Review: Black Magic Bayou by Sierra Dean (Genie McQueen #2)

Black Magic Bayou (Genie McQueen #2)
Sierra Dean
Published: Oct. 5, 2016 (Sierra Dean)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous books. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Bayou Blues.

It’s been a few months since Genie McQueen, werewolf princess and witch, was named Alpha of the New Orleans pack. Despite her surprise in the promotion, Genie will do right by her pack.

Genie is about to be tested on that theory big time when she’s pulled into not one but two mysteries. The first involves a couple of her pack members supposedly getting caught up in a bar fight that ended with a human dead. Genie will have to figure out what exactly happened on the night in question or face her pack, and supernaturals in general, getting some harsh media attention.

Genie is pulled into the other mystery by her ex-boyfriend Cash when she’s called out to a scene involving a sorority house + missing girls + demon possession = (You do the math) Big Trouble. In both instances, Genie will end up turning to her magical side to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

When I started reading Black Magic Bayou I almost felt like I had missed a book or a short story somewhere in between this one and Bayou Blues. I didn’t, and I was quickly pulled into the story, but I had forgotten how much had changed for Genie over the course of the first book.

I was really happy when the “magic” part in the title played such a big role for Genie throughout this story. She is just as much a witch as she is a werewolf, and I was glad we get to explore her magical side pretty extensively in this book. However, it’s quickly apparent that Genie’s kinda feeling the void of not using her magic as much as she has in the past. I think the struggle for Genie to acclimate her two halves will continue to play a big part for her character in future stories.

Sierra Dean introduces witch Santiago into the mix. He represents the power that Genie hasn’t, until now, really acknowledged she wants to attain with her own magic. He knows things about spells that Genie could know if she would devote more time to honing the natural talent she has and also what her Memere taught her. He’s also a huge seductive temptation for Genie. Not sure how I feel about any possible love triangles popping up. I’m ok with Santiago kind of being a foil for Genie, but I feel like we’ve already been through this in Bayou Blues with Cash and Wilder.

I’m definitely more interested in seeing things progress with Genie and Wilder. And boy do they progress. Their attraction was so smokin’, jump-off-the-page, hot in the first book, and every scene they’re together in Black Magic Bayou is the same. I did, however, wish that Wilder was a bit more involved in goings on this time around. While he’s there, I felt like he was a bit relegated to the background a lot of the time. But I think this goes with the fact that this book focused more on Genie’s magical side than her werewolf side specifically.

Besides a few circumstances that come up that felt a bit too coincidental for my tastes, I really enjoyed Black Magic Bayou. Sierra Dean has done a great job separating Genie from Secret (don’t worry Secret is not forgotten), and this ending will make you wish book 3 was out, like, yesterday.

Sexual content: sex