Serpent's Kiss: A Witches of East End Novel

Witches and Norse mythology…cool. Magic-filled drama…cool.

Each Beauchamp woman had her own ongoing quest and then they would come together for some holiday mayhem. I thought Ingrid’s Thanksgiving trick was rather useful. “She had folded the red cloth napkins on each plate into Japanese love knots, adding loads of magic inside each tie, performing a quick ceremony that asked for harmony that evening.” Funny. Every family could use some of that.

I related with Ingrid and her struggle to understand the allure of reading on a flat screen with modern devices. For the most part I prefer an actual book in my hands. “She couldn’t imagine how anyone would want to forego the intimate experience of a book—pages whispering between the fingers, hurried glances at the colorful cover before immersing oneself again.”

Joanna discovered she was being pursued by a dead witch due to her flowers wilting from her touch as she tried to tend to her garden. “She tried again, and this time a slew of them died, petals spilling like tears into the undergrowth.” As she investigated the witch’s death she had haunting “memories of Salem and her own girls’ hangings returned, as much as she tried to push them away; the townspeople jeering and celebrating, couples kissing and groping as the hangman fit the nooses around each of their necks.” What an eerily disturbing scene. I liked getting a glimpse into their past lives.

The God of the Sun, Fryr, caused strife from afar. His love life became interesting. One thing I found interesting about him: “In my pocket, I carry a ship. It can be unfolded and placed on the sea, and with it, we can sail anywhere.” Quite impressive.

It had a great cliffhanger ending. I look forward to exploring Salem in the next book, it has always held some mystery and intrigue for me. More witchcraft coming my way.

Strange things are still happening in North Hampton, Long Island and the Beauchamp family is right in the middle of it. Although the centuries-old restriction on practicing magic is gone, that doesn't mean everyone is comfortable with it or even believes in it. The Beauchamp family, made of goddesses/witches, is determined to use their magic to help those around them but fate always seems to interrupt their plans.

The family matriarch is Joanna, who can give life back when needed and travel to Limbo. Ingrid is the town librarian and cool and reserved. Freya is the wild child, made for all things sensual and has found the perfect job as a bartender where she can throw in love potions. All they want is a calm life, but fate intervenes.

First, Freddie, who is Freya's twin brother and is the sun god, has escaped from limbo where he has been languishing for five thousand years. The guardians of limbo are searching for him to serve the rest of his punishment for destroying the bridge that separates Earth from the other worlds. Freddie insists he is innocent, and worse, that Freya's lover, Killian, is the true culprit. Who will she believe?

Ingrid has fallen in love for the first time with an unlikely man. Matt Noble and Ingrid met when he was investigating her family as he is a detective on the police force. Ingrid doesn't know anything about this love stuff, and can't seem to work it out.

Joanna has her own issues. Her long-long husband whom she hasn't seen in centuries, has reappeared and seems interested in reestablishing their marriage. But, she has just started a relationship with an interesting local man. Then there is the spirit from the other world that insists she has a message Joanna needs to hear, but can't quite make the connection.

Fans of De La Cruz's Witches of East End will be delighted to read this sequel and follow the further adventures of the Beauchamp family. Those who missed the first book in the series can pick up here with no problem. The characters are interesting and the problems intriguing. This book is recommended for readers of paranormal romance.

SERPENT'S KISS picks up where the first installment of the Witches of East End concluded. This twisting, turning novel features many familiar characters from WITCHES OF EAST END, including all three daughters of the Beauchamp family: Joanna, who possesses the ability to raise the dead; Ingrid, a healer with magical powers; and Freya, who specializes in matters of love.

The first book in the series introduced readers to Freya's brother, Freddie. In SERPENT'S KISS, Freddie is back from Limbo with one goal on his agenda: to prove that he didn't take a trident that was a powerful object in WITCHES OF EAST END. Freddie tells Freya that her boyfriend, Killian, is responsible for sending him to Limbo. He believes that Killian caused the collapse of the Bofrir bridge, an event that diminished the gods' powers. Freddie accuses Killian of framing him for the accident, claiming that when he arrived at the scene, the bridge had already been destroyed. Freya feels hopelessly conflicted: she loves Killian but is loyal to her brother. No matter how painful it is for her, however, the question must be answered: Who is responsible for taking the trident?

