfect match, they both need each other, they just need time to understand it.
I will gladly follow this series; this book was a great start.
I got caught up in this story very quickly. I loved the world building and the characters, and the mix kept me absorbed from start to finish.
The twist on a witch’s familiar was very clever, and I love stories about fated mates, so I was very happy to read a story that combined the two. Jude and Mack also have an opposites attract vibe going on several levels. I liked the two of them together and the instant lust/fated mates pull that they both try to deny and resist. I liked how they got to know each other and how that friendship progressed to love.
I loved the magic system. Jude’s power is very cool. I liked how the magic users in this world have to follow rules, and that there’s a council with not quite straightforward motives pulling a lot of strings. Mack is fabulous as a bear shifter.
I enjoyed the action scenes, especially the showdown with the creature, and how Jude and Mack have to work together to survive. Their bond has some rather neat aspects to it, some of which I hadn’t read before. The Coven is a real piece of work, and I disliked them from the word go, especially one in particular who has it in for Jude. I hope we get to learn more about the Coven, and what Landstrom’s issue is, in other books in the series.
I’m very happy this is book 1 in a new series, and I’m already looking forward to reading them.
The Witch’s Familiar by TJ Nichols is the first book in the Witch’s Familiar series. I liked this one. It is a very different take on witches and what it means to be familiar too.
Jude is an electro mage. He is just learning his powers and the limits on those powers. He is reckless sometimes, and at others far too hard on himself. He has to do this job for the Coven and if he messes it up, he will be stripped of his powers.
I liked Jude. He is a good soul with spirit. He might be young, but he is only just begun.
Mack lives in Mercy. He owns his own auto repair shop. He is a bear shifter who can never tell anyone that. He is a good-natured man who really needs someone to call his own.
Mack is a complicated character, I found him to be perfect for Jude someone older to ground him when he needs it.
Overall, I loved this introduction to this series, I cannot wait to see where this series goes next.
Five Shooting Stars
Independent reviewer for Gay Romance reviews, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I liked this, a LOT!
Jude has magic, but his control isn’t the best. Dent to find out what is killing cows in a small town is his last chance to become a fully fledged member of the Coven. Failure will result in his magic being stripped. Meeting bear shifter Mack gives Jude his culprit, but also, his familiar and Jude was NOT expecting that. Mack, as a shifter, is wary of the familiar tag: so much bad history between witches and their control over their familiar, so he ain’t happy. But Jude makes him feel, like he hasn’t in a long time, and if they get out of this alive, he may well just keep his mate.
I wasn’t quite sure at which point this book turned around, but at the beginning, I really was in two minds about whether I would continue. Somewhere along the way, that changed and I really enjoyed it!
Jude is an electro-mage: he can create electricity, lightning and things. Mack is a bear shifter, the only one in town. The thing that is killing cows in paranormal, and will require a paranormal solution. Alone, neither man is powerful enough to take one on, but together, they might just be able to do it.
Neither man wants the bond, not at first, and I loved how they both fought it, but realised that they needed it to be able to beat the creature. Loved that there was *quite literally* sparks flying between them when they touched! Loved that, while hot and sexy, it’s not ever so explicit. Bit gory in places, describing what the creature did to the cows, and when they were fighting, but not particularly graffic. Needed, I think.
Both man have a say, in the third person. So we get Jude’s immediate reaction to the familiar bond, and Mack’s dawning awareness of it. We get them both fighting the bond, and then their acceptence of it. We get all the feelings from these guys as they swing back and forth between those two points.
There is something else going on with the man on the Coven board and why he was so keen to have Jude stripped of his magic. Thinking maybe a power trip? But not sure if what was said, was it, you know? Some things were explained but maybe I missed something. I dunno, maybe that will come in another book, or not. But hey? Might just be me!
This is, as far as I can see, the first I’ve read of Nichols, and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a wet Wednesday morning!
4 good solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Hope and Home
What happens when a witch and a bear shifter kiss? A whole lot of fun and trouble. I’m a fan of fates mates and magic, so when the two are combined it catches my interest. Jude and Mack are quite the pair and although a bit stubborn, I enjoyed seeing them learn to work together and fall in love. There are a few people in this series that concern me and I wonder if we will deal with them again. A charged beginning to a series.
This book started out slowly and was quite repetitive but after the midpoint things improved quite a bit and the last 20% was much more suspenseful and held me quite enthralled. The unevenness is a problem as I was tempted to stop reading several times. Additionally there are story elements which are introduced but not dealt with and I can’t tell from this book whether this is an ongoing series with the same characters so there’s some overarching story arc or if we’re left to wonder.
The MCs here are Jude, an electro mage witch who is sent to solve a problem for the Coven as a test to determine if he gets to keep his magic or not, and Mack, a bear shifter in the small town Jude is sent to. When it turns out that Mack is Jude’s familiar the stakes in Jude’s test are raised significantly.
There’s a good deal of background information missing here and since this world differs significantly from widely accepted shifter mythology some more world building was necessary. Additionally the whole concept of this Coven governing body for all paranormals is way out there so much more information was required on that, particularly as the idea of suspect motivations is introduced. It’s definitely necessary at the ending as we are left totally up in the air as to what’s happening with the members of the Board.
The book could have used the services of a good editor. Perhaps a lot of the redundancies could have been dealt with so we didn’t feel as if we were treading the same ground repeatedly. Also, one of my big pet peeves is non-American authors setting a book in the US but not cleaning up the English appropriately. Setting is a bit part of the story for me and if the author can’t get that right then it tells me they either didn’t care or didn’t do any type of research. Those errors take me head out of the story and that’s a cardinal sin for me.
In conclusion, the story had lots of promise and it’s an interesting premise. The action scenes at the end were exciting. But world building and setting were weak. A good editor could have most likely solved just about all the problems with the book.
**I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review.**
The Witch’s Familiar is the first novella in TJ Nichols’ series, Familiar Fates. It tells the story of the witch Jude and bear shifter Mack. Jude is sent to a small town to investigate the killings of local farm life he has to prove he isn’t always a screw up in order to save his magic from being stripped from him. When he first meets Mack he pegs him for the killer but discovers he’s actually his familiar / mate. Somehow Jude has to stop the creature from killing, keep his magic and figure out what to do about his familiar.
I really loved both of the main characters. Jude is a bit of a mess, but he is kind and just trying his best. Mack was grumpy and growly < hehe get it because he's a bear shifter , I crack myself up> Together they were cute and I loved the way they were both wanting the best for each other even when they wanted to remove the familiar bond.
I very much enjoyed the authors writing style and their ability to make a novella length story not feel like it was missing anything (even though lets be honest I wouldn’t have turned down more intimate scenes between the two of them). This was a quick, fun read, and I am very interested in reading TJ Nichols other books and will be keeping an eye out for the future books in this series.
The Witch’s Familiar by TJ Nichols is the first book iin the Familiar mates series. This is a paranormal m/m romance with shifters, witches, fated mates, magic, and suspense. This story had me trapped in its paws and wouldn’t let go…. I loved every moment and was anxious to see what would come next for these characters as they went on their search. I can not wait to see what the next book in the series will bring me.