Rating: 4.25⭐️
I really enjoyed this urban fantasy story. There’s apparently a prequel out there that fills in the background for the main characters here and how she arrived at her current situation. As well as all the other secondary characters interacting with her that come from that prequel.
However , the author gives us enough information about that time period so we’re not at a disadvantage here as the story goes forward.
Olivia “Liv” is a retired fire elemental assassin who at the age of 16 was framed for a crime she didn’t commit. As a result Liv was forced to work for as a Shadow for the Conclave (magical ruling body) for a decade.
Now she’s free, name cleared and she’s back in Kansas City where she’s opening a magic shop. Until her old life comes back to interrupt her new start.
I love so many of the characters that McBride has created for her book and series. The older group of witches, including Liv’s aunt are fabulous and among my favorites. From their environmental battles with toxic gardeners to their hula hoop classes, every scene memorable and often hilarious. They’re real, intelligent people who care about Liv, going about things in their own ways.
Rafe, a werewolf black op who is the enemy to lovers maybe aspect of the story and series, is suitably flawed, and mysterious in his own ways. Where he fits in is left open-ended, which works.
There’s an ongoing storyline that starts with the reason Liv was framed, but eventually moves on into a much larger, more complicated plot that involves demons, hell fire, and prophecy at the end.
The end book leaves the reader immediately wanting the next story to see what happens with the characters and their lives. I am thoroughly hooked.
I had certain reservations about why Liv was so determined to do something on her own but later on, she answered that during a heartfelt conversation with Rafe. It was the answer that I wanted to see her grounded in the reality of the dangers of her situation. That one scene made all the difference.
I now need to track down Inferno Bound for the history of this series and main character while waiting for the next one to be released.
New author discovery and series unlocked. Fantastic! A winner!
This is set in the same universe as another of L.A. McBride’s series but as it’s the first book I’ve read of hers, that’s a series for another time. But the characters do crossover.
Cover and Illustrations by NMT Design Studio
Alchemy of Witches (2 book series)
Inferno Bound #0.5 prequel
Fire Marked #1
Blaze Born #2 – Jan 27, 2027
Buy link
Fire Marked (Alchemy of Witches Book 1)
Blurb
Ten years as a supernatural assassin did not prepare me for customer service.
Once I was called the strongest fire elemental in a generation. All that got me was sentenced to serve as a supernatural assassin for a crime I didn’t commit. Now that my name’s been cleared, the powers-that-be cut me loose.
Their only rule? Keep my head down and leave missions to other Shadows.
Sinking my blood money into a magic shop, I try to be a good little witch. I run my shop, join a geriatric coven, teach fire hula hooping classes on the side, and adopt a klepto packrat as my familiar. Avoiding Rafe Blackwell, the golden-eyed lone wolf charged with keeping me in line, is harder. And ignoring the vampires attacking witches in Kansas City? Impossible.
When bodies turn up with veins full of the same blood additive that landed me that ten-year sentence, I can’t afford to sit on the sidelines. Going rogue risks my newfound freedom, but the alternative is a city overrun with demons and Nectar-addicted vampires in a feeding frenzy. When my fire magic fails, it’ll take every skill I earned as a Shadow to take down the Nectar ring despite the enforcer determined to keep me out of it.
But if running a witch shop has taught me one lesson, it’s how to face anything with a potion bomb and a smile.
Fire Marked is the first book in the Alchemy of Witches series. If you love fast-paced urban fantasy with a witch ready to burn down the establishment, quirky found family, and a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, this series is for you.
September 10, 2026
Accessibility
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Language
English
File size
5.8 MB
Screen Reader
Supported
Enhanced typesetting
Enabled
X-Ray
Not Enabled
Word Wise
Enabled
Print length
302 pages
ISBN-13
978-1957445328
Page Flip
Enabled
Book 1 of 2
