So Enchanting [Paperback]

Connie Brockway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2009

The Scottish hamlet of Little Firkin has one important industry: the guardianship of Amelie Chase, a witchling banished by the ton for her alleged supernatural powers, and entrusted by her benefactor to Fanny Walcott. But the scheme is hitting a snag: Little Firkin is cramping Amelie’s style, anonymous notes are threatening her life, and now, two handsome travelers arrive with tantalizing links to the pasts of both women. And what’s happening in Little Firkin is so enchanting, it’s going to take a leap of faith to believe it.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Lord Greyson Sheffield ruined Francesca Brown’s life when he proved that Francesca’s husband had no real spiritual powers and was simply a swindler out to defraud London society. After the resulting scandal, a penniless and widowed Francesca had no choice but to consider a job offer from Colonel Chase as companion to his daughter Amelia. Chase believed Francesca could help Amelia adapt to her own “powers,” but Francesca insisted on imposing a few conditions of her own before accepting her new post. Six years later, when Sheffield hears rumors of a “witch” in Scotland, he travels to Little Firkin with his nephew Lord Hayden Collier and quickly discovers the “witch’s” companion is none other than Francesca. Two perfectly matched protagonists engage in a sexy and entertaining battle of wits and wiles as RITA Award–winning Brockway triumphantly returns to historical romance. With its expertly detailed Victorian setting, deliciously clever writing, and captivating plot, this wicked romance will cast a bewitching spell. --John Charles

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Onyx; Original edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451416295
• ISBN-13: 978-0451416292
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fun and heartwarming romance, February 5, 2009

By 

Gialdini (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Enchanting (Paperback)

Connie Brockway's my favorite, so I when I found out she was returning to historicals with So Enchanting I was intrigued, thrilled, couldn't wait to get my hands on the book - all kinds of happy. The premise of So Enchanting is different and refreshingly original - at least I haven't come across too many historical paranormals. Best of all, there's not a werewolf or vampire in sight! Though there is one facetious reference to an incubus that had me laughing out loud. The tone is light and fun, but still with enough depth to make the whole reading experience memorable. The heroine, Francesca Walcott, is interesting and fully three-dimensional. I liked how the author dealt with the supernatural elements of her character, blending it in so that it's a part of her world and who she is, a formative influence on her life. At the same time, though, the magic doesn't highjack the story and detract from the human emotions that play out as things progress.

So Enchanting starts with a bang and takes the reader where few romances have gone before - into the midst of the occult craze sweeping late Victorian England. I thought this initial setting was inspired, particularly in light of what the book is about. Issues of faith and skepticism, fraud and fact, mystery and magic are brought to the forefront as the book pits eminently skeptical, rational Greyson Sheffield, who makes it his business to expose the hoaxes and schemes of occultist charlatans, against Francesca Walcott, who, when our story starts, is a willing accomplice in her husband's fraudulent séances. Grey busts up the show, Fanny's husband abandons her, has a fatal run in with a train in France, and Fanny is on her own, disgraced and exiled. But Fanny is different from her husband and other con artists in that she does have a bit of the magical about her, which has been more of a curse than a gift, branding her as different, even dangerous, and estranging her from her family. When she's offered a clean slate by the father of a similarly afflicted/gifted girl, who wants Fanny to become his daughter's companion, to guide and protect her, Fanny jumps at the chance to live a "normal" life. She and Amelie Chase retreat to the wilds of Scotland, where they live in peaceful, if boring, seclusion for the next six years.

I really liked the relationship between Fanny and Amelie, a friendship that evolves with the story. Fanny eschews the all too easy/clichéd Merlin mentor role and even keeps her magic a secret from Amelie. They're unconventional, independent, and complement each other nicely. Fanny is the mature, (seemingly) staid, practical one. Amelie is young, emotional, and impulsive.

As for the romance, a series of coincidences brings Grey back into Fanny's life because it turns out he's the brother of the man who became Amelie's guardian upon the death of Amelie's father. A threatening letter warns that Amelie's life is in danger, and since Amelie's guardian is too busy, he sends Grey to take care of it for him. With Grey is his nephew, Lord Hayden. The rest of the book (apart from the untangling of this death threat mystery - not my fav part of the book btw) chronicles the misadventures in love of these two pairs, Grey and Fanny, and Amelie and Hayden.

Francesca's character is one of the strongest aspects of the book. She's resourceful, intelligent, and has a sense of humor. She's suffered in the past, but has adapted, recovered, and moved on. Grey seems like a powerful personality - v compelling, even if his trust issues are kind of rote (was hurt in the past by con artists, hates them all and wants to rid the world of their evil blight.) He's abrasive and rude a lot of the time, in an I'll-say-what-I-think-and-damn-the-consequences way, but cares deeply for Fanny (against his better judgment.) They're a very well matched couple - with a credible instant, deep connection thing going on, but, at the same time I'm not so sure about their chemistry (that fun, sexy banter that I love,) and I think the story was stretched a bit thin in this regard. They don't have a conversation until well into the book, more than a hundred pages. But I enjoyed the set up and the story that was woven around their eventual reunion (and 100 or so pages isn't that long to wait after all,) so I'm not complaining. I just wish there could have been more of a focus on the two of them.

The secondary romance between Amelie and Hayden also takes up a lot of space, and the book is pretty equally divided between the two romances. I would have liked Amelie and Hayden more if the book hadn't gone on so much about how young they were - in a way that gently, playfully pokes fun at the couple. Grey and Fanny are in on the joke and spend a lot of their time rolling their eyes at the besotted love birds. While I was amused too, I wish that Amelie and Hayden's romance could have moved beyond this to become something more than a parody. As it is, the joke got old for me, and since no one else in the book seemed to take their love seriously, I couldn't either. Though Amelie had more depth to her, Hayden was pretty bland.

On the other hand, there were some beautiful moments shared by Grey and Fanny, particularly near the end as they work through their issues (well mostly Grey has to become more amenable to the idea of a little trust and magic in his life) and fall in love. At the end of the book, I'm happy to see them together at last. As always, I love how Connie Brockway writes, so even though I have some reservations, I still enjoyed So Enchanting.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, February 13, 2009

By 

Janis 1e (Grosse Ile, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Enchanting (Paperback)

I've always loved Connie Brockway historicals so was very excited to read her new one. Unfortunately, it got boring about half way thorough - and her great humor lost its way.

5.0 out of 5 stars You can not go wrong with this book!, January 23, 2012

By 

CathyR - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Enchanting (Paperback)

I just found out this was Ms Brockway's return to historical romance writing. Lucky you! You don't need a real review of the story line as there are plenty on this page. You may want to know that Ms Brockway has a way of writing that makes a book an old fashioned page turner! Plenty of well fleshed out characters....back story...intrigue and yes magic. Ms Brockway is a unique writer who manages to impart humor in a classic historical romance without crossing that fine line of modern slang or notions. I have long admired how she does this. I believe her characters when they "roll their eyes" or wander off to do some thinking while absentmindedly swinging a golf club (yes our heroine!).

My only regret is this genre thinks we only can handle 380 or so pages! I could have stayed longer with these characters. As it was I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and hope you take a chance and enjoy it as well.