The Witch and the Dreamwalker
by Victoria Rogers
GENRE: Spicy Paranormal Romance
BLURB:
It’s 1982, and corporate witch Vivian McKinley is determined to climb the ladder of a growing paranormal security firm. With the help of Xavier Prince, President and CEO of Prince Charms, Vivian uncovers a plot to take over the business. The pair navigate office politics and machinations to prove a psychic vampire’s treachery.
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Excerpt:
Vivian shook her head as the pair wandered off. “Soda and lime,” she ordered from the bartender as he finally made his way over. She tossed a bill into the tip jar as she waited.
At this rate she was going to need to go to bed at ten. She stubbed the cigar out in the marble ashtray but kept it as a prop, hoping it would dissuade anyone from offering her another. With John halfway into his cups the news of her promotion would spread like wildfire, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She squeezed the lime into her drink and left the lime slice on a napkin. Bathroom. There would hardly be anyone in there since men outnumbered anyone else in the ballroom. She could escape and process there.
The bathroom was old and gaudy and coated in marble and fading gilt. It had a twelve-foot arched ceiling, and a maroon carpet. There was a sumptuous sitting area adorned with cream colored wing-back chairs and there were grand mirrors for women to, presumably, powder their nose in. The toilets were farther on through a gilded archway and a fan of potted plants.
The place was empty, thank goodness. She sat down at the far end in a chair by a counter. She put the cigar in an ashtray on the mirrored side table and leaned back. Head of Research and Development. Twenty-seven years old and the head of R and D. She clenched her fists and bit her bottom lip, kicking her feet in excitement. By the gods! Her. Vivian Mary McKinley, Head of Research and Development at Prince Charms. This shouldn’t be happening. It was supposed to take her years and years and years to achieve this, not three years and a major project later.
But then again, Xavier had founded Prince Charms at the age of twenty-six. If he could take a small paranormal security company and rocket to the largest in the country in just nine years, well, she could achieve big things too.
Her stomach was busy flipping about when the big wooden door with brass handles and ornate hinges swung open.
“Oh, honey, I thought I’d find you here,” Jenny said as she flopped down in a chair opposite Vivian. “People are asking about you out there.”
“Yes, well, they’re going to have to wait,” Vivian said with a wave of her hand. “I need a moment to myself first. Plus, John made me drink bourbon. I need a break.” She reached for her glass of soda water and took a sip.
“You’re not going to be sick, are you?”
“What? No. I’ll be fine. I just wasn’t expecting this, you know? It’s a lot to take in.”
“You better not be doubting yourself because you deserve every ounce of this promotion. You’re smart, and you’ve got ideas, and you have every bit as much wherewithal as one of those smug-ass bastards out there. No one has ever come up with a psychic vampire ward! No one, not ever, until you figured it out. You got there before anyone else in the world. Vivian, Vivian, look at me.” Jenny pursed her red lacquered lips.
Vivian ripped her eyes away from the ashtray and met Jenny’s pout with a laugh. “Yes! Yes! I hear you. On paper it all fits, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to accept.”
“What? Why not? Any one of those assholes would accept it without batting a lash. Even Peter, from accounting.”
“OK! OK,” Vivian conceded. “Fine. I deserve this promotion.”
“Yeah, you do, babe.” Jenny grinned. “Now, how long are we going to hide in the bathroom?”
“Give me a few more minutes.”
“Whatever you need.” Jenny managed to stay silent for thirty seconds before she spoke again. “So. What’s he like?”
“Who?”
“Mr. Prince! I’ve never met him. He never comes down to the labs. Mr. Simeon always goes upstairs to the offices for meetings. I’ve only ever talked to Pam, the receptionist upstairs.”
“I talked to him for all of three minutes. He smiled a lot, but he was promoting me. I assume most people smile at the person they’re promoting.”
Jenny giggled. “I wouldn’t know.”
Vivian looked up to the ceiling and sighed. “He seemed nice.”
“He’s a god in mortal form is what he is,” Jenny interjected. “Have you seen him on the tennis court?”
“Well, yes, at the club, but he’s our boss.”
“Just because he’s the boss doesn’t mean you can’t look.”
Vivian shook her head. “That’s not what I’m here for, Jenny. I’m here to be a professional. To grow and learn and well… be successful at it all.”
“You can do all that and still look,” Jenny said with a shrug.
“All right. Let’s go back to the party if it means I don’t get regaled with nonsense like this.” Vivian stood and picked up her matching clutch from the chair next to her.
“Anything to help,” Jenny said, smirking.
My Review:
The Witch and the Dreamwalker is the first book in The McKinley Women series and the first book by Victoria Rogers that I have read. And I must say that I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would when I read the summary. The Witch and the Dreamwalker drew me in from the summary when I read that it was going to be about a paranormal security firm I was hooked. I just had to know what all that entailed.
The Witch and the Dreamwalker lived up to my expectations and beyond although it wasn’t even close to what I was expecting. It was so, so much more. I really love the aspect of a paranormal security firm. I would love to have more stories and cases from this world that involved a paranormal security firm.
The Witch and the Dreamwalker kept throwing out twists after twists. It would no longer get through with one twist until another came barreling at me. I really like that not only was it a paranormal romance and spicy paranormal romance at that but it also had charms, spells with witches, and vampires. My imagination is working overtime wondering what other paranormal creatures could be waiting at this paranormal security firm or the world around it.
After learning that The Witch and the Dreamwalker is the second book in the McKinley Women series my plans now are to check out the first book in the series, The Witch and the Stag. It sounds so very interesting as it involves a poltergeist.
I can’t recommend The Witch and the Dreamwalker high enough! Take my advice go and check out The Witch and the Dreamwalker today! It is hawt!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Victoria Rogers is an award-winning podcaster, game designer, and storyteller known for their immersive worlds and strong female characters.
Witches, warlocks, gods, and ghosts fill their dreams and stories. Consent and healthy communication are two major aspects of their work – after all, you can’t get what you want unless you ask for it.
Victoria can be found in the garden and in the kitchen making fruit wines, brewing beers, and infusing spirits. When not feeding friends, they attend tabletop gaming conventions and sit on storytelling and world-building panels, teach about online marketing, and produce live events.
Twitter ~ Website ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads
4 comments:
Great cover and excerpt.
Thank you for sharing the excerpt, I need to read more
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review of this book, this is a definite must read for me and I am looking forward to it
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