The Beauchamps are helped along their way by bands of pixies. The pixies prove to be expert thieves, although the clues they divulge about the perpetrator of the Bofrir bridge incident and the missing trident are somewhat misleading. Meanwhile, a benign spirit named Anne Barklay contacts Joanna. However, the spirit is unable to protect Joanna, as Anne was accused of witchcraft in the late 17th century.

Joanna sends Freya back in time to help Anne, but Freya gets into trouble while trying to rescue her. Freddie arrives on the scene to help them travel back to the present day. Weakened from time traveling, he is approached by Valkyries who try to take him back to Limbo. Will he be framed again for a crime he claims he didn't commit? SERPENT'S KISS ends with a cliffhanger that left me eagerly waiting for the third book in the series.

Melissa de la Cruz does a superb job of drawing readers into the story with richly developed characters. She also has a lot of fun creating characters who are ancient witches living in modern times: they have jobs, romances and lead interesting lives. The story slowly unpeels complicated layers of the history of witches while unveiling clues about the trident mystery. Be sure to reference the family trees and the author's listing of the "nine worlds," both of which are useful reading tools. If you haven't picked up this book yet, I recommend that you run to the bookstore or download it now. It makes for a perfect summer read.

Reviewed by Kathleen M. Purcell

Article first published as Book Review:Serpent's Kiss by Melissa De La Cruz on Blogcritics.

Serpent's Kiss by Melissa De La Cruz is an exciting follow up to her prior novel in the series, Witches of East End. With Serpent's Kiss we follow the continued exploits of the Beauchamp family, Joanna along with her daughters Freya and Ingrid. After the restriction on using magic was lifted in her prior work, life has been interesting for the family. Back in their comfort zone after centuries of restriction, life is as it should be, or is it. Something is happening in Joanna's house, her house keeper imagines there are ghosts or spirits, and Joanna is not sure. Is someone trying to contact her?

Freya's life takes a turn when her twin brother suddenly shows up, and Ingrid is finally in love. But there is something happening to tear the family further asunder. Why is Freddie back and professing innocence to a crime he was convicted of committing? Can Freya help him find the evidence he needs when he thinks the actual culprit that set him up is the love of her life, Killian Gardiner?
Will Ingrid's ne love, Matt Noble, a police detective be able to reconcile his belief system with the unknown to him fact that he has fallen in love with a witch. Tempers flare and anger threatens to drive a wedge into their new and tender feelings.

Throw another wrench into the making of a cauldron of trouble, but Joanna's husband has now determined to come back into her life and that of her daughters. What more can happen that will stir the noxious mixture of fear, trust and chaos, especially when Joanna finds that a spirit is trying to contact her? Is this spirit really looking for help or out to cause more harm? Can they find what is behind Freddie's conviction and who is behind the other strange happenings in their beloved home?

De La Cruz has delivered a satisfying and enchanted follow up that takes you further into the background of a fascinating family of witches. Her characters are unique and have their own temperaments and drama which add to the life and characterization of the backdrop. Tie in some super sexy men and a bit of suspense and danger you get a very heady brew.

The family harkens from years of witch craft which extends even further back then the Salem Witch trials, although that time in history is part of who and what they have become. The love between the members is like all families, fraught with anger and misunderstanding. Tempers and passions flare throughout, and trust becomes the buzz word. Who can you trust when you have been through the very fires of hell?

This would be a great novel for a reading group. There is suspense, danger, mystery, and a few of the things that go bump in the night. The romance is hot and the love is tender. There is something for the most passionate of readers, a satisfying quality that brings closure. This would be a great book for your library.

This book was received free from the authors publicist. All opinions are my own based off my readind and understanding of the material.

This is the second in the Beauchamp family series and I couldn't have enjoyed a better read. If the first one hooks you then the second sets the hook and your enchanted for MORE! Again, I could not put this book down. I didn't think I could enjoy a book more than the first, but this one takes you on a ride to the past, to Salem Mass circa 1690's, a time that would send shivers down any witches spine, but even knowing that this was the "burning times" you root for the witches to come out of it and it just sets the stage for the next one. Magic is waning for the sisters and their Mother and Now that Dad is in the picture it is even more thrilling, these Old Norse Gods, now stranded in the "Mortal" world, with New Old Gods being introduced with "Not so GOOD intentions" just gives the story more intrigue, who is mortal and who is not? A wild ride and I am already reading the "NEXT" in this series and looking forward to MORE!

Excellent sequel to Witches Of East End. Melissa does such a wonderful job of bring in the Norse mythology. I really enjoy it. The way she set up the next book, THE WINDS OF SALEM, is unbelievable. I'm really looking forward to it. I also thinks it's great how all three series are tied together in some fashion. Needless to say Wolf Pack is on my TBR list for September :).

Freya and Killian are doing great loving every minute of each other. That is until Freddie (aka Fryr Freya's twin brother escapes limbo) wants Freya to find evidence that Killian framed him for the destruction of the bridge linking them to there home world. Freya even begins to think Killian did set her brother up but in her heart of hearts knows he's true.

Freddie hides out in a motel room feeding off of college girls. He learns the way of on line dating and meets Hilly his true love. Let's just say thing are not always what they appear.

Ingrid is besieged by pixies who request her help. Seems they are stuck and can't figure out how to get home. She is also exploring a relationship with Matt and she can't seem to deal with the fact that she is the 30+ year old virgin. Big roller coaster ride here.

And we have poor Joanna dealing with feelings for the new guy in town as well as her estranged husband. Emmmm - what can happen here? Also a witch from the 1600's is trying to contact her to warn her of something.

What a great read.

Joanna Beauchamp along with her daughters Ingrid and Freya are happily practicing magic once again. The Restriction Against Magic has been lifted after a centuries-long ban, but practicing magic does not solve all the problems they encounter in SERPENT'S KISS. A long-dead spirit from the 1600s is haunting Joanna, desperate for her help to right a terrible wrong. Ingrid is in love for the first time, but her inexperience causes problems with her boyfriend, Matt Noble, and Freya is dealing with the secret that her twin, Freddie, has escaped Limbo and now accuses her love, Killian, of being the one who set him up for a terrible crime in the first place.

I was looking forward to reading this book. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, WITCHES OF EAST END and was eagerly awaiting what the tiny town of North Hampton would do with three practicing witches casting spells and mixing potions. While this book was entertaining in spots, I was disappointed with it especially how the author portrayed Ingrid and her actions with her cop boyfriend. Granted, Ingrid is a virgin, but her reactions in some of the romantic scenes was way over the top and unbelievable. I also didn't understand the proposed connection between Joanna and her would-be suitor, Harold Atkins. While Harold did come into play later in the storyline involving Freddie, he did not know that Freddie was back from Limbo when he began calling on Joanna. It seemed like he was thrown in with Joanna as an easy way to create tension between Joanna and her long-lost husband. The addition of the pixies though added quite a comical twist to things.

SERPENT'S KISS is a quick and easy read, but it mostly seems like this book was used as the set-up for the next book in the series, THE WINDS OF SALEM. There are two major cliff-hangers to solve, both of them essential to the well-being of Beauchamp family and I'm looking forward to see what happens next.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After reading and adoring Witches of East End, the prequel to the Serpent's Kiss, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next to Freya, Joanna, and Ingrid. Therefore, when the chance finally arose to read Serpent's Kiss, I jumped at it. However, while I did enjoy Serpent's Kiss well enough, it didn't hold the same charm and intrigue that its prequel did unfortunately.

The topic of witches and magic are one of my favorite paranormal subjects, which makes the fact that there's so little books and series about them all the more sad. However, with this series, Melissa De La Cruz always offers up some fun magic filled drama, and that rang true for Serpent's Kiss. It was exciting to see Freya, Joanna, and Ingrid using their magic once again even though it often spelled trouble for most people involved. I also enjoyed seeing more development into the world in which they lived. New characters were introduced (my favorite being the pixies...they were so sly and funny!) and new plot twists involving the present as well as the past were addressed. The way Melissa incorporated the Salem Witch Trials into the book was also well done, and I especially liked how I learned some new things in the process.

