Rating: 3 stars
Samantha Ryan is torn between the person she is and the person she wants to be. Having been born into a dark-magic coven, Samantha is the sole survivor of a horrific accident involving the raising of a demon by the coven’s high priestess when Sam was just 12 years old.
After being rescued by a policeman named Roberts, Sam is placed with the Ryans, a very nice couple and friends of the cop. Helping her work through her issues, the Ryans gave Sam their last name and upon her request, a custom made necklace bearing a cross—Sam’s first step to reinventing herself as a devout Christian.
Now a detective in the Boston PD, Samantha works under Capt. Roberts, one of the only people who knows her secret—even her partner Ed is kept blissfully in the dark. However, it’s no coincidence that the team catches all the cases with “local color”—crimes that involve witchcraft, or at least the appearance of it; and, when you’re in close proximity to Salem, it happens quite often.
When Samantha and Ed find themselves working multiple cases involving apparent sacrificial murders of young women, Samantha is worried that this might in-fact be the real thing. When a few of the bodies reveal a special mark on the bottom of their foot, Samantha is horrified to discover that not only has someone resurrected her old coven, but they plan to resurrect something even more dangerous.
Now, Sam must go against everything she believes in by returning to her coven to prevent them from carrying out their deadly plan.
The first in a series, Debbie Viguié pens a very entertaining novel in a smooth, accessible style. At times the plot becomes a bit repetitive with Samantha’s constant thoughts of having gone against her vow to never do magic again, but it’s a minor issue.
Though the story isn’t new, it’s still incredibly engaging and continues to move forward at just the right pace. Best of all, Viguié manages to throw in a few well-hidden surprises and endear the reader enough for them to anxiously anticipate the next book in the series.
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Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Signet (April 3, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0451236364