VISION IN WHITE by Nora Roberts

VISION IN WHITE
NORA ROBERTS
Contemporary Romance
Berkley
Sensuality Rating: Sexy
ISBN# 9780-425-22751-0
352 Pages
$16.00
Trade--Available Now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Mackenzie “Mac” Elliot is the wedding photographer for ‘Vows’, the wedding planning business she runs with her three lifelong best friends. She isn’t looking for a relationship at all, in fact, that’s probably the last thing on Earth she wants--until she encounters Carter Maguire, the new teacher at her old high school and the brother of one of their clients.

Carter Maguire had a crush on the free spirited Mac in high school and never did anything about it. Now that they’ve reconnected thanks to his younger sister’s wedding, he’s not going to let that happen again. Recently out of a bad relationship, Carter’s a little unsure in the dating department and gets help from his co-worker and friend, Bob, who isn’t the best advice giver in the world. But Carter gets past the bad advice and falls--hard--for the unconventional photographer.

VISION IN WHITE is a great kick-off to Ms. Roberts’ new series. I loved Mac, she’s a very strong willed character, except when her mother’s involved and that’s where the trouble begins. Thanks to her oft married mother, Mac has a skewed view of relationships and panics when she realizes things between her and Carter may be getting more serious than what she’s comfortable with. At times, I wasn’t sure of Carter. I liked him well enough, and he loves Mac, but his uneasiness with how to act and date and basically woo her did get a little tedious at times, but the chemistry between the two characters is unmistakable. There are some truly great scenes in the book. One of my favorites is the meet scene between Mac and Carter, where he bops his head against the wall and she tends to him. Not to spoil it, but it’s a really funny and memorable scene with some great dialogue.

Ms. Roberts lays the groundwork in VISION IN WHITE for what should be a great series. I love the backdrop of the four women running a ‘Vows’ the wedding planning company. All four women are equally strong characters and there’s already some hint of the possible men in their lives with some of the supporting cast in this book. I look forward to the second book, ‘Bed Of Roses’, due to be released October 2009.

Nora Roberts is the author of 160 New York Times best sellers, including 23 written as J.D. Robb and one written together with J.D. Robb. Visit her online at http://www.noraroberts.com/

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
August 2009

BARELY BEWITCHED (A Southern Witch Novel) by Kimberly Frost

BARELY BEWITCHED (A Southern Witch Novel)
KIMBERLY FROST
Paranormal Romance
Berkley
Sensuality Rating: Sexy
ISBN# 978-0-425-22961-3
312 Pages
$14.00
Trade—Available Now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Tammy Jo is once again finding herself in a heap load of trouble. Bad enough that her attraction to Bryn is anything but fading, but there's a guy on her doorstep telling her she has to take a witch test from WAM, the World Association of Magic, within a few weeks. If she fails, she's dead. He won't listen to the fact that she doesn't want to be a witch nor does she want to cast spells ever again. Amongst this, her ex-husband and sometimes boyfriend Zach is having issues dealing with what happened, her family ghost Edie up and disappears on her and somehow in all of this, Tammy Jo's managed to somehow turn fae.

BARELY BEWITCHED is a great fun paranormal read. I'd definitely say it helps if you're already familiar with the series, as some parts can be a little confusing if you don't already know the prior history between some of the characters. I liked Tammy Jo a lot, she wasn't afraid to do things, even though she knew they could end up going wrong, like her magic usually seems to. Her chemistry with both her ex-husband Zach and with Bryn is complex and intriguing. At some points, you want her with Zach and others you wonder why she wastes her time with him. Same can be said for her relationship with Bryn as well.

What I truly loved about BARELY BEWITCHED is that it was a read where you truly had no idea what would happen next. Between the arson-crazed Incendio, the faeries that had escaped and created havoc within Duvall, and her topsy-turvy relationship with both men in her life, the pages went by in a blur and I reached the end of the book far too soon. The story may have gotten off to a bit of slow start, but once it reached the middle it was raring along. It's hard to say who I wish Tammy Jo would end up with, especially with Edie's warning of a future betrayal in Tammy Jo's future, but at the moment I'm leaning towards Bryn as he's not so my way or the highway with Tammy Jo.

