Deborah Blake - Wickedly Wonderful

The second book in the Baba Yaga series, published December 2, 2014.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: great




Though she looks like a typical California surfer girl, Beka Yancy is in fact a powerful yet inexperienced witch who's struggling with her duties as a Baba Yaga. Luckily she has her faithful dragon-turned-dog for moral support when she discovers that a mysterious toxin is driving the Selkie and Mer from their homes deep in the trenches of Monterey Bay.
To investigate, Beka buys her way onto the boat of Marcus Dermott, a battle-scarred former US marine, and his ailing fisherman father. While diving for clues, Beka drives Marcus crazy with her flaky New Age ideas and dazzling blue eyes. She thinks that he's rigid and cranky (and way too attractive). Meanwhile, a charming Selkie prince has plans that include Beka. Only by trusting her powers can Beka save the underwater races, pick the right man, and choose the path she'll follow for the rest of her life.


I have fallen hard in love with this authors' writing style and this series. Beka is another Baba Yaga working in America, but she is very different from Barbara. She is very unsure about herself and her powers, and when she gets an assignment from the Queen of the Mer and the King of the Selkies, she is not sure she can do it. The former Baba Yaga who trained her, made sure of that, by always belittling her and her efforts, and now acknowledging how very strong her powers are. Like Barbara Yager, she also has her own Chudo Yudo to guard the Water of Life while she is out surfing, but her Chudo Yudo is a Newfoundlander. A dragon disguises as a huge dog sure keeps visitors away. Her hut on chicken legs is a schoolbus in this incarnation, and her mortar and pestle an environment friendly little car.

But not Marcus Dermott, who doesn’t like Beka, whom he thinks is just another flaky blond after he fishes her up out of the ocean, destroying his father's fishing net. He doesn't believe her excuse of rescuing a seal baby (in reality it was a mer baby). And when she wants to hire him and his boat the next day, to go for some treasure hunting, he flat out turns her down. But Beka doesn't hesitate to turn it around on him, by telling his father that she wants to hire the boat to take her out, as she knows he is the owner and really needs the money.

And when a gorgeous Mer prince starts paying attention to her, Beka is sure she can solve the problem the underwater people are having. Chudo Yudo doesn't like the prince though and doesn't trust his motives. But Beka doesn't have many friends and is determined to do her best. But it is the grouchy Marcus who has captured her romantic interest …


I enjoyed this story a lot, and I really felt for Beka, who was betrayed by someone she trusted. But in the end, she managed to solve the problem, with the help of Marcus and Chudo Yudo. I can't wait to read more stories in this very original and entertaining world. Ancient witches who help people on occasion, but also guard the earth.
Marcus was a great hero, he has some serious issues and scars, and I loved how Beka helped him with that, and with his fathers illness. He really doesn’t trust Beka, and he knows she is lying to him that she is diving for treasure. But when needed, he is there for her. And very jealous of a certain Prince …

9 stars.

© 2016 Reviews by Aurian