Asheville Arcana The magic touch. Ever since Harlan Edgewood was bitten by a possessed werewolf, his monthly shifts have been agonizing. When he meets Whimsy Hickes–a mage who specializes in transformation–the attraction is mutual. But Harlan believes his curse is too great a burden to inflict on any romantic partner. Fortunately, Whimsy thinks he can help. When Harlan is provoked into an … help.
When Harlan is provoked into an unexpected change, Whimsy uses his magic to help ease Harlan’s pain, but with an unexpected consequence. While he’s shifted, Harlan’s wolf claims Whimsy as his mate.
As they draw closer, suspicious events in the Asheville magical community escalate. Shifters are disappearing, others are murdered, and Harlan’s curse makes him an obvious target. It will take all of Whimsy’s magic to force back the rising evil–and if he fails, Harlan will lose not only his life, but his very soul.
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(If you are searching for this book on Amazon, it has been recovered and author listed as Rachel Langella https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Fire-Asheville-Arcana-Book-ebook/dp/B08KQK3PKG).
300 plus year-old wolf shifter Harlan has discovered his fated mate is 28 year-old mage Whimsy. But just as they find each other, more demon appeared. Eli and Arden and Julian are back from book 1 and together they work to solve the mystery. The love between Whimsy and Harlan grows during this time, but on Halloween night at all comes their greatest threat.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than book 1. It picks up more or less where book one left off, so there wasn’t a lot of background information to slog through. I really enjoyed watching the two main characters fall in love over time especially considering the bond was only felt on the werewolf’s side. The action scenes and dialogue were well done, and I enjoyed the final bonding seen a lot.
And what a fantastic ending. I’m very excited to move on to book 3.
ARC received for an honest review
This is the 2nd book of the Asheville Arcana series. It has Harlan a lycanthrope, turned by a possessed werewolf that is over 300 yrs old. In his previous life he was a Quaker and he hasn’t exactly been living it up the last 300 yrs. He meets Whimsy the mage that we met in book 1 and is instantly attracted but doesn’t want to act on it because of his curse. Whimsy on the other hand doesn’t seem to have a problem with Harlan being a lycanthrope and has vowed to help Harlan in his next transition.
There is more world building to add to what we learned from book 1. Harlan and Whimsy have great chemistry. There’s very little sex in the book but it’s explained well as to why and it’s fitting for the story. Getting to read more from previous characters was great too. The bad guy ends up being someone who’s supposed to be on the good side and it’s not really a surprise but it’s not glaringly obvious either. I really enjoyed this continuing sage in the Asheville Arcana series and I definitely recommend it to others.
Ari McKay was new to me until I this series caught my eye, and I just can’t get enough of these characters. The romance between Harlan and Whimsy is so sweet as they get to know each other and learn to trust in their feelings. Harlan’s innocence is absolutely adorable, especially given his age and how he became a wolf. And Whimsy! Whimsy is, hands down, one of the most lovable characters that I’ve ever come across, and this pair is so just so good together. In addition to the sweet, we do get a bit of sexy with the romance. Of course, it’s not all sunshine and roses for this pair and their pals. There’s the matter of demons and who could be behind them to add some suspense and action to the story. The conclusion is somewhat open ended and I can’t wait to see what might be next for this wonderful group.