Real Magic by Brian A Fowler

Title: Real Magic
Author: Brian A Fowler
ISBN: 9781432708986
Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc. /Oct 2007
Genre: Romance-Fantasy
Pages: 280/Hardcover

One of my blogger friends’ Brian Fowler wrote this book. I have known him for some months now. I like to read his poetry and short stories on his blog Truth Is Freedom. This is his first novel. I am one of the privileged few to receive a signed copy of his book. One does feel special to receive a first edition. I finished it in straight four hours. Before I pen down my thoughts, I would like to give the book blurb:

Her brilliant amethyst coloured eyes drew him in.

He had always believed that the expression, seeing stars, was merely a metaphor, but lying here on his back on the cold, wet concrete brought a unique perspective to those words. "Of all the times for this to happen! What else on earth could possibly go wrong?" he growled under his breath.

"Why don't you watch where you're going," shrilled a high-pitched voice. "It's not like you could actually miss me!"

"My apologies, young lady," he said with a grimace as he eased himself carefully upright. "I'll make sure that I'm on the lookout next time for you..." His voice trailed off uncertainly as, from the vantage point of the sidewalk, he stared up at the most unlikely looking woman he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.

"What are you staring at? Never seen a pair of tits before?" she muttered all the while rocking frantically back and forth on her toes.

Thus begins a love story between a man and a woman. Nothing exciting here... except for the exes, family troubles, some violence, lots of sex and don't forget, magic.

I seldom read romances or fantasy. However, this book has both. This is in fact pegged as romantic fantasy. Rightfully so. What you read in the book blurb is the beginning of the book. From there onwards, one keeps reading it.

Cassie has magical powers which herself does not understand. When she meets Leo, she feels certain emotions, which she had not expected to experience. Her encounter with him literally stops the world around them. They fall in love with each other without understanding the whys and hows of it. Cassie has a past, which she is unwilling to recall. Leo has a daughter and he is fighting a custody battle for her.

When Cassie falls ill and taken to the Hospital, we see Cassie’s mother, the mysterious Lucinda coming into picture. Cassie’s best friend Firenza, along with Leo is very protective of her. Leo, Lucinda and Fire form a team and find ways to protect Cassie. We see a lot of bloodshed. Rat Bastard, that black demon has a way of tracking down Cassie and kill for her. He wants complete control over her.

All the while, Leo and Cassie want to be part of each other’s lives. There are some explicit scenes and for a fantasy romance, it does not seem out of place. Usually I skip those portions but this time I did not.

Do they succeed? Can they kill the demon who needs Cassie’s blood to survive? Is love the Real Magic, which can overcome any adversity? To answer that one needs to read the novel. For a first time novel, this is a good one. It needs to be read so that Brian keeps writing more novels for us.