Cirrus@Austlit

'My mother was a wicked witch. And all her spells ever brought was trouble. Since her death, with no power of my own, I’ve stayed far, far away from magic ...

'In a San Francisco struggling to recover from earthquakes and rising seas, and where technology can do things that are close enough to magic anyway, Maggie Lachlan is a computer whisperer. The one they call when no one else can find the elusive bug bringing a complex system to its knees. They call her the Techwitch. But she knows there’s nothing magical about what she does. It’s just hard-earned skill.

'So when Damon Riley, owner of the world’s biggest virtual reality gaming company comes calling with a problem that his entire empire of geeks can’t fix, Maggie leaps at the job. Riley Arts is the kind of place she feels at home. Wall-to-wall tech. No magic. Except, perhaps, for the unsettling chemistry she has with the man in charge.

'But she never imagined stepping into one of Damon’s games would reveal her mother lied about Maggie’s magic. Or that technology could break a spell she never knew she was under. Now she has a demon hunting her and a whole world she knows nothing about to navigate. To save herself—and the world—she needs to learn fast. Because, when it comes to magic, too many games are wicked. And if you lose, the price can be very, very high ...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'I never expected to discover that I was a witch—one being hunted by a demon. I’d taken down the demon but the price I paid was high—I lost both my best friend and the man I loved. Now all I want is to leave magic far behind . . .

'Maggie Lachlan is the Techwitch. A computer whisperer, able to bring recalcitrant systems to their knees with a single keystroke. But now she knows she is more than a geek, she’s an actual witch as well. But magic has brought only pain and for the last nine months she’s been mourning her losses and ignoring her powers.

'But when her ex, Damon Riley, reappears in her life, bringing in his wake a magical mystery, she will need every ounce of her computer mojo and her magic. Trouble is, she seems to have lost both. And without magic, she’s vulnerable to the kind of control demons like to wield.

'With a curse to unravel and a demon’s revenge to avoid, Maggie needs to find her power and save the day and Damon.  Because sticks and stones can break your bones but, when it comes to magic, words can be deadly…'

Source : publisher's blurb

'They say magic has a price. In my experience they’re right. Sure, I’m a witch and I’ve even defeated a demon or two. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve got it all figured out. Or that trouble is done with me…

'Maggie Lachlan has become a Techwitch in all senses of the word. Once she was just a super geek, taming wild programs with ease, now magic has become part of her repertoire. She never wanted to inherit her mother’s talents—for magic or trouble—but she has no choice but to come to grips with her powers and try to find her happy place.

'But the past doesn’t want to rest easy, and demons aren’t the only problem in town. Her lover, Damon Riley, is launching a new high stakes virtual reality gaming contest and there are those who’d love to see him fail. Supporting him means facing her fears and diving back in the virtual worlds that first led a demon to her doorstep.

'With gamers and witches converging on San Francisco for the launch, things are getting strange. And Maggie’s past isn’t done with her yet. So when darkness, power, and technology collide, magic might be the only thing that gets her through the night…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.