THE TORY WIDOW by Christine Blevins

THE TORY WIDOW
CHRISTINE BLEVINS
Historical
Berkley
Sensuality Rating: Sweet
ISBN#978-0-425-22601-8
384 pages
$15.00
Print - Available Now

Rating: 4 1/2 Enchantments

Jack Hampton is a true patriot. With his strong beliefs in independence he will do anything for his and others’ freedom. With the British invasion and men turning against men it is really hard for Jack to trust anyone.

After being widowed Anne Merrick uses her brains and wits to show that she can be independent and not have to rely on a man. She is a very strong willed woman and also very smart. Even when her store is ruined because it got out she was printing Tory propaganda she prevails and just keeps going.

The group gets information that the Widow Merrick is using her print press to print Tory propaganda. With finding evidence of her printing they set out to destroy her shop but Jack vows to keep an eye on the Widow. Jack follows Anne when she is out doing an errand for her shop, with this he finds himself saving her from a vicious attack by a couple of men. And out of this a friendship builds between them.

Anne and her friend Sally decided to stay on to take care of Anne’s wounded brother, whom Jack also saved, who is hiding in her home. But with the British pounding on her door in order to survive she must show her loyalty to the King of England. But while serving tea and scones to the military men she decides to do her part for the cause she befriends Captain Blankenship. Through this friendship Anne gathers helpful information for General George Washington. When given information about Anne being on the Kings side Jack is furious. The one person who thought he could really trust. He sets out to find the truth about Anne.

Be prepared to be swept back into time. Ms. Blevins, while mixing both fact and fiction, has written a moving story. I enjoyed Jack and Anne but I really loved Anne’s friend Sally. She has a very quick mouth ready to put a man in his spot. In a time when trust is tested the relationship between Jack and Anne went through a lot of struggles but with time they show that a beautiful love can blossom. This being the first in a trilogy I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Ms. Blevins resides in Illinois with her family. She enjoys hearing from her readers you can contact her at chris@christineblevins.com.


Kim Graham
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
April 2009

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

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

THE SILVER MOON ELM: A JENNIFER SCALES NOVEL by MaryJanice Davidson and Anthony Alongi

THE SILVER MOON ELM – A JENNIFER SCALES NOVEL
MARYJANICE DAVIDSON and ANTHONY ALONGI
BerkleyParanormal, Young Adult
ISBN:978-0-425-21526-5
$9.99
Print - Available now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Meet Jennifer Scales, weredragon, beaststalker, and Ancient Furnace. And all at the tender age of fifteen too! Without a license.

In her quest to relieve her burden of keeping secrets from her friends, Jennifer takes them with her when she goes to Crescent Valley, meeting place for the dragons. While Jennifer discovers a new power as the Ancient Furnace – calling a nest of Fire Bees to her – she quickly learns that there is way more to her parent’s history with the clan of dragons than she ever thought.

When her best friend/ex-boyfriend, Skip, lures her out with ice cream and lets her fallasleep in the park, Jennifer is boggled and very angry when she wakes up to a world that is very different from her own – one where her parents no longer exist, and where werachnids rule the town!

In her quest to turn her world to rights, Jennifer meets one of the pure dragons, and sees a different side to the people she thought she knew. Even the person she knows as hermother is incredibly different! In all of this, the one surprising constant is the silver moon elm that brought her parents together, and will now help her bring her world back.

Ms. Davidson and Mr. Alongi bring together a tale full of the emotions and realities of teen life. The insecurities and jealousies, along with love and its strength, make this book pop! I can truly identify with some of what’s been written here, from my own teen years, and even now in my early twenties. I dunno about you, but I would go to the same lengths that Jennifer did to have my loved ones back!

Awesome book! I can’t wait to read more of this series!

One or two colorful words, however, make this more appropriate for the teen reader,probably fourteen and up.CimoreneEnchanting Reviews

UNDEAD AND UNEASY by MaryJanice Davidson

UNDEAD AND UNEASY
MARYJANICE DAVIDSON
Vampire/Supernatural Fantasy
ISBN# 0425213765
Berkley Hardcover
$16.29

Rating: 5 Enchantments

Weddings are never easy. But when you're Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor, they can become downright deadly...

In the days leading up to The Big Day, Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor seems to have a full house and the wedding guests have yet to arrive. Along with her human buddies, there's a ghost, a werewolf, and a Fiend crashing at her place. And though her fiance, Vampire King Eric Sinclair, conveniently disappears when the conversation turns to seating charts and flower arrangements, he does manage to make his oh-so-sexy presence known at other moments. Cold feet are no surprise, especially with an undead groom.

But when Sinclair truly goes missing - and not just to avoid wedding preparations - along with most of her friends and loved ones, Betsy is frantic. Alone and afraid for the fate of everyone she loves, Betsy can't trust anyone as she tries to find them and whoever is behind all the disappearances. And what happens next will shake the foundation of the vampire world forever.

One by one, all of Betsy's friends leave her. She thinks her friends abandoned her. But as soon as it becomes obvious to Betsy that her friends are missing and may well be dead, she becomes afraid. Especially after the death of her family members. She soon realizes that it’s up to her to find out what's going on and step up to the plate and be the queen she truly is.

Ms. Davidson has such a creative mind that just leaves fans addictive. You can't help but want to discover and read all her books.

I am so very happy to see how things turned out in this latest 'Betsy' story. Betsy finally came around and became a true queen, and didn't put up with anyone trying to bring her down. And once and for all got what she wanted with Eric. I can't help but want and crave any and all upcoming 'Betsy' books. Wonder what Ms. Davidson has in store for her fans in the next installment in the 'UNDEAD AND ...' series.

I give an overall rating of 5 Enchantments.

Anya
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
July 2007