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Title: Invisible Magic
Series: Invisible Recruits #1
Author: Mary Buckham
Release Date: March, 2013
Pages: 365
Goodreads Rating: 3.99/5 Stars
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
My Content Rating: Adult (Urban fantasy with some sex & violence)
Summary from Goodreads: Hidden from a world unaware of magic, a recently and only partially trained group of operatives known as the Invisible Recruits are the only ones willing to stand between mankind and those powerful preternatural factions seeking to change the balance of power and gain world domination.
Alex Noziak, part witch/part shaman, anticipates facing dangerous preternaturals out for blood . . not fashion week. But when the rookie agent is sent undercover to find out who, or what, is behind a series of world-wide thefts of top-secret intelligence, Alex tangles with the Seekers.
Seekers hunt gifted human individuals like Alex and her squad whose rare powers can keep the balance between human and nonhuman squarely on the side of the humans. Her simple assignment turns into a battle of survival for everyone involved when she crosses Bran, a mysterious warlock, who might be her only ally or worst enemy.
To save the innocent, Alex must call upon her untested abilities, but at what cost?
I haven't read a ton of urban fantasy, but when I decided to attend the Barbara Vey Readers Luncheon, Mary Buckham's books caught my eye. I chose to sit at her table and obviously had to read at least one of her books before I attended. I got this book (along with eight others) in a compilation on Amazon called The Perfect Ten - and I'm so glad I did! So far I've read this book and Time Trap and have really enjoyed them both!
What I loved:
- Alex. The main character in this book is Alex Noziak, a witch/shaman who has been forced into working with a secret government agency after committing a murder with her powers. Alex is a fun character - full of spunk and wit and sarcasm. She is hesitant about using her powers after what happened in the past and would almost rather be in prison, but when she finds out that someone in her family is in danger, she knows that she can't turn down her current assignment - she has to do everything she can to save him. Alex is smart, tough and resourceful and she has a good mixture of strength and vulnerability that makes her extremely likable.
- Bran. Bran is the sexy warlock who Alex has been assigned to investigate. He is a multi-millionaire who's used to getting his way and Alex can't help but feel drawn to him, even though she knows she shouldn't be (for several reasons). Bran turned out to be a complex character, which I really appreciated. I didn't always like every decision that he made, but I could understand why he made them - he was fiercely loyal to his family, friends and employees. The chemistry between Alex and Bran was amazing, and it definitely left me wanting more!
- The supernatural elements. I loved the supernatural elements to this book - shapeshifters, witches, shamans, warlocks, etc. The supernatural side to the story kept me interested
The negatives:
- The central mystery. I actually think this might have just been me because I'm just not a huge fan of crime stories. It just didn't matter to me much who the thief was and who the mastermind behind everything was (though there were some fun surprises when it came to those mysteries). I would have liked a bit more of the supernatural to balance out the spy/mystery story, but that's just me.
If you're a fan of Urban Fantasy that features a tough, smart lead, then I think you'll really enjoy this one. I give this one 3.5/5 stars.
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