Author: Kit Brisby
Book: Rogue Magic
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Publication date: January 30, 2017
Length: 81,000 words
Cover by L.C. Chase
Reviewed by Morningstar
Synopsis
While trapped in a stalled subway train on his
morning commute, PR rep Byron Cole flirts with Levi, a young waiter with
adorable curls. But Byron's hopes for romance crash and burn when Levi saves
him from a brutal explosion—with outlawed magic.
When Levi is imprisoned, Byron begins to question
everything he's ever believed. How can magic be evil when Levi used it to save
dozens of lives? So Byron hatches a plan to save Levi that will cost him his
job and probably his life. If he doesn't pull it off, Levi will be put to
death.
Byron discovers that he isn't the only one questioning America's stance
on magic. And he learns that Levi is stubborn, angry, and utterly enchanting.
Time is running out, though. Byron must convince Levi to trust him, to trust
his own magic, and to fight against the hatred that’s forced him to hide his
true nature his entire life. The more Levi opens up, the harder Byron falls.
And the more they have to lose.
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Review
Magic is a wonderful thing. We’ve all
wished to have powers at some point in our lives. Maybe you wanted to be able
to move things without touching them so you vacuum without getting up from your
comfy seat, or influence how they think so they’d let you in front of the super
long line at the coffee shop… or even a power that would allow you to change
your appearance so that costly hairdresser bill disappears. But what if magic
isn’t seen as a fun awesome thing but a power that the government and society
feel is sin or something that can get you sentenced to death? Would you still
want to have magic? Would you hide it to stay safe or stand and fight for the
rights of those that are born with it?
This story takes place in a world where
magic is known and the people born with it are seen as subhuman and can even be
sentenced to death for concealing it. There’s registrations, and children being
taken away from parents who are known mages, and a company profiting off of
their suffering. The struggle and the fight that each main character goes
through in this book is not easy, each for different reasons, but all just as
compelling.
Byron Cole goes through an awakening in
this book. He has this set path in the beginning but meeting Levi and seeing
him suffer through being caught hiding magic is one thing he can’t get off his
mind. Levi is a mage with immense power that he’s been hiding his whole life.
Never one to take the easy way out; he suffers for the one moment his power
comes out to save others from death. Their relationship didn’t move fast but
Byron’s feelings did. He was enamored with Levi from the moment they met and
fighting to save him brought those feelings to the surface with a rush. I loved
it, it gave him a heart and warmth that I didn’t immediately see from the start
coming from him.
I love that this story, minus the magic
as the thing that makes them subhuman, resembles our country right now. No,
it’s not political or preachy but the parallel was one that was easily seen. I
loved the secondary characters like Eleanor and Victoria who were both fierce
and needed for this story to be what it was. Sam, Levi’s ex-boyfriend, was one
character I felt wasn’t as fleshed out but I still loved his part of the whole
thing because it added a little heart and humor to it.
The evil character(s) were purely
psychotic and way more off their rocker than most bad guys are. But the real
danger to mages they represented was important. Showing how there is only
profit or fanatical beliefs at the center of everything that was done in the
name of...yeah some tense moments were had when it looked like the bad guys
were going to win. There were losses on the good side and some gains on the bad
but in the end it was a HEA! I would love to read more not just from this
author but even from this world...maybe Sam can find he forever?
About Kit Brisby
Kit
Brisby lives in Tampa Bay, Florida, with her two young sons and two rescue
dogs. A graduate of the University of Florida, she's been writing
professionally since 2002. Her career has taken her from writing think pieces
on breastfeeding to writing erotica for the adult industry—and nearly
everything in between. She works in digital marketing and helps businesses find
and tell their stories.
Kit
is always trying to find balance between working full-time, revisiting or
writing books every night, and modeling badass behavior to her two boys.
Sometimes the lure of Tumblr interferes with all of that balancing. She's just
old enough to still be utterly enchanted by animated gifs.
A
single mom and aspiring yogi, Kit is open about her struggles with anxiety and
the importance of self-care. She also advocates for neurodiversity and
acceptance of those on the autism spectrum. Few things get her as riled up as
bisexual erasure.
Though
she lives in the South, Kit is a NYC girl at heart, and makes a point of
traveling to the city as often as she can to catch a few shows and eat as much
ramen as humanly possible.
She
reads avidly, and gravitates toward historical queer romance and young adult
fantasy, especially when the stakes are high. She's a fan of awkward first
dates unless she's participating in them, and is outspoken about embracing kink
and sex positivity.
Connect
with Kit:
Giveaway
To
celebrate the release of Rogue Magic, one lucky winner will receive a
yoga mat from Kit and a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact
info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on February
4, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t
forget to leave your contact info!
