D’Anu witch Silver Ashcroft walks a perilous line by practicing gray magic—but she must protect herself and the ones she loves at all costs. Silver witnesses evil beyond comprehension, and knows it’s up to her, alone. That is, until she meets Hawk.Hawk is a Tuatha D’Danann warrior, one of the powerful beings descended from the Fae. In his world, duty has always come before pleasure. When he meets … pleasure. When he meets Silver, the lines blur and the sensual witch might be too much of a distraction from the terrors that lie in wait.
Only the strongest will survive the upcoming battle in San Francisco. The forces of darkness have become more powerful than ever. Warrior and witch must trust in their hearts above all else—for to claim victory, they must first claim each other.
*The Forbidden was formerly published with the title Forbidden Magic
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Overall this was a good book and enjoyable read. There were a couple of things that bothered me, but not enough to stop me from enjoying the story. First off, when I started reading, it felt as if I was farther along in the story than the beginning, like I was missing some information. Secondly, the length of the book was a little much for me. I am good for twenty to twenty five chapters, easy, but when it exceeds thirty my attention wavers and my focus shifts and I have a hard time continuing. There was just so much information in this book, a little of it overwhelming, like a mental overload (but this was me, not on the author at all). The readers are introduced to a whole new world of good versus evil, fascinating creatures from both sides, including the human world helping to fight to maintain balance. There is a lot of backstory to be told to help us understand the dynamics of the ongoing battle, heroes and villains. There was plenty of information provided on all sides to understand and keep up with the characters and their struggles. The story takes place in San Francisco and the focus centers around the D’Anu witches who practice white magic and do not believe in revenge or taking a life for any reason, they use their powers to do no permanent harm. The heroine, Silver Ashcroft, already walks a thin line. She is a gray witch and a strong one and she struggles with her magic time and again being seduced by the evil and black magic. She does her best to keep herself in check, keeping these powers hidden from her coven, until a huge threat emerges; a terrible evil that has risen to decimate her coven and bring her over to the dark side, as well as unleash their wrath on the world. After a surprise warning from a Tuatha D’Danann warrior, a powerful descendent of the Fae, she is dismissed by her coven when she asks for assistance to summon the warriors to help so she takes it upon herself to do what they will not. She performs a ritual to summon these powerful beings to help protect the world and eliminate the evil that threatens them all. One of the enforcers to arrive is none other than Hawk, the warrior who came first with the warning. They are drawn to one another in the midst of the horrors that surround them and that pull is too much to resist. Hawk is battling his own personal demons, mourning the loss of his wife and sworn to not love another. He has to keep his head on the battle and his heart protected. However, the more he gets to know Silver the more he is drawn to her spirit, her courage and her beauty. The two form a bond of understanding and strength and ultimately love as they fight to protect the city from the unleashed evil and banish it once and for all. There are surprises, twists and turns as well as grief, loss, turmoil and humor, wit, romance, action and suspense. This was a fascinating world with an engaging story and captivating characters. Though Silver and Hawk’s story is concluded in The Forbidden, the overall storyline and battle will continue in The Seduced; the second installment in the Dark Sorcery series. I look forward to learning more about the Tuatha D’Danann warriors and the strong witches that stand by their side in battle. *I was gifted an ARC by the author and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.