Review: Soul Magic by Jennifer Lyon (Wing Slayer #2)

Publisher - Rouge Romance
Publication Date - 14th October 2011
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 4.5 out of 5: I really liked it!

Book Info - All Wing Slayer Hunters fight a curse, guarding innocent witches until the urge to harm them grows too strong - then they must kill their own. Wing Slayer Sutton West has always honored that vow. His own father killed himself rather than go rogue. But now Sutton is tempted as never before by Carla Fisk, a brilliant psychologist and dynamic witch whose twin sister, Keri, was murdered by rogues. Bound by blood and passion, Carla and Sutton dare not succumb to their deadly attraction. Yet when a mysterious rogue named Styx joins forces with the demon Asmodeus, witch and hunter have no choice but to work together. For Keri's immortal soul is at stake - and with it, balanced on a knife-edge, is the fate of humanity itself.

My Thoughts - I really enjoyed the first book in the series (apart from the large amount of info-dumping going on) so I was very excited about starting Soul Magic. And I am pleased to say that I loved this book even more than the first! The author has definitely managed to find a much better balance between giving information and telling the story. I didn't become overwhelmed by details once in Soul Magic and this made the story flow much better.

I also liked learning more about Sutton and Carla. They both play quite a large part in Blood Magic and it was obvious from what happened in the first book that Soul Magic would be their story. Carla is a character that I loved to read about. She is strong, intelligent and incredibly talented. She is a psychologist and has a profound knowledge of science, and this side of herself always seems to be in a battle with the witch part. She has trouble knowing who she really is at the start of the book and I loved reading her journey as she starts to accept both sides of her personality and learning how they can both help her with the problems she faces in this book.

At first glance Sutton seems as though he might not be a great match for Carla - she has got a doctorate and he is self-taught with no formal education; she helps people who have escaped from cults for a living and he hunts and kills rogue witch hunters. But when they come together, you just know they are perfect for each other and the chemistry sizzles between them whilst it is also obvious they care a great deal about each other. They complement each other perfectly.

Like Axel in book one, Sutton is a strong, capable and very protective character. A lot has happened in his past which means that nobody has been there for him in his life except for the Wing Slayers - not even his family. And this is where his vulnerability shows. One of my favourite parts of the book is when he is absolutely petrified about meeting Carla's mother. Carla finds it amusing that her big, strong Wing Slayer could be afraid of her tiny mother, but Axel has never had a mother to care for him and he has never been in a proper relationship so the whole meet-the-mother thing is a completely new experience for him. I just found this absolutely adorable and I wanted to give him a big hug.

The other thing I love reading about in these books is the close relationship between the witches. Darcy (from Blood Magic) and Carla are always ready to help each other at the drop of a hat, and in Soul Magic Carla's mother, Chandra, also plays a large part. I think that this level of friendship and close family ties add a lot to a book like this. As much as I love to learn more about the two main characters in a paranormal romance novel I also really enjoy reading about the world around them too. It makes the story feel more realistic and can add new levels of meaning to the things that happen to the characters.

Summary - Soul Magic is the perfect mix of passion, friendship, mystery and action leaving me unable to put the book down. And I must admit to being so emotionally involved in the character's story that I spent the last couple of chapters in tears. I really can't wait to see what happens in the next installment in this series!

Other books in the series:
1. Blood Magic
2. Soul Magic
3. Night Magic
4. Sinful Magic
5. Forbidden Magic

Other reviews of this book:
Book Binge / Dear Author / Smexy Books /