By Juliet Dark

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Source: Edelweiss

After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the Honeysuckle Forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine River, more trouble is stirring. . . .

The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college.

To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit—risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

Goodreads Summary

Juliet Dark is a pen name for Carol Goodman, a well-known author of gothic thrillers and mysteries. One of the reasons I picked up the first book in the series, The Demon Lover, was the hope that it would have some of that same atmosphere mixed with a little romance. It had atmosphere, gorgeous writing and not really any romance but I ended up liking it and was eager for the next book. Unfortunately, The Water Witch has little atmosphere and is full of overwrought romance. The only thing that saved it at all was that the writing is still gorgeous.

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