White Lightning Series by Debra Dunbar, J.P. Sloan

It's 1920's Baltimore. Prohibition. Those who sell and distribute liquor can become rich — or dead if the mob doesn't get their cut. The gangsters have taken over, and in organized crime the one weapon valued more than a Tommy gun is a mage. Welcome to the world of White Lightning. A moonshine runner. A mage for the mob. And more misfortune than a blow-down at the speakeasy... moreIt's 1920's Baltimore. Prohibition. Those who sell and distribute liquor can become rich — or dead if the mob doesn't get their cut. The gangsters have taken over, and in organized crime the one weapon valued more than a Tommy gun is a mage. Welcome to the world of White Lightning. A moonshine runner. A mage for the mob. And more misfortune than a blow-down at the speakeasy. Hattie Malloy has two goals in life—get the hootch from warehouse to seller, and make sure no one finds out she can conjure illusions. But when her shipment of rum is attacked by pirates on the Chesapeake Bay and she needs to call on the mob for help, those two goals collide. Suddenly the safety of her family and friends rests on her helping a group of gangsters that she wants nothing to do with. The mob is the only family that time pincher Vincent Calendo has ever known. When his boss Vito says he wants to expand his “stable” of mages, Vincent is tasked with finding unaffiliated, or free, pinchers and bringing them into the fold—willingly or not. Can Hattie keep her talents a secret from Vincent or will she lose the freedom her parents have sacrificed everything to give her? less

Moonshine, Mobsters, and Magic Users. When their moonshine-running enterprise is arbitrarily shut down, Hattie attempts a spectacular illusion to save the business…and fails to pull it off. Now everyone who’s anyone knows that Vincent isn’t the only magic user in the city of Baltimore. With her cover blown Hattie finds herself targeted by the local mob, with Vincent specifically tasked to bring her in... moreMoonshine, Mobsters, and Magic Users. When their moonshine-running enterprise is arbitrarily shut down, Hattie attempts a spectacular illusion to save the business…and fails to pull it off. Now everyone who’s anyone knows that Vincent isn’t the only magic user in the city of Baltimore. With her cover blown Hattie finds herself targeted by the local mob, with Vincent specifically tasked to bring her in. Can Hattie stay one step ahead of the only man she thought she could trust with her secrets? In a world filled with magic, where every promise can be broken, Hattie will need to gamble on the only thing she can truly count on: herself. less

Failure can get a mobster a bullet to the head...or worse. Fearing he'll be sent for torture and "re-education" at the notorious Ithaca facility, Vincent pulls out all the stops only to have a mysterious fire up in Pennsylvania burn his hopes of redemption to the ground. Hattie has one more reason to hate the mob. With Vincent sent away, Hattie worries he'll not return the same man he was when he left—or not return at all. Helping him will take more than a clever illusion... moreFailure can get a mobster a bullet to the head...or worse. Fearing he'll be sent for torture and "re-education" at the notorious Ithaca facility, Vincent pulls out all the stops only to have a mysterious fire up in Pennsylvania burn his hopes of redemption to the ground. Hattie has one more reason to hate the mob. With Vincent sent away, Hattie worries he'll not return the same man he was when he left—or not return at all. Helping him will take more than a clever illusion. She'll need to learn all she can about the mysterious bond she has with the time pincher to help free him before the monsters at Ithaca can break him body and spirit. less

The ink is barely dry on the Crew's new alliance with Philadelphia when a bootleg run is hit by a group of gangsters and three powerful pinchers. Panicked that the New York families are coming for him, mob boss Vito Corbi prepares for war—but Vincent believes these enemies might possibly be the allies he's been hoping for. When the Charge's westbound free pinchers are kidnapped, Hattie fears the worst... moreThe ink is barely dry on the Crew's new alliance with Philadelphia when a bootleg run is hit by a group of gangsters and three powerful pinchers. Panicked that the New York families are coming for him, mob boss Vito Corbi prepares for war—but Vincent believes these enemies might possibly be the allies he's been hoping for. When the Charge's westbound free pinchers are kidnapped, Hattie fears the worst. But instead of being them taken by the mob into servitude, she finds there's a second "Charge" operating at cross purposes to her own—a group that has some unpleasant history with Sadie. Hattie and Vincent must fight for the survival of Baltimore in a war where they're not sure who are friends and who are enemies. In the process, they'll face off against one of the most powerful pinchers on the East Coast in a battle where failure is not an option. less