A great mixture of magic, lore and love. It was so good to see Thad climb out of his books and grow in love and power. The Conclave is still keeping way too many secrets. What's the story behind the necklace that Kane took from Aunt Millie? These stories pull the reader in and leave them hungry for the next book. ( )

Solid 2nd book in the series

3 1/2 stars. Blood Tied follows middle brother Thad while continuing the story of the Shadow Weaver that was begun in book 1. Thad finds love and taps into his powers and inner strength while searching for the Shadow Weaver. He and his brothers find out who and what the bad guy is, setting the scene for book 3. All in all not a bad book. ( )

The second book in this magically fascinating series is just as exciting as the first, probably more so. Why? Well, first of all, the main character is Thad, Mason’s older brother, and he was not exactly a nice guy in the previous story. Cold and withdrawn, academically inclined, and an incurable know-it-all. Actually I was looking forward to finding out if, upon closer examination, the emotional ice that seems to surround him - in line with his magical ability to manipulate cold stuff - might thaw. Secondly, the villain discovered and vanquished by Mason and Drake is definitely not alone, plus the Conclave has prophesized more “darkness” and another foe, so I was pretty sure there would be more attacks. And finally, from reading the blurb alone, it is clear that this magical world has more “secrets” to discover – with a fire fairy, banshees, and hostile shadow weavers practically lurking around the corner, not to mention the “Otherworld” that I was sure would mean a fair bit of upheaval too. Yep, I was in for more conflict, adventures, drama, and emotional challenges – and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Thad is Mr. Logic all the way. He is writing a dissertation on arcane magic, using his studies to understand how humans see warlocks, wizards, and witches. Ultimately, he hopes to figure out how to defeat the witch hunters who are still determined to exterminate “homo magus” – all the races of them – hundreds of years after the last witch hunts that drove magic wielders into hiding. But Thad has been battling nightmares, he saves a fire fairy named Aiden from a banshee, then Ben, the warlock he had an involuntary one-night stand with, keeps following him around, and he suddenly feels drawn to Ben and Aiden. Thad has a lot to learn, and I loved watching him change and grow.

Aiden is a fire fairy, and his arrival causes a lot of chaos because of who he is (fairies are supposed to stay in their Otherworld) and because of the news he brings. Aiden needs help, as does the entire Otherworld. He can also see through Thad’s protective walls, and it opens up some interesting avenues for the two of them to explore. Thad can struggle and fight it all he wants, Aiden is not giving up on him. But as the threads of betrayal unravel, Aiden has his own issues to deal with, and they were severe enough to make me doubt a happy ending was possible for quite a while.

Between Thad and Aiden’s troubled beginning of a relationship, the adventures and dangers they face when entering the Otherworld, and betrayal from more than one source, this story had me glued to the pages. The creative uses of magic and various people’s talents alone make it worth a read, but the sense of danger, the suspense, and the way the whole picture is beginning to come together make it truly fascinating. While a few questions are answered and a couple of riddles solved, I am afraid to report that more than enough is left for the next book. Well, not really afraid – with how much I am enjoying this world and how interesting the characters are, I look forward to more sequels!

If you like the world of the Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge, if you enjoy stories that twist and turn and contain more revelations than you thought possible, and if you’re looking for a read full of suspense, secrets, adventure, betrayal, and discoveries, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I am so glad I can go straight to number three in the series!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )