A Review of Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson

5 Fangs for Linda Robertson's Arcane Circle

Description:

Even magic can’t solve everything. . . .

After facing down the forces of Fairy in mortal combat, Persephone Alcmedi still must deal with the aftermath. Not only does Seph now possess deadly secrets she must hide from the arcane and mundane world alike, but the dozens of magical creatures who’ve taken up residence behind her cornfield need food and shelter, and there’s still her foster daughter Beverly’s tenth birthday party to plan.

And that’s not all. . . . Seph’s boyfriend Johnny has revealed himself as the wærewolf Domn Lup, and the ruler of the wære world is en route from Romania to make sure Johnny really is the “king” he claims to be. But Johnny’s hiding a dangerous secret: his magic is locked in his mysterious tattoos. He and Seph must find a way for him to reclaim it—fast—despite those who have no intention of letting Johnny gain his full powers. Seph knows that, in the arcane world, strength is always a necessity and power must be constantly proven, but how far is she willing to go to succeed . . . and at what cost?

My review:

This series gets better with each new book.

From the very first page I was hooked. I honestly couldn't put this book down. I stayed up almost all night and devoured it as fast as I could. Action packed and full of page turning events that will reveal much and propel this series far...

The 4th book in Robertson's Persephone Alcmedi series picks up right where Fatal Circle ended. They are back at Persephone's house after the battle with the crazy fairy on the beach. Johnny is injured, Menessos was staked and who knows if he'll rise once darkness falls (of course we already know he will, where would the story be without him?), and most of all Persephone's world is turned upside down by everything that's happened.

She has a back yard full of creatures, her ally with the witches is dead and she's going to be blamed, and how can she care properly for Beverly with all the supernatural craziness going on?

Then just to make things worse an unexpected visitor from the past shows up at Seph's front door. Seph sends the blast from the past away but then discovers fate can be a wicked bitch because all roads lead right back to the unwelcome visitor.

It's strange how all things end up being connected as far as Johnny, Persephone, and Persephone's past.

I have read all the books in this series and this one is the best yet. Each book is better than the last as the story and characters continue to grow.

Robertson's world and character building are flawless and I love that her men are not flawless.

Johnny is a dominant supe, but he's all male under all the power and strength. He's a quirky character with flaws and issues. His way with innuendo cracks me up...and completely reminds me of my husband. He's not all smooth with the romance, wine and candles but he is so warm and real. It's refreshing to see the "hero" be a real man even though he's a supernatural sort of guy.

And even the great Menessos has his flaws and still remains so very mysterious. As much as I love Johnny I still want to know more about the great fanged one.

But of all the characters in this series I love Persephone most. She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty when doing what's right and she isn't afraid to step back and take a look at what she's doing wrong either. She is a very complete and complex heroine, probably one of the best in urban fantasy.

Robertson's writing is superb, her ability to add emotion and detail into the complex world and characters she has built creates a winning series that readers will always want more of. I know I do.