Saturday, May 5, 2012

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered by Maggie Shayne

Type: Paranormal Romance, Witches
Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 4 out of 5

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered turned out to be a decent collection of short stories with each of Shayne's stories centering around witchcraft or magic. There's a good bit of fluffy PNR which was fun to read and one story that while light on the paranormal elements was very nicely done. 


Everything She Does is Magick
[A trio of matchmaking witches chooses unsuspecting little Nathan McBride as the perfect mate for their baby niece. The future looks rosy indeed, except for one little catch: they must keep him a virgin!]

This was a pretty cute read. Growing up together Aurora Sortilege and Nathan McBride drove each other crazy. Some days they were smitten, some days they hated each others guts. The glimpses into their childhoods at the start were great and had me laughing. Years later they meet up by chance and nothings really changed. They still drive each other crazy. But the two are destined to end up together and have a magically important child. Aurora's aunts end up doing a lot of meddling over the years to make sure Nathan is still a virgin when the two get together. Kinda creepy but the ways they kept him innocent were highly entertaining. Poor guy just couldn't catch a break. I really liked the back and forth between the two characters. It's a fun, easy read. 

His hand landed atop her instantly. "Hold on a minute!" 
She couldn't pull her hand away, so she left it there. "Problem?" 
"Yeah, there's a problem. What do you think you're doing?" 
She smiled. "I always heard that men who drive Jaguars are trying to make up for having small genitals," she said sweetly. "I just wanted to check." His jaw dropped. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I'm examining you. I'm a doctor, Nathan. What do you think I'm doing?" 
"I think I'd like a doctor with a little less sarcasm, and a little more testosterone."
Musketeer by Moonlight
[A lady private eye on the run from some dangerous gangsters invokes a spell of protection in a fit of desperation--and conjures up a dashing musketeer looking for his damsel in distress.]

I just love it when people time travel into the future. M.C. Hammer (oh so cheesy nickname for Mary Catherine Hammersmith) is a bit desperate not that she has a bunch of mobsters after her and accidentally brings Alexandre the Musketeer into the future when she attempts a protection spell. I loved Alexandre. He's honorable, respects women like you wouldn't believe and was pretty damn cute fretting over the little people stuck in the box aka the television. ::smirk:: Loved it. This was a fun little read with a hero/heroine out to save the day and risking it all to put away the bad guys. 
"I will call you Mary Catherine, as your aunt does. A lady as beautiful as you are deserves a name equally so." 
Her throat was dry. 
"Did the women of your time really fall for these lines, Al? I know perfectly well that I look like hell." 
His fingertips brushed a curl from her cheek. "If this is what hell looks like, my lady, then I shall resolve to sin far more often."
The Con and the Crusader
 [Jack McCain jumps into a well-and into the past. Mistaken for a criminal, he's headed for prison, until he's freed-with a wedding proposal!]

I actually really loved this one. It was very light on the paranormal aspect but my favorite of the short stories and one I wish would have been a full length book instead of a barely even 100 pages. Jack McCain is a present day con-artist and light on the morals. Things finally catch up to him and while on the run he falls into a well and lands himself in the past and in Emily Hawkin's life. That's about all the paranormal there is in this one. Waking up in the midst of a chain gang on their way to prison he makes a deal to marry Emily and tend her farm in order to say out of jail. He's really a bit slimy at first. Always looking for the easy way out and ways to con people into doing and believing what he wants. I loved getting to see him change and turn into someone you could trust and look up to as the months went by and he actually started working hard and caring about his new "family". Now, Emily, I loved from the start. She is one seriously kick ass strong woman. Not only did she take on her sister's children after their parents died but she's hell bent and determined to keep their farm and do it on her own in a time when women just didn't do things like that. She's a hard worker and doesn't let Jack get away with things. Was just a nicely done story. Sweet, heartwarming, inspiring and one that will have me picking up another of Shayne's books. 
She narrowed her eyes, jerking away fast. "Jack McCain, are you trying to sway me with flattery?" 
"Well...no, I mean, I was--" 
"Do you think I'm some empty-headed schoolgirl who swoons when a handsome man says pretty words he doesn't even mean?" 
"Aha!" he said. 
"Aha, what?" she demanded, fists on her hips. 
"You think I'm handsome." 
"I most certainly do not." 
"You just said so. Handsome man, you said. I heard it. You think I'm handsome." 
She rolled her eyes, turning her back to him. 
"And for your information, Emily McCain--" 
"Stop calling me that." 
"Why? It's your name. And for your information, Mrs. Jack McCain, I don't think your empty-headed, and I do think you're beautiful. So there!"
What do yall think about anthologies and collections like this? Do you like a short story now and again or prefer a full length novel? 

2 comments:

  1. I do like anthologies. Especially if an author I haven't read has a story in it. It's a great way to check out new authors. Usually they are long enough to let you know whether you want to read more of her or not. Also, I like to keep short stories on hand to read in between series books. There are some series I can read back to back. But with some I need a little break in between books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm growing more fond of them. The first couple I tried were bombs but the last handful were really good.

      Hadn't done them between series for a break but that's a great idea when you just need a little something.

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