More Than Magic by Donna June Cooper

A malignant secret could turn her mountain sanctuary into their tomb.   DEA agent Nick McKenzie is sure magic exists—a dangerous drug called Smoky Mountain Magic that’s wreaking havoc in Atlanta. He’s also sure that locating and eliminating the source will kill him.   When he arrives undercover on Woodruff Mountain, the beautiful owner’s awkward attempts to scare him off tell him something’s afoot, and it’s not her secret patch of ginseng.   As her dream of seeking medicinal plants in the Amazon fades away, Grace Woodruff struggles to come to terms with a magical gift she didn’t want, and searches desperately for the meaning behind her late grandfather’s final, cryptic message.   The last thing she needs underfoot is a handsome enigmatic writer recovering from a recent illness. Until an accidental touch unleashes a stunning mystical force and Grace senses the wrath of a malicious blight at the heart of the mountain. Now Grace must choose between her need to hide her gift from the world…and her desire to save Nick’s life.   Warning: This book contains a fiery redhead whose magic cannot be contained and a handsome DEA agent whose final case might give him a second chance at life. More Than Magic is the first book in the Books of the Kindling, a science fantasy romance series that focuses on Woodruff Mountain, the ancient power beneath it, and the family that has hidden its secrets for centuries. It is a story set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains where magic is an elemental part of the folklore. But the magic of this mountain, the magic of the Kindling, is even older and more arcane. It is a story where people who could live in your home town find themselves with abilities they dont understand and are confronted with a world that desperately needs those gifts. It is a story woven of mystery, humor, drama, and suspense, but most of all, it is a story about love. (This book was previously published by Samhain Publishing, Ltd in February 2014, electronic publication, and January 2015, print publication, and is now re-released.)