Witches Protection Program

Cash, M.P. (2015). Witches Protection Program. Self-published.

Adult / Sci-Fi / Fantasy 

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars

In Witches Protection Program by Michael Phillip Cash, we meet Agent Wes Rockville who, after a failed assignment that resulted in an escaped prisoner, is given nothing more than a name and an address to report to for his reassignment.  He soon meets partner Alastair Verne, who introduces Wes to his new position: Witch Protector in the long secret Witches Protection Program. Wes quickly goes from denial to belief as he's drawn into the world of witches, Morgan, whom he has to protect, and Bernadette, who has turned from good witch to bad and has an evil scheme that could have worldwide consequences. Alastair and Wes team up with the eccentric witch Junie to try and stop the witch Bernadette and her plan, but is their power enough to succeed against pure evil? 

Witches Protection Program takes the premise that witches exist in our society, but the public isn't aware of them. The Davinas are the witches who do good in the world and report on the evil doings of the bad witches, the Willas.  As agents of the WPP, Wes's and Alastair's job is to protect the Davinas and investigate the Willas, all while keeping the general citizens ignorant of witches and magic in their midst. Though the secrecy has been maintained for hundreds of years, the Willas boldly use witchcraft in public, flying on brooms and conjuring spells, with scores of witnesses reporting it on social media and the news.  Readers are never really shown the aftermath of this big witch reveal, which left the story a little unfinished in that respect. 

With witchcraft being an anchor of the plot, if there's a witch around, spells (which in this book all rhyme and are a bit cheesy -- think of Samantha's spells in Bewitched episodes) can be used to resolve any situation and overcome any hurdle. At times, the device is used a little too conveniently, but for the most part, it works fine. There is a budding romance, but it is secondary to the main plot line, and there are definitely hints that would allow for more stories to come with this cast of characters.

The book does need another pass with editing to tighten the story and correct the typos, misspelled words, and dropped words that corrected, would take the book up a notch. Author Michael Phillip Cash uses humor, suspense, and action packed scenes to keep readers engaged and turning the pages, and I recommend Witches Protection Program for a clean, quick, and light fantasy read.

Thank you to Reader Views for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. This review was first posted on Blogcritics online magazine and is re-posted here by permission from Readers View.

A FUN BIT ABOUT THE COVER>>> I mentioned to my son how much I liked the cover for this book, and he said, "Mom, it's a Nerf Maverick." A Nerf gun? I didn't believe him, so I used the Google, and sure enough, there are all kinds of Nerf gun mods out there. Nerf, you've come a long way, baby.  

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Phillip Cash is an award winning and best selling author of horror, paranormal, and science fiction novels. Stillwell: A Haunting on Long Island, The Hanging Tree, and Schism: The Battle for Darracia have all been named to Foreward Reviews, Book of the Year Awards.

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with horror writing and found footage films. He wanted to incorporate both with his debut novel, Brood X. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children. 

Learn more about Michael and his books on 

his WEBSITE, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK.