"Magical Time Travel Sequel"
After sending Arden St. Claire to her heart's desire in the
Regency era (To Tame a Rogue, March 2001), wizard Tobias
Thistethwaite selects his next time travel client from the
financial pages of the Wall Street Journal. Seattle based dot com billionaire, H. Walter Harrington IV,
with his renowned penchant for all things medieval, seems
to be the most likely candidate. In fact Walter had
recently purchased the ruins of the medieval Castle
Avondale. All attempts to restore the castle have failed.
Walter believes that the disappearance of the magical
Aethelwyn's amulet, in the thirteenth century, is
responsible. Naturally Walter jumps at the opportunity to travel back in
time to the period before castle's siege, to prevent the
amulet's loss. He would then return and restore his castle
to its original splendor. Yes Walter believes in magic.
Unfortunately his personal assistant, Victoria Desmond does
not. Victoria is skeptical when Walter explains the details of
the business trip he has planned for them. She's certain
Walter is about to become the victim of a scam and she's
putting her foot down. Victoria Desmond is the only woman
who says no to Walter, and gets away with it. When Victoria
says no, Walter listens. Not this time! The practical businesswoman may have had
secret dreams off being whisked of her feet by a knight in
shining armor, but the reality is frightening. The room
shifts in sync with the backward journey through time. As
Tobias says, "Time waits for no man (or woman)". For the
first time Victoria is at a loss. They arrive at the specified time and place only to find
out that the historical accounts were off by ten years. The
curse is already in affect, and now to save the castle they
must find the magical amulet and restore it to its rightful
owner. Their quest draws the attention of Ranulf of
Darkvale, who history has said had laid siege to Castle
Avondale
and killed its master and mistress, before abandoning the
lands because of the curse. Ranulf has learned that Gareth, the heir to Avondale, has
gained favor with the new king and will no doubt return to
reclaim what is his. He suspects Walter is in league with
Gareth and has Walter kidnapped. When Victoria tries to
negotiate for his release, Ranulf tells her she must find
the magical amulet or Walter will die. Where is a knight in
shining armor when you need one? Well a disheveled knight in rusty armor is better than
none, and with no other offers, Victoria accepts the
services of Sir Percival (Gareth in disguise). Gareth has
sworn to help Victoria find the amulet, but has no
intention of allowing it to fall into the hands of Ranulf
of Darkvale. Once he has the amulet he will restore his
lands, free his sister from the evil clutches of Ranulf,
and destroy the man for his crimes against his parents and
Avondel. He is not about to let his attraction for the outspoken
Victoria sway him either. His goal is to wed a virtuous
woman like his mother had been, and he is convinced that
Victoria is anything but. Both Gareth and Victoria will
soon learn that appearances can be deceiving. This was a truly enjoyable read. Gareth is stubborn and
self-righteous, but as the story unfolds he falls under the
spell or the courageous, modern woman. Victoria does a nice
job of serving him his comeuppance, and in spite of
Gareth's old-fashioned morals, their romance borders on the
steamy. A nice side romance develops between Walter and
Gareth's younger sister, who is the ward of Ranulf of
Darkvale. Who will stay and who will return to the twenty
first century? As Tobias would say, "no refunds necessary".
I highly recommend TO CHARM A KNIGHT and suggest that
the
reader pick up a copy of the Ms. Kay's first time travel,
TO TAME A ROGUE, as well. As there was no indication that
Merlin's Stone has lost its power, it is to be hoped that
there will be more of these charming tales in the near
future.
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted September 12, 2001
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