Thea Harrison is a new author to me. I have seen her name pop up here or there over the course of the years, but I hadn’t been compelled to pick up one of her books until I saw American Witch. I have to admit I honestly didn’t know what to think about this story going into it. The blurb had me intrigued. The cover even more so. In a time in my life where I am struggling to find anything to hold my attention past a few chapters, I was scared to dive into a new author’s book.

That was until I started reading American Witch. The story sucked me in almost immediately. While an unconventional and almost normal contemporary romance beginning to the story with Molly catching her husband cheating on her, I had my doubts about moving back that, but I am glad that I did. You see that discovery is what unlocks her own magic, and takes her down a road of self-discovery, passion, and adventure. Add in Josiah who sees her as an opportunity to not only further his own personal vendetta against an ancient foe, and you’ve got a pretty good storyline. My only gripe is that the way that the way Molly’s character is written in the beginning made me see her as older than the woman featured on the cover. In my mind, Molly was mid to late forties, not late twenties if my guess is correct. Other than that, I really enjoyed this story, and look forward to what’s to come in the next book.

A really strong start to a new series by Thea Harrison and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Molly is an instantly likable heroine - pragmatic, intelligent, brave, kick ass, human. I love a storyline that follows a woman discovering her powers (whether magical or not) and it was great seeing Molly into her strengths and independence. The same goes for Josiah, who initially I was concerned would be an over-the-top alpha hero, but who learns to tone it down through the story (thank god, because he was a mega jerk to begin with).

Interesting and intricate world building combined with a cast of varied characters to inject some additional spice into the book/series - excited for book 2 already!

I enjoyed the world Harrison created here and I love the idea of the witch world mingled with the human world. The long history of witches, politics, and feuds between covens was intriguing and interesting. What I enjoyed most is seeing Molly stand up for herself from a bad marriage. It cool to see her embracing the world of magic as she came upon her awakening. Of course, Josiah was pretty awesome. He is a powerful man both in the magic and human world seeking revenge but also has a good heart. You can’t ignore that this powerful man is also sexy.

Unfortunately, there were a few things I wasn’t crazy about. Though Molly is generally a strong character, there were a few times where Molly was “unsure”. She was indecisive and threw out ultimatums that she didn’t follow through on. Because of this, I didn’t connect with her well.

It was also mentioned that “American Witch is the first in a new trilogy set within the world of the Elder Races”. I honestly don’t think, this book needed to be attached to that series at all. As far as world-building, it can carry its own weight. Since there was only a hint of the Elder Races mentioned, I felt it was a moot point. I’m not sure if this was done for selling strategy purposes but it was not needed. It just set expectations that were not met. I’m rating this book at 2.5-3 stars out of 5. Though it has an overall good start to a trilogy/series, I’m undecided if I will read the next book.

This book started off so strong, I just couldn’t put it down.

I loved how the book starts off as a contemporary, but quickly turns paranormal.

The author kept me invested not only in the story, but the characters as well

What I liked: American Witch was engaging from the start. Mary was easy to identify with, and her decisions were reasonable. I liked that the main couple had a moment of passion, but did not immediately disclose eternal love for each other. They recognized their shared desire did not guarantee a relationship would be the best for them under current circumstances.

Experiencing Mary coming into her witch powers was tense and exciting. The big battle at the end of the story shows Mary, Josiah, and other coven members are going to be a formidable force. I cannot wait to see where the rest of the American Witch series goes.

What I didn't like: Honestly, the plot mechanics used to get Mary out of her current life was predictable to a point. The conflict with her husband, and the repercussions of their break up, I saw coming. I will say that in the end, that predictability did not matter. Watching the characters develop, and their priorities change overshadowed what little I didn't like.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/05/20/american-witch-by-thea-harrison/)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library Romance, Urban Fantasy, and/or Paranormal Romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Fast and intense

Relationship dynamics: The Mature Awakening Witch (h) / The Powerful Magical Mentor (H)

Sexual content: Some; sex between H and h is "onscreen" and explicit, not always romantic. 

Triggers:  Some intense violence against women (not by H); graphic murder; descriptions of abuse.

Grammar/Editing: This ARC had a couple of typos, but no major grammatical errors

Review: The pacing in this novel is a tad uneven - some parts are fast and others are quite slow. The premise of the novel is very interesting, but some of the twists were a bit over-obvious. The fantasy setting is urban and clearly resides within a world built throughout other books. This novel can be read as a standalone, but it certainly seems as if clear understanding of the setting would be enriched by reading other books set in this world to gain a better understanding of the world's dynamics.

