Book Review: Charmed Spirits by Carrie Ann Ryan

Charmed Spirits by Carrie Ann RyanTitle: Charmed Spirits
Series: Holiday, Montana, #1
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy from author
Published: October 2, 2012 by Fated Desires Publishing

Jordan Cross has returned to Holiday, Montana after eleven long years to clear out her late aunt’s house, put it on the market, and figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Soon, she finds herself facing the town that turned its back on her because she was different. Because being labeled a witch in a small town didn’t earn her many friends...especially when it wasn't a lie.

Matt Cooper has lived in Holiday his whole life. He's perfectly content being a bachelor alongside his four single brothers in a very small town. After all, the only woman he'd ever loved ran out on him without a goodbye. But now Jordan’s back and just as bewitching as ever. Can they rekindle their romance with a town set against them?

Warning: Contains an intelligent, sexy witch with an attitude and drop-dead gorgeous man who likes to work with his hands, holds a secret that might scare someone, and really, really, likes table tops for certain activities. Enough said.


Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Pleasant enough novella which does better setting up a series than telling a strong romance.

The Set Up: Jordan was driven out of town years ago because she’s a witch. She left behind Matt, her high school sweetheart, but neither forgot the other. Now with the death of her grandmother, Jordan is back in town and Matt has a secret he’s not sure he can easily explain, even if Jordan is a practicing witch.

Why I Read this Book: I reviewed this author’s book, Dust of My Wings (my review), here and adored it so thought I’d give this one a try.

What I Liked: Two words: Cooper brothers. Matt is the youngest of five totally super hottie brothers. Each of his brothers is unique with interesting personalities and I love how they love and support each other while needling each other. I’m a sucker for men in romance being part of a brotherhood so this totally set up a great series. In fact, at least two of the brothers’ romances are hinted at here and I can’t wait to read both of their HEAs.

What I Also Liked: Even though this is the reunited lovers trope that I’m not normally fond of, the author did a believable job of bringing Jordan and Matt back together. They didn’t have a big misunderstanding, which I hate in romances. Their reunion was fairly drama free with adequate emotional and sexual intimacy. This isn’t a romance that wowed me but it was decent enough.

What I Didn’t Like: I don’t read small town romances normally. I’d go so far as to say that the whole cutesy middle-America homespun setting irritates me (sorry, classic snobby New Yorker here!). I think it was ambitious to meld paranormal and small town romance but it felt a little fractured to me because of this. I’m likely just conditioned to the urban setting for my paranormal romances but it’s the setting I much prefer over the diner-eating-noisy-neighbor setting here.

IMO: This is a pleasant novella if someone wants a homespun romance with a dash of paranormal.



J9’s Rating:
3 Frogs


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About Brianna: Supermom by day, naughty reader by night. Addicted to chocolate, Twitter, her iPad, her Kindle, and 99¢ Kindle deals. You can follow Brianna on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

2 comments:

  1. I don't really like the small town cutesy kind of thing either. I haven't read one with a paranormal element yet though so I might give it a shot since it's a quick novella.

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    Replies
    1. This had that mix so it would be a good one to test out. If you do, let me know what you think, though I think you'll get Cooper boy hooked and end up reading the others! :)

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