Consort of Secrets

Wow. Just wow. The fact that I read this book in no time at all says plenty already. Pretty sure I read this book faster than I normally do just because of the writing - and that's something I rarely say / admit! It's been a while since I read a fantasy novel with witches that I actually loved reading. Consort of Secrets is now easily at the top of my list. Ea-si-ly.

So, obviously, our main character Rose is a witch, but she hasn't gotten into her powers yet. Because she's almost twenty-five she's so easy to connect with. She isn't childish nor naive. She doesn't act out, she simply acts like she should. Like I would. I loved it.
The four human, unsparked, guys in her life are pretty darn amazing as well. Kyler, Seth, Jin and Damon are the four guys she was friends with way back when, before she moved out of town.
I'm not a girlie-girl. I like surrounding myself with guys, men whenever and wherever so this was another thing I could find myself in.
They also have their own distinct personalities, characteristics and voices. It's so admirable that the author is able to pull that off! It's another thing that made me enjoy this novel so much more than I anticipated.

The relationships between Rose and the four guys felt totally natural and normal. That's something that definitely needs to be mentioned. I thought I'd go "no, go with him!" from the bat but that wasn't the case. They each took a piece of my heart and wrapped themselves up in it. They're all special, all unique and I can definitely see why Rose would surround herself with them.

Oooh, the steamy scenes. Really, this is an adult novel. No doubt about it. This is squirming-when-reading-in-public steamy because you will be so lost in the story and there's nothing else you can do but squirm. I loved it. I LOVED IT. Like, there pretty much is nothing I didn't love about this novel.

5 / 5!

Kathy

In a world where only the women have magic and their consorts refuel said magic by being intimate, we meet Rose Hallowell, a witch soon turning the critical age of 25. If she hasn't taken a consort from one of the other witching families by then, she will lose her magic spark forever.

Returning home after a forced 11 years absence fills Rose with joy, even if it is to fulfil an arranged marriage. It also brings back memories of her 5 childhood friends with whom she grew up and who were ultimately the reason she had to leave. They were unsparked and as such not fit company for a witch so they took her away.
Wanting to know how they are doing, she sets out to meet them. Only to discover she is fiercely attracted to not one, but all of them. Rose cant stay away even when she knows she is destined to marry a man she has no feelings for.

When she discovers a heinous plot against her the race against time and a magic wielding stepmother has started.

My take on the book:
I was actually surprised how good this was :)
Not that I had no faith in the author, but with it being a pretty short book I was afraid it would feel rushed... it wasn't :)
It was well written and as far as I could tell, there were no errors in the book.
Pacing was good, the author took the time to go into detailed descriptions at times so we could follow along effortlessly.
Character development was good. We got to know the history they shared, what happened during the time they were apart and we have an imaginary best friend who really is the best! (wish I could have one myself as cool as Philomena!!).
The relationship between them felt normal. Yes there was that attraction (they are prime male specimens after all), but starting of as reunited friends, they got to know each other again.

Since this is a Reverse Harem, yes, there is sex involved. This is by no means a slow burn RH.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book, courtesy of NetGalley, and I really enjoyed it! Now let's hope we don't have to wait that long for book number 2 :D

If you're looking for a fix to your RH craving, search no further and go read this one!