Deadly Spells by Jaye Wells

JWells-DeadlySpellsAnother fantastic addition to her Prospero’s War series, Deadly Spells  by Jaye Wells dragged us deeper into protagonist Kate Prospero’s convoluted life. Raised in a coven that taught her to fend for herself with little regard to the law, Kate is now a cop that works with the MEA (Magical Enforcement Agency) task force. Her ex-boyfriend is the mayor and her MEA partner has the hots for her. All the while, Kate raises her kid brother and strives to balance the scales of justice in the city that she loves. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that, right? Wrong.  Deadly Spells ramps up the action, while giving more insight into Kate’s complicated personal life. This series is definitely on my list of favorites, and I can’t wait to see what Jaye Wells has in store for Kate.

After the grisly murder of a dirty magic coven leader, Kate Prospero and The Magical Enforcement Agency team up with the local police to find the killer. But as the infighting between covens turns ugly, an all-out war brews in the slums of Babylon.

When a tenacious reporter sticks her nose in both the investigation and Prospero’s past in the covens, old ghosts resurface. The team will have to use all the weapons in their arsenal to stop the coven war and find the killer before the case brings down all their careers – and their lives.

Deadly Spells is the third novel in the Prospero’s War series that started with Dirty Magic and Cursed Moon!

One of my weaknesses is a bold, take charge heroine that can be real and vulnerable while kicking ass and taking names. Kate Prospero qualifies. She’s tough as nails, made that way by her coven leader/uncle, Abe Prospero (currently serving time). A former practitioner of “dirty magic,” Kate has turned her life around and tries very hard to stay on the right side of the law and keep her city clean. Only, sometimes you have to get dirty to do the right thing – something ex-boyfriend and Mayor, John Volos is quick to remind her. Also, the sexual tension between Kate and her sexy MEA task force partner, Drew Morales, nears epic proportions. Kate will either need to be prepared for a lonely life or let down her guard.

I’m not even sure where to start on the plot. When I think about it, it seems like too much to have been crammed into the book I had just read – probably because we start the book off with a murder of an acquaintance of hers and keep going from there. Kate is a really good cop. She’s also a fairly powerful Adept (magic worker/potion cooker as signified by her dominant left hand). Unfortunately, Kate wants no part of her Adept-status past. She’d like to fit into the mundane world, but that just isn’t her lot in life. The murder investigation leads to even bigger mysteries involving a Brazilian cartel and more information about her mother’s death. The pacing was phenomenal, making this book incredibly difficult to put down (I only set it down once!).

Kate is a multi-faceted character with a seriously screwed up past – we could totally be friends. After reading this book, I have definite opinions about who I’d like to see as Kate’s love interest and have seen other readers declaring themselves as “Team Morales” or “Team Volos.” Jaye Wells had the perfect response on Twitter:

I love that sentiment. As readers, we don’t have the full picture yet, and Kate isn’t done processing her past. This isn’t a romance; this is Kate’s story. It’s full of pain, anger, and heartbreak, but it’s also chock full of hope. If you haven’t bought Deadly Spells yet, go get it today! I would definitely read this series in order.

Read order:
Dirty Magic
Cursed Moon
Fire Water
Deadly Spells

About Sarah 47 Articles
A 30-something mother of a teenage (going on 30) daughter, I read between 4-8 books a week. Between work, chauffeur responsibilities, and reading, I don’t have much free time . However, I do like to knit and crochet in the winter (quality scarves and hats are highly underrated!). My favorite genres are urban fantasy, contemporary romance, and paranormal romance. I tend to binge read when I find a great new series, so I love to discover new-to-me series that already have several books out.