Title: Sparks & Drops (The Wheel Mysteries: Book One)
Author: Susan Laine
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 170
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Blurb: Magic is in the air when Gus Goodwin, a pagan shopkeeper and owner of the Four Corners’ occult shop, meets a Niall Valentine, a mysterious PI investigating the disappearance of a local witch named Joy. What starts out as harmless flirting and information gathering soon turns into a partnership, with both men determined to solve the case.
Then bodies begin to pile up. Someone is using fire and water to kill witches associated with Joy, and it is up to Niall and Gus to find out what’s going on. But when their friendship blossoms into something else, the unknown dangers looming ahead become even more frightening. If they can’t solve the murders soon, they’re going to get themselves killed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Review: I absolutely adored Sparks & Drops!
Set in my favorite part of the country, the Great Northwest, this mystery wasn’t so complicated that I became lost in the storyline, and it managed to hold my interest from beginning to end. It even had a couple of surprises thrown in while figuring out the who-dun-it. Plus, it had the added bonus of learning more about Wicca practices.
Gus Goodwin came off as smart and adorable, with a dash of a temper when the mood suited him. And as a Wicca shop owner, I found him to be a very interesting character for a practicing witch, but his turning amateur sleuth….well…he needs some work. He tends to jump into situations head-first, and that’s where Niall Valentine comes in as his other half. Even though Niall was the one investigating the case of the missing girl, Joy, it didn’t take long for Gus to volunteer himself as soon as he figured out it was right up his Wiccan alley of expertise.
The only reason this one is getting a 4.25 Star rating instead of a 5 is that the voyeurism part of me felt cheated. The story started off with a good lead up to certain someones about to do the funky monkey, but then it left me hanging! Aaargh! Sure…fade to black when things started to look steamy.
Let’s also add to the fact that this is not an insta-love story but insta-lust. with the possibility of forming a partnership (relationship) between these two. In other words, they really, really like each other…a lot! There had better be a sequel involved with this one because I’m more than willing to read more of Susan Laine’s work.
You can buy Sparks & Drops (The Wheel Mysteries: Book One) here:
Thank you kindly for a wonderful review, Kim :)
And don’t worry. The sequel, Devil’s Own, is coming in June/July 2014—and yes, it has sex!
All the best,
Susan
Good! I really liked Gus and Niall and I would dearly love to read more about them.