Deadly Curiosities #1
Publisher: Solaris
Pages: 371
Characters: Cassidy, Sorren, Teag/Anthony
POV: 1st
Sub-Genre: Urban Fantasy, Series
Blurb:
Cassidy Kincaide owns Trifles & Folly, an antique/curio store and high-end pawn shop in Charleston, South Carolina that is more than what it seems. Dangerous magical and supernatural items sometimes find their way into mortal hands or onto the market, and Cassidy is part of a shadowy Alliance of mortals and mages whose job it is to take those deadly curiosities out of circulation.
Welcome to Trifles & Folly, an antique and curio shop with a dark secret. Proprietor Cassidy Kincaide continues a family tradition begun in 1670—acquiring and neutralizing dangerous supernatural items. It’s the perfect job for Cassidy, whose psychic gift lets her touch an object and know its history. Together with her business partner Sorren, a 500 year-old vampire and former jewel thief, Cassidy makes it her business to get infernal objects off the market. When mundane antiques suddenly become magically malicious, it’s time for Cassidy and Sorren to get rid of these Deadly Curiosities before the bodies start piling up.
Review
When I got hooked on Morgan Brice’s books about a couple of months ago I was excited to discover that she was also writing as Gail Z. Martin, and that these characters belong to the same universe. In fact Cassidy, one of the MCs of this series is Simon’s—from Badlands cousin.
I’ve long been a fan of urban fantasy and this series reads as though the author found a checklist of all the things I love in the genre and ticked all the boxes. The characters are fabulous, and well drawn, and I love the friendship between Cassidy, Teag, and Sorren, and the way their abilities work so well together. The side characters are interesting and fleshed out as well, and I hope to see more of Lucinda, Chuck, and Anthony in future books. As an aside I love Teag and Anthony as a couple.
The story had me turning pages, and on the edge of my seat and I sat up late finishing the last couple of chapters. The author writes wonderfully tense action scenes, and a plot that kept me reading to see how it unfolded.
I’ve already ordered a copy of the first anthology book in this series, and will be reading my way through her backlist, of not just this series, but of I suspect everything she’s written. I love finding new favourite authors.
I’d highly recommend Deadly Curiosities to readers who enjoy action-packed urban fantasy with interesting characters, a healthy dollop of magic/psi abilities, and a 500-year-old vampire. 5 out of 5 stars.
