The powerful Persephone Alcmedi from Vicious Circle returns in this mystical sequel of tantalizing, dark delights. Hallowed Circle brings Persephone and her powers into a whole new world of unaccustomed depths. While the previous chapter of her saga focused on struggles against enslavement by powerful, evil foes, the aftermath is a fresh start—in most surprising ways.

Seph is new to the levels of magic she is capable of manipulating, and new to the numerous roles her life has taken on since the close of Vicious Circle. Her once quiet, solitary lifestyle is morphing into a complex miasma of relationships that are difficult to adjust to. It’s a shame her slow aptitude in this arena may have everlasting, ill-fated repercussions.

A new matriarch is needed for the local coven, and Seph is one of many candidates selected for the witch trials. The competition is to choose the most competent and ideal representative leader of the coven; only problem is, none of them seem to be the right woman for the job. The stakes rise higher when competitors start turning up dead - or perhaps the more optimistic perspective is that the competition is thinning.

Much more is going on in the outside world than meets the eye, and Seph’s focus on her bedraggled areas and people of interest isn't at its sharpest. She may be one of the strongest, most promising witches in the world, but even she can only fight so many battles simultaneously. Trying to juggle too much might end with her losing everything, but if she looks for help in unexpected alliances, all might not be lost...entirely.

Author Linda Robertson's Vicious Circle set up a killer plot and characters to jump from as she transitions into Hallowed Circle. Her diverse, complex characters make the possibilities for progression fairly broad. Most readers expect a certain level of fluidity in the romance building between the protagonist and her love interest; the opposite experience gives for a thrilling read.

From book one, readers know that some of the traditional clichés in storylines are to be expected. Robertson delivers the unexpected as well, enlivening a typical read with edge-of-your-seat expectations for what may - or may not - be coming around the next page. The mystical magic of great witchery casts a spell of enchantment over Hallowed Circle—readers beware!