Magic in the Woods

“Play the part. Play the game. Get what you came for.”

Dafni Sarracenia has escaped her mother’s wrath and set out on her own for the first time in her life. Armed with the knowledge that she’s overpowered her mother, Matilda, she plans to take over her Coven—a task that proves more difficult than Dafni realized.

The first steps to power in the witches’ Coven is infiltrating the Academy, where all witches go to hone their magical skills. Dafni quickly learns Matilda’s darkness has infected the Coven, forcing them into hiding underground—their marred faces looking like the wicked witches she’s only read about in fairy tales. If Dafni has any hope of taking over the Coven, she’ll have to save the witches from this horrific fate.
As if that weren’t enough, this year they must compete for a coveted position: a place at the side of one of the Coven’s only male witches.

Either I’d pick a partner or escape. My hope was on the latter.

As a rare male witch, Gideon has known since birth that he has a place of importance in his Coven. But for all its prestige, his life is a lonely one. The witches in the Coven want him for one thing, and it’s not his personality. For years he’s struggled to accept his forced role of stud within the Coven, and now that the time for him to select a partner is approaching, he must decide if he’s truly going through with it or find means to escape.
When Dafni arrives at the Academy, Gideon realizes the answer to his problems might be her.

“If you’re honest with yourself, I think you’ll find that there’s rage deep down inside of you…it’s within all of us women.”

The closer Dafni and Gideon become, the more dangerous this underground world becomes for them. There are witches who set out to control Gideon, others who will do whatever it takes to defeat Dafni. As she struggles to keep her found family safe in her mission, she fears she’s not as powerful as she thought.
But if Dafni can learn to embrace her powerful rage, then she might be able to save not only herself and Gideon but their entire Coven.

Magic in the Woods is the third book in the paranormal series the North Woods, featuring witches, a magical academy, feminine rage, and found family. There is adult content; see author’s website for a full list of content warnings.