Molly, our awakening heroine, is a bit of a walking contradiction. The author seems to believe that she has written a low maintenance, reasonable character, but Molly is really a high maintenance character with a low maintenance veneer that is easily cracked. Josiah, our hero, is impatient, prone to angry outbursts and, while not shown to be violent, can be a bit aggressive, particularly sexually (though not aggressive enough to warrant a trigger warning). To say that their relationship is volatile and intense would be an understatement. The progression of their relationship is a bit start-and-stop and I was not left convinced of its ability to stand the tests of time. I probably would have enjoyed the book more if the romance weren't part of the story. With the exception of Sarah, the supporting characters were largely unmemorable. The revelation of the villain's identity was groan-inducing, particularly as using this figure as a villain is a bit of an over-used trope. Although this was not my favourite book by any stretch of the imagination, I will give the next book in the series a go. 



Spell Version: 

Incantation: Fracture and twirl; ground and swirl; spin the tale and spell unfurl.

Notes: Of fair to middling efficacy. May cause tale to be cliché in places and romance to be volatile. Not for use by witches seeking gentleness in a narrative. 



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect trophy wife, the best hostess, the perfect daughter-Molly. That is until she discovers that her husband has cheated, the same day that they are hosting an important gathering for the law firm he works at. She was busy making the house perfect when she found the evidence. Shellshocked, she leaves only to come back in the middle of the dinner party. She sure does make an entrance. As she leaves her cheating husband she is smart enough to clean out the safe and the bank account. Josiah, the recently elected District Attorney is there and witnesses her entrance, declaration, and escape.

Molly is interesting in that she starts off as a woman scorned again, yet she doesn’t rain down balefire on her cheating husband. Instead as cool as a cucumber she walked away, with everything. She is calm, cool and collective. Her only debating with her inner self comes when they concern Josiah. Which makes sense, he is the one that tells her about her powers. She stumbled upon the illegal activities of her husband’s firm and is in danger. She could have gotten into the fetal position to rock back and forth, nah she puts on her big girl panties and decides to use it to her advantage. Molly is not naïve, or a doormat. She calls Josiah out when he needs to be.

Josiah has an agenda, it isn’t hidden from Molly. He embraces his need for revenge and allows it to rule who he is. He and his coven plan on taking down a big baddie- a plan that has been years in the making. He is not above using his magic to get what he wants. Too bad Molly is way to powerful to be manipulated. He does not treat Molly as if her marriage of 20 some odd years just crumbled before his eyes. He knows she is hot and he is shocked when he starts to feel things for her.

The chemistry between these Josiah and Molly runs hot sometimes and then cold. Both of them have a lot of baggage when it comes to previous relationships, so I understood the need for them to pull back. The tension between them though was pulled as tight as it could be pulled without breaking.

I liked this story and am looking forward to more in the series. The action and romance was balanced, the pacing good. I have no clue who the next couple will be, other people may have figured it out but I am hoping that Richard falls next.

My Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote “I don’t like confusion in any state, not mentally or emotionally, and certainly not physically.”

Other People
Sarah- Molly’s mentor
Anson- member of Josiah’s coven
Henry- member of Josiah’s coven
Richard- member of Josiah’s coven
Maria- member of Josiah’s coven

Thea Harrison’s paranormal romance pits a newly awakened witch and a powerful warlock into passionate conflict as they battle an ancient evil in this entertaining if uneven first in a planned trilogy. Molly Sullivan is a 40-year old woman who finds herself coming into extraordinary powers as a witch. On the cusp of escaping an abusive and loveless marriage, she meets Josiah Mason, a handsome witch with a singular focus: revenge against an evil that could destroy them both. The story follows Molly’s awakening as both a witch and a woman and Josiah’s conflict as their affair makes him question his revenge. I found the plot twist used to motivate these characters a bit conventional (not a fan of this trope), as was Molly’s transformation into a stereotypical West Coast hippie. The heat between the MCs was nicely done on the page, but the final conflict against the Big Bad felt anticlimactic after so much build up. The final chapter ended heavy on the exposition to wrap up loose narrative threads. This was a fun read, but its unsure where it will go from here and whether if I’ll be invested enough to follow.

Thea Harrison is well known for her titles and I think that many of her fans will be happy with this title. I admit that I have not read any of her past works so I am going into this new series blind. What I loved about this title was the main character. I loved that she was not the typical 18 or 25 year old. She was older and more mature. What hated is the cliché woman who “gave up” her wants and dreams to be the “prefect wife.” Oh, no. This is my own biases speaking but as a 30something woman today I would never give up my wants, dreams, hopes for my future just to play out society’s belief of what a woman’s role is. Moving on, so after you get past what was always going to be a big disappointment and waste of her life we get to the real story. I loved the story from this point on. The empowerment was so uplifting but at the same time, I did still keep thinking that this woman should have discovered herself much earlier but again I digress. So, my overall thoughts is that the story was action and fast paced enough that I did enjoy it and the inner strength that comes out of Molly is beautiful to read and envision.