The characters, however, is one place where this novel fell a little flat. Don't get me wrong, I like Ingrid, Joanna, and Freya, but for some reason, I just had the hardest of times connecting to them in this book. I don't know if it was the third person viewpoints used (which didn't bother me at all in the first book) or how naive they were at times, but something was array for most of the book, in my opinion. However, as the novel progressed, everything started to get a little better in that area, so hopefully, I won't have this problem with the next book.

The other part of this novel I had problems with was the slow set up. A big portion of the book was just set up for the second half, and it oftentimes caused me to lose interest in what I was reading. I just wanted to get to the action. Plus, a lack of action was often caused by the characters unwillingness to work with the others, which annoyed me to no end. However, everything started to turn around in the end, as the tension built and the big finale occurred. I was happy about this, but at the same time, it was just a little too late.

In all, while Serpent's Kiss did have it's problems, it was still a decent book. However, I'm hoping the next book (Winds of Salem) will restore the charm and promise the first book held.

Grade: B-

This series uses mostly using Norse mythology to create it characters and stories. It is just magical. I love how different the characters are from each other. Freya character is sexy and holds secrets. Her sister Ingrid is proper and helpful and their mother Joanna is the definition of mother. They have lived centuries and died many times only yet to return to this world.

Only thing I feel unsure about was the characters of the pixies. They were annoying and sometimes confusing. That is probably the only thing I did not like.

This is one of my favorite series. I have not read the series it is a spin off from, Blue Bloods, but I think I would enjoy the writing of that series as well.

A true witch will never give up and the Beauchamp women prove that in Serpent's Kiss by Melissa De La Cruz. Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid are enjoying the peace in North Hampton. But peace never lasts long in their world especially when Freddie Frey's twin brother returns in secret.However Freya's joy is overshadowed by who Freddie accuses of a serious crime. Freddie says that Killian Freya's sexy boyfriend is the one who destroyed the bridge. Freya is forced to investigate Killian to see what he has been hiding. Ingrid (who is my favorite character) is finally experiencing love and lust. However her love Matt Noble does not believe in magic and Ingrid does not want to tell him her not so naughty secret. Joanna is left wondering what her daughters are up to and she is puzzled by why a spirit is seeking her help or to hurt her. The witches soon discover they must combine their collective talents to save this world and the next one. They also need to discover who is trying to destroy all the worlds. Serpent's Kiss is a romantic book filled interesting takes on Norse mythology. I believe that the main characters in this series are relatable to many different types of people. I loved learning more about the witch hunts and how many innocent people were killed. I would recommend Serpent's Kiss to readers who enjoy romance and mythology.

I have a new favorite author...Melissa De La Cruz! I have been so taken with her story of the Beauchamp family that I have also gained a new curiosity about the Norse myths from whom her characters are inspired by. Not just a sappy, saccharine love story or a copycat supernatural thriller, her writing is original, intelligent, and her characters are interesting. I quickly become enamored with the first book 'The Witches of East End' and read it in less than a day....then after getting 'Serpent's Kiss' I quickly inhaled that book as well!

Meandering With not a whole Lot of real plot this Witches of East End book was disappointing. Most of it was the daughters worried about their latest love interests and the usual misunderstandings. Plus, there is no resolution on any of it - de la Cruz leaves it with a cliff hanger and doesn't resolve any of the issues in the book.

I really enjoyed reading both books. They gave me hours of fun. Then I decided to buy the audio version. I like to listen to books when I work out or as I get ready in the am. I was looking forward to the words taking life. For me the audio does what a film does. A great voice can make a book even better.
Now, I am not sure who voiced this book, but it is awful. The voice over talent's voice is flat and boring. It reminds of a lecture hat you cant wait for it to be over. With so many great talent in the world it is sad that they chose this one to voice such a fun book.