Customer Reviews

Bewitching

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first read BEWITCHING I had so many laughs at Joy, a witch who just couldn't seem to get her spells right that my family had to tell me to calm down. Joy landed herself in more trouble the moment she landed in the carriage with the handsome Lord Alex. The poor man didn't know what he was in for. I loved the way she changed Alex from a person who ran his life by the clock into a caring, loving man who was often covered in rose petals.

Joy's familiar was a riot and I laughed so hard at times I was crying, especially when he was working away on a certain footman's wig. I told a friend I couldn't read this in public since I would make a fool of myself laughing my head off at certain parts, and believe me my family concured.

This is a story that brings home the fact that many of us don't take time to laugh or do some silly things in life to make ourselves and others happy.

Jill Barnet is an excellent writer who knows how to bring love and laughter to her readers.

This is one author whose works go right on my keeper shelf whether they are of a serious content or down right tickle your funnybone.

you know a book is really good when you can pick it up after years of it just lying there and laugh as hard as you did the first time you read it! this was the case for me. my favourite part of "bewitching" was when Joy was "cooling" off her face by plastering her lips onto the carriage window! I love how barnett described them like "pink leeches." A part of me wanted to cringe in mortification for Joy, but another part of me just thought it was too funny! this humor is continuous throughout the story and it provides comic relief for the staid and all too duke-like Alec Castlemaine. I think it is wonderful how his character develops from cold and unbearable to downright loving, foolish and sentimental. It's not as though those feelings didn't exist in Alec, it's just that they had been suppressed so long by his family and his sense of honor for his family. Best of all I like Beezle, Joy's familiar. This is a wonderful story and barnett employs a rhetoric that is uniquely hers. I would consider "bewitching" her best piece of work to date.

Fantasy Romance with cavity inducing sweetness.
If it was possible to form cotton candy into a romance novel, this book would be the outcome.
Like cotton candy, the story is cloying, smells funny and leaves a weird taste in your mouth. The plot and characters could not have been spun any thinner.
Joyous is a happy, sweet young witch from Scotland. Skilled magic and reasoned thought are simply beyond her capabilities. She plans to rusticate in England and work on her spells and incantations.
Alex is a Duke from England. Warm emotions like love and compassion are beyond his capabilities. He has just been jilted and plans to marry the next Lady he meets.
Unfortunately for the reader, they meet each other and marry. Joyous confesses to being a witch. Alex hopes that if she is discrete and doesn't practice her magic that they will be able to survive Wicca adverse English society.
Joyous doesn't get it. She ignores Alex's command and continues with her bumbling, magical efforts. This is slightly amusing in a Three Stooges sort of way.
In response to her continued witchcraft efforts, Alex becomes more dictatorial. Joyous becomes more cute and clueless. And the Reader becomes more irritated and bored.
That's it, the book and characters in a nutshell, which is exactly where they belong.
Unless you have an amazingly high tolerance for pain, I would not recommend this exercise in spun sugar witchery.

BEWITCHING sparkles with fun, romance and magic. Alec and Joy are a magnificent couple. She's so adorable as the inept witch and he's the brooding hero. She loves him, charms him, and makes his life worth living. The rose petals- what a lovely, imaginative touch to the romance scenes! And the ending? Sure it was a little hoaky - but in her introduction, Barnett says that she used to hang her hair out the window like Rapunzel, she married her first true love - would an author like that NOT give you and ending truly worth the words "happily ever after"? The romance genre is, after all, the ultimate escapism! I used to think no one could equal Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught as the best romance writers but I have added 4 new ones to my list: Jill Barnett (BEWITCHING, WILD); Jillian Hunter (FAIRY TALE); Jo Beverley (FORBIDDEN MAGIC) and Mary Balogh (THIEF OF DREAMS) Bravo! All these books are worth reading - at least several times!!

I really enjoyed this book. Admittedly in the beginning, and even in the middle, I wanted to strangle Alec. The character of Joy is one of spirit, perseverance and humor. The ending I could read over and over again. This definitely is a keeper, I look forward to reading many more books from Jill Barnett

The book reminds me of the TV series 'Bewitched', but Joy is a little 'too happy' for me sometimes. It is a little hard to believe that she would fall in love so quickly without knowing Alec at all. Although usually I enjoy a funny romance, I find Joy to be a little spinless and silly.

I am a huge fan of paranormal romance, and after seeing the rave reviews, I held off on reading it until I knew that my schedule would allow for a wonderful reading treat. What a dissapointment! The story starts out interesting enough, but goes nowhere. The heroine is entirely too sweet, perky, and naive, and tends to thrive on emotional abuse. The hero (a zero in my book), is an emotionless, cardboard snob that is almost impossible to like or even identify with. The plot is practically non-existant. Believe it or not, I ALMOST finished it before I realized that it was taking me twice as long to read as other books. Since I have a huge collection of more promising books to read, I decided to end my suffering and move on.

I thought it was a wonderful read. But you do have to be in the mood for something sweet :)

Kikacurls

This is a funny and romantic tale with just the right amount of "steamy." The characters were delightful and believable. The magic was charming and funny. And it was nice to read a love story without so much angst getting in the way. Yes, there was conflict, but it was so entertaining that I didn't find myself getting frustrated. This was my first read by this author, but I'm on to the second one now. I can only hope it's as good as the first.

I just don't recommend reading it in public because people will think you're crazy when you're laughing out loud. I wasn't sure I would like such a fanciful book, but I'm glad I read it. It really has everything: historical romance, comedy, magic, and emotion. I was surprised by the depth of some of the moments. At the same time, I didn't think it was too much. The story wasn't all about magic or all about the love scenes; it was pretty balanced. I think the author is very descripitive and I had a good picture in my mind of what Joy and Alec looked like along with the settings and minor characters. I've never read anything from Jill Barnett, but I will look for more of her books, and hope they are just as good as this one. This is definitely going at the top of my list of favorites.