Series: Spellbound Falls (Book 3)
While building a wilderness trail for a new
five-star resort in Spellbound Falls, underachieving playboy Alec
MacKeage rescues a beautiful woman who is being chased by kidnappers and
agrees to let her hide out with him for a few days. But when those days
stretch past a week, Alec finds himself fighting his attraction to the
mysterious Jane Smith -- despite knowing the woman isn’t who she claims
to be. Then again, neither is he…
On the run from her own life, Jane is really Carolina Oceanus -- and
she’ll do anything to avoid the six ancient-minded men her father has
brought to Maine to vie for her hand in marriage. But as the maddening
competition heats up, Carolina realizes that she’ll have to come clean
to Alec, the seductive loner who’s managed to capture her heart…
Very good book. When Alec rescued Jane from her attackers he wasn't expecting her to ask to stay with him for a few days. He gives in, feeling like he will regret it, but not being able to tell her no. The problem is that he is more attracted to her every day. He also knows that she is hiding something. He's surprised to find out who she is, and amazed that she's been on the run from her family for two years. Jane has been trying to get away from her father's attempts to marry her off to any number of ancient warriors. When the competition gets stiffer, she decides she has to convince Alec to join the race. While I really liked Alec, Jane was not my favorite of Janet's heroines. Her tendency to hide her intelligence and become sweet and submissive irritated me. If I thought it was just an act it wouldn't be so bad, but she was really acting that way. It took Alec awhile to get her to realize that she didn't need to do that. Even after he knew who she was (even though she didn't know he knew) he offered to stand beside her when she stood up to her father. She did know that she didn't want the kind of marriage her father was pushing for. She wanted a marriage where she was loved and respected for who she is not what she is. I loved the romance building between Jane and Alec. He was strong enough to resist her attempts at seduction though they certainly got pretty hot and heavy. I loved the way that Alec supported her and encouraged her to make her own decisions. When her dad and brother find her and take her back to the resort to face the husband competition, Alec goes to work. Even though he feels he is in no way a suitable husband for her, thanks to his years as a spy, he wants to help her be able to pick the one she wants. So he sets out to eliminate the other suitors. I loved the way he did it. It was also hilarious to see the way he frustrated her father's head of security with the way he was constantly able to get access to Jane. There were quite a few absolutely hysterical spots with Alec playing with people. I loved the way Jane's mom helped her try to play the game. I also loved when she decided to visit Alec and throw her weight behind helping him. This was another scene that was extremely funny to read. I also loved seeing mom read the men the riot act when she finds out why dad is in such a hurry to get Jane married. She really lets them have it for not realizing that the women of the family are a lot stronger than the guys want to admit. I was glad to see that Jane finally got it together by the end of the book. I really liked Nicholas (the head of security) and thoroughly enjoyed his frustration. I'm glad to see he's the hero in the next book and can't wait to read it.
Series: Spellbound Falls (Book 2)
New York Times bestselling author Janet Chapman
takes you back to the magical town of Spellbound Falls, where Duncan
MacKeage is about to uncover great love with hidden dangers...
All Duncan MacKeage wants is to keep his crew building roads and
bridges up the mountain to the fancy resort overlooking Spellbound
Falls’ new inland sea. He doesn’t want anything to do with his own
family magic or with the beautiful widow, Peg Thompson, and her tribe of
little heathens. But when Duncan is tasked with keeping an eye on the
widow Thompson, trouble starts.
Because of a family curse, Peg fears that giving in to her desires will
mean killing off another lover. But Duncan - " the strong, handsome man
buying her gravel" - is unbelievably tempting and determined to take
care of her. Torn between her head and her heart, will Peg find the
strength to break free of her black-widow curse? Or will pursuing their
attraction put these lovers in harm’s way?
Fantastic book. Peg is barely making ends meet while trying to support her 4 kids. Mac sends Duncan to Peg to buy gravel from her for the road he is building to the site of the new resort. After a less than stellar first meeting, Peg and Duncan come to an agreement. Duncan doesn't understand why he is attracted to Peg, but he is. Peg is attracted to him also, but refuses to do anything about it. She feels that getting involved with him would cause his death because of a curse the women in her family are under. Duncan is asked to keep an eye on Peg and her family while Mac and Olivia are away, and that is when things really start to happen. Things start happening on her property that put her and the children in danger. Duncan also finds out that whether he wants it or not, his family's magical legacy has come to him and he must embrace it to save Peg. I loved both Peg and Duncan. Peg is determined to stand on her own and doesn't want to risk depending on a man. But she finds it very easy to depend on Duncan, who doesn't take no for an answer. Duncan is a typical man of his family. He is very protective of women and children, and has no trouble simply taking action. I loved watching him try to deal with Peg, who he called "contrary", since she usually did the opposite of what he felt she should do. I also loved the way he interacted with Peg's children, and loved the children themselves. Thanks to his large family, he is experienced with kids and it's obvious he quickly comes to care for them. I loved the section when Duncan took Peg up the mountain with him to claim his magic. Just like with Olivia, I thought Peg took the idea pretty well. I really loved the last part, when Peg was kidnapped and Duncan came to her rescue. There were some really great moments there that showed her strength and the love and confidence she had in Duncan. Lots of laugh out loud moments.
Series: Spellbound Falls (Book 1)
New York Times bestselling author Janet Chapman takes us to charming
Spellbound Falls, where strange things have started happening ever since
Maximilian Oceanus came to town…
Maximilian Oceanus arrives in Spellbound Falls just in time to save
Olivia Baldwin from an overly aggressive suitor, only to find himself
attracted to the beautiful, if rather aloof, widow. And although Mac has
come to Inglenook to get a handle on fatherhood, his newly discovered
six-year-old son has set his sights on finding his father a wife.
Olivia, however, is busy getting Inglenook ready for its new season, so
she doesn’t have time to deal with her growing attraction to the
dangerously seductive Mac. Besides, weird stuff seems to happen all
around him. Take the fact that her seatbelt keeps getting stuck in his
presence, or locks magically open for him without keys, and that he
seems to have a talent for sensing things. Never mind the three lost
albatrosses walking down the road in the middle of the night. Since when
are there albatrosses in Maine?
But despite Olivia’s resistance to falling under the sexy man’s spell,
Olivia is having trouble fighting her longing. Because she knows Mac is
just the man to unlock the powerful passion deep within her….
Fantastic book. I loved Mac and Henry from when they showed up in Mystical Warrior. Mac was so very lost in his role as a father, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Henry is adorable in his seriousness, and I loved seeing him begin to relax and become more like a kid in this book. Olivia is a terrific character, and I love her independence. She does have issues with standing up for herself, and I enjoyed seeing the effect that Mac had on her self-confidence. Olivia is trying to get the camp ready for a new season of campers, plus dealing with unwanted suitors and a mother-in-law who is a pain in the butt. When Mac comes early for some intense individual fatherhood coaching, he finds himself offering to help. He is immediately attracted to Olivia, and must find a way to convince her of his love and break it to her who and what he is. Olivia has been doing a great job of teaching Mac to be a dad and Henry how to be a kid. She also finds herself dealing with Mac's sister and near the end with Mac's parents. She also realizes that strange things have been happening since Mac's arrival, and must figure out what it is and if she can handle it. I thought the culminating scenes were terrific, and loved the way that Olivia stands up to Mac and also the rest of the people at Inglenook. Janet Chapman's trademark humor with the interaction between alpha male and the woman he loves is definitely present and had me frequently laughing out loud.
