MY WICKED ENEMY
Carolyn Jewel
Forever
ISBN: 0-446-17823-3
August 2008
Paranormal

Carson Philips has been sheltered all her life from the real world. When her parents died she was sent to Alvaro Magellan to be raised, but was basically kept as a prisoner. She never experienced love from him and was constantly reminded by Magellan that she was only tolerated. What she didn't know was that Magellan was slowly killing her and using up all the power she possessed. Carson was a witch who had never learned to control her magic and Magellan would continue to use her up and then he would cast her away when she was dead. Fortunately, Carson witnessed a horrific deed and fled Magellan's clutches with a very important artifact. She had no idea where to run to, just that she had to get away from a man who was so evil.

Carson was on the run when she accidentally ran into Nikodemus. She thought perhaps he was sent by Magellan to kill her and return the artifact, but she soon learned that Nikodemus was just as likely to kill her as Magellan, but for different reasons. Nikodemus was a Warlord, an ancient fiend from the desert. His enemy was magekind, including witches. It just so happened that Carson was number two on his list of mages to destroy. But when he comes face to face with her, he soon learns that she is unable to pull her magic and just may be going to die from poisoning. He quickly vows to protect her, even though he was initiating an alliance between Warlords and his association with witches would definitely cause problems. Fiends hated witches and mages due to the practice they had of enslaving fiends. Fiends were then cut off from their kin and suffered greatly from the enslavement.

Nikodemus found himself falling for the witch while protecting her. Magellan wanted Carson dead and his artifact returned. When faced by mageheld fiends, Carson proves herself worthy of Nikodemus' protection by fighting by his side, even though she had nothing to fight with. Carson soon learns that she has an ability that sets her apart from other mages-she learns how to sever the bond that mages hold over their fiends. If she can stay alive, maybe she and Nikodemus will have a chance at happiness. Nikodemus will do all in his power to keep her alive, even if it means the unnatural bond between mage and fiend.

MY WICKED ENEMY by Carolyn Jewel is a unique story with an interesting storyline. Carson is strong and gutsy. Readers will enjoy the story, but their is a hint of a threesome that I found distracting. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book.

Reviewed by Lori Sears
Rating: 3