Review: Body Magic by Poppy Dennison

Reviewed by Fehu
Body Magic (Triad #2) by Poppy Dennison
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 206pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
A pack is only as strong as its weakest member. Rocky Harris knows how the system works. He’s been on the bottom rung his whole life. But when his alpha consigns him to the High Moon Pack to help them improve security, he finds his beliefs not just challenged but outright assaulted.

Cade Montgomery’s confidence took a hit when the pack’s cubs were kidnapped on his watch. He’s prepared to do anything to protect his family, even if it means working with Rocky. Maybe Cade doesn’t trust Rocky, but with the turmoil surrounding pack Alpha Gray’s unpopular decision to break tradition and mate with a mage named Simon, Cade knows more threats are coming.

Then someone declares war on shifters and puts the entire pack in danger. Cade and Rocky will need each other’s strengths to survive the impending battle—and the power of their growing attraction.

Review:
For anyone who read the first book and liked it, this book is a must buy. I would have given it a higher rating if I didn't feel that it left me with more question than answers.

Body Magic is the second part in a trilogy and picks up were Mind Magic ended. Simon has mated with Gray and now lives with Gray's pack. Their mating is not considered natural, not because they are both men, but because Simon is a wizard and has another kind of magic, than shifters, who have body magic. In the rules of this world, the different kinds of magic are forbidden to mix. Simon broke the rule to save the wolf shifter cubs in the first book and Gray took it further when he mated Simon and mixed the two types of magic. Now both Simon and Gray have to face the shifter council, who will then decide what is to be done about them.

In the second book, the reader can see Simon interact with Gray’s friends and his sons, with whom he developed a very strong bond. In addition, there is Cormac, Simon's grandfather some times removed, who is a vampire and I hope the third book will feature him, because he is very lonely but a very interesting character. Simon will soon turn 25 an age of maturity for wizards and Cormac is helping him to progress in his magical studies. Simon's training gains on importance in the face of the threat the shifters are facing and the demon attack is still a mystery as to how and why it was possible for a demon to kidnap the cubs.

There are two relationships that featured in this book, the one of Gray and Simon, settling as a family and Rocky and one of Gray's best friends Cade slowly working out their issues. I loved to read about the family interaction, especially when the new addition to the family arrived in the form of an adorable mountain lion shifter cub, who has immediately attached himself to Simon.

However, not all things are what they seem to be, there are pack member who are not happy with the mating, a new threat appears and there is Rocky's alpha that plans to further the discord and to take over Gray's pack. Something strange is going on, shifters have gone missing a complete pack drained and then on the night of Simon's and Gray celebration there is an attack, and the attacker leaves them all puzzled, something like him should not exist!

This book has more action in it, also I loved see Simon and Gray work out their relationship, Simon still has doubts, which I thought was understandable and of course there is the crackling sexual tension between Rocky and Cade, which added a certain something to the story. Lovely written, good dialogs and interesting plot but I hate where the book left me, and I want to read Cormac's story!

For those who do not like open endings, you should buy the series but wait to read it when the third book is out and hopefully will nicely wrap it all up.

4 Pants Off