Filled with fun characters, like her hairdresser Johnny and his vamp boyfriend, Rollie and the interesting Mr. Jenson, BARELY BEWITCHED is a great second novel in the series. I can't wait to read what's next for Tammy Jo and the town of Duvall.

Kimberly Frost wasn't born in Texas, but she got there as fast as she could. Currently at home in a small town known as Houston, she is taking dictation from her characters and working on a new Southern Witch novel. She loves to hear from readers and you can visit her at http://www.frostfiction.com/

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
September 2009

SINS OF A WICKED DUKE by Sophie Jordan

SINS OF A WICKED DUKE
SOPHIE JORDAN
Historical Romance
Avon Historical Romance
Sensuality Rating: Sexy
ISBN#978-0-06-157917-2
369 Pages
$6.99
Paperback—Available Now

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Dominic Hale, known as ‘the demon duke’ for his wild living ways, can’t get the woman he rescued out of his head. But she spurned his advances and he doesn’t have time for women who aren’t interested in what he has to offer—which to be brutally honest, isn’t much more then a good time. He’s not interested in relationships, as his nickname suggests. But the right woman might just change all that, if he can convince both her and himself.

After losing her latest job, thanks to the wandering hands of her boss’ son, Fallon O’Rouke finds herself without a lot of options. The woman at the agency won’t recommend her for another job. One of her two best friends is setting sail with her own charge and Fallon is at a loss of what to do—until the perfect idea hits. If she were a man things would be much easier. Shedding her attention getting locks is easier than expected and she gets the first job she turns up for, working for the one man she never expected, the man who tried to rescue her from the wandering hands of her last employer, the so-called wicked duke.

SINS OF A WICKED DUKE is a really enjoyable historical romance. Fallon isn’t exactly your typical woman of the times, as she’s willing to change her appearance and even her identity to get a job so she can attain her dream of one day having a small cottage of her own. I especially enjoyed watching her have to fight to keep her role as Francis “Frank” when she finds herself attracted to Dominic. And things get even more fun when one of the young maids decides to crush on newcomer ‘Frank’. Forced to hide her true identity, things become even more complicated when out of an act of heroism ‘Frank’ saves Dominic from being shot by an irate husband and is quickly promoted in the household to that of valet. It was hard enough being attracted to Dominic from afar, but now Fallon finds herself living in the room next door. I loved the tension between the two, especially when Dominic begins to believe Frank isn’t who he says he is. And the scene where the truth comes out is truly one of my favorites. But hands down, the best scene is when Fallon as Frank shoos out Dominic’s drunken friend and the two women who are there with them. With Dominic passed out on top of the bed, Fallon thinks she can escape. But when he mistakenly thinks it’s the woman he brought home and kisses her, it takes all of Fallon’s willpower to pull away and sneak back to her own room. Ms. Jordan has done a great job creating two memorable characters with Fallon and Dominic.

Sophie Jordan is a former high school English teacher and resides in Houston with her family. When not writing, she divides her time between inventing what she calls culinary masterpieces and visiting her family’s pecan ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
July 2009

THE LONE TEXAN by Jodi Thomas

THE LONE TEXAN
JODI THOMAS
Historical Romance
Berkley
Sensuality Rating: Sweet
ISBN# 978-0-425-23062-6
336 pages
$7.99Print – Available Now
Rating: 5 Enchantments

Drummond Roak has always taken care of himself as he grew up on his own and became a legendary gunfighter. He’s sexy, caring and a little rough around the edges. The one constant in his life has been his love for Sage McMurray.

