Darkangel (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 1)

I read and reviewed this book as part of The Witches of Cleopatra Hill, Books 1-3: Darkangel, Darknight, & Darkmoon box set, which I received free from the author in exchange for my honest review. Simply fantastic. My immediate reaction was 'WOW' (in the best way possible). I originally got into the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series when I read Impractical Magic. I thought that book was excellent, but I think this trio blew it out of the water. The story was well written and kept me 100% engaged. The characters were dynamic and vivid. While I might not have agreed with all of their decisions or actions, I was able to understand why they decided or acted in the manner they did. While it wasn't what I expected (that all three books would tell the story the same two individuals), I thoroughly enjoyed these books. That being said, books 1 and 2 (Darkangel and Darknight, respectively) both end in a huge cliffhanger and neither ending is by any means happy. The best way I could describe the ending of book 1 is as gut twisting and heart wrenching whereas the end of book 2 left me feeling sad and a bit apprehensive, but full of anticipation. Book 3 (Darkmoon) however does not end in a cliffhanger and is very HEA. Not only do things end in the best way possible for Connor and Angela, there are little hints as to who will be getting their own HEA in later books and with whom (one couple in particular). These three books should definitely be read together. There are a couple of things I have noticed in the past where the story of two characters has been split up over 3 (or more) books. First, each book tends to be relatively short, with the trio culminating in what would approximate or slightly exceed the length of a typical novel. Second, when this is not the case, the story can really start to drag and occasionally become monotonous. Neither of those was the case with the first three books of the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series. Each book in and of itself was a full-length novel and brought something new and exciting to the table, keeping me hooked from start to finish. Over the course of all three books, Christine Pope managed to keep me guessing. Now that I have finished the first three books of the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series, I am even more excited than ever to continue reading this series. I would highly recommend these books. :)

Darkangel is the first book in the trilogy that begins the Witches of Cleopatra Hill series. It focuses on Angela McAllister, prima-in-waiting of the McAllister witch clan in Jerome, Arizona. The prima is the leader of the clan, and Angela is awaiting meeting her consort, a fated match that will strengthen her powers, as long as it happens before her quickly approaching 22nd birthday. In addition to the stress of trying to meet the man of her dreams, there is the danger of a nefarious neighboring witch clan, the Wilcoxes, who have been known to dabble in dark magic and once sought to kidnap the McAllister prima. Angela is a strong female main character, without being hard. She has the normal insecurities one would expect of a young woman coming into adulthood, especially one with the pressures and expectations that she has grown up with. Raised by her aunt after her runaway mother (at the time the prima-in-waiting herself) returns home with a newborn Angela and then dies shortly thereafter, Angela has been sheltered and a lot of information kept from her. You would think that the clan would have wanted to arm their future leader with more preparation than just awaiting the arrival of her consort so that their bond would develop her powers. The places in Jerome are described so well that this small town is nearly a character itself in the story. The McAllister witches are an interesting group, and it is fun to learn about this world of witches who live alongside “civilians” (non-witches). Although the series is listed as paranormal romance, there is little romance in this book, since Angela is waiting to meet that soulmate that’s supposed to be out there for her. My one complaint is that the book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, and Angela’s problems were not resolved. In order to get the full enjoyment of Angela’s story, you really need to read the entire trilogy. The full story of the trilogy is a good one though, and sets up the entire Witches of Cleopatra series, so I definitely recommend this book.

What a great start of the trilogy. The slow build up of suspense, just kept me reading late into the night. The characters are very believable. I thought the flow of Darkangel was about perfect. The twist at the end was good but I was kind of expecting it. This is the first book of Christine Pope that I have read and I have to say I was impressed by how her writing kept my attention. I'm going to read this trilogy and more by her. This is not a stand alone book, you will need to read the rest of the trilogy for all your answers. I definitely will be.

It otherwise this was a very well written book. The storyline was interesting and held my attention. I was invested in the characters. Until the dreadful cliffhanger. They really make me never want to read another book in the same series ever again. The have the opposite of the intended effect on me. I took away a star for this the cliffhanger.

I've read every book in this series. Now I'm finding it hard to put down as I go on to Book 2. After Book 1 again, I know going through these series again will be even better than the first time! Jim

This story was featured in another anthology, and I found that I really enjoyed it - so much that I bought the trilogy (but I think there are now SEVEN books in this series). So far, this has been my favorite. The main character was very likable, and I found myself immersed in her storytelling. Very detailed descriptions helped me visualize her environment and really helped establish the setting. Unfortunately, the story is supposed to be about witches, yet there was very little about the arcane, her special abilities (aside from talking to ghosts), spells, incantations, or the talents of her clan. In fact, aside from the date rape episode where she had to use her powers, there seemed very little to differentiate her as a witch. Additionally, there was not much that established her as one of the "good" witches, and the author could have devoted more explanation as to why I should be rooting for the McCalister clan other than the main character's congeniality. Still, the story is engaging, compelling, and addictive; and the characters are believable, charismatic, and memorable. Also, the grammar throughout is flawless, even in dialogue (improper grammar in literature for me is like an off-key karaoke rendition of a favorite song).

This is my first time reading this Author. I enjoyed this book a lot. I liked the characters and how they all fit into the story. There is family, some suspense, and a little romance. It is definitely a page turner. And the ending left me wanting the next story to find out what happens next. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s books. Happy reading everyone

This book had a slow start but it picked up at about 75%. Most of the books I read are action and magic packed. That being said, this book gave you a bit of the family history and some of the history of their feud with the dark warlocks. No flashy instances of magic, but then again that would make sense of witches that were trying to stay under the radar or normals. The end was quite exciting and I will be sure to get the next book in the series so that I can find out what happens next!

Even though I kind of guessed the ending ahead of time, it was fabulously done and I still enjoyed it a lot!

Die Protagonistin soll aufgrund besonders großer, wenngleich noch weitgehend schlummernder, Kräfte die neue Anführerin eines Clans werden. Folglich (?!) lässt sie sich "zu ihrem Schutz" von ungefähr jedem anderen Clanmitglied herumkommandieren. Man staunt, dass sie alleine ins Bad darf. Der Clan "hat nicht die Kraft", die neu-werdende Anführerin zu schützen. Wozu dann der ganze Hexenzauber, wenn er eh zu nix taugt ... Unterm Strich dreht sich alles um die Paarung mit einen Gemahl, der sich - Überraschung! - als einer von den Bösen erweist. In der Story wird alles Mögliche ausführlich beschrieben, Schmuck, Kleidung, Gegend, Inneneinrichtung - nur die Figuren bleiben blass, eindimensional und oft dümmlich, überbeschützend und holzschnittartig. Und naTÜRlich endet die Story mit einem Cliffhanger. Fazit: Langweilige Lektüre, für deren Fortsetzung ich definitiv kein Geld ausgeben werde.

This is the first time reading from this author. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to all the others I'm read.

Good read for me, so gripped I’ve bought all 13 books with the complete trilogy included... I wanna know what happens between Angela and Connor! ❤️😁 That settles the “chill out time” thing to do👍🏾 If you like romance with a different edge then these are well worth the read.

I appreciate seeing how Angela transitions from a sheltered princess-in-waiting to new leader. I also appreciate her insecurities about her leadership skills and her love life - I would feel the same if my relatives had so aggressively protected me from the possibility of making mistakes. No wonder she is having so many problems seeing honey traps; she has never actually had to deal with two-faced people before. There is such a thing as too much protection; I think it's call 'bubble wrap parenting'.