I enjoyed Dirty Magic enough to buy Cursed Moon, and I've been rewarded with a compelling challenge for the characters, and strong character arcs that I very much enjoyed. I'll be back, Kate. :) ( )

Good second book in a series, with solid character development and a lot more exploration of the particulars of this urban fantasy's magic systems. Recommended if you're looking for believable female protagonists with real motivations despite the urban fantasy trappings. ( )

*I read this book for my own enjoyment.

Halloween's in two weeks. The full blue moon is the double full moon this month and has people acting all sorts of crazy. The police have their hands full so MEA, Kate's team, is helping to subdue events. Then things take a turn for a scary future. Aphrodite Johnson has one of her Houses of Worship robbed, $50,000 of powerful sex magic potions stolen. The hint of the Raven, new thief in town, they are looking for comes from Kate's Uncle Abe. The big show from this new threat is planned to happen on Halloween when the blue moon is at it's fullest.

No more introduction. We know Kate and her close friends, or those that she doesn't consider friends, well and get right into work. Yes! This is what I want. Jaye does remind us of events in the previous book as the story goes because those events affect current places of the characters mentally and physically, but we are fully focused here in this book.

I feel for Kate in this book. She's working hard to keep her family and dear friends safe along with keeping her big secret from them all. The guilt over the secret has her feeling worse and worse with everything that happens, and seeing John Volos getting all the admiration and love from her littler brother... which is part of her secret. It's eating Kate from the inside out. It seems like no matter how hard she tries, everything just keeps piling on.

This is what I wanted! Kate's anxiety and internal stress is growing and I can feel it. It's terrible to watch life as people react to what you did, but they don't know it was you. The good and the bad that resonate from it, the love and hate that's felt.

Kate and her friends. Her relationship with her brother Danny is cracking. Danny's upset with her not being around like she use to be, but there's more to it too. Pen knows something is up with Kate, she's been drinking more and gets a feel for something else. John Volos... oh he's a slippery slope for Kate. She hates him, yet there's something else. I guess that first love never really leaves, but you know it's not a good relationship. John's not as prominent in this book but he's here, a shadow in Kate's life and mind. Is he holding the secret over Kate's head? Will he act against her uncle? Or will John get in more trouble? Only time will tell. Then there's Morales. I really enjoy him and Kate together. They have an easy banter and sixth sense as partners when it comes to work. They trust each other and know how to work together.

Kate feels the temptation to read potion signatures and cook. This is the withdrawal from cooking in the first book. Just that one time has a pull on her. And she likes it. Kate fights herself and pulls through, but she'll realize that magic is a part of her. She has to figure out how to handle that. For me, I loved this part of the book. Kate faces her demons in magic and who she is. This makes Kate stronger to me.

Another demon Kate faces is her uncle. I love seeing her go toe to toe with the man verbally. I just hope she can stay ahead of him because there is a lot of work to do in order to not fall under his thumb.

We learn more about Adepts. We know they aren't suppose to be affected by potions. But in this book we see it happen. The double blue moon causes the immunity usually seen to not be as strong, and Adepts are struck with the same results as humans.

Yes! This is what I want. Police in a world that uses potions (magic-ly made). I am once again taken with how closely related the magical potions run to drugs in our world. The magical potions gives the story an urban fantasy feel but it could very easily be replaced with drugs from our world. The world is a bit grittier here too. A feel I really enjoy. ( )

Wonderful character development

I read some reviews before buying this book, and while it was explicit in one scene and violent, there was excellent, human, painful character development within the rawness. I look forward to the next book, and I am interested in seeing where Kate, Volo, and Abe end up.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A madman is planning something big for the people of the Cauldron, and it’s up to Kate Prospero and the agents of the MEA to stop him in this thrilling second book in the Prospero’s War series.

Opening Sentence: If you want to know your future, the last person to ask is a fortune-teller.

The Review:

Kate Prospero has been fighting a lot of personal demons since closing her first big case with the MEA. Only one other person knows that she cooked the potion that saved her brother’s life. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, she’s still clean. Keeping the secret is beginning to take its toll. Friends are thinking she’s drinking too much, her brother Danny thinks she’s working too much, and her temper is wearing pretty thin. Amidst all this personal turmoil, she has yet another big case. One of the most powerful people in the Cauldron has been robbed, and the theft makes Kate realize that someone is planning to cause a lot of chaos in the city. With the Blue Moon approaching, the countdown is on. Will Kate and the rest of the MEA be able to track down the thief before he unleashes his new weapon on the world?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was really excited to have the chance to read and review this one. Thankfully, this book was just as enjoyable as the first one. It was fast paced and full of the humor that I loved in the first book. I think my only complaint would be that it took me a little bit of time to get my bearings and remember how the world worked since it had been a while since I had read the first book. There was a bit of recapping, but this is definitely a series that needs to be read in order.

One of my favorite things about this series is how Jaye Wells is able to make a world full of magic seem so realistic. This comes through especially in the relationships Kate has with the secondary characters. Her relationship with Danny continues to make me feel very emotional as I read certain scenes. I get so wrapped up in the book that I feel like I’m Kate, so the problems she’s having with Danny feel like they’re my problems as well.

Another aspect of the book that feels very real is how Kate handles her relapse and how it affects her relationships. There were many times I found myself feeling very frustrated with Kate and how she responded to certain situations, but even through my frustration, I felt that how she was acting was very true to life. Because of that, I found myself feeling even more connected to her despite my frustration.

For those looking for a bit of romance, they’ll be disappointed with this installment. There are developments on the romance front, but they’re very slight, and it’s much more of a detective story than a romance. As someone who loves romance, I honestly didn’t miss it. I was so wrapped up in everything else that was going on that I really didn’t care. That more than anything should show how much I enjoyed this book. I’m very much looking forward to book three!

Notable Scene:

His costume–too short for his five-foot-and-spare-change frame–was a green double-breasted blazer, matching tights, and two black shoes with shiny silver buckles. A bowler hat on his head tipped jauntily forward over greasy brown hair. And on each cheek, he’d painted a jagged black lightning bolt.

He turned to face us, and a small plume of glittery golden powder spilled from the cauldron’s wide mouth.

I had my weapon in my hand before you could say Erin go Bragh. “Stand down!” I shouted in my best or-I’ll-shoot tone.

A single black brow disappeared under the brim of the hat. His gaze went to the salt flare gun in my hand. Every criminal in the Cauldron knew that the rock salt’s purpose was as much about inflicting pain as it was neutralizing magic.

Beside me, Morales aimed his Glock at the guy. “Put down the cauldron!”

As it turned out, fake leprechauns are surprisingly fast runners. One second he was staring down the barrels of our guns, and the next the bastard took off. The tails of his jacket flapped in the breeze, and it was a miracle of physics that he managed to keep his hat attached to his head. Morales and I exchanged shocked looks and took after the little shit.

“We need EMS at Pioneer Square,” I yelled into my phone. “Two officers down and several civilians hexed.”

“Ten-four, Detective Prospero,” the dispatcher replied. “On their way.”

“Stay with him,” Morales snapped. “I’ll cut through the alley and head him off at the intersection.”

He veered off to the left. I dug in and ignored the burning in my thighs. My gaze locked in on the sequined clover mocking me from the back of the leprechaun’s coat.

A high-pitched, potion-mad giggle taunted me. “Ye can’t catch the Leprechaun Man!”

I considered shooting the asshole in his pot of gold.

FTC Advisory: Orbit provided me with a copy of Cursed Moon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )