Casey Wolfe

Synopsis
Rowan is a prodigy of magic, he’s taken two out of five masters in the Schools of Magic and set up an enchantment shop – named “Charmed to Meet You”! His only friend (outside of school) is a werewolf named Caleb, who consider him part of his pack. They’re both gay.

Shaw works for the Inquisition, the organization charged with policing the magical races collectively known as magicae. Recently, it has come under scrutiny as magicae begin to disappear and reports of violence increase. With secrets of his own on the line, Shaw is willing to risk everything to find out just what is going on behind all the locked doors.

When Rowan and Shaw are entangled in each other’s worlds, it becomes evident that their hearts are as much at risk as their lives. They must find the truth and stop a conspiracy before it’s too late.

My thoughts
Rating out of five: four stars


It was a fun and easy read, I picked up the book and then almost didn’t put it down as I read the story in a couple hours. A couple times I stopped just wondering why I was still intrigued, because nothing much was going on. Rowan comes out of his shell a bit as Caleb and Shaw forces him to look up from his textbooks and work long enough to go out with them. It hit a bit too close to home as he lists his interests and I’m noting down that I need to go out more myself. Still it takes skill to write so good characters, this book had a cozy atmosphere and I enjoyed reading their banter. Shaw and Rowans relationship moved quickly, which left me wondering where the author would go from there. But they let Shaw and Rowan keep just enough secrets for themselves, for reasons that seemed natural like building up trust, and it worked out and fit with the plot. Caleb was definitely my favourite character as he’s a bit snarky and wilder, but also protective and just cool. I think I liked this book because of the same reason as I liked “The Raven Cycle” by Maggie Stiefvater – it’s more the characters than the story.

A trio of one mage, one werewolf and a newcomer witch, all gay, walks into a bar ... and they become bestfriends and have a good time for the most part. That’s how I view this book. There was spent a lot of time early on in the book to set up the world and Shaw and Rowans groups and daily life, towards the end it’s more action in a very satisfying way. I like how Rowan is a prodigy in magic because of talent and that he works hard, but he’s still has flaws and more to learn.

While I was reading this book I found the lack of action in the beginning somewhat boring along with a few predictable twists, like I knew who the dark witch they were looking for was going to be. But afterwards, thinking back, this book just gives me this warm cozy feeling that even I can’t explain. It has grown on me? I think and hope this book needed time to set up and that I’ll get to read more plot unfold in the second book.



some favourite quotes (SPOILERS)
“Why do you think I live out here?” Rowan asked after a while. “I assume because you like nature.” “I do, but it’s more than that.” Rowan turned around. “If I’m out here, I can’t hurt anybody else. I trained hard at the Guild so that I could control this.”

“Drink,” he ordered, working at the bindings. Rowan popped the cork, a little smoke rising from the potion. “Not inspiring,” he muttered, tossing it back before he could think better of it.

“He was grinning from ear to ear. Shaw figured had his tail been out, Caleb would have been wagging it furiously.”… (plus d'informations)

The descriptive bit: A Mage’s Power: Book 1 – Rowan is a Master Mage in. He has an enchantment shop, he studies for even more Masters exams and he spends time humoring the attention of his best friend and werewolf, Caleb. He bumps into Inquisitor Shaw one day on the street and they have an instant attraction with a fair amount of curiosity. Shaw has a huge secret that may well tear them all apart in the end.

A Vampire’s Redemption: Book 2 – A member of Shaw’s squad, Marcus is a vampiEverstrandre who has been gravely wounded and psychologically scarred by imprisonment. Caleb – Rowan’s werewolf bestie was the one who saved Marcus. At the moment they set eyes on each other, they knew that they were soulmates. There is still a lot of political intrigue in the land of the magical folk and more characters arrive on the scene!

My thoughts bit: These two books were a lot of fun! The first book introduces three of the main characters. Caleb is a wild and free werewolf with every-changing-colors in his hair and a penchant for being entirely too energetic. Rowan is a Master Mage whose skill with magic has made him a bit of a prodigy in the community. Shaw is undercover… working on both sides of the magical law and walking a fine line in terms of getting himself in danger.