Sage grew up under the protection of three older brothers, and at 18 left to make her own mark in the world as a doctor. Now she’s returned home to Whispering Mountain with a cynical attitude about love. When Sage returns home she has plans to open a clinic and live quietly being a doctor. However, she gets involved in protecting two boys who have thugs gunning for them. No one is sure why a band of outlaws wants them dead, but with Drum's help she’s determined to make sure they are safe. That could be hard to do since she’s kidnapped by the outlaws and taken to their hideout. Drum rides out to save her, with revenge on his mind.

This is a very sweet love story with a likable hero and heroine. Both Sage and Drum are inherently good people trying to find their place in life. The conversations they have are both sweet and feisty, as Sage isn’t quite ready to admit that Drum is the man for her but he’s doing his best to convince her. I loved the interaction between the two, as Ms. Thomas does a good job of making their arguments funny, but at the same time you can tell they care for each other
Drums’ pining for Sage does get a little old and he’s made out to practically be a saint as he constantly shrugs off Sage’s rejection and always does the right thing. However, he still makes a great hero because he does treat Sage with respect and even though he’s had a rough life he still cares about the people around him.

The action in this story keeps moving with several story lines going at once. The focus isn’t solely on the main characters and I really liked the little side story involving Sage’s nurse Bonnie. I’m also hoping that Ranger Daniel will get his own story! There’s a little of everything in this book, including murder, mystery and a love story. This is the first story I’ve read by Ms. Thomas and I can’t wait to read some of the first books in the Whispering Mountain series.

Ms. Thomas grew up in Texas and most of her novels are set there. She’s won many awards for her writing. You can learn more about her at http://www.jodithomas.com/.

Heather
Enchanting Reviews
September 2009

BLOOD RED ROSE: THE HUNT FOR THE ELIXIR by Midnyte Dupree

BLOOD RED ROSE: THE HUNT FOR THE ELIXIR
MIDNYTE DUPREE
Romance Vampire
Resplendence Publishers
Sensuality Rating: Garnet
ISBN#97-201-107-409-4
Number of pages: 113
$5.00
E book- Available May 2009

Rating: 5 Enchantments

After 200 years living away from his homeland, the Master Vampire Eli, was finally heading home. The task of keeping the Elixir safe from their enemies known only as the The Others. This task was given to him by his late Queen to make sure the Elixir was kept out of their enemies hands.

Rose was looking around the night club when she spotted him. As she came closer to him, Eli's heart began to beat harder, his body reacting to her being so close to him, after kissing her, his need to taste her was building in his blood, the Elixir that hung around his neck started to vibrate as hard as his heart was beating. Why would the Elixir vibrate only when she was so close? What did she have to do with the Elixir anyway? The others would try reclaim the Elixir on the way back to Rome. He would have to leave soon for Rome, but would Rose go with him? Would the others try again to reclaim the Elixir before it is reunited with the New Queen?

I truly enjoyed this book. I could not put it down. The characters are so real that you can connect to them and what they go though and why they feel the way they do. I love a great hero like Eli.
You can see how he comes to terms with his [past in order to be able to deal with his feelings for Rose. How Rose grows as a vampire because of Eli's acceptance of her in his life. I think this is a very well written book. The characters are all very well rounded and full of life. I can only hope that there will be more from Midnyte Dupree about Eli and Rose.

K.L. Bjork who also writes as Midnyte Dupree is such a wonderful writer. Her characters are wonderful written and full of life. Her website is www.midnyte-dupree.com

Barbara Weghorn
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
April 2009

SEIZE THE FIRE by Laura Kinsale

SEIZE THE FIRE
LAURA KINSALE
Historical Romance
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Sensuality Rating: Sexy
583 pages
ISBN # 978-1-4022-1396-0
$7.99
Print book – Available now

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Olympia, Princess of Orleans is ready to start a revolution. She believes she can help the people of her homeland oust the current government, her uncle, a ruthless tyrant, who has chosen to marry Olympia off for his political gain. Olympia is having none of that, she's thought of the prefect plan to foil her uncle. And she's found a hero to help her.

