"Wonderfully delightful Regency paranormal read!"
After Amelia—Amy—Bourne turned her uncle's home cobalt blue
and gave it chicken legs, she was banished to London in
order to find a husband. But that's not all, Amy was also
bound so she couldn't use her magic, nor could she contact
her uncle or his family in any way. As if this wasn't bad
enough, the family her uncle chose to send her to—the
Benthams—was not exactly welcoming. Mr. Bentham ignored
her, Mrs. Bentham constantly belittled her and their
daughter, Isabella, actively disliked Amy. Of course, the
fact Isabella was just about "on the shelf" as it were
while Amy's young and very attractive may have something to
do with Isabella's feelings. Oh well, at least Amy is
meeting some eligible bachelors. One of the men she's met,
Mr. Sebastian—Fox—Stapleton, Amy has taken an intense
dislike to. The man doesn't believe in magic, is very
arrogant and cold. At a musicale, Amy finds herself sitting
with none other than Mr. Stapleton. When the intermission
finally arrives, they go for refreshments. As they get to
the refreshment room, Mr. Bentham approaches them and gives
them some punch. Even though it has a bit of a funny taste,
the two of them down it, never realizing Mr. Bentham spiked
it with a love potion. By the end of the evening, both Amy
and Fox are no longer harboring a dislike for the other. In
fact, they're falling in love. When the holidays approach, Amy is invited to go visit with
Fox's family at their estate in the Fenlands, accompanied
by Isabella. Unbeknownst to them, Isabella is carrying a
couple of "gifts" with her—gifts she has received very
specific instructions on where to place from her father.
Not that they came from her father, oh no. See, Mr. Bentham
found himself strapped for money and borrowed from a
certain Lady Margaret who has decided it's time for him to
repay his debt. Who is the mysterious Lady Margaret and what has she
planned for Fox's family? Will Amy ever realize she only
fell in love with Fox because of a potion? And what will
happen when she does? Will Amy be able to keep the family
safe from the evil magic Isabella has brought with her to
the estate? BEWITCHED is a funny, adventurous paranormal romance.
Sandra Schwab has definitely done her research before she
ever started on this story, and it shows. With her
descriptions of the balls and clothes and events during
the "season" in London to the foggy Fenlands, Sandra Schwab
vividly transported me to each and every place. The
secondary characters are all as wonderful as the hero and
heroine as well. I really loved Fox's niece and his valet.
We watch as Amy grows from a young woman playing with her
magic to an adult doing what she must to keep the people
she loves safe. And our hero isn't left alone either, he
must learn to deal with his step-father's abuse, the fact
he's a bastard and come to terms with realizing there is
magic in his world. All in all, this is a very entertaining
and delightful story and well worth the time spent reading
it.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted June 30, 2008
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Sweet passion ... After a magical mishap that turned her uncle’s house blue, Miss Amelia Bourne was stripped of her powers and sent to London in order to be introduced into polite society—and to find a suitable husband. Handsome, rakish Sebastian “Fox” Stapleton was all that and more. He was her true love. Wasn’t he? ... or the bitter taste of deceit? At Rawdon Park, the country estate of the Stapletons, Amy began to wonder. Several inexplicable events suggested that one sip of bitter punch had changed her life forever—that this love, this lust, was nothing but an illusion. She and Fox were pawns in some mysterious game, and black magic had followed them out of Town. Without her powers, would she be strong enough to battle those dark forces and win? And would she be able to claim her heart’s true desire? Magic potion or no, what she felt for Fox was a spell that could never be broken.
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