Title: Magick & Moonlight
Author: Marie Lavender
Price: $.99
Distribution Channel(s): Amazon
From Midwest author Marie Lavender comes an exciting tale of romance
and magic. To start things off, here’s a short synopsis from Amazon.com:Author: Marie Lavender
Price: $.99
Distribution Channel(s): Amazon
Messing with free will is always a bad idea…
Ethan Hamilton moves to a lazy little town in Oregon, hoping to escape his demons. But, instead he discovers a woman dancing nude in the moonlight. This woman who claims she is a witch dazzles him with her sensual presence. He thinks she’s crazy, but what if she’s not?Magick & Moonlight
Jessie Anderson has been taught that her kind hides who they really are. And she has a problem on her hands. Someone knows her secret and she has to do all she can to protect herself. What other choice does she have? Jessie casts a love spell on a good man, a man with whom she can’t fight her attraction. The spell doesn’t work quite as planned — she ends up falling for Ethan.
To top it off, Ethan’s treatment of her, his “love”, is so addictive. Deep down, she knows the spell will wear off, and yet his feelings seem genuine. It’s just a spell…right?
The Review
“Magick & Moonlight” is a heartwarming short story of love lost and regained. I was pleasantly surprised at the emotional roller coaster Marie took me on, as “Magick & Moonlight” packed just enough oomph in a few pages to give me a good read for a lazy afternoon. Here’s the full breakdown:
Pluses
Cover
The cover of “Magick & Moonlight” is a beautiful representation of the story within. The purple and black-colored theme put me in the mind of romance and magic, and I assume that was the impression Marie was going for. Score for the quality cover!Opening
The author didn’t waste any time getting to the heart of the story. One thing that perturbs me about some short stories is authors who take too long winding up their engines. You don’t have time for that. Get to the point!Characterization
I don’t expect a full character arc in a short story, but Ethan Hamilton and his love interest Jessie Anderson do change some throughout the course of the story. Add in Ethan’s heartbreaking backstory, and you have characters that the reader can get to know quite well. Also, Jessie broke the stereotypes of a witch, or wiccan. It’s easy to assume that she would be dark and conniving, but she’s not. Good job, Marie.One thing that bugged me, though not a definite minus, is Ethan’s character. He’s a flawed guy, and that’s good, but I figured he was going to be just another chiseled hunk with a “smooth, massive chest.” Boy, was I ever right. I never understood why so many romance stories just have to have perfect-looking male characters with rippling muscles.
Plot
The plot did for me what I hope it will do for others: Sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Forgiveness is a strong value, and without it, Ethan may not have found out what Jessie has to offer. Things were far from perfect between the two, but I was glad Ethan made the right decision, no matter how hard it was.Minuses
Prose
Let me be clear, the writing is okay, but it came across kind of pediatric. The overly simple sentence structure grew redundant after a while. I would like to see more creativity when describing a scene, Marie. Use more tropes to help the reader see the same things in a new light. And, for sure, vary your sentence structure with some compound and compound-complex sentences to break up the monotony of simple sentences.Magick & Moonlight: Wrap-Up
Overall, “Magick & Moonlight” is a wonderful read. The love scenes are good and I really liked the characters (well, Jessie. Ethan, not so much). For $.99, you could certainly do a lot worse! I recommend “Magick & Moonlight” for a quick burst of entertainment.
FWA Rating
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