Review originally posted at RabidReads.ca.
I was glad to get back into the world of Detective Kate Prospero. They are coming up on Halloween, but also a Blue Moon, which isn’t good for magic. Magic is more potent and people are taking advantage and stirring up trouble. Her MEA (Magical Enforcement Agency) team are helping the BPD just to keep things calm. That is until one of the major coven leaders is robbed.
Aphrodite Johnson is the leader of the O Coven. S/he is the Hierophant of the Mystical Coven of the Sacred Orgasm. S/he is also a hermaphrodite. S/he is literally half male and half female. As in draw a line down the center of her body and one side was very feminine and the other very masculine. One side is usually in charge, which you can tell by mannerisms and voice. You use the pronouns that go with that gender. If you aren’t in her/m present you use the combo pronouns or just use her/m name. Kate also has a past with Aphrodite. Her mom was very high up in this coven.
In this story, Kate has to find the person who stole some pretty potent rape potions that were stolen from Aphrodite. The thief seems to stay one step ahead of her team. He keeps the team running circles. Especially when someone really important ends up dead. Her Uncle Abe, who is in prison and the leader of one of the most powerful covens in the Cauldron, wants to help, but Kate doesn’t want his help because it will come with a price. Kate is also fighting some demons and guilt from actions in the previous story. Her relationship with Danny and Pen are strained. Even Baba is worried about her.
Again, I had a great time with all the characters. Most are back in the picture. The MEA team, Morales, Mez, Shadi and Gardner. Her neighbor and mundane witch, Baba. Danny, Kate’s little brother that she is raising. Pen, her best friend. John Volos, her ex-boyfriend and up and coming city figure. He is somewhere between a villain and a good guy. He hasn’t really shown his cards yet. We also get to meet Uncle Abe for the first time.
This was again a great story. It is has a wonderful mix of action, magic, characters, snark and suspense to keep me turning the pages. I really love the interesting characters she creates. They are so unique, especially Aphrodite and Little Man and Mary. I love seeing the detective work, but I also really enjoy seeing her struggle with real life. The issues with Danny and Pen and even Baba while still getting her job done is something I can see even mundane cops having problems with. I can’t wait to see where the series go from here.
I should mention that you really want to start with book one in this series, though things are explained pretty well in this book. But I think to really understand Kate’s struggles with what happened in the first book, you need to experience it first.
Her smug look made me want to punch that makeup off her face. She thought she’d somehow discovered a weakness. She was wrong, though. Weakness came from shame, and I was not ashamed of my mom or my past. And maybe if I kept repeating that over and over in my head, I’d finally believe it.
Mean, I could handle, but mean and stupid was a lethal combination.