Customer Reviews

Enchanting the Lady

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I thought by the narrative I would really like this book. And the reviews for the most part are very good! For me, this is one of those cases of "did we read the same book?" Because I was very disappointed.

Felicity is a very immature young lady. Some of that could be forgiven for the way she was sheltered and hidden but honestly, when nearing the end of the book and her biggest contribution is still giggling and she's just now starting to say "Duh? What's going on?" I was ready to toss it.

The story outline was very good and had huge potential. Magic, fantasy, were-characters (half animal half human) good guy, bad guy...all the ingredients, but it just never came through with any depth or grit.

If you've never read Sherrilyn Kenyon, Mary Janice Davidson, Lyndsay Sands, etc. to name only a few who rock in paranormal, magic, fantasy... then you might find this an OK read. But if you have read any of the above authors - stick with them.

I will only add this: this is my first read by this author and based on this book I would not have gone farther. However, given the reviews that this author normally gets and the story lines in the other 2 books in this series, I did pick them up. I try to always give a new author, TV show at least 3 tries before I decide. So like one reviewer said, for now "I'm in the middle...barely!"

Kathryne Kennedy's ENCHANTING THE LADY, a paranormal romance, set in magical London, captivates with its modern fairy tale echoes. The dark psychological family history comes face to face with love and an innocent heart and the transforming power of love.

Victorian London is full of aristocratic magic. Felicity Seymour has to pass a magic test to inherit her family's lands. If she loses her duchy, what chance does this plain woman whom everyone overlooks have for marriage? None! Except this handsome baronet, Sir Terence Blackwell, is the one person in all of London to not treat her if she is not invisible. A scandalous shape shifter, the scorn of the magical aristocratic society, a man and were-lion with a deep purring voice, Terence would set any woman's heart afire. Terence smells some kind of magic surrounding Felicity, the ancient Merlin relic magic. In a hunt to discover the last remaining relics, Terence hatches a plan to marry Felicity and seek revenge for the past. Is Felicity innocent or has she bewitched him with a pretense, hiding her magical abilities?

ENCHANTING THE LADY creates a wonderful Victorian fairy tale kind of romance with intriguing shifts in the Cinderella paradigm. Having lost her parents and under the guardianship of her aunt and uncle, Felicity is the outcast with the family. Protected but sheltered, she appears almost invisible to the servants. Her cousin Ralph outdoes her in magic skills while nightmares plague Felicity. With her plain looks, no magic and no dowry, how will ever escape her family's guardianship or find true love? Who would possibly want her?

Who couldn't help but love both the heroine and hero as they struggle against the aristocratic snobs and unknown forces? She takes Terence's breath away and his voice sends warm shivers down the spine. The magic is refreshingly original, enchanting the reader with a new look at classic tales. Unexpected twists delight and keep this read suspenseful until the final moving moment. In ENCHANTING THE LADY, love transforms and liberates. ENCHANTING THE LADY has both the lightness of tone and the psychological depth of a fairy tale, retold with a delightful dragonette, other magical creatures and ancient magic lore. ENCHANTING THE LADY grabs that tender place in the heart and doesn't let go. A fascinating read!

I picked up this book not really knowing what to expect, but I just loved it! Having a hero that's a shapeshifting lion was so different and it worked so well with the story. Ok, so the plot was a little predictable, but with such great characters, who cares? This is such a wonderfully romantic story, quite "enchanting". I highly recommend you read it!

And I'm so glad this is a new series, because I'm dying to read the next one that comes out!

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

For most of her life Felicity Seymour has been invisible to society. Always overlooked, she assumed her lack of magic and plain features were responsible. Magic determines rank any lack thereof can ruin a person, even someone like Felicity whose parents were a duke and duchess. Now on the day of her magic test, her inability to cast even the simplest spell has ruined her.

Terence Blackwell is a baronet, the only rank that can shift shape and is immune to magic. He is also on a special mission from the prince - track down all of the thirteen Relics of Merlin which are such powerful magic that no person can control them. Terence knows just what the Relics can do, as one of them killed his brother. When he meets Felicity, he can sense the Relic-magic around her. Now he needs to get close to her to find out what she knows about the Relic and if she's the one wielding it, or if someone is wielding it against her.

Felicity needs a husband and Terence needs to find the Relic. One thing Terence never counted on was that his lion half would declare Felicity his mate. Will these two wayward souls realize in time that the greatest magic of all is love?

What a brilliant world Kathryne Kennedy has created in Enchanting the Lady. In an aristocracy where titles are determined by how much magic a person has, fantastical adventures are guaranteed. Everything we could even imagine in a world where magic rules happens here. As a result, we never quite know what to expect will happen next.

The magic in this society is beautifully woven throughout the entire novel. I could see the illusions cast and the creatures made. From fairy lights to ballrooms that look and feel like pirate ships to unicorns and dragonettes, everything is so vividly created.

Felicity is an innocent young woman who has only ever longed to find a good husband, learn to use what little magic she has, and gain possession of her birthright as soon as she passes her magic test. So when the sinfully handsome Terence begins to court her, she is thrilled at the opportunity. Until events unfold that have her questioning everything she's ever known anyhow. Watching Felicity grow from an innocent wallflower to a strong willed belle of the ball makes for thoroughly entertaining reading.