Always a fan of this genre, Thea managed to come up with a fresh twist to an old theme - a witch coming into her own "late" in life. I'm intrigued and enthralled and can't wait for the next book!

I had a hard time writing this review. I expected an alpha hero who was rough, gruff and a total alpha-hole which is what I got in the beginning. But this turned out to be a tease. Josiah went form a strong, capable alpha to a benchwarmer who muddled through.

On the other hand, Molly went from a clueless housewife who had just figured out she had a backbone, to this unbelievably strong magical badass who could save the day. Don't get me wrong, I loved strong, badass heroines, but I need my heroes not to be gelded in the process. Why can't they both be strong?

It wasn't just the characters I struggled with. It was the huge things they missed along the way while they went through their personality changes. For instance, the huge target put on Molly and her lawyer. Instead of finessing things, they waved their findings around like a huge red cape in front of a bull.

As with any Thea Harrison book, there was a lot to like here, but not enough to overcome my issues. That doesn't mean I won't be picking up the next one. Ms. Harrison usually delivers stories that I fall in love with, and I expect no less in the future.

I LOVED this book! I found it compelling right away. It starts off with a fire and bang. Thea has you rooting for the two of them the who time. Even the mystery of who is behind everything is exciting and has you on the edge of the seat.
The only thing I didn't agree with was the arguing that happened everytime to two main characters got together. Other than that, I adored the story. Nothing like magic, and passion!

Molly is coming into her witchy powers, and she will be one powerful lady. I really liked her, she was strong and kick ass lady. Then we have Josiah a powerful witch, he has a secret coven and hes been looking for Molly. he can help her become more. it has been a few years since i read this author and i liked this book a lot, i can recommend it to all and look forward to more.

Molly Sullivan has been pushed over the edge by her cheating husband and suddenly all the inexplicable things that has been happening around her: electrical surges, car breakdowns, visions start to make more sense as she realizes that she has power and it is awakening. A powerful witch, Josiah Mason is the leader of a secret coven with a shared goal, to destroy an ancient enemy. He prepared for every contingency – except encountering a beautiful witch with not understanding of the immense Power building inside of her. Uncovering a dangerous secret has someone wanting to Molly dead so she turns to Josiah for help which has a spark igniting between them but with danger escalating will either one of them live long enough to give being in a relationship a try?

This new Elder Race story is an enthralling and empowering read that readers find impossible to put down. The characters are strong, convincing and easily demand attention with the heroine overcoming a lot and finally coming into her own as she learns to control her burgeoning powers and regain the confidence in herself that she lost. The hero has let revenge shape his life and turned him cold which makes this read an emotionally gripping read and readers can’t help but become caught up in the changes that happen to couple throughout this story. The chemistry between Molly and Josiah splendidly electrical and as powerful as the magic flowing through their veins and readers can practically feel the burn as this combustible romance takes off.

The fast paced plot is full of thrilling events that steadily builds suspense throughout the story ensuring that readers don’t want to miss a second of what is happening and unexpected twists ensures that they can’t possibly predict the outcome and an adrenaline pumping magical battle which makes this one magical, thrilling and empowering reading experience.

A fun reading featuring a character with some life under her belt. So even though she was thrust into a new world she had much better tools to cope. I look forward to future installments from this series.

4.5 Hearts
SJ, Romance Junkies

For a huge fan of Thea Harrison's The Elder Races series, this departure from her Wyr characters is...fascinating! I admit I had some trepidation upon learning that AMERICAN WITCH would be the first in a trilogy of stories about witches (humans), as her Wyr characters are so incredibly well-crafted and fun, but Harrison, as usual, does not disappoint!

In AMERICAN WITCH, Molly Sullivan is a new witch coming into her powers. Unfortunately, she's also going through a major life event--divorcing her terrible husband. Josiah Mason just happens to be nearby to offer help...with strings attached. He's intent on bringing down an evil witch, and Molly just happens to land in his cross-hairs with ties to danger she knows nothing about.

While in the middle of her divorce, she stumbles across some incriminating documents with far-ranging consequences that some powerful people will kill to protect. In the process, she goes into hiding while learning about her powers from Josiah. Despite themselves, both Molly and Josiah begin to fall for each other.

The characters have depth. There is no instant happily ever after, and the gravitas of their situations strikes true as the characters react honestly to danger and to each other. I liked that they didn't exactly care for each other at first. Molly is a wonderful heroine, learning as she goes and not afraid to make a mistake. Josiah has some rough edges that smooth considerably as he begins to open up and the story progresses.

A wonderfully plotted and character driven story, AMERICAN WITCH delivers danger, witchcraft, and passion between stubborn protagonists you can't help but root for. I can't wait for the next two books in this series. Well done, Ms. Harrison! And thanks for a book I'll be reading over and over again.

