#Review - Heart of the Mage by D.D. Chance #Paranormal #Romance

Series: Twyst Academy # 3
Format: Kindle
Release Date: April 7, 2020
Publisher: DD Chance
Source: Author
Genre: Paranormal / Romance

At the academy, it’s time to drop the mop.

I never thought I’d miss being a janitor, but at least I knew what I was doing in that job. Now I’m a great and mighty war mage trying to help a team of college wizards win a magic competition, and I’m desperately afraid of screwing up.

To make matters worse, my four gorgeous, powerful teammates totally believe in me, none more so than dangerously sexy, unnervingly intense Marcus Winter. Marcus knows he can make me stronger…but only if I’m willing to let him unlock my deepest desires.

Um…k.

Marcus has his own reasons for wanting to win the Mage Trials. Three years ago, he lost his cousins to the game. Now there’s the faintest hint they might be alive—but to find them, we’ll have to pull out all the stops. Marcus is willing to do whatever it takes to level me up…

And I might just let him.

Gulp.

Heart of the Mage is the third installment in author D.D. Chance's Twyst Academy which is a paranormal academy romance series. For protagonist Maddigan Pierce, Twyst Academy has become more than a place where she's spent the past 6 years as a janitor. It's become a matter of life or death for her to succeed. As a war mage who isn't supposed to exist in the real world, she's now fully immersed as part of team Mage Runners in a competition called the Mage Trials where the winners will get a huge boost to their powers. That is if they can survive the trials and tribulations and challenges that they must face. 

 

As with each of the first two installments, Chance has centered her story around two characters in particular. Touch of the Mage was Maddie and Connor Waring, while Blood of the Mage was Maddie and Luke Broadham. This time it is Marcus Winter. Marcus is the healer on the team as well as a mind mage. 4 years ago, he lost his cousins Steve and Chris to the Trials. Ever since then, Marcus has been trying to find answers as to what happened to them. Road blocks and non-answers haven't helped Marcus ease his mind and move on. It made him all the more determined to participate in this years race. Then a surprise happens. 2 people who should know what happened to Chris and Steve, ask to speak with Marcus and Maddie. Will Marcus find his answers?

 

Previously, I said that I really loved Maddie and Luke's story because there is so much they have in common in regards to their upbringing. Although, Maddie's was much, much harder and stressful and she had only her parole officer who seemed to care what happened to her. Marcus's only common ground with Maddie is that he is attracted to her like a moth to a flame. And, as with Connor and Luke, it is apparent that Marcus could use a boast to his abilities if the team is to survive. What better way to get that boast than to do the horizontal mamba. 

 

Meanwhile, a new element to the Trials is revealed, and this time I am going to keep them secret. I've talked about the infamous Red Team and the fact that they never came out of the game and since then, nobody has won the Trials. I've said that Maddie and her team have been given the task of not only surviving the dastardly challenges of the Trials, but also finding a way to defeat the Red Team. Readers will finally get a peek at the Red Team as well as I said another aspect to the Mage Trials which seems to be spiraling out of control. 

 

It is only fair to say that I liked the Trials aspects of this story better than I did the S&M parts between Marcus and Maddie. Sorry, guess I'm getting to be a prude when it comes to the amount of sex I can deal with. The fourth book in this series is called Soul of the Mage and will feature the last member of Mage Runners, Rafe Twyst. The author hints at some interesting things ahead with Rafe and Maddie. One can hope that the author pushes the limits and pushes the envelope as she's never done before in wrapping up this series.

 

Thank you, as always, to the author for always willing to take questions and concerns. You are the best. As with everything else, this review is based on my thoughts and opinions and I was not compensated in any way for reviewing the authors books.

 

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