Unearthly Magik (Black Cauldron Detective Agency Book 1)

Ava Ramos is a Gray Mage who specializes in elemental earth magic. Together with her best friends, Nadia and Lucas, she runs the Black Cauldron Detective Agency in Manhattan. Things become dangerous when Ava’s former boss, the commander of the Archmage’s forces, gives them an assignment they can’t refuse. Recover the Lauret Grimoire. This stolen book of magik contains powerful secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands. The job comes with help: the mysterious and talented Mage who has been stalking Ava is assigned to work with them. Mr. Tall, Blonde, and Hot, as Ava nicknamed him, before she learned that his name was Max Torres, annoys and aggravates her; or maybe the heat between them is something else entirely?

The early detective work is easygoing, as Ava finds herself caught between her handsome new Mage co-worker and an adoringly flirtatious Shifter informant. Salty, meet sweet! Ava is an intriguing blend of opposites. Scary, but vulnerable; snarky, but insecure; deadly, but ethical. Her witty sarcasm keeps the reader entertained. However, as Ava and Max try to unravel which baddies have auctioned, bid, and re-stolen the Lauret on its convoluted journey, enemies thwart their efforts and deliver more than one savage beating. There are many connections to keep track. Some, like Ava’s apothecary and an enemy underworld boss, share the same name. Typos and long stretches of untranslated Spanish make an already frenetic plotline even more difficult to comprehend. The resolution is abrupt, tragic, and leaves the original theft a mystery. This promising magikal world of the BCDA could be a fun series starter with further editing.

Joan Lai