Captain Sheridan Drake isn't heroic, he's lucky. Even when he's doing his best to tarnish his reputation, he still ends up the hero. No matter what he does, he comes out smelling like a rose. When the princess asks for his help, he jumps at the chance, not to help her, but to take advantage of her. He's in a tremendous amount of debt, and figures he's found a plumb pigeon ready to be plucked.

Things do not go as planned for either of them. Olympia discovers that planning a revolt and being in one are two completely different concepts. When she finally learns her hero is a thieving scoundrel, she is forced to face reality and try to save herself. Is there any possible redemption for Sheridan? How can two people with such different personalities, find any common ground to base a relationship on?

I was so excited to finally find a historical romance that moved away from Great Britain and into more exotic locales. But, when I began this book I was a bit daunted by the size, it's been a long time since I've read an epic saga of any kind.

It didn't help that I was a bit disgusted by both Olympia and Sheridan for about the first quarter of the book. Olympia was a princess. She was spoiled, idealistic, and very naive in the matters of politics and the world in general, which she was so sure she could take over. Also, the gushing infatuation she felt for Sheridan was nauseating. Sheridan on the other hand, was a penniless knave, whose main concern was himself. He rarely did anything that did not benefit him.

When Olympia was rudely introduced to the reality of life, things seemed to finally pick up and get rolling. I soon found myself unable to put this book down! Soon I had an interesting heroine, who was spirited, independent and finally was not going to put up with being taken advantage of again. Sheridan turned around and truly decided to be a better person. As their mutual attraction became harder to avoid, I greatly anticipated them falling in love and wanting a future together. The danger that surrounded them kept the story hopping. I felt myself so emotionally entwined in the book that on more than one occasion I felt tears burning my eyes. The love they felt for each other and the trials they went through to get to their happily ever after made this a worthy read.

I can't wait for her new book LESSONS IN FRENCH coming out in February 2010.

Laura Kinsale is a New York Times Best-selling author. You can learn more about her http://www.laurakinsale.com/.


Aemelia
Enchanting Reviews
September 2009

TRIPLE EXPOSURE by Colleen Thompson

TRIPLE EXPOSURE
COLLEEN THOMPSON
Romantic Suspense
Dorchester Publishing, Leisure Books
Sensuality Rating: Sexy
352 pages
ISBN # 978-0-8439-6143-0
$7.99
Print book – Available now

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Killing her would-be attacker did not save Rachel Copeland from terror. She left Boston to return home Marfa, Texas, hoping to escape the media and a stalker, who believes Rachel didn't act in self-defense, but as a seductress and murderer. Believing if she left it all behind, she could start over.

Zeke Pike is a loner. He is perfectly happy not having to deal with people on a daily basis. He'd rather work with his hands, creating wood furniture, or ride out into the desert, alone. He has left his past far behind, missing it, but never to seeking to repair it.
Rachel and Zeke strike and unlikely friendship that quickly leads to passion. But the past is not ready to be buried. Who seeks to hurt Rachel, and why the animosity? Can Zeke and Rachel find happiness, if the killer doesn't get to them first?

TRIPLE EXPOSURE is a masterfully spun tale of romantic suspense. I was not able to correctly guess the true villain, though I had many suspects in mind. I was completely absorbed into this gripping story. While the thrilling suspense kept me glued to my seat, the compelling tenderness Zeke felt for Rachel, and her returned passion was wonderfully captured into words. I felt as if these two were perfect for each other. Though they had to work at realizing they were meant to have a future together. I was highly amused when the high school classmate of Rachel's was humiliated by her own actions, I always enjoy seeing a “mean girl” get a shot of her own medicine.

I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Thompson, who, prior to writing suspense wrote historical books as Gwyneth Atlee and Colleen Easton. She currently lives in Texas with her family. When she's not writing you can find her with her family or with a book in her face. You can learn more about her on the web at: www.colleen-thompson.com.


Aemelia
Enchanting Reviews
October 2009