Review: Bittersweet Magic

Title: Bittersweet Magic
Series: The Order, #2
Author: Nina Croft
Publisher: Entangled: Edge
Release Date: November 11, 2013
Pages: 231
Buy Link: Amazon

Blurb:

Roz has been indebted to the demon Asmodai for five hundred years, and her freedom is just around the corner. All she has to do is complete one last task for him—obtain a key that had been hidden in a church centuries ago.

Piers, the Head of the Order and an ancient vampire, is intrigued by the woman who comes to him for help. She’s beautiful and seemingly kind, but she’s hiding something. And he’ll find out who she is and what she really wants once he uses his power to get inside her head. But Piers has no idea that Roz is immune to his mind-control...or that he is simply a pawn in her dangerous mission for freedom.

Review

I couldn't put it down!

I haven't read a paranormal romance in probably a year or so. I was glad my re-introduction to the genre was Nina Croft. Her name sounds familiar and something tells me that she's known for great stories, so I decided to request a copy of this book. I wasn't disappointed.

Roz was a wonderful heroine. Everything started out as a lie because she had to do one last task for the demon she was indebted to. When things went wrong, she ended up in the Order of the Shadow Accords. Just from the name, you'd think she'd figure out the kind of creatures that lived there. Then again, I suppose, since she didn't know what she was, that she didn't understood all other creatures...

Piers: "Honey, if I was the sort of man to do that, you'd know it."

Roz: "I would?"

Piers: "Yeah, if I was the sort of man to take advantage, then darling, we'd have already f***ed twice."

Roz: "We would?"

Piers: "As it is, we still have that pleasure to look forward to."

Roz: "We do?"

Piers: "Oh yeah, never doubt it."

The first time Piers appeared in a scene, he was breathtaking. Must be a vampire thing. I loved his interaction with Roz - a whole lot of sexual tension. He wasn't one to take advantage, even when Roz came on too strong at times. He was very perceptive and I loved that about him. I also admired that he was smart enough to put the puzzle together and come to the rescue when he's needed. 

Christian and Asmodai were the comedic relief of the story. When I first met Asmodai, I thought he was probably the villain of the story. I was pleasantly surprised with how he acted throughout this whole story. Granted he's infuriating the way he ignored Roz's questions, but something about him was quite endearing. Christian, on the other hand, was Piers's vampire friend who didn't seem to be too serious about anything. He took things in stride, and it was quite refreshing considering the serious predicament they were in at times.

"I'm sorry," Asmodai said. "I didn't know she was going to do this. She said she wanted to say goodbye, tell you she'd wait for you. She cried, goddammit."

Jonas was the warlock. I would have wanted to see more of his power in this story. Maybe in future stories? Everyone kept saying how he had a reputation of being powerful, but I was a little let down when I didn't see it in action. It would have been nice :)

The Walker was the mysterious creature. He was an assassin and he had a special relationship with one of the characters. The twists and turns of this story were really great! I definitely couldn't guess what would happen next, and I liked being surprised.

When Roz's true nature was revealed, I wouldn't have guessed it! It makes me want to read the first book of the series, get to know the other characters more.

Overall, I would recommend this book. Check out below one of my favorite scenes and a nice little excerpt I enjoyed :)

Ryan: "And just what are you? How do you fit in with this lot? I don't see any fangs."
Carl: "I'm a werewolf."
Ryan: "Yeah, of course you are... Shit. I'm going to bed."

Excerpt

"What happened to Jack?" "Carl has him." She found him at that moment, in the center of a small knot of huge men. She recognized Carl, the werewolf, still looking boringly human. Would he shift if he asked nicely? Maybe now wasn't the right time. "What are you going to do with him?" she asked. "He's no use to us. What do you think we should do to him?" She thought about Jessica... Of the first girl he had kidnapped...Of all the others he had takena nd would take again if he were freed. She'd come to see the line between good and evil as blurred, but some people were firmly on one side or the other, and Jack was evil. Then she thought about Sister Maria and black hatred rose up inside her." "Kill him." Piers studied her for a moment. "For you, my sweet, anything."