Lightning in Her Hands

Gilliland’s mixed-bag sequel to the Witch of Wild Things offers a sexy will-they-won’t-they couched in some shoddy worldbuilding. Teal Flores is a “witch of wild lightning,” but she has little control over her powers, conjuring storms with each shift of her emotions. This is especially dangerous, since Teal’s bipolar disorder, trauma from an abusive relationship, interpersonal issues with her sisters and abuelas, and frustration over her malfunctioning magic make keeping control over her emotions difficult. With her ex’s wedding approaching, Teal asks her childhood best friend Carter Velasquez to be her date, hoping to mend their distant relationship. Carter requests an even bigger favor, asking Teal to marry him so he can receive his inheritance. She agrees in exchange for a cut of the money, which she hopes to use to track down her missing mother, believing that finding her will help mend Teal’s magic. This setup is somewhat undermined by the characters’ lack of real financial need, which makes the stakes of their arrangement feel low, but the friends-to-lovers marriage-of-convenience arc is still tantalizingly rendered. Teal’s relationship with her witchy sisters is also a highlight, even as the magic system frequently confuses. It’s not perfect, but fans of book one will find plenty to draw them back in. (Oct.)