Review: The Wizard King by Dana Marie Bell (Heart’s Desire #3)

The Wizard King (Heart’s Desire #3)
Dana Marie Bell
Published: June 17, 2014 (Samhain)
Purchase: Amazon
Review source: purchased

Reviewed by: Amanda

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review is spoiler-free, it does assume you’ve read the other books in the series.

Gareth Beckett’s about to be crowned king of the wizards, and he could care less. All he wants is for his mate to come home, but after the showdown with Davis Godwin and his sons, Genevieve Godwin’s been missing in action. Unable to wait any longer, he casts the mate spell to call her home.

Gen knew, even without the spell, she’d never be able to resist Gareth. She just never thought he’d be able to forgive her for the risks she’d had to take to save his life. So she’s devoted all her time and energy to hunting down the last of her family. When she follows the lure of the spell, she discovers that there may be worse things than trying to bring her brothers to justice.

Like convincing an entire community of wizards that having a warlock for their queen isn’t such a bad thing.

One my favorite things about this series is the relationship between the Beckett brothers. Their banter is immature (‘buttmunch’ is a favorite endearment), there are threats to go tattling to Mom, and they tease each other mercilessly. They also wouldn’t hesitate to take a bullet for one another – or their brothers’ mates.  Their easy acceptance of Gen, despite her warlock status, gave me warm and squishy feels.

My other favorite part of this story? The progression of Gen and Gareth’s physical relationship. As shifter wizards (and in Zach’s case, shifter witch) when they meet their mate, it’s pretty safe to say clothes don’t stay on for very long, and the mattress (and the counter, and the wall) gets a vigorous workout. With The Wizard King, Gen’s too restless to stay in one spot for very long. As a Hecate’s Own, it’s her responsibility to hunt down the magic abusers, and when those abusers are her brothers? She’s basically possessed by the need. Gareth recognized this early on, and despite the lust surging between them, they stay focused on the task, realizing the danger if they let Hugh and Arthur roam loose for much longer.

And because Gen is a warlock, the magic world adds layers. The differences between wizards and witches was clear from the beginning, but the Becketts never really understood how a warlock operated, or how a warlock became good or evil. With Gen on their team, there’s a whole new side of magic to be tapped.

Bell raises the stakes with each book in this series, and the lead in to the last book, Daniel’s, makes me think that it’s going to be full of tension and angst, along with the expected humor and juvenile ribbings. I can’t wait.

Sexual content: graphic sex