Terence and his kind are shunned by society. His only loyalty is to his prince and his dead brother. All he cares about is finding the Relics until he meets Felicity. While initially she was only a means to an end, soon Terence is head over heels and will do anything to protect her, even turn his back on the Relic hunt. Seeing the powerful shape shifter come undone at one glance from his lady will make every woman fantasize for just a little while about what it would be like to be in Felicity's shoes.

Fans of love and romance as well as readers who love a little magic in their books will all find something to treasure in Enchanting the Lady. What's even better? There are so many more stories to be told about Kathryne Kennedy's world.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2007. All rights reserved.

Set in London, 1882. Do you believe titles (such as Duke, Viscount, and Earl) were simply given to people because of service to the Crown, marriage, or birth? Think again! The higher the title one has tells how powerful the person's magic is. The Royals have the most power. The only power Prince Albert cannot defeat is Relic-magic. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for him to keep Sir Terence Blackwell close. Sir Terence is a baronet and Prince Albert's spy. He cannot use magic, but he is a shape-shifter. The were-kind are immune to magic. Magic can neither harm him, nor fool him into believing glamours. This is vital for Crown's safety. Sir Terence's animal form is a lion and he is able to smell dark magic. His main duty, secondary only to Prince Albert's safety, is to hunt down the thirteen Relic-stones made by Merlin long ago. Six of them have been found.

In Felicity Seymour's world magic is everything. Her parents' magic had been very strong. One would think that Felicity, being the only child born before their deaths, would inherit their power. However, Felicity could not perform even the simplest spell. Yet one man does not seem to mind her lack of dowry: a dark and handsome baronet who had managed to scare away the rest of London's Society misses.

On the day of Testing, Sir Terence smells Relic-magic. He tracks the scent to Felicity Seymour. If Felicity did not pass her testing, she would lose her duchy and any hope of marriage. Though Sir Terence sees no Relic-stone, he could smell the dark power on her. Is she using it herself, or was it being used against her?

***** London has always seemed magical to me and the author, Kathryne Kennedy, casts her own glamour in this story. Not only are there were-kind and magical powers, but there is also a "dragonette". (Picture a small dragon, once hatched, that only grows to the size of a ferret.) Felicity has a dragonette for protection. It cannot fly, but it has lots of sharp teeth and can breathe fire. It is the simple, but fascinating, touches such as this that make the story so enchanting. Every page overflows with romance, fantasy, and suspense. OUTSTANDING! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I enjoyed the story. In fact it would made a wonderful animated film. Magical creatures and effects would be so incredible! Better than any computerized animation.

The romance part is fine - but the sex scenes really got in the way of the plot. If you want to be a bodice ripper, then less plot is necessary. Personally, I prefer plot.

I admit I downloaded this book because it was a freebie. I'm a fantasy lover, however, and the reviews I read were very good. As another reviewer wrote, you have all the ingredients but they never seem to mix above the very basic level. It's Cinderella all around(the ball at Court, the bad godmother,the Charming prince - well, lion) with some blandly hot scenes here and there. You can't find one unpredictable scene, comprending the Happily Ever After ending. The good news are, if you start to get bored, you can skip blocks of pages without missing a thing.

I picked this up after seeing talked about on a forum and I am glad I. I really am enchanted by Enchanting the lady. Another case of enjoy a book by first time writers. Kennedy's book is a touch of Camelot, a touch of LOTR and pure romance. I loved her characters and just cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I am sorry to see that this book is no longer available, either in print or in e-reader format. I am hesitant to post a review considering that it hasn't been available for what looks to be quite a while, but I wanted to pipe in on those who are commenting because they got the book for free and somehow can't give it merit.

This book is quaint and extremely lighthearted, which I found to be delightful. It wasn't mucked up in overwrought romantic drama. It was engaging and a very interesting world that it was created in. It is quick, fun and I really didn't feel I had wasted any of my time reading it.

Sadly, parts of me kept picturing Terrance as The Beast from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", which sometimes made it hard to picture him the way the author had intended. I will also note that his "sudden" interest in the main character was quick and seemed forced and contrived, which, according to the story, it was supposed to be that and more. It made the chapters after the two met a bit clunky, but the author got it back to flowing again.

The main characters ignorance didn't bother me as much as it did some of the other reviewers. I didn't think it seemed too unbelievable considering how she had spent her life. I think more details about her past, her parents, etc, might have helped a lot in shaping the heroine, because there was certainly a lot to learn about her and her current family as well as her parents. I think that would have really filled out the book. For those who haven't read the series (I don't know which part of it this book falls in), it might have been nice to get the same backstory on Terrance, instead of just a couple choice parts. His clan, his parents, since the sisters are brought in, his friendship with Bentley. Knowing all of this wouldn't have detracted from the story, and could have quite possibly made it better.

But all in all, I enjoyed the book greatly. I would certainly read more in this series, if they were available. Sadly, they have to be bought as used, which is disappointing. I hope that the reviews here inspires the author to re-release these books.

This book is a fantasy book, it is very emotional and in a way i as a man could understand a bit what woman feel. It was interesting to see the depth in which a woman thinks about a simple kiss and who she thinks in every move. I never suspected that woman had so many emotions and so many things to think about when standing infront of the man of their dreams. Highly recommended for gentlemen that want to learn a bit more and on the way have a nice little adventure.