Customer Reviews

Seduced by Magic (Magic Series, Book 2)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A practicing white witch, Copper Ashcroft was casting a circle when her magic clashed with a Darkwolf, a warlock. Flung into Otherworld, Copper is trapped with several very unhappy magical creatures. Only knowing that she is direly needed back home in San Francisco, Copper can only try to break the shield that is surrounding the meadow that has become her prison. While chanting a spell, Copper accidentally brings a Tuatha D'Danann warrior into her prison with her.

Tiernan, along with other Tuatha D'Danann warriors, have been assisting the D'Anu coven to rid the world of the Formorii demons that were trapped for a millenium, but are now free. Not knowing their specific plan, what they do know is that the demons are trying to free Balor, who would unbalance good and evil. When he finds himself imprisoned with Copper Ashcroft, he is at once happy to see her alive and frustrated that he is trapped. From the Earth realm, Copper has been missing for fifteen months. Now all they have to do is free themselves from the meadow and return to San Francisco and the battle that awaits them.

I highly recommend reading Forbidden Magic first. While this can be a stand alone, everything makes much more sense if you read FM first. The battle that began in Forbidden Magic is continued in Seduced by Magic. Cheyenne McCray brings these witches and warriors alive. The reader just gets pulled in so quickly that it is impossible to put this book down. I am really looking forward to the next installment in this series, including seeing what happens to Darkwolf and Junga.

There is a strong basic plot here, and what might be some interesting characters. Unfortunately there is too little difference between "good guys" and "bad guys" in these books. Both sides fornicate as often as possible, and in the crudest ways possible. When you have to go back and check character's names to decide who is doing what and to whom, you start skipping through that part of the book, hoping to get to the real plot. Alas, that received less effort than the sex scenes.

Copper Ashcroft is a witch whose use of grey magic got her kicked out of her former coven, along with her sister, Silver. Now Copper's persistence in using grey magic has landed her-accidentally-in Otherworld, where she tries new spells as often as possible in order to get free, and back home to her sister and the new coven they have formed.

Tiernan is a Tuath D'Danann warrior who is drawn to the picture of Copper her sister has every time he sees it. But he's betrothed to someone, an alliance which will strengthen both families, and Copper has disappeared anyway. When a visit back home uncovers his fiance's affair with another man, he puts off the wedding until he can find a suitable way to end the betrothal, and returns to San Francisco to help expel the Fomorii demons which threaten both the worlds of the Fae and humans.

He is surprised to find himself sucked into the same Otherworld where Copper is trapped, by yet another of her spells gone awry-but he loses no time in seducing Copper, a mutually enjoyable experience. Until Copper finds out he has a fiancé. . .

I very much like what I've read of Cheyenne McCray's work in the past. This book, however, was one I failed to enjoy as much as I have her past works. There was plenty of action, and lots of interesting supernatural elements, but the main characters seemed too lacking in depth, their interactions too rushed, for me to be able to enjoy or believe in their relationship as anything but purely sexual, and it didn't seem as if they respected each other even within that framework.

It wasn't so much Tiernan, since he had good reason not to be faithful to his fiancé, but Copper came across as a bit of a bumbling airhead with a vocabulary lacking the words `moral compass'-even though she got mad at Tiernan for having sex with her, once she found out he was engaged. Shouldn't that be a question a smart person asks BEFORE the horizontal bump & grind? I dunno. *G*

There were aspects of the character that were fun to read-her stubborn use of grey magic had me thinking at first we were going to get a far more fully rounded and determined gal-but once she found out about Tiernan's pseudo-fiancé, she just kind of sank into behavior that was ill-suited to a woman confident enough to veer from the well-traveled paths her art decrees to explore new vistas. This book was by no means horrible: it simply wasn't up to the standard this author is capable of.

With good authors, there's always the bar they set themselves with their former work, and McCray's has always been quite good-and no doubt will continue to be in the future. For many authors, this would be an excellent effort. As measured against McCray's own well-demonstrated talents, it can only be described as a bit below her usual high standard.

Reviewed by Lee M



Copyright © 2006-2007 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved.

I have read MANY Romance and Adventure Novels in my time ... and never have I read one with som much F-ing in it. Not making love, not sex, but just straight F-ing. There is no tenderness in this book that I could find ... so I had a very hard time connecting with and seeing how the main Characters, Copper & Tiernan, could have possibly fell in love? If you like to read Porn, this book is great ... if you are looking for romace, love and all that implies ... skip it. As for creating another world ... the authors imagination is passible, I was able to "see" the "worlds", I just wished that not all of the "romanticly" linked characters were so VULGAR and base! It is one thing to lust for someone, but when there are feelings involved ... I am sorry, it is not always lustful, angry and hard ... definately more porn than anything else.

After all the hype on the site and all the great reviews I was excited to read both books in this series. The story in Seduced by Magic was marginally more developed than the first book however stereotypes and bad cliches abounded. This is not a romance, nor is it an adventure or a thriller. The story is an excuse to cram in endless sex scenes and some of the worst dialog I have read this year. Don't call them "love scenes", that would be comparable to criminal stalking being described as flirting. Since I bought it - I finished it but it was a struggle. Far better fantasy series exist in the genre that do a way better job. Don't waste your money.

Though there is ALOT of sex in this book, the basic premise and storyline are good. The characters are likable -it's just a quick escape. Not as good as Kelley Armstrongs or Kim Harrisons but a good enough read

for my tastes but I did enjoy the magic and the characters. This is my first Cheyenne Mccray book so I don't know if this is her usual writing style or not. I did find that the first couple of chapters were confusing with all the different "creature" backgrounds being explained, but after you just remember who the bad guys are and not worry about the rest, you'll be ok. I felt the names for the demon races were way too complicated and way to similiar. What I did not like most about this book were the "love" scenes, although they were more like "porn" scenes, IMO. I'm not prudish or innocent or anything, but I don't think that the language and the terminology used repeatedly was necessary. There were no sensual scenes, just sex...which weren't even that great in the first place. I've read much better in Feehan's or even Harris' vampire books! I also felt that the nudity in the book was just there because the author felt she needed to put it in...there wasn't really any good reason to have it in there as blantantly as it was. However, all that notwithstanding, I felt that the basis of the series is well thought out and the series will have some interesting twists, although a little more thought could have gone into characterization of some of the more secondary characters. I could just be being hard on CM since I haven't read any of her other books (and I see that she's highly praised) and maybe since this was her first stepping stone into the magic genre, she just tried a little too hard. I will read the next book (already have it) and I'm hoping that the sex gets a little less crude and a little more sensual and believable.

The D'Anu witch, Copper Ashcroft, has been missing and her sister, Silver, has searched everywhere for her. Everywhere, that is, except for the Otherworld where Copper accidentally sent herself when a spell against the evil Darkwolf backfired. Tiernan, one of the Tuatha D'Danann, has been assisting in the search. Despite being betrothed to another, Tiernan is fascinated by Copper, and this fascination grows once he meets her face-to-face. Will Copper, Tiernan, Silver, and the rest of the exiled D'Anu witches along with the Tuatha D'Danann be able to stop Darkwolf from resurrecting the sinister Balor?

SEDUCED BY MAGIC is the superb follow up to FORBIDDEN MAGIC and this sequel far exceeds the first book in the series. However, this reviewer strongly recommends reading FORBIDDEN MAGIC first as Cheyenne McCray focuses a great deal of attention on the world building in the first book. SEDUCED BY MAGIC can be read as a stand alone novel, but the full complexity of her phenomenal world will not be wholly seen in just reading this story.

Copper Ashcroft is a strong heroine and Tiernan is the perfect complement to her. Their sizzling attraction is very explicit and sensitive readers should be cautioned that there are several very graphic scenes involving Darkwolf as well. These scenes are appropriate in context, however, as the malevolence of Darkwolf is even more apparent and his diabolical wishes for Silver are obvious through the revelations of these scenes. The passion between Copper and Tiernan counterbalances Darkwolf's evil couplings, as it demonstrates the true beauty of love and shows the side of the light against the backdrop of evil.

SEDUCED BY MAGIC is a book you will not want to put down. Cheyenne McCray does a splendid job at combining action, the paranormal and humor in a sensual story that leaves the reader anxiously awaiting the next installment in this splendid series. Copper's familiar, Zephyr, practically steals the show as just the thought of a bee in the role of a familiar is simply hysterical. Zephyr manages to convey so many things with nary a word of dialogue. SEDUCED BY MAGIC is a must read for fans of the paranormal!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

the story line and characters are incredible. Great new writer, BUT i really did find the sex a bit much, way to much F*** in the story and some of the sexual acts were a bit course. if these 2 things were toned down, and not even by much , just a little bit, i think the reading would be so much better. Some of it was way over the top and at times focused on too much.

this book is not a couple walking on the beach it is graphic hardcore porn material. so when you finish wrap it and mail it to grandma.