I enjoyed Wild Magic and was particularly captivated by the heroine. While the romance was a bit weak, I liked the world the author created, and can recommend the book to fans of paranormal romance.
To all appearances, Irenee Sable is the privileged daughter of a wealthy Chicago family and a suburban event planner. In reality, Irenee was born a low-level magic practitioner in a family of high-level practitioners. In the author’s world, the ability to be a magic practitioner has been transmitted genetically for centuries, unknown to the majority non-practitioner world. Each practitioner has a particular skill and there are strict rules regarding how magic can be used. The Swords enforce the rules.
While Irenee’s birth skill was organization, she began to develop other, high-level talents at 18, including the Sword talent – the ability to attack and destroy evildoers and evil objects. After much practice, Irenee has been given her first independent assignment. She must locate evidence against Alton Finster, a rogue practitioner using magic for evil purposes. Irenee successfully enters Finster’s office, but is seen by an attractive man in the middle of her search. Problem is, Irenee had rendered herself invisible, but this non-practitioner can see through her spell.
Jim Tylan is part of a special DEA task force targeting Alton Finster’s criminal organization. He’s in Finster’s mansion looking for financial records to bring down Finster and the last thing he expects to find in his search is a gorgeous woman, glowing in a strange manner who seems to have unusual skills.
Soon, Irenee and Jim are working together to bring down the Finster organization and recover the Cataclysm Stone, an evil relic the practitioners have searched for since the 15th century. Along the way, they discover some surprising things about Jim. He has always had hunches that help him solve cases, however, the practitioners quickly discover that Jim is a wild talent, someone whose magical abilities appear spontaneously.
They also discover that Jim and Irenee are soul mates, with a strong physical imperative to mate and be together for life. It’s obvious from the first that the physical connection is there. While they resist having sex for a while, they still don’t really know much about each other when they do, and I found the romance a bit weak.
The book is more plot than character-driven, but I liked Jim and Irenee. Irenee loves being a Sword. She wriggles with excitement, and thinks being a Sword is lots of fun. She is also strong, and confident in her abilities and doesn’t put up with Jim’s natural tendencies to protect her. I didn’t feel that I got to know Jim quite as well as Irenee.
I liked the concept of practitioners and would like to read more books taking place in the author's world. The strength of the plot outweighed the weak romance for me. However, if you require a strong romance, this may not work as well for you.
-- LinnieGayl Kimmel
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