Counterfeit Magic

This novella-sized episode in Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series (Bitten, etc.) sends witch and investigator Paige Winterbourne underground with her Cabal-leading lawyer husband, Lucas Cortez, and their ward, Savannah. As they investigate the world of illegal supernatural fighting clubs, Lucas spends an awful lot of time with their beautiful half-demon client, bringing out Paige's romantic insecurities. The details of the simple murder mystery plot are unmemorable, but this short piece does a lot to highlight the emotions and interactions between Paige and Lucas and between Lucas and the rest of the Cabal, making this easy read a good introduction for new readers as well as a pleasant little extra for those who have been following the soap opera lives of these characters from the beginning. (Jan.)