SF/FANTASY/HORROR

Bewicched: The Sea Wicche Chronicles Seana Kelly| PNYLA 325p, e-book, $4.99 ASIN B0BBKZP45W

Kelly (author of the Sam Quinn series) kicks off this paranormal romance series with a spirited defense of the villain from The Little Mermaid and then the introduction of a wicche artist named Arwyn and a construction working werewolf named Declan. Together they take on familial expectations, a dangerous sorcerer, and the nebulous evil slowly poisoning the local community in the first book of the Sea Witcche Chronicles. Arwyn just wants to finish the renovations to her new art gallery/studio space, but when a police officer shows up to beg her to use her clairvoyance to help locate a missing boy, she’s drawn into a dangerous mystery. Declan, meanwhile, is a transient werewolf who only wants to pick up a construction job or two and move on before he gets embroiled in local pack politics.

Kelly’s story is fast-paced and polished, boasting underwater wonder (including Cecil, Arwyn’s octopus bestie) unexpected magic, and emotional jolts, all powered by a savvy sense of genre expectations and when to spring a surprise. The leads are brought together by the work that needs to be done to rebuild the dock behind the gallery space, and readers may wonder at Declan’s motivations as he inserts himself into Arwyn’s life and her personal business—is he just that entranced by her? Though they snap and snipe engagingly at each other, Declan sets everything else aside to follow and support Arwyn as she is forced by necessity to take her place as a leader of her family’s coven.

Touchingly, Declan becomes a pillar of support for Arwyn when her aunt is magically attacked and left comatose, and the two develop a relationship complicated and made possible by a clever twist: Declan’s unconscious ability to suppress Arwyn’s magic and prevent her from being constantly caught up in unwanted visions. This story hits all the right beats for a paranormal romance, and the complicating factors make the prospect of future books enticing.

Cover: A | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: – Editing: A | Marketing copy: A

This enticing series starter takes a werewolf under the sea.

Great for fans of Anna Banks, Jennifer Donnelly’s Waterfire Saga.