Chloe is the main character in HIS DARK MAGIC (Northern Circle Coven book 1). She comes from a powerful family of witches and one of the ways they celebrate Samhain is by doing one card Tarot draws for each other. Not only do the draws reliably forecast the coming months for each family member, there is also one draw that is unnervingly predictable.
Year after year, no matter who draws Chloe’s card or how many times they do it, she gets the Fool card. In fact, it’s so reliable that her family jokingly refers to the Fool as the Chloe card. She supposes the only way to not get the Fool would be to remove it from the deck.
Now getting the Fool card doesn’t mean what the uninitiated might guess. Chloe isn’t the family jester or destined to be a vagabond. The Fool signifies a person entering their life carrying all their potential with them: the wisdom gained in former lives and the gifts from ancestors that can be drawn on as needed. These gifts are symbolized by the bag the Fool carries over their shoulder on a stick. The stick in fact is a wand.
Though sometimes it may feel to Chloe like she doesn’t know where she’s going in life, this card is reassurance that she is being guided by her soul and a deeper purpose. She is also accompanied by a hound, which embodies loyalty and protection and encourages her to take the next step, to explore her potential. It also hints that she likely has a soulmate, someone destined to travel the journey with her.
Overall the Fool card represents Chloe’s youthful optimism and new beginnings. It shouts that she needs to be confident, have faith and courage as she moves through life. It even suggests that she should take risks and try new things. This is good because Chloe tends to rush into situations—jumping off cliffs without looking, as it were.
Its power is legendary. It can fulfill every impossible magical desire. But for one young witch seeking redemption, the Northern Circle coven will challenge her skills—and her heart—beyond measure.
One tragic impulsive mistake made Chloe Winslow an outcast to her influential magic family. As a medical student, she wants to combine science with sorcery to heal those she hurt and right her wrongs. But brilliant, charismatic Devlin Marsh re-routes her plans with a once-in-eternity offer: membership in the exclusive Northern Circle, a mysterious Vermont coven known for pushing the limits.
Enthralled by Devlin and their mesmerizing mutual attraction, Chloe makes a dangerous sacrifice to help the Circle’s high priestess awaken Merlin himself—and learn his timeless cures. But a foreshadowing soon causes Chloe to doubt the Circle’s real motives, as well as Devlin’s. . .
Now Merlin’s demonic shade is loose in the human world, while Chloe and Devlin’s uneasy alliance will pit them against ancient enemies, malevolent illusions, and shattering betrayal. And with the fate of two realms in the balance, Chloe must risk her untried power against a force she can’t defeat—and a passion that could destroy her.
Praise for Pat Esden and her Dark Heart Novels
“Esden creates a world of incredible atmosphere.” —RT Book Reviews
“This is a fantastic book. Pat Esden is extremely skilled at creating a tense atmosphere and spooky setting. I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story with suspense, romance, and a super cool world.” —Pintip Dunn, New York Times bestselling author, on A Hold on Me
“It’s a unique paranormal twist on the gothic novel, complete with old family secrets, bloody dilemmas, steamy guy with hidden truths, all set in an vast manor built along the foggy shores of Maine. For anyone in love with Daphne du Maurier. Or if you’re just tired of the same old paranormal fodder out there, this one is a nice and refreshing read.” —Rachel A. Marks on A Hold on Me
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