The relationship between the three men is lovely. Caleb is so full of energy and I really enjoyed the way that Wolfe characterizes the werewolves. Rowan is the more reserved of the two men. He has some darkness in his past but Caleb keeps trying to urge him out into the world.

The world building in the first book is amazingly detailed. Wolfe outlines the various magical folks and the mundane without it becoming cumbersome. The magical schools are wonderfully detailed and intriguing: Conjuration, Enchantment, Alteration, Primal and Spirit. Mage’s must be tested in each of the types of magic… and Rowan is more focussed on his training than anything else… that is until he meets Shaw!

The second book takes a broader sweep of Everstrand. Shaw’s troop of friends shows up and social chaos ensues for the first third of the book. The politics continue in the second part of the trilogy. The magical folk are still in conflict with mundanes in some places… of course, this doesn’t apply to Shaw and his friends. I couldn’t help thinking of them as the Supernatural breakfast club in my head! A werewolf, a Mage, A centaur, an elf, and a witch!

I don’t want to go into great details about the mysteries that unfold during the course of both books because that would ruin the stories. Suffice it to say, Wolfe is a master of creating tension and plotting out detailed adventures for the supernatural gang! I’m definitely looking forward to reading the third book in this series!

A Mage’s Power is available now and A Vampire’s Redemption is out on May 31, 2019!… (plus d'informations)

The descriptive bit: A Mage’s Power: Book 1 – Rowan is a Master Mage in. He has an enchantment shop, he studies for even more Masters exams and he spends time humoring the attention of his best friend and werewolf, Caleb. He bumps into Inquisitor Shaw one day on the street and they have an instant attraction with a fair amount of curiosity. Shaw has a huge secret that may well tear them all apart in the end.

A Vampire’s Redemption: Book 2 – A member of Shaw’s squad, Marcus is a vampiEverstrandre who has been gravely wounded and psychologically scarred by imprisonment. Caleb – Rowan’s werewolf bestie was the one who saved Marcus. At the moment they set eyes on each other, they knew that they were soulmates. There is still a lot of political intrigue in the land of the magical folk and more characters arrive on the scene!

My thoughts bit: These two books were a lot of fun! The first book introduces three of the main characters. Caleb is a wild and free werewolf with every-changing-colors in his hair and a penchant for being entirely too energetic. Rowan is a Master Mage whose skill with magic has made him a bit of a prodigy in the community. Shaw is undercover… working on both sides of the magical law and walking a fine line in terms of getting himself in danger.

The relationship between the three men is lovely. Caleb is so full of energy and I really enjoyed the way that Wolfe characterizes the werewolves. Rowan is the more reserved of the two men. He has some darkness in his past but Caleb keeps trying to urge him out into the world.

The world building in the first book is amazingly detailed. Wolfe outlines the various magical folks and the mundane without it becoming cumbersome. The magical schools are wonderfully detailed and intriguing: Conjuration, Enchantment, Alteration, Primal and Spirit. Mage’s must be tested in each of the types of magic… and Rowan is more focussed on his training than anything else… that is until he meets Shaw!

The second book takes a broader sweep of Everstrand. Shaw’s troop of friends shows up and social chaos ensues for the first third of the book. The politics continue in the second part of the trilogy. The magical folk are still in conflict with mundanes in some places… of course, this doesn’t apply to Shaw and his friends. I couldn’t help thinking of them as the Supernatural breakfast club in my head! A werewolf, a Mage, A centaur, an elf, and a witch!

I don’t want to go into great details about the mysteries that unfold during the course of both books because that would ruin the stories. Suffice it to say, Wolfe is a master of creating tension and plotting out detailed adventures for the supernatural gang! I’m definitely looking forward to reading the third book in this series!

A Mage’s Power is available now and A Vampire’s Redemption is out on May 31, 2019!… (plus d'informations)