Customer Reviews

Don't Hex with Texas (Katie Chandler, Book 4)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Katie Chandler left her job at Magic, Spells & Illusion, Inc. in New York to return to her hometown of Cobb, Texas (population 2,500). Not that she wanted to leave, but felt like it would be best for everyone, especially for Owen Palmer, the man she loved. Cobb is not on any major magical power lines, so the chances of any magical enemies showing up are between slim and none. Katie had lived her entire life in Cobb without seeing anything remotely strange. Of course, Katie slips back into her old life seamlessly. She lives on the family farm, works at the family store (Chandler Agricultural Supply), fends off her mother's attempts at matchmaking, and is totally bored! That changes when her mom comes home talking about the strange things happening in town; things no one else even seemed to notice but her.

Katie's first thought is a rogue wizard, but that is ridiculous. No major magical power lines mean weak spell casting, if any. The rest of the family wants to commit her mom, but Katie cannot help but wonder if her mom is an immune, like herself. So Katie goes into investigation mode. Sure enough, some hooded figure is casting minor spells and committing petty crimes. Katie reports the activity to her old boss Merlin (Yes, THAT Merlin!) and soon Sam, a friendly gargoyle from her past, shows up to scout around. Then Katie spies a magical advertisement in a local magazine. Phelan Idris has an online correspondence course set up and is teaching (to those with at least a small amount of magic and can actually see the ads he placed) how to work magic. This is not something Sam and Katie can deal with alone.

When Owen Palmer shows up to help out, Katie realizes that time and distance have not lessened her feelings for the powerful wizard. Her matchmaking mom insists Owen stay at the farm too, in a room near Katie. Things heat up even more when Idris brings in a large group of amateur wizards and has them target Owen. But Idris forgot one thing; Cobb is still part of Texas and you simply do NOT hex with Texas!

***** Word has it (in the Advanced Reviewer Copy of this book) that this is the conclusion to the Enchanted Inc. series; however, author Shanna Swendson left one large thread dangling. Fans will be disappointed should this be the last adventure of Katie and Owen. I have high hope that the author will take that thread and run with it!

As always, Shanna Swendson has blended romance, magic, suspense, and humor to make one of the best stories of the year. If you have not read the previous titles you will not be lost, but you will not get the full impact of the subplots either. My advice is to start with book one, Enchanted Inc, and read them in order. Surprises, twists, and loads of fun await any reader smart enough to pick up this gem! *****


Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The fourth book in the Katie Chandler proves to be just as charming. Don't Hex with Texas is a great follow-up to Damsel Under Stress, which left Katie and Owen's lives hanging in the balance. A new cast of characters makes this book fresh. I'd really like to see a fifth book so we can continue to enjoy Katie's magical world!

I loved this fourth installment in the Enchanted, Inc series by Shanna Swendson...think of it as Bridget Jones meets Harry Potter set in the heart of Texas! Filled with humor, romance, and a great plot, I couldn't put this book down until I finished it!

This book is hilarious, and had me laughing out loud many times! Not to mention, that the love story between Katie and Owen is one of the best I've read in a very long time. This is the perfect summer/beach book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy, enjoyable read! And don't forget to pick up the other three books in the series (Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1),Once Upon Stilettos (Katie Chandler, Book 2), and Damsel Under Stress: A Novel.)

****Word has it that this might be the last in the Enchanted, Inc. Series!!! Buy this book today, and help spread the word about the Enchanted, Inc. series so Shanna Swendson's publisher will publish the next book in the series. We can't let the adventures of Katie Chandler, Owen Palmer, and the rest of the MSI gang disappear!!!****

I love this series and I think that Don't Hex with Texas was very nicely written without a bunch of extra nonsense written into it for no reason. I highly recommend this book. But do yourself a favor and start at the beginning with Enchanted, Inc.

Normally I don't like it when an author moves the action in her series to a different setting, but this time it really worked! I know I'm a bit biased as a Texas girl myself, but moving the story from The Big Apple to the Lone Star State was just the shot-in-the-arm that the series needed. After leaving us unsure of what would become of our favorite non-magical bud Katie Chandler, Shanna Swendson gives us an enchanting story worthy of her earlier works!

Don't Hex with Texas is every bit the witty and effervescent read that Enchanted, Inc. was for me. This entire series is the embodiment of fun summer reading! The only downside to Don't Hex with Texas is that it ends. A little research has found that the publisher has no plans to publish Swendson's fifth book, and that is unfortunate. I am not through with Katie and Owen, but will have to imagine what comes next for them. Luckily Swendson masterfully tied up lose ends in Don't Hex with Texas while still leaving the possibility of another book open. Shanna Swendson is a fantastic storyteller!

