The Witching Pen (The Witching Pen Novellas) [Kindle Edition]

(May contain a few spoilers)

BRIEF SUMMARY
Elena is a thirteenth generation witch. At a young age, her mother told her being a witch comes with responsibilities; she will not be able to have a normal relationship or sex. She comes into possession of a pen, the witching pen that allows her to write anything that comes true. With the pen comes a dark demon, Nathaniel. Nathaniel haunts Elena's dreams and watches her from the dark until he makes his true intentions known. With the help of friends and family, Elena will uncover secrets as well as a way to prevent a demon portal from happening.

THOUGHTS
The product preview for this book is good but I don't think it does this book justice. I thought the story would be a certain way from reading the preview but it turned out to be a great start to a good series. The book had a certain simplicity to it in the beginning but later on as the story progress the characters and plot spoke volumes. The characters were all interesting for me. Katherine, Elena's mother seemed a bit cold but has a few secrets of her own. Amy and Mary are very important characters, as I believe their stories will be next. Pueblo seems to be a possessive and sexy demon and I think his story with Amy will be interesting. Karl is Elena's best friend. I have to admit I was not sure what to think of Karl but scene after scene he became sexier. After Karl's ordeal with Elena before and after, previous scenes started to make sense and came together. His role within the story was truly an unexpected surprise and added some excitement for me. Gwain was an interesting character as well; I just wanted to point that out. Saying what his role is will probably give away some of the plot. Lastly, the Shanka demon, Nathaniel, he is a villain need I say more.

I enjoyed the book and l'm looking forward to book 2 to see where the author takes Amy and Pueblo's story.

Story: FAIR to GOOD
Intimacy: GOOD
Enjoyment: GOOD

Elena is a powerful witch, but no one can know that. She hides her power behind new age mysticism and Wiccan ceremonies. The only one besides her mother who knows her secret is her best friend Karl. Karl has loved Elena since they were children, but Elena has always kept him, and everyone else, at arm's length when it came to romantic relationships. The talk her mother had with her when she was a teenager made it impossible for her to have a normal relationship. But, Karl keeps hoping.
Lies and secrets abound in Dianna Hardy's novella, The Witching Pen. Elena discovers there's a lot more to her than she was ever told. With demons trying to seduce her in her sleep and her suppressed feelings for Karl trying to surface, she doesn't know how to stop her world from crumbling around her. She learns that with great power, there is often great pain. As the story goes on, she suffers losses that may just push her into embracing everything she can become - the good and the bad. Are love and good friends enough to save her?
The Witching Pen is a paranormal romance that packs a lot of action in its pages. Readers enter a world with a pen that can write the future, demons who want to destroy the world, dark skeletons in family closets, and the power of love and magic done for the greater good. While the story is focused on Elena's relationship with Karl, other characters also seek to discover who they are and who they can be; some learning that love can come in many different packages. Dianna Hardy has woven a tale of passion and intrigue that brings the reader on a magical journey that can't be put down until the very end.
The Witching Pen is a novella that could easily be turned into a novel with all the intricate details of the main character's, as well as several supporting character's, past and heritage. The difficulty with writing a novella is deciding what to include and what can be left out. In this particular case, I would have loved to read more about the characters. The novella is excellently written. The main characters are well developed, all be it with secret pasts. But, I craved more without having to wait to read the sequel. There were a lot of questions left in my mind at the end. Since I enjoyed the novella so much, I guess I will just have to read the sequel to find out more about where Dianna Hardy brings her characters next. I thank the author for providing me with a review copy and I give the novella four stars.

4 1/2

Throw everything you think about novellas out the door on this one. I was really impressed with this story. You get a huge storyline with surprises spite the 67 pgs. You also get a good romance and one sex scene. Oh, I almost forgot you get a lot of sexual tension between these two also so you don't miss out on the romance. I really like how the author went about writing how the pen works and the demons. This is an excellent story and quite differs from most paranormal romance stories. The book blurb really doesn't do it justice so please don't pay it too much mind .

Elena is a witch that lives with her best friend which by happens to be a guy named Karl. Karl has loved Elena since they were teens. He knows her secrets inside and out. He just has to make her see that she can trust him with her power. These two have to learn how to love and trust each other in order to stop the demon Nathaniel from getting Elena's power. Before the end Karl finds out he is something special too.

Karl and Elena are great together the only thing I wished would have happened was the sex scene would have went a tad slower with Elena being a virgin.

Great characters and a great romance story, I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves witches and surprises.