Blood Magic [Mass Market Paperback]

Lily Yu, a touch sensitive and FBI Agent in the magical crimes division, and her fiance Rule Turner, a prince of the werewolves, are dealing with family conflicts over their impending wedding. Lily's family would have preferred a Chinese husband, while Rule's werewolf clan would have preferred no marriage at all. While planning the wedding, they are also working on planning a baby shower for their friends Cynna and Cullen, who we've met in previous books. Cynna is a finder and former agent with Lily; she's now married to Cullen, a werewolf sorcerer, and training to be Rhej (ie, spiritual leader) of the Nokolai werewolf clan.

Lily is happy with the turnout at the baby party, however is worried because she sees someone suspicious who shouldn't be there. Just as she informs Benedict, head of Nokolai's security, cries ring out and Cullen is found gravely injured with a knife wound through his heart. Some sort of magic is preventing him from healing. He's rushed to the hospital, while Lily starts to interview suspects and work the case. Some sort of magic user tried to murder Cullen, since he was able to muddle witnesses' minds and left blood magic in Cullen's heart. When the sheriff shows up at the scene, Lily recognizes her old boyfriend Cody from five years ago. Lily takes the lead in the case, and he helps interview suspects.

Rule has gone to the hospital with Cynna and they are worried about Cullen. He pulls through, but they think another attempt might be made on his life and the evil magic is still there. Rule and Lily visit Sam, the large black dragon who saved them from Dis in an earlier book, to see if he has ideas how to remove the magic. Meanwhile, Lily is also concerned over her grandmother who has left home without warning. Lily is surprised to run into Li Qinn her grandmother's partner at Sam's lair. Apparently, her grandmother sent Li Qinn there for protection. Lily discovers some big surprises in her conversation with Sam, both about herself and the enemy that they are facing. A long ago enemy of her grandmother's has teamed up with a sorcerer. With many twists and turns, Lily, Rule, her Grandmother, Sam and even the Nokolai get involved in the battle against the enemy. The last 1/3 had some surprises that made the story interesting! I was on the edge of my seat!

Eileen Wilks does a great job at combining the paranormal with crime mystery/suspense. Her World of Lupi series is highly original, with likable characters and interesting storylines. I like the way she pulls in the social and family conflicts, as well as mixes magic with traditional crime solving. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I knock back a star because it was a little slow at times, however it picked up and the last 1/3 was great. I also would have liked to see more interactions between Lily and Rule. I think Wilks' books would appeal to fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance primarily, but also to fans of murder/crime mysteries.

This series needs to be read in order:
1: Tempting Danger
2: Mortal Danger
3: Blood Lines
4: Night Season
5: Mortal Sins
6: Blood Magic

If you are on the hunt for more good books featuring werewolves and other shapeshifters, check out my list of favorites...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R3RRBZ0PV9G1AI
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I didn't expect to miss this series as much as I did, but once I started reading about Lily, Rule, Cynna and Cullen again, I couldn't stop smiling. It's rare for me to get so attached to characters, and for that I thank the author profusely.

I could never understand why this series is listed as Paranormal Romance, when in fact it's an Urban Fantasy at its best. I have nothing against PNR, but they usually have the plot centered on the couple's romantic development, while this series always felt more like a paranormal police procedural. Lilly Yu, being an FBI agent for the magical crimes division and touch sensitive, is usually called to the scenes of accidents that have peculiar or possibly magical origins. It appears there is an influx of those in San Diego, but Lily cannot find a reasonable explanation for these events. Then Cullen gets lethally wounded by a mysterious enemy, and while he is hanging on by a bare thread, Lily finds herself in a middle of an ancient battle between a being of supreme power and her own Grandmother. Can all these events be related? And how do you defeat a foe that is almost untouchable while you are constrained by precepts created by beings outside of human understanding? How do you save your loved ones along with the world, since if the enemy is allowed to exist, all would be lost.

The story is fast paced, with a few interesting twists to keep you turning pages. Lily is very conflicted in this book. Her upcoming marriage to Rule is bound to cause a lot of tension for both Rule's clan and her family, which she wants to avoid. Also she learns a bit more about the nature of her magic and her origin, and those revelations are tough to take, for they create unwanted chaos in her orderly life. I really enjoyed seeing the unflappable Lily losing it a few times, while Rule was portrayed as cool and collected as she ever was. And then there is Grandmother. I was overjoyed to learn more about her mysterious heritage and difficult life in China, and to see a much more of her tender side (even towards Lily's mother which was surprising).

Overall, this book truly worked for me. I wish more authors took the time to weave their plots and mold their characters so masterfully, without having to stuff their stories full of filler material. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this wonderful series.

-- Having read many books from Ms. Wilks I expected excellence and I'm pleased to report that I received it! Blood Magic is a fast-paced, suspenseful tale with more twists and turns than than a bowl of spaghetti. When you sit down to read this book make sure your afternoon is free because once you get started you won't want to put it down again.

If you're a fantasy / urban fantasy buff, pick this one up today. ~ Cerise, IReadRomance dot com

P.S. - Its a true pleasure to pick up a book with an ethnic heroine. Why should the white chicks have all the fun? :)

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 24 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars