Pride and Paranormal (Souls and Shadows, Book 1)

Izzy Bennet’s life is as comfortable as a witch’s life can be. Her family isn’t the richest, but they are well thought of in the enchanted town of Misty Cedars. All she needs to do is follow the laws of magic use and avoid her mother’s match-making efforts. Oh, and avoid the snobby, rude, rich guy who just blew into town with the famous Charlie Van Buren, creator of Magical Moments, the online match-matching site for paranormals. Fitz Darcy’s magical abilities may be as strong as he is rich, but his social skills need some work; a fact he is reminded of frequently when he accompanies his best friend, Charlie, to the country for a vacation. Darcy would be happy to write the whole backwater town off, but there’s one vexing, young resident he can’t stop thinking about.

“Pride and Paranormal” is a delightful twist on “Pride and Prejudice” with all the drama of Jane Austen’s original story, and the added fun of a paranormal cast! Adrienne Blake has invented a world rich with supernatural features and interesting aspects of coven society. Many pieces of the original tale are preserved for the loyal Austen readers, but Ms. Blake seeds her retelling with scintillating plot peregrinations. There are a few stock preternatural species, but there are also some inventive entities that could have used more stage time, though maybe they’ll flesh out in later installments. The reader will enjoy the suspense as they wait to see which outcomes are the same and which are different. “Pride and Paranormal” introduces a fresh, fun world and characters that deliver on drama, romance, and paranormal intrigue.

Starling Gray