The “American Witch” was an intriguing story. It was the type of book that willed you to turn to the next page and find out what was going to happen next.

Not a coming of age story, but rather a coming into magical abilities. It takes a new spin on the latter and people awakening this magic through a “traumatic” event or occurrence.

Molly Sullivan traumatic event comes in the form of finding out her husband cheated on her, again. This single event changes her life from a newly awoken witch to finding the love of her life and getting mixed up in a plan to destroy an ultimate evil.

Josiah Mason is a powerful witch. He is also the leader of a secret coven of witches who have all lost something or someone to the ancient evil.

On the eve of Molly finding out about her husband, she confronts him in front of their dinner party guests. Josiah is in attendance and witnesses Molly exploding a vase with a magic power. He seeks her out and offers guidance to which she refuses.

Molly unknowingly stumbles upon important documentation when filing for a divorce, which puts her in more than enough danger. She contacts Josiah for assistance and protection.

“What do people call you?” she asked. “Are you a witch or a warlock?”

He shrugged, finished his beer, and took a second bottle. “Either or both. Sometimes sorcerer. Occasionally asshole. Personally, I’m not in love with labels.”

My Favorite Quote
Romance sparks between Josiah and Molly, but with the ever increasing dangers and the coven’s mission becoming more of a priority, tensions are high. Molly gives Josiah an time limit ultimatum.

Action, Magic and a Romance packed into 420 pages! What more can one ask for?

Although I finished this book on a high, I ultimately struggled with the review for this particular book. And so, I determinedly sit and try sort through my mommy brain thoughts.

** I received a copy of “ American Witch ” by Thea Harrison via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#AmericanWitch #NetGalley

In American Witch, Molly Sullivan's life is about to come crashing down around her. For the last two decades, she has been supporting her husband's rising law career and putting his needs before her own. When she discovers proof of her husband's infidelity in her own bed, Molly decides enough is enough. She confronts her husband in the middle of their latest dinner party and in the midst of the argument to end all arguments, a very expensive vase explodes around them. It seems like the chaos Molly is feeling is manisfesting as magic around her.

The new DA Josiah Mason, a very old witch, watches Molly's awakening and offers to teach her some basics about magic before her uncontrolled Power draws attention to his own plots. Together Josiah and Molly make an unlikely pair as they work to unravel two webs of deceit that may be more connected then they originally thought.

This is the first book I have read by Thea Harrison (though she does frequently appear on my Kindle recommended reads list) The character development was well done and the pace of the novel was good too. It was very refreshing to read about a more mature character coming into her power. I think Molly would make a great role model for women who feel trapped in their own life. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I loved this, a great new twist, don’t think I’ve read a book before where a witch coming into her powers was a mature adult and not a young adult, this was refreshing and enjoyable because of that alone. Great passionate characters, good plot, great pacing. A good overall story and entertaining read

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Can you imagine what it would be like to suddenly come into power as a witch at 40 years old, especially if you didn't know you were a witch? That's exactly what happens to Molly Sullivan in American Witch. As if that wasn't traumatic enough, this discovery comes right on the heals of finding out that her husband has been cheating on her. I don't know about you, but if I were in her shoes I would likely to torch the bastard with my new powers under those circumstances.
I adored Molly. After coming to terms with everything she was determined to reinvent herself . She developed a spine of steel and took no shit from anyone even though in many instances there was a power imbalance.
I was wary when Molly started dreaming about a woman telling her to come visit because I thought for sure it would be a trap of some sort. But the relationship between Sarah and Molly was the highlight of the book. Sarah was such a kind and nurturing and was exactly the loving presence that Molly needed and frankly deserved in her life. After being raised by a wretched excuse for a mother and marrying a scumbag of a husband she needed a genuine friendship to allow her to heal and find her true self.
There were a couple things I didn't care for in this book. The first was Josiah. Sure he did a lot of things to help Molly and fell in love with her but he spent a lot of time being an asshole. Even after he acknowledged his feelings for Molly, anytime he got irritated he became an irrational jerk. I'm all about a surly hero but in my opinion he took it too far.
The second thing I didn't like was the surprise event in the book (I don't want to spoil it for those that haven't read it yet). I couldn't quite tell if I was supposed to see that as a fated moment based on the fact they were meant to be together or whether it was supposed to be a series of random events that resulted in that outcome. If it wasn't some fated experience it just felt too contrived because I saw it coming a mile away. I get why it was a plot point because I think it was the only thing that was going to convince Josiah to evaluate who he had become, I just found the way it too place a little too convenient.
All in all I think this was a good introduction to a new series by Thea Harrison and I look forward to reading future installments of this series and I hope eventually we will get to see Molly and Josiah interact with characters of the Wyr and Nightkind. Can you imagine Molly and Carling teaming up at some point?