Spellbound by Jackie D and Jean Copeland is a captivating paranormal romance that will take you on a wild ride from the Salem Witch Trials to our present time.
Hazel Abbot has spent her entire life ignorant of the fact that she is a witch. Nothing in this world could have prepared Hazel for her great-aunt Sarah Hutchinson’s arrival at her humble abode. Let’s be totally honest here, who wouldn’t get completely freaked out when one of their ancestors from 1692 decides to pay them a visit. Hazel is facing the biggest challenge of her life. Hazel can no longer rely on the things she thought she knew about herself and her family because she has to embrace her new role in the realms and the responsibilities that go hand in hand with it. Hazel thought that her life couldn’t get any more complicated than it already was but here comes Raven Dare, a fierce shadow hunter who turns up at her bookstore to tell her that the Queen of the Witches, Morgan le Fay wants to have a meeting with her as soon as possible.
Morgan gives Hazel, Sarah and Raven the arduous task of righting the wrongs in the world so that balance will be restored to the realms. When Sarah did the time-hop from 1692, a lot of dark forces followed her through the portal and they are hell bent on spreading anger, hatred and strive all over the world. Sarah has to return to the Puritan era in order for them to defeat the evil entities so that white magic will prevail once and for all.
Will Hazel and Raven be able to convince Sarah to go back to the same life she was so desperate to run away from? More importantly, will Hazel and Raven be able to focus on the daunting task and ignore the sizzling chemistry that is brewing between them?
The Characters
Raven Dare is a supernatural shadow hunter and she is tasked with ridding the world of demons and other evil entities. Even though her family’s curse has her bound to Morgan le Fay, she is the epitome of loyalty and she’s the kind of woman you would want by your side whenever a perilous situation arises. Not only is Raven fearless in battle; she is also selfless and honest to a fault. I’ve already reserved a spot for Raven on my list of fictional wives because tough women with soft hearts are one of my greatest weaknesses right after fudge covered chocolate cookies!
Hazel Abbot runs her family’s bookstore in Salem. She comes from a long line of powerful witches and she is more than surprised to find out that she is a witch as well. I adored Hazel from the first moment she was mentioned because she truly enjoys working in a bookstore that houses magical books (she has my dream job!) and her kind-hearted nature knows no bounds. I’m really tired of waiting around for the scientists to create a machine that would allow me to go through my kindle so that I would be able to meet my favorite characters. If Hazel was a real woman, I’m pretty sure that we would have been the best of friends because we both have great taste in women and we would be talking about our favorite books every single day.
The Writing Style
Right here, right now, I am raising my coffee mug to Jackie D and Jean Copeland because they have given me a fantastic novel that has awesome time travelling witches and lots of humorous moments. I also love the fact that these authors have portrayed the innermost thoughts and feelings of several characters so that I could have a better understanding of what was going on behind the scenes. I’m also going to give these talented authors full points for bringing the Salem Witch Trials and the plight of those women who were wrongfully accused, to life for me because Sarah and Ayotunde’s anguish was so palpable and I felt as though I was in the jail cell right beside them.
The Pros
Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy paranormal stories that feature witches and a wide variety of other mystical beings? Well, forgive me if I’ve allowed that particular fact to slide but I truly adore stories with sarcastic, witty and compassionate witches so that’s why I have so much love for Morgan, Hazel, Sarah and Ayotunde. Oh, I haven’t forgotten about Raven at all… I think shadow hunters are totally badass and Raven deserves the highest of fives because she rushes into lethal situations without a second thought and she does some really incredible stuff with her shiny daggers.
The Cons
Zero complaints!
The Conclusion
Are you a sucker for stories that feature quirky witches who are tasked with vanquishing malicious supernatural beings? I don’t know about you but I’m the biggest sucker around because I live for stories like this one! By the way, time travel just happens to be my next favorite thing so I got to have my cake and eat it as well (wicked wink!) To me, this story is so much more than a paranormal romance because it highlights important social issues that threaten the rights and autonomy of women all over the world. I really hope that these superb authors join forces again to give me more compelling novels like this one because I had a hard time with putting my kindle down. I just wanted to stay in bed and read all day long instead of going to my regular 8 to 4 weekday grind.
Excerpt from Spellbound by Jackie D and Jean Copeland
Raven watched her as she spoke. Her eyes were the color of sapphires. She had never seen anything as blue or as striking in a living person. She had a small dimple on her left cheek that only seemed to appear when she smiled fully. She seemed to have a habit of biting her lower lip when she was thinking, which Raven found both sexy and adorable.
“Do any of those sound interesting?”
Raven blinked, bringing herself back into the moment. She flashed back through the last several seconds, trying to remember the question. “I’m sorry, what?”
She lifted one eyebrow and tilted her head. “I named five or six books that people with a passing curiosity seem to like. Did you not hear me?”
“I’m Raven, Raven Dare.” She stuck out her hand.
The woman hesitated but shook her hand anyway. “I’m Hazel Abbot.” She squinted. “Dare? That’s an interesting last name. Where is your family from?”
“Virginia.”
Hazel walked to the other wall of shelves and selected a book from the top. “Are you familiar with Virginia Dare, the first English child of Roanoke?”
Raven was more than familiar. That was the source of her family’s curse, the very reason her bloodline was tied to the supernatural. Virginia had made a bargain with Morgan le Fay, the Queen of the Witches, centuries earlier to spare her life. In exchange, her bloodline would be compelled to traverse the globe for all time, driven to send evil entities back to their realm. That was why she was here and why the curse must end with her.
Raven was about to explain that she was vaguely familiar with the story when the door opened, and four young women entered, loudly proclaiming that they needed a book of Wiccan spells. Hazel held Raven’s eyes for a breath. They were filled with questions and a bit of concern. But the girls were too loud to ignore, and Hazel finally turned her attention to them.
Raven took the opportunity to leave, refusing to look back. She didn’t want to know if Hazel was watching her as questions still loomed in those bright sapphire eyes. She didn’t know what feelings had just been exchanged between them, but they felt all too comfortable, too much like home.
Raven needed to get away before she accidentally let her guard down and put herself and an unsuspecting Hazel in danger.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-1-63555-565-3
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Jackie D Online
Jean Copeland Online
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