Tag: #MagicandMayhem

Lady in the Grove by Jane Charles

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Lady in the Grove (Magic & Mayhem #6)Lady in the Grove by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Magic & Mystery, #1 / Magic & Mayhem, #6

Release Date: May 16, 2023

Orion Drakos, the second son of the Earl and Countess of Wharton, has returned to Nightshade Manor in Bocka Morrow to attend the wedding of his cousin Damon Norcott and Cordelia Vail. After the ceremony as he is speaking to Damon when he notices movement at the edge of the grove and sees Damon’s niece Nephele coming out of the wood and asks her what she was doing when she approaches them. Nephele tells him she was speaking to the lady in the grove – intrigued Orion convinces her to show him where she saw the lady and is astounded to learn that the grove extends passed the boxwoods, which he always believed was the edge of the grove. She shows him an opening in the hedge and they enter a clearing with a folly and he sees her, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. She is upset by his presence and asks him to leave, when he doesn’t, she does. Orion can’t forget about her and even dreams of her. Determined to get answers, he returns day after day until he finds out that she is Nina Jourdain, the sister of Cassian, the French emigrant that was taken in by his aunt and uncle when he survived a shipwreck that killed his family. But in truth, Cassian saved Nina and begged the Dryads of the grove to save her life, they do but the price is high, Nina will live, but she can never leave the grove.

Orion falls hard for her, but Nina can’t let herself fall for him in return, she has led a quiet life and knows from experience that she cannot leave the grove, so how could she ever consider falling in love or having a family? But Orion isn’t about to give up, he doesn’t care if she can’t leave, he will stay! They seem to be at an impasse and she is firm in her refusal to marry him or even believe he loves her. But her choices are limited and none will give them a true HEA unless they can find a way for her to survive outside the grove, a feat that seems impossible even for a family of witches, or is it?

This was such a great story and I love returning to Bocka Morrow and the witches of Nightshade Manor as well as all the magical beings that reside there, kudos to Jane Charles (and many other authors) who has created this world and kept it going! In this story, I especially loved Orion’s determination to be with Nina and the addition of dryads (tree nymphs) and nereids (water nymphs). I did think the story dragged a bit in the middle, but the ending more than makes up for that! And I wish there had been a bit of heat in the love scenes and that the epilogue had more of their HEA. Overall this was a delightful read and I cannot wait for Pierce’s story!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Bewitched by a Miss by Jane Charles

On By TracyIn Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Bewitched by a Miss (Magic and Mayhem Book 5)Bewitched by a Miss by Jane Charles

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Magic and Mayhem, #5

Release Date: May 31, 2022

Born into a magical family, Damon Norcott, the third son of the Marquess of Chandos never expected to be his father’s heir, but with the death of his older brothers, he is now Viscount Bentford and the guardian of his late brother’s three young daughters, all of whom will at some point inherit powers, as do all the women in his family, just as the men are tasked with protecting them. Ever cautious of their welfare, especially when their parents were murdered because his sister-in-law was a witch, Damon has sworn off marriage until the last of his nieces is grown and then he will find a nice witch and beget an heir. That was the plan until his eldest niece, Ianthe comes into her powers and his mother moves them all to Nightshade Manor in Bocka Morrow.

Miss Cordelia Vail, sister to the Viscount Lynwood, was born and raised in the magical town of Bocka Morrow and maybe the only resident that has never witnessed anything magical! Her older siblings all met their true loves with ghostly help and her younger sister swears she was saved from drowning by a merman and sees ghosts from Castle Keyvnor and even her younger brother Edward has seen pixies! But that doesn’t mean she has given up hope and when Edward convinces her to climb a tree and watch as their neighbors in Nightshade Manor arrive, she finally witnesses a magical moment! This leads her to meet Damon for the first time, which strikes her as odd since their sisters are good friends, as were their brothers and Cordelia has even met his mother several times in London. The attraction between them is instant and the friendship that grows is strong, but despite his feelings, Damon knows nothing can come of this since he is destined to marry a witch, so he tries to keep his feelings in check. But when Madam Boswell, foretells of darkness around him, he worries for his nieces and accepts Cordelia’s help as he isn’t familiar with the village and finds himself falling more in love with her every day and it seems like fate – but why would fate bring them together when they can never be?

This was a fun story and if like me, you are a fan of the Castle Keyvnor stories, you are going to be delighted to revisit Bocka Morrow! Cordelia and Damon are wonderful characters and the chemistry between them is apparent from their first encounter. The book is filled with magic, witches (good and bad), long-buried secrets, cryptic warnings, riddle-filled prophecies, mild love scenes (kissing only), and finally a HEA that hints at more magic to come! I really enjoyed reading this story and while I prefer a bit more heat in the books I read, I really didn’t miss the steam in this story. This is the fifth book in the series and it is loosely tied to the Castle Keyvnor books, but it is easily read as a standalone title. If you like a bit of paranormal in your historical romances, I highly recommend this series and this title especially.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*