Early Review: Wickedly Wonderful by Deborah Blake

Wickedly Wonderful by Deborah Blake

Baba Yaga #2

Known as the wicked witch of Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga is not one woman, but rather a title carried by a chosen few. They keep the balance of nature and guard the borders of our world, but don’t make the mistake of crossing one of them…

Though she looks like a typical California surfer girl, Beka Yancy is in fact a powerful yet inexperienced witch who’s struggling with her duties as a Baba Yaga. Luckily she has her faithful dragon-turned-dog for moral support, especially when faced with her biggest job yet…

A mysterious toxin is driving the Selkie and Mer from their homes deep in the trenches of Monterey Bay. To investigate, Beka buys her way onto the boat of Marcus Dermott, a battle-scarred former U.S. Marine, and his ailing fisherman father.

While diving for clues, Beka drives Marcus crazy with her flaky New Age ideas and dazzling blue eyes. She thinks he’s rigid and cranky (and way too attractive). Meanwhile, a charming Selkie prince has plans that include Beka. Only by trusting her powers can Beka save the underwater races, pick the right man, and choose the path she’ll follow for the rest of her life…

When it comes to paranormal romance, the most important thing by far in my book is the characters and their chemistry. And boy, let me tell you, Beka and Marcus had that in spades. I absolutely loved the antagonism between the two of them. Of course, it does help that enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, all that yummy tension really makes the book for me, and trust me these two had it. I absolutely loved seeing these two dance around each other and throw their barbs back and forth, all the while getting closer to one another. Trust me, it was perfect.

Moving along to the plot, it was pretty enjoyable as well. I like how these books mix mundane problems in with supernatural issues. I think it just makes things a bit more interesting to mix it up and raises the stakes a bit. Of course that the normal humans have no idea that their issue is also affecting the hidden supernaturals only makes it more interesting as some of their eyes get "opened." I also enjoyed how this plot set things up for the next book, making me really want to get my hands on it, and keeping me hooked.

This was another fun romp, and just the thing I needed. It's no secret that my first love is Urban Fantasy. I just love the recurring main characters and the fantasy/paranormal aspects. However, they can be a bit frustrating in the romance department as that takes several books. So books like WICKEDLY WONDERFUL serve as the perfect and fun palate cleanser for me, this one particularly so. I really enjoy the world Deborah Blake has set up, especially in that it's not the same old tried and true paranormal characters but a great mix and Baba Yagas that aren't old crones to boot! I really had a blast reading this book, and I think it's perfect for any paranormal romance fan who is looking to escape for a couple of hours.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Previous Books:
     1. Wickedly Dangerous