Counterfeit Magic [Hardcover]

This book was sold more as a collector's piece rather than as a book in itself, as the page count would be very low. The previous installment that Subterranean Press released, Angelic, cannot be found for less than $150 for the trade edition and well over $300 for the limited. So, when I saw that another one would be coming out, I had to snatch a copy of both versions before they sold out. That being said, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot on the story end as I bought it for the collecting aspect. After reading the novella, I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised. It packs a surprising amount of emotion in small amount of pages and is a nice companion story to the rest of the series. That being said I don't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the rest of the series as there is no setup at all in relation to the characters.

For those not interested in this as a collector's aspect, don't worry as nothing major happens that will make you feel like you are missing something in future books. It was just a very nice "bonus" story. The cover itself is gorgeous as well as the illustrations inside. The limited leather bound version is especially nice well worth the extra price. All in all, this novella was definitely worth purchasing if you are an avid Kelley Armstrong fan, and will make a great addition to your shelf.

This year Subterranean Press has published several novellas written by authors who've been on my radar but not necessarily at the top of my To Be Read stack. These little books are a perfect introduction to such writers because they're easy to read in a few hours and I can get the "feel" or "flavor" of the authors and their worlds without spending a lot of time engaged in a longer novel, one that may not even be the end of the story.

Kelley Armstrong's Counterfeit Magic is a perfect example. This 140ish page story takes place in Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld setting and features some of the characters from that world. Though I haven't read anything by Armstrong before, I had no trouble jumping right in and immediately connecting with the same characters that Armstrong fans already love: Paige, Lucas, Savannah, and Adam.

The quick plot ostensibly involves a murder mystery at a supernatural fight club where Paige and Savannah infiltrate by setting up Savannah as a fighter. Those scenes were fun and the novella offers some sexy full-page black and white illustrations, some which portray Savannah in the boxing ring (see these on Sub Press's website).

But the real plot goes deeper and affects the characters more personally. Some of the "bad guy's" reasoning seemed a bit illogical, and the tension wrapped up a bit too quickly, but I didn't really mind this in a novella. More importantly, even though these characters were new for me (and the story was short), Kelley Armstrong succeeded in making me care about their lives. I liked them from the start and am interested enough in their past and future histories to pick up a few more Women of the Otherworld novels.

"Counterfeit Magic" is the latest installment in Kelley Armstrong's fabulous Otherworld series. It's not a full length novel, but a limited release novella. The narrator in this installment is Paige, an independent and optimistic witch, who runs an PI agency with her sorcerer husband, Lucas. It's great to have a Lucas and Paige story. We've seen the evolution of their nine year relationship since the very beginning, with "Dime Store Magic." And I've always rooted for them.

Anyway, the story begins with a lovely young woman named Ava, coming into the agency, asking for help getting to the bottom of her brother's death. She believes it could be tied to a supernatural fight club she brought him to. Ava had participated in the fight, hoping to win money to help him pay off his debts, but she lost her fight. When she found out her brother bet against her, she stormed out. She didn't see him again until his body was found a month later.

Ava is really only interested in Lucas handling the case. Paige and Lucas both tackle it, but split up to do the job. Lucas plans to look into the people the brother owed money to, while Paige and (sort of adopted daughter) Savannah check out the fight club. Savannah poses as a fighter and they get in the door with ease. It doesn't take long for the women to discover that there have been a couple of unexplained deaths affiliated with fighters --and there is definitely something going on.

*****SPOILERS******
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A distance is growing between Paige and Lucas. One that began with the deaths of his brothers in "Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8)." He has become more and more involved in his family's cabal. And throughout the course of the novella, Paige notices the distance more and more. The climax of the book comes when she tries to connect with Lucas on the phone, only to have Ava answer. She convinces Paige that Lucas is in bed with her. And it's done so convincingly, that my heart broke a little. Then, Adam moves in to seduce Paige... which is wrong, wrong, wrong, as we know he is the obvious HEA for Savannah. Fortunately, we find out that this is all a ruse --a counterfeit magic-- to convince Paige to stray from Lucas. Everything has been orchestrated by his only living brother Carlos, who hopes Lucas will leave the cabal to save his marriage. Carlos is behind the deaths at the fight club too; he set that up to help pay off a debt to another club that viewed it as competition. Using Ava's real connection to the club was a way to draw in Paige and Lucas, so he could kill two birds with one stone.

*****SPOILERS OVER*****

I really enjoyed this novella. I'm used to reading stories even much shorter than this one with this series, as Armstrong has created several internet offerings and two anthologies. I was prepared for the length and not disappointed by it. Like many others, I pre-ordered it, knowing that it's darn near impossible to get your hands on "Angelic," the last limited release novella. You don't have to read this one to continue on with the series. And you don't have to have read the previous books to understand what's going on. But honestly, this was written for those of us who were already Otherworld fans. A bonus offering. One with a fast, interesting story --and a surprising emotional punch. 4 stars.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 17 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars