Customer Reviews

The Oldest Kind of Magic (Magic series)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The "Oldest Kind of Magic" was a very enjoyable read and like other reviewers here, I finished it in one day. It is a good mix between Harlequin Romance office romances, and light fantasy novels.

The hero, Bent is an alpha CEO and the heroine, Daria is a witch with powers that help her get accurate information out of people. They meet through some matchmaking, his need for her consulting services and the mechanisms of 'the imperative', which insists that witches and warlocks have one soulmate and to be complete they must meet their soulmate and become one.

It's an interesting mix of the two genres and the magic system Ann Macela has created is a fresh one. I look forward to reading more from this author.

What do you do when you have an itch that needs to be scratched -a heart that recognizes another, a pair of vocal felines, witches and warlocks? It looks like the oldest kind of magic will do the trick!

Daria Morgan is a practitioner of magic, but can only cast spells on herself. While her family members have their own magical talents, that is her main claim to fame within this close-knit clan. At thirty, Daria has a successful job as a management consultant, beautiful home and two pesky felines to fill her life - well kind of...

After one of "those" talks with her mother, Daria is reminded of the role a soulmate imperative will play in her life, one she is not sure she is really ready for or even wants. Being a thirty-year-old virgin and unsuccessful in love, that scenario just does not have a good feeling to Daria. Who could this man be? Can he really enhance her talents and be all that her mother has stated? Come on, how great can this phantom guy be? Mom is just exaggerating right? Or is she?

When CEO John "Bent" Benthausen steps into Daria life asking for help with his company that is in internal chaos, Daria finds that those foretold ancient forces might just be true. When things at the company start to get nasty and involve threats towards Daria, these two will work together to find the perpetuator!

The Oldest Kind of Magic is a novel by Ann Macela. Ms. Macela's writing was consistently flowing - it bewitched this reader into turning the pages. Between the spell casting, laughing until the tears roll down your face, and the plausible adventures, you will be drawn into the story until the very end! Bravo, Ms. Macela, you have a hit on your hands and this should be an award-winning year for you! This author is a voice that can not be denied - her first published paranormal novel is distinctly defined, with refreshingly sharp nuances!

The storyline has a soulful chime of evoking warmth with wonderful twinkles of magic! You will be immediately cloaked within the character's vitality and directly connect with them. The dialogues and sequences conjure-up welcoming feelings and blend to perfection!

Both Bent and Daria try to deny their strong attraction to each other, but they feel lost when there apart. Bent and Daria will dance through this paranormal story, setting off bells and whistles - not only in the bedroom, but also throughout this tale of intrigue and romance. Lolita and Zorro are adorable sidekicks for Daria. They really add a special touch to this story. The Morgan family is magically fantastic and wacky - you will just love them!

This is a phenomenal paranormal story that you must read! This comes with the highest recommendation from the reviewer. It is a perfect five hearts - the story screams more sequels and this reviewer can not wait to get her hands on those! Get your copy of The Oldest Kind of Magic by Ann Macela when it hits the shelves October 1st!

Reviewed by © Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2005
Courtesy of The Romance Studio www.theromancestudio.com

Ann Macela has certainly gained a new reader in me. I'm putting this author on my auto-buy list. As I began reading the prologue of THE OLDEST KIND OF MAGIC, the story pulled me in. Dark and mysterious, the words came alive and the heroine, Daria's problems were mine. My heart beat faster when Daria's heart beat faster. Saying Ms. Macela has a way with words in an understatement. I loved the story, loved the paranormal slant, loved the strong hero and likable heroine, and loved the cats! I personally can't wait for the sequel to this book.

Daria is a magic practitioner, from a family of strong magic makers. The family doesn't want to admit it, but they've always thought it strange that Daria could only cast spells on herself. She didn't have the talents of her siblings. When her mother tells Daria her magical abilities will become more powerful after she finds her soulmate and loses her virginity, Daria balks at the idea. She likes the idea of stronger powers, but is her own woman and doesn't want to be dependent on a man to make it happen. Until she meets sexy John Benthausen (Bent for short).

Bent has his hands full trying to work out financial problems with his Houston based business and intends to hire Daria as a consultant. He's unable to reach her by phone, but they meet when mutual friends introduce them. Their attraction is immediate - like bolts of lightning. The hero and heroine are well thought out characters; the dialogue is good, the sexual tension riveting. Daria and Bent work together to solve the problems in Bent's business and to find who is behind the threats against Daria.

Ms. Macela's writing is fluid and keeps the reader turning pages until the very end. This story has witches, warlocks, magic, suspense, sensual love scenes, a believable and interesting plot - and the addition of the two sassy cats makes the story for me! This is a must read for all paranormal romance readers. Put this author on your favorite list!

Her witch mom informs thirty years old practitioner Daria Morgan that her powers will be enhanced once she meets her soul mate and shares in the First Mating. Still a virgin, business consultant Daria does not want a man in her life though strengthening her powers would be nice. Her magic has enabled her to find problems in businesses.

CEO Joe Glennell sends his top troubleshooter John "Bent" Benthausen to Houston to work on the newest acquisition. Bent implements efficiencies, but costs remain exorbitant. A friend suggests he hire consultant Daria Morgan, but she declines. Bent and Daria meet through mutual friends and both feel an attraction. She offers him a tip that leads to the firm's security team arrested for stealing spare parts. As her family accepts him as her soul mate, a letter warns her to stay away from Glennell-Houston or else. No one messes with Daria who forces Bent to hire her as a consultant so she can uncover the remaining crooks while they practice THE OLDEST KIND OF MAGIC that of love.

Ann Macela writes a charming romantic fantasy that will remind the audience of Bell, Book, and Candle. The story line is fun as delightful Daria meets her soulmate who to her chagrin is a non-practitioner; breathtaking Bent has no problems adapting to her wacky family who adopts him as if they have known him all their lives. The threat against Daria seems overkill, but sub-genre fans will still appreciate this wonderful touch of magic. Once fans close the book and blow out the reading candle, they will anxiously await the soulmate of Daria's sister to ring her bell.

Harriet Klausner

I loved the chemistry between Daria and Bent and the way the two tackled the problems together. It was a fun read and I never put it down. I can see why it's won so many recent contests and I'm looking forward to the sequel!

I absolutely was blown away by The Oldest Kind of Magic I read it within a day. It was almost as if the book itself contained a sort of magic spell, I simply could not put it down! I found myself drawn to it, in fact I had to distract myself from it and do something else so that I could rest my eyes and give my mind a needed break!

The entire book; characters and plot, were well-written bringing the reader into it's world. On a personal level I have a *soulmate* so I could very much relate to Daria and Bent and the magic they both experienced individually as well as collectively. Actually it is part of what drew me to this particular book in the first place. I had been disconnected from my soulmate for a number of years only to have reunited with him as of recently. There is still a physical distance between us and it could very well be years before we are once again in the confinement of eachothers arms. So I try to experience the connection we share on every level I can and reading about the imparative whether fiction or non-fiction, brings me to that *place* I mean, I could actually feel what the characters felt; the *itch* the longing, the ache for one another, the explosion of passion, it is the best feeling in the world and one that many do not experience in this day and age. I remain grateful and very humble for having this connection I have with him, my soulmate. Thankyou Ann for reminding me how truly beautiful and rare it truly is!

Overall, the idea behind the book was good. A Soulmate Imperative that brings people together, an interesting kind of magic, and a underlying plot of intrigue in the corportate world.

The idea is good, but sadly Ms Macela could not follow through.

To be honest, I was only able to get to page 130 after repeated stopping and starting before I had to put the book down for good. I started disliking the characters from the start, and that ruined the story for me, pulling me out of what was happening again and again. One of my biggest problems was with the dialogue. No one says things like "that sounds exceedingly plausible" in normal everyday conversation. I could not find it in myself to believe that this supposedly everyday, average woman with some magical talent had the vocabulary of a university professor. Also, characters would too often launch into a conveniently placed explanation of what was happening that, sometimes by other character's own admission, was not the norm for them. The deviations from personality in an attempt to explain things ruined what little interest I had left in the characters.

Aside from the overly formal, stilted conversation I found it hard to see the chemistry between Bent and Daria. It could easily have been there and my dislike of the story colored by perception of it, but to me all the chemistry I noticed was them both rubbing their chests a lot at the same time, and Daria showing a complete lack of inhibitions and rational thinking when it came to having sex with Bent, when normally she is supposed to be a "logical and rational" woman.

I felt that the plot itself needed work as well. The corporate intrigue would normally have fascinated me, but I felt that it fell flat. The characters werent responding to the problem in a way to make me think it was serious. I was told by the author it was important and big, but the characters couldnt make me believe it. The set up of the problem failed to engage me, and from there I felt that Ms Macela couldnt recover.

Once the subplot was taken away, the only other issue was the Soulmate Imperative, which meant Daria and Bent climbing into bed together. At the time I threw down the story they had only reached the heavy groping stage, but I found it easy to predict what would happen if I had continued to read. Amazing sex, the issue of Bent not having magical powers, some third party (most likely the corportate intrigue evil person) causing issues, and Daria saving the day through some act of amazing, unexpected power. Or something like that.

All in all, I found it to be a standard romance plot that fell flat. The characters were too one dimensional and I could not believe that they were in any way real people. The dialogue was forced, and sounded like the author had gone through with a thesarus in an attempt to make the characters seem more intelligent. The storyline was predictable, and all in all completely unengaging.

If you really feel the need to read this book, dont waste your money. Borrow from the library, where at least you wont be upset when you realize what a waste of money it was.

I gave up at page 156. When only one new major plot development occurred by that point, I just decided the book had wasted enough of my time. This romance novel has a decent idea behind it, and a possibly fascinating story line. Here's a witch who uses her supernatural powers to help businesses flush out bad employees. There could be numerous uses for someone with these kinds of skills. But the story is slow going, and the color-by-numbers romance scenes wore on my nerves--with the heroine always pulling back at the last minute. How many times have we seen that before? The dialogue was completely unnatural and I don't know how many times the reader had to learn that the heroine didn't believe in soulmates. Okay, we get it! Really, this smacks of amateurish writing with its heavy dependence on adverbs and lack of good, strong action. Where was the editor in this project?
Let's just say it was a good idea that never lived up to its promise.

I really loved this book. I've read it multiple times. Ann as a wonderful skill with dialog and building romantic suspense.

I'm the type of reader that can usually plow through a boring book, especially if I already spent time to reading half of it. (I read the other Amazon reviews) But I couldn't force myself to wasting anymore time to it-it wasn't getting any better. There is hardly any magic in it, the writing is stilting, the corporate intrigue boring and hardly any romance. (maybe it got better the 2nd half) There was WAY too much corporate intrigue going on-I'm just not the type of reader that enjoys that. I enjoy love, fantasy, magic, action and romance. ! However, it did have interesting premises with family members and loved the interactions with the cats!