Don't Hex With Texas is the fourth book in the "Katie Chandler" series, and as of right now, it's the last book that has been published in the series. The author does have plans for a fifth book, however the publisher is being a bit stingy with a commitment for it. (The author, Shanna Swendson, has said that she hasn't given up, and is still optimistic about getting the fifth one published.) That having been said, please don't feel like you have to wait to read this series until the fifth book is published. There are no huge cliff-hangers here, and enough ends are tied up to make this a more than satisfying end, yet there are just enough unanswered questions to make you curious and eager for more!

As I did with my reviews of the other 3 books, I'm going to give a brief "content" summary. (Everyone has different standards, and it can be difficult to know if a book is appropriate for a certain person or age group, so this is why I do this.) Content is about the same as the other books, although I would say this book is the "cleanest" in the series, with a only a few mild profanitys (nothing worse than b--ch, d-mn, etc). A very few mild innuendos. Katie has one or two thoughts that are just a bit off-color (nothing graphic). No bedroom scenes, but that doesn't mean there's not romance! :)

This series has been a breath of fresh air for me, and I am happy to say that it is now my favorite series. I've put all 4 books on my 'keeper' shelf, and I plan to re-read them. I really 'clicked' with the characters and story, it just completely pulled me in and enthralled me. It's been a couple weeks since I finished Don't Hex With Texas, and since then I've read three other books, but my thoughts just keep drifting back to Katie, Owen, and all the people at MSI....

As a last note: Shanna Swendson has mentioned in her blog that a politely worded letter to Ballentine Books could help get the fifth book published. I've sent a letter, and I encourage anyone else who enjoyed this series to do the same! (Ballantine Books - 1745 Broadway, Floor 18 - NY, NY 10019)

This was a really good fun book! It's the fourth in the series about Katie Chandler, a Magical Immune who works for Merlin at Magic, Spells & Illusions Inc in New York. Except in this story Katie has returned home to Cobb, a small town in Texas and the home of her family. This is because the wizard Owen, who cares for Katie, was put in a difficult situation in an earlier book having to choose between her and others - and he chose her. Katie decided to leave New York and her job so as not to cause a problem for Owen. After all, magical things are unlikely to follow her to Cobb as it's a very unmagical town.

But now Katie's back home she starts noticing some odd things. Not only that, her mother seems to be seeing things that no-one else is - someone dressed up in strange robes doing odd dances outside the bank. Katie begins to wonder if Cobb is as free of magic as she previously thought and contacts Merlin to ask him about it. Merlin sends Sam the Gargoyle to check the town out - until Owen arrives.

Katie and Owen have to investigate the goings-on together and they soon uncover a culprit closer to home, some unusual family traits and that Owen's arch-nemesis Idris is behind it all. Can Katie and Owen eject the magic from Cobb and can Katie keep her various family members out of trouble?

The writing style of this book was great with events moving swiftly, characters appealing and quirky and a very slow-burn romance between Katie and Owen burning... slowly. The baddies weren't really bad, merely slightly naughty, and there were lots of opportunities for people to turn to a good path. This wasn't a dark book, the magic is a fun addition to the generally upbeat nature. I'll very much look forward to the next book in this series.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2008

I really liked how she pulled the characters from NYC to Texas. Fun plot and I love the ending!
BUT, it's NOT enough! I want more! We ::really:: need a book 5! I have my theories on what will
happen in the next book. It would be sick and wrong to not have another book! We ::need:: it!

Check out the author's website: [...]
We really need to get the word out on how fun these books are! I can't believe I had not heard of this sooner!

I only recently discovered the Enchanted, Inc. series, and I instantly fell in love with the stories and characters. Each book in the series consists of a great adventure, and they definitely deserve more attention. I was sad to hear that the publishers are not likely to print a 5th book, though the author, Shanna Swendson, is on board for another. I'd never heard of this series until I got a kindle this past Christmas, as I've never seen it in any bookstores where I live. I'm sure that if more people heard about Enchanted, Inc., they would see how wonderful it is, so tell all of your friends to buy it in hopes of getting a 5th book published!

I love Owen! Absolutely my favorite book out of the series. This is the 4th installment of the Enchanted Inc series where Katie has returned back home to Texas after resigning at MSI, allowing Owen Palmer, her wizard boyfriend, to go after the bad guys without her holding him back. After a couple of months, Katie started to notice funny things going on in her hometown and who shows up to help ... Owen. And the culprit for the strange things was a real surprise (on my part anyways).

I love the fact this mostly features my favorite characters from the series: Katie, Owen and Sam. This book gave more focus to Owen and Katie, giving them a chance to interact more. In the previous novels, Katie and Owen barely get a chance to be together before someone interrupts them. We really see more of the powers and the strength that Owen keeps hidden. And we also find that he's an absolute sweetheart. Katie and her family are a funny hodgepodge of people, giving great comic relief and conflict. I sincerely hope the publishers would allow for a 5th book. This book left a few things unanswered and I would love to read more of Katie and Owen. This was definitely a fun read and definitely a keeper.

If you haven't read the previous books, be sure to do so. There are some references to previous events and it can be confusing if you haven't read them yet.