Wonderstruck (Magic in Manhattan #3)

Title: Wonderstruck (Magic in Manhattan #3) 

Author: Allie Therin 

Publisher: Carina Press 

Release Date: February 9, 2021 

Genre(s): Paranormal Romance 

Page Count: 255 

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

"Wonderstruck" is the third and final book in Allie Therin's Magic in Manhattan series, set in an alternate universe /1920's New York where magic exists, and paranormals with various powers are working to save the world from powerful supernatural relics in the hands of dangerous magical malcontents.

Arthur McKenzie, Rory, Zhang, Jade and former adversaries Gwen  and Ellis have banded together to acquire and neutralize the last relic. This adventure takes them to Paris where the relic will be offered for sale at a secret paranormal ehxibit at the Paris World's Fair. 

Much of the plot involves their efforts to get to Paris and find the seller of the relic. Rory and Arthur are happy together, yet Rory's almost pathological need to not rely on Arthur is a bit wearing.  As Arthur says 

... you'll choose the suffering you think you've earned over the help you don't think you deserve, and Teddy, I don't know how to handle this heartbreak.

But even as Rory finally agrees to allow Arthur to help fight his battles, petty jealousy from both parties continues.  And Arthur holds an essential secret close to the vest, unwilling to tell Rory (at this point, I'm yelling at my Kindle, use your words, for gawd's sake talk to one another!). The book continues to be fairly non-explicit, but thankfully by the end of the series, their relationship feels settled and very secure. 

As in the prior books, the middle of the story slows a bit and relies more than once on the sudden introduction of a mysterious character, but the author pulls it all together and gives us a very suspenseful thriller of an ending that is very satisfying.

Therin excels in creating an interesting alternate universe and peopling it with well-developed main characters, as well as concluding each book with a well-written exciting conclusion.  I remain exasperated at the slowness of the plot at times and the continuing petty conflicts in Ace and Rory's relationship, but overall Magic in Manhattan is an engaging series.  3.5 stars for "Wonderstruck" and a solid 4 stars for the entire series.

I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Starcrossed (Magic in Manhattan #2)

Title: Starcrossed (Magic in Manhattan #2)
Author: Allie Therin
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: May 18, 2020
Genre(s): Historical, Paranormal Mystery
Page Count: 85K
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Starcrossed is the second book in the "Magic in Manhattan" series, and you definitely need to read the first book - Spellbound - as this is not a stand-alone. I read and reviewed Spellbound in June of 2019 and struggled at first to recall all the plot points as I began this book.

Starcrossed returns us to NYC in the Roaring Twenties, circa 1925, with Arthur (Ace), Rory, Jade and Zhang trying to track down Baron Zeppler's operatives and the magical relics.  As the story begins, Rory and Arthur are in the countryside at Harry Kenzie's estate, where Rory unwittingly unleashes the power of the Tempest Ring with terrifying results. Later, Ace reluctantly agrees to escort a titled British guest to the wedding of the Governor's son in order to help his brother John advance his political career ... and the guest is Ace's ex, Wesley Collins, the Viscount Fine.

There are a series of murders throughout and a terrifying paranormal villain with ties to Ace's WWI past, and the author does an excellent job of detailing these deaths in a very viseral bone-chilling manner. But in between the first part of the book and the "edge of your seat" ending, the middle drags a bit, as Rory and Ace ponder the nature of their relationship (which remains non-explicit as in the first book), Lord Fine intrudes, and Rory gets jealous, again and again and again.

Now, I realize others may not feel the same, but I ended up setting the book down quite a few times because it just didn't hold my interest. However, the author really pulls it together at the end, and we are left with a cliffhanger of sorts that really piqued my interest, and I will definitely read the third book in the series, Wonderstruck (no release date set.)  4 stars.

I received an ARC from Carina Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Spellbound (Magic in Manhattan #1)

Title: Spellbound: A Paranormal Historical Romance (Magic in Manhattan Book 1)
Author: Allie Therin
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: July 29, 2019
Genre(s): Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance
Page Count: 243
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Read book blurb

Author Allie Therin introduces us to the New York City of 1925 - a world of jazz, Prohibition, crime, corruption, speakeasys, skyscrapers ... and paranormal magic. Arthur Kenzie - Congressman Kenzie's son, former soldier, Harvard quarterback - has surrounded himself with paranormals, like Jade with her telekinetic powers and Zhang who is an astral walker. Then Arthur comes across Rory Brodigan, who has the power of psychometry:

"Think of magic as radio waves. Most paranormal powers make magic - most powers transmit. But magic also broadcasts its own signal, and some powers receive. Your psychometry receives magic into your mind from the objects you touch."

The author does an admirable job of world building as Arthur (also called Ace) and his band of paranormals try to find out the who, what, when, where and why of a mysterious shipment arriving in NYC - a relic, an "object that's become a vessel for magic," something with unknown destructive power. In the midst of saving NYC, Arthur uncovers Rory's secret past while Rory rails against Arthur trying to help him, in my opinion, for far too long. There's building sexual tension, and then there's endless variations of Rory taking exception to almost everything Ace says and does. But finally, finally Rory and Ace become lovers (in mostly fade-to-black scenes) but there is a palpable attraction between the two.

The plot is innovative and interesting, and the stage is set for the continuous of the series with lots of unanswered questions and adventures. The relationship building is a bit too slow for me personally, and as a result the pace of the story feels slow at times. But the suspenseful ending really brings everything together and I''m looking forward to reading the next book in this series. 4 stars.