Twilight Calling

Raina runs the Kestrels’ Loft, a coffeehouse and library of the magical arts boasting a wonderful atmosphere with an otherworldly theme. The Loft is also a sort of haven for folks with supernatural powers. She’s lost her parents, her child, and her aunt, who had been the first to understand her unique abilities. Raina has locked herself away from getting close to people to protect herself from the pain of losing love; in spite of all of her gifts, she is horrible at relationships. This Beltane, though, she celebrated by closing the shop, imbibing a little too deeply with her aunt’s special home brew, and calling the elements. You see, Raina is a witch, and her spell is calling and compelling three men to herself in preparation for battle.

Hunky vamp Aidan is a ruler of his kind and as such, is on the Council’s bad list. He receives the beckoning of Raina’s magic while in the bed of another woman - an insatiable, convenient woman. He calls upon his own considerable powers to trace her location, and makes plans to find out why she is spelling him. Then they meet, and the magic sparks between them, leaving each of them unsettled and aroused.

Enter breathtaking paranormal number two, the other person Raina’s magic has called, named Jagur. Raina is astonished when he remembers none of their shared past. Jagur is liege-lord of the pack, and keeps his impulses regarding Raina barely leashed.
Add a drop-dead handsome detective investigating an unexplained murder of one of the paranormals to the mix, and Raina must tread carefully so as not to cause a modern-day witch hunt.

Can they all come together to combat the evil that is seeping into their world and killing at will?

This is a gorgeous, lushly erotic and descriptive piece. I was drawn into this story from the first paragraph. The author crafts this tale so carefully, building layer upon layer, character upon character, spell upon spell. I loved Ms. Bandruid’s descriptions of the Loft, with its library of magical books passed generation to generation through Raina’s family, with each new owner adding their favorites. This work combined pieces of vampire, Irish, Wiccan, Viking, and many other kinds of lore, all woven together in a wonderful tapestry of a story. I also especially liked the rugby team bodyguards; Raina is extremely blessed in her friends. I wholeheartedly give Twilight Calling a rating of 5 Angels.

Reviewed by: Michelle