This book takes place 3-4 months after the end of [b:Werewolves Be Damned|13095649|Werewolves Be Damned (Magic & Mayhem, #1)|Stacey Kennedy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1365730296s/13095649.jpg|18267686], where Nexi and crew defeated Lazarus and his evil werewolf minions. I am happy to report that Nexi seems to have matured over our 4 month hiatus and no longer seems to be running off on her own with some cockamamie idea. She has also stopped pushing Kyden away and is instead jumping his bones (or thinking of jumping his bones) at every opportunity. Kyden remains our gentleman warrior, but his alpha male protective tendencies have grown where Nexi is concerned. He keeps trying to keep her out of the action, which is causing some friction between the couple. They are going through their growing pains and settling into their relationship.

My favorite secondary characters for this series, Valor and Briggs, were largely absent from this installment except for a short section at the end. I really hope to see more Valor in the future - or perhaps a spinoff series for him and his beta. We meet new secondary characters in the form of vampire mistresses - one seemingly good and one a huge beyotch. Not sure how they will figure in the story in the future, but I liked Thalia well enough to keep around. Nexi finds a new protector in this book, and I hope Willow sticks around through the rest of the series... I love the talking animal type characters in these type of books.

I liked this installment a bit more than the first book of the series, mainly because Nexi improved as a character. The action and mystery was pretty much on par with the first book, and a bit similar albeit with different characters (instead of a vamp with werewolf minions, we had a witch with vamp minions). I did feel like the culmination of the battle was a bit anti-climactic and somewhat unexplained as to this mysterious stranger. It looks like we are being set up to have a possible love triangle in the next book between Magnus, Nexi and Kyden. I hope not - I do not want to see any more relationship drama in this series.

Overall, this was a good continuation of the story, but I am still waiting for it to "wow" me. I would like more backstory on all of the characters, more details, and more couple time between Nexi and Kyden. I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars / 3 flames. ( )

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Part 2 of the Magic and Mayhem series, explores Nexi's growing powers and uniqueness making her a coveted entity amongst other supernaturals. I have previously read the original release "The Wicked" as part of The Magical Sword series and weirdly enough I had rated it 4 stars too, same as this one. Though the story is good I found myself skipping over passages, finding them a little long winded. All in all though it is a good read. ( )

Witches Be Burned by Stacey Kennedy is a 2015 Loveswept publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in the Magic & Mayhem series. I somehow missed the first book, but I had no problems catching up. Kyden and Nexi have finally defeated the vampire who killed Nexi's family. Now, Nexi is ready to take on her role as a white witch and as a guardian. However, Kyden is so overprotective of Nexi, he is holding her back from gaining much needed experience. But, things get dicey in a hurry when a fellow guardian is killed by rogue vampires, and Nexi and Kyden must go to Earthworld to catch the killer. However, things go from bad to worse, as Kyden and Nexi fight the battle of a lifetime against a black witch bent on revenge. This is mostly a light weight urban fantasy with lots of imagination, hot steamy love scenes, action, suspense, and adventure. Lives are lost, valuable lessons are learned, and Kyden will perhaps come out on top in the battle of wills.... this time. There is a plethora of supernatural creatures and the author kindly added a character guide which helped me keep everyone's roles and powers straight. I enjoy this type of paranormal romance/Urban Fantasy because it's not silly, but it's not super dark either. It's fun to escape into another realm for awhile and cheer for the good guys as they battle against the bad guys. The characters were well defined, but left plenty of room to grow if they appear in future installments. I think Nexi will settle some now, and Kyden might relax a little, but they still have some things to work out.It will be interesting to seem what Ms, Kennedy has in store for us with the next book in the series. 4 stars ( )

I gave it 3.5 stars

I liked both Nexi and Kyden from the beginning of WEREWOLVES BE DAMNED and their relationship being so strong at the end of the book made me excited to see where their relationship would go next. After finishing WITCHES BE BURNED I'm just not sure what I feel. I enjoyed the story, but I'm not to crazy about the introduction of another possible love interest for Nexi. I see a lot of struggle in her future and I am hoping that she is able to pull herself through it.

Having said that, I am glad that Kennedy was able to include the same amount of action and suspense we got in book 1 and that some of our favorite secondary characters had just as big of roles to play in WITCHES BE BURNED. I hope the wait for book 3 isn't as big as the wait for book 2.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

3.25 Stars
A paranormal romance with witches, vampires, werewolves, and an immortal fighting clan. This is book 2, and even though this novel can be read as a stand-alone, I suggest reading the first book in the series. It's fun, contemporary, and there are a couple of sexy scenes. I really liked the supporting characters, especially the familiar and the character introduced at the end of the book, but I wish more time was spent on character background development and some more world-building (although I have not read the first book yet, so maybe more is explained in it). The book does end at an interesting place that makes the reader want to find out what happens next. Overall, an enjoyable read for urban fantasy romance fans.

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