Dirty Magic by Jaye Wells

The Prospero’s War, Book 1

Synopsis: The first in an all-new urban fantasy series by USA Today bestseller Jaye Wells.

The last thing patrol cop Kate Prospero expected to find on her nightly rounds was a werewolf covered in the blood of his latest victim. But then, she also didn’t expect that shooting him would land her in the crosshairs of a Magic Enforcement Agency task force, who wants to know why she killed their lead snitch.

The more Prospero learns about the dangerous new potion the MEA is investigating, the more she’s convinced that earning a spot on their task force is the career break she’s been wanting. But getting the assignment proves much easier than solving the case. Especially once the investigation reveals their lead suspect is the man she walked away from ten years earlier—on the same day she swore she’d never use dirty magic again.

Kate Prospero’s about to learn the hard way that crossing a wizard will always get you burned, and that when it comes to magic, you should be never say never.

Review: Ah Jaye Wells… I loved her Sabina Kane series as I have read all the novels and it is true that I was sad to see the end coming so quickly. But all good things come to an end, it has to. So when the author introduced a new writing, mainly a new urban fantasy series, I was immediately intrigued. Upon its release, many fantastic reviews have populated the blogs and it’s true that everything made ​​me even more curious. So here I am with this first novel that I started when I had a little time between my books, and I must say it is a very nice surprise.

Prospero has left her world of magic for a long time and is determined not to fall into the trap of her youth again. She is now a cop and she takes care of her brother who is in the throes of adolescence (something which is difficult for her). But while her life went on as usual, she falls during a patrol on a human transformed into a werewolf with his victim beside him. And as she tries to continue to apprehend him, the young woman will be forced to kill him. The problem? It will therefore open an inquiry that will completely change her life. Integrated as a consultant in a very special team, Prospero will have to find out who is responsible for this new potion that kills many people. The big problem of the story? Yes, because of course there is one, is that the main suspect of the story is none other than the man she left ten years ago when she ran away from her magic life. After managing to avoid him so far, the young woman will be forced to face him, as well as her past she tried in vain to forget.

I really took a lot of pleasure in discovering this new world that the author presents us here. Indeed, this is something very different and surprising that we try to understand throughout the story. A world full of magic and potions that can offer anything to each person by the various effects they can offer. Want a shot of youth? To be more beautiful? To be stronger? All tastes and colors are possible for everyone. After that, it is true that we still need to note that I was a bit lost in the early chapters as we are propelled into the story without understanding how it all really works. All this has me upset a little because I was trying to understand how the world worked to really grasp what was happening. But it comes in due time and the more we progress in the story, the more we discover all the subtleties and the more we go to the point that we don’t want to leave the novel.

I loved Kate, even if it is true that she is sometimes quite annoying. I understood the reason for her abandonment of magic and at the same time I do not agree with her refusal to teach her brother Danny what the magic is exactly. But this is not everything and it is true that despite her strong head, she is sometimes a little too stubborn for her own good, but it was also interesting to discover her weakness that appears when she least expects it. It was however a good idea to give Kate a brother. She behaves much like her mother, but it is true that it is quite rare to have a heroine responsible for another person. This is really intriguing! By cons, I loved one character and it is Volos. Oh man! He inspires us some rather conflicting feelings, it is true. It is very difficult to understand him and to see what he really wants. In addition, there are still some feelings between the two of them, although the anger is there too and I was always very eager to find him and see how he would behave compared to Kate. It was always fascinating to watch them interact and now that he has left an imprint on her life, I can not wait to see what this will become.

As you will understand this is a very good read and I look forward to the release of Volume 2!