A Paul B Review: Shades of Power (Arcane Magic #1) by Beany Sparks

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Shades of PowerEthan White is a rarity.  He’s a male witch.  He hides his abilities from the world by working in the apothecary that he owns.  When his sister shows up asking for a love potion, Ethan puts his guards up.  Even his familiar, a black cat named Beema, does not trust Destiny.  Two weeks later, both get a premonition that something terrible is going to happen and escape through a magic tunnel underneath Ethan’s shop just before it blows up.  Knowing his sister has something to do with the attack, he makes his way to the land of faeries to take shelter.

Grayson is the alpha of a three-man wolf shifter pack.  He brings his pack to the land of faeries because of a prophecy stating that they are the key to bringing down those that are using black magic.  When he consults with the queen as to what she might know about the prophecy, a guard comes in carrying a young man who has passed out.  Grayson goes to the young man and proclaims that he is his mate.  The Queen proclaims that the fae are now involved, as the young man Ethan, is her nephew.

As Ethan and Grayson along with Grayson’s betas Adam and Russell try to figure out the mystery of the prophecy, members of the Dark Coven are mounting an attack on the fae palace in hopes of fulfilling the prophecy themselves.  Several spies are sent by Raven Darkh to kill Ethan, as she believes he is most likely the other person capable to complete the task of creating the Shades of Power.  The five members of Grayson’s pack (as Ethan and Beema are now part of it) must defend the fae palace against the forces of dark magic threatening to take it over.

This is an excellent start to a new series by Beany Sparks.  She has combined shifters and magic and added a touch of palace intrigue to spice things up.  I felt for Ethan.  First his sister seems intent on doing him harm.  Then as he begins to unravel the mystery of prophecy, he learns all is not as it seems in the fae palace.  The only thing holding him together is his familiar Beema, his mate Grayson and the two betas of Grayson’s pack.   One does have to watch out for Beema.  The cat is not all what he seems.  Ms. Sparks perfectly sets up the next book in the series with the ending of this one.  It seems that the problems with Ethan’s sister was just the opening salvo against him.

The cover art by the author is simply stunning.  It shows our blond hair, blue-eyed Ethan staring out with Grayson’s wolf watching out behind him.  In the background a winter castle that I am sure will be featured in future books in the series.

Sales Links:  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 117 pages
Published September 21st 2015 by Rainbow Ninja Press
edition languageEnglish
seriesArcane Magic #1

Coffee Sip & Book Break with Shades of Power (Arcane Magic #1) by Beany Sparks (excerpt and giveaway)

Shades of Power

Shades of Power (Arcane Magic #1) by Beany Sparks
Release Date: September 21, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Rainbow Ninja Press
Cover Artist: Beany Sparks

Banner300x250

Buy the book:  Smashwords

Blurb

An explosion sends Ethan running…straight into the arms of his mate.

Ethan White is a witch whose days are spent in his apothecary with his familiar, Beema. While making potions for the townsfolk keeps him busy, nothing exciting ever happens—until one day when a surprise visitor walks in and his world crumbles around him. Suddenly Ethan and his familiar are on the run, heading for the Fae to seek sanctuary.

Grayson is an alpha wolf. His two best friends are his betas, but there’s one thing missing—a pack. It’s for that very reason that the three of them were volunteered by the council to act as representatives. Their mission? Try to convince the Fae Queen to get the Fae involved in a battle with the Midnight Coven, the witches suspected of using the dark arts. However, the mission takes a back seat when Grayson meets his mate for the first time.
With revelations and lies around every corner and a battle looming, they have to be ready to fight if they want to have a life together.

When a prophecy about the Shades of Power comes to light, both sides want the power for the battle against the other. The question is—who will unite them first?

Pages or Words: 36,444 words
Categories: Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal

Excerpt

“What are you doing here?” he asked, feeling proud his voice remained level.
“My, my, is that any way to speak to a customer, Ethan?”
“You are not a customer, nor will you be a customer. Tell me what you want and then get the hell out of my shop.”
Ethan had a second to regret his rudeness when she narrowed her eyes at him, but reminding himself that nothing good could come of her visit had him standing there with his head held high.
“I would watch how you speak to me, Ethan, since we both know who the stronger witch is.”
“Well, if you are the stronger witch, then there’s absolutely no reason why you would be in my shop. Make sure the door doesn’t hit you on the way out.”
Ethan watched as her eyes narrowed even further, to the point where he wasn’t sure she could even see him. All the while he waited for her reaction—or rather, the explosion that was likely coming.
Suddenly she blinked and then smiled, which was far scarier than anything Ethan could remember seeing before.
“You’re right, Ethan, I am the stronger witch, and as such, I have better things to do than waste my time making potions. So here I am, ready to purchase the potions I need and help my dear little brother make some money so that he can survive in this big, bad world we live in.”
Ethan almost sighed, wanting to forget about being related to the monster in front of him. No one had believed him when he had accused her of being evil. While everyone else had seen her as a gifted child, Ethan had seen the dark side of her early on. Deep down he’d known that she would turn to the dark arts, but everyone he’d told thought he’d just said that to get attention, even their parents. When they’d died, it had left a huge hole in his heart, but he’d finally been able to escape his sister by using some of his inheritance money to move towns and buy his cabin. Although, he couldn’t really call it escaping when on her way out one day she’d told him to pack his things and be gone when she returned. For the first time in his life, he’d obeyed her.
Snapping back to the present, Ethan tried to focus, knowing that if he didn’t, things could go badly.
“What do you want, Des?” he asked.
She frowned at him for a moment before speaking. “Actually, it’s Ravyn now, Ravyn Darkh. Maybe you’ve heard of me?”
Oh shit!

BannerTemplate

Meet the Author

Beany lives in Western Australia. She first started reading romance novels in 2008, but it wasn’t until January 2010 when her Kindle got delivered that the world of erotic romance opened its doors to her, and she hasn’t looked back.

With suggestions and support from friends, her muse—“affectionately” known as PITA—was finally able to break free, and in January 2014 her first story was written. Since she can’t put PITA back in his box, Beany has decided to give in and team up with him. Together they’ve made plans to write both MF and MM stories.

She can be reached at beany.sparks@gmail.com
Or visit her at http://www.beanysparks.com

Where to find the author:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beany.sparks
Twitter: @BeanySparks

Tour Dates & Stops:

Parker Williams, MM Good Book Reviews, Happily Ever Chapter, Bayou Book Junkie, BFD Book Blog, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Mikky’s World of Books, The Jena Wade, Havan Fellows, My Fiction Nook, Divine Magazine, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, For the Love of Bookends, The Hat Party, Molly Lolly, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, Inked Rainbow Reads, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Carly’s Book Reviews, Ogitchida Book Blog, Nephylim, Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews

 

Final

 

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: e-Copy of ‘Shades of Power’ by Beany Sparks. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js