Book Description:Cassie Scot, still stinging from her parents' betrayal, wants out of the magical world. But it isn't letting her go. Her family is falling apart and despite everything, it looks like she may be the only one who can save them.
To complicate matters, Cassie owes Evan her life, making it difficult for her to deny him anything he really wants. And he wants her. Sparks fly when they team up to find two girls missing from summer camp, but long-buried secrets may ruin their hopes for happiness. Book 2 in the Cassie Scot Mystery series.
"Christine Amsden unleashes her brilliant storytelling magic as the adventures of Cassie Scot escalate to the extreme. Rife with betrayal and a debt too deep for money to clear, Secrets and Lies plunges the reader into an utterly believable world where villains and heroes spring lifelike from the pages. Brace for a whirlwind ride of sorcery, romance and knife-edge peril. A truly original urban fantasy. Not to be missed!" –Kim Falconer, bestselling author of The Spell of Rosette, Quantum Enchantment Series
My Thoughts:
I really loved the characters in this book. Cassie owes a life debt to Evan. He saved her life and she owes him everything. He is in love with her but there are some big issues to work through (if that is even possible). Her family is a big problem with disowning and lies. Not to mention she and Evan have teamed up to find two missing girls....
I loved that this was a magical book set in a contemporary setting and not in another realm/time/world. Cassie is struggling for independence but at the same time, there are too many things going on for her to be completely independent. Evan's predicament is loving Cassie. Keeping her safe and alive is a job in and of itself. Time is of the essence as they race to find the girls, but they also find answers to many questions and past family feuds that leave us wondering what will happen to them in book 3!
I rate this a 4/5. It was really good standing alone but there were parts that were obviously left over from book 1 that continued on and I think would be easier to follow if I'd read book 1 first.
Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and I'm thrilled that you liked it even though you didn't read book one! A couple of other reviewers have shared that they managed to get into this book despite not reading the prequel, which is nice to hear. I'm glad I had enough reminders and detail in there to make it work -- it also means I've got enough reminders for the people who haven't read the first book in a few months. :)
ReplyDeleteFor those thinking of starting the series, this really is meant to be read in order. Each book is going to be a little harder to get into than the one before. There are four total (I'm doing final copy edits on Stolen Dreams, the last book), and I think if you start with Mind Games it's going to feel like you picked up a book and thumbed through to the halfway point... Stolen Dreams the 3/4 point. I've been considering putting a shiny, red-lettered warning at the top of my website. :)
Mind Games will be out in ebook this April, print in May.
It is great to know when the next one will be out! Gives us something to look forward to :)
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