Customer Reviews

Spellbound

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rainy Scotland, an abandoned castle, a mysterious housekeeper, an evil laird, a tortured knight, and a tiny psalter that holds a long-held secret--what's not to love in this story of a woman who goes to Scotland to get married and finds a lot more than she bargained for? Curl up with a cup of tea and enjoy.

STORY BRIEF:
Tara and David are cohosts of a TV show called Fact or Fiction, debunking psychic phenomena using scientific facts. They fly to Scotland to be married in a castle owned by David's uncle. The castle is haunted by a ghost (the Lady in Green) who David hopes to film in connection with the wedding. While there, Tara accidentally stumbles upon a hidden tomb. As she reads the words inscribed on the sarcophagus, the spellbound knight (named Hugh) comes back to life. He was buried around 1224. To gain his freedom, Hugh must recover a valuable psalter and deliver it to its rightful owner. Others want the psalter as well. Tara is drawn to Hugh which causes her to question her engagement to David.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I couldn't get excited enough to recommend it. Some things didn't make sense to me. Tara was stupid and weak which caused some bad things to happen to her. At one time, Hugh was separated from Tara in a way that was not believable. Hugh's method of contacting Tara at the end didn't seem normal to me, which I saw as a way to create a more suspense. I think most normal people would have done it differently. The information in the psalter was eventually used in a way that was unrealistic (and/or not explained well). This story had the ingredients for romance: modern day woman falls in love with a 13th century knight, but I didn't enjoy it because of Tara's character and the methods used to create conflict. The back stories about the ghost, Hugh, and Tara's past were interesting but not enough to offset the other problems.

DATA:
Story length: 255 pages. Swearing language: moderate (including religious swear words). Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one partial sex scene, 4 pages long. Setting: current day Scotland. Copyright: 2009. Genre: fantasy romance with some suspense.

I really liked this book. There were some moments that were a little unbelievable when Hugh was making his leap from the 1200s to modern-day. It didn't take away from the book, though. I really enjoyed the ending of this book quite a bit. It took me by surprise a little, but that's what I liked most about it. A good read.

Two weeks ago, I'd bought this book from Mobipocket[...] (I use my trusty Palm TX & my faithful HP iPaq 211 as my eBook readers) & downloaded it right away. I was so excited to see a new title from Patricia Simpson...I've read all her books and enjoyed each and every one. "Spellbound" is no exception...filled with suspense, magic, mystery, ghosts, and hunky Highlanders...it'll appeal to fans of paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and historical romances alike. I'm just hoping that this is just the beginning of a new set of eBook romances from a much-loved author!

This is one of Patricia Simpson's most compelling books to date; I loved every minute of it! I am particularly drawn to stories with elements of mystery, history and a dash of romance. Spellbound had all of these qualities as well as a sense of humor, which I believe is quite difficult to accomplish given the paranormal events. I also appreciated the well developed characters. I found myself truly sympathizing with both Tara and Hugh. I'm saddened to see one reviewer's comments proclaiming Tara to be "stupid and weak", I just can't see that! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, however.
Well done Patricia; I can't wait to read your next novel!

Tara gets tricked into a wedding she's not even sure she wants. But when she starts seeing ghosts and Knights, those around her doubt her stability. Is she worthy to marry into their family? The connection between Tara and Hugh is so strong. Who wouldn't want a Knight in shining armor at their beck and call. But what about the mystery of the Lady In Green. As Tara looks at ghostly things to debunk them, she finds a greater mystery about the ghost and herself. Delightful!!

I got this book as a freebie so I was expecting too much but I must say it was a pleasant surprise. I finished the book in 2 sittings. I loved the plot and how the characters intertwined. I normally don't like romance and thought it was a horror story. It turned out to be a wonderful combination.

...of orthodox Christian faith, mild erotica, and possibly, the occult. I can't be too sure of the latter, since the author never quite explains HOW the hero got "spellbound" for centuries, only that the abused wife of the heroine Tara's fiancé's long-distant ancestor somehow managed to arrange it.

I say the erotica is "mild," because it only goes on for three-to-four pages, instead of three times as many, and with no ultimate consummation within the story. Furthermore, the author presents her Knight Templar as a Catholic priest--and therefore, vowed before GOD to observe the virtue of chastity, among other things--which makes the book's love scenes particularly distasteful. However, the actual knights of the Order were generally NOT priests (the clergy forming a different branch within the organization), according to the Wikipedia article I just read, so that would appear to be an historical inaccuracy. How "the brethren" dealt with the issue of Hugh's supposed clerical status is also not explained, since that would have still existed, even if he was released from the Order as he desired. (The sacrament of Holy Orders is permanent, so there is really no such thing as an "ex-priest," even if he is laicized.)

I truly like love stories, especially if they incorporate the element of faith. This one might have been a favorite of mine, if not for the points noted above. This book was briefly offered for free in Kindle format, so I took a gamble on it, but I'll be deleting it.

Rainy Scotland, an abandoned castle, a mysterious housekeeper, an evil laird, a tortured knight, and a tiny psalter that holds a long-held secret--what's not to love in this story of a woman who goes to Scotland to get married and finds a lot more than she bargained for?

I liked this book! Suspense, romance, ghost... Only the second book I have read by this author, but I do enjoy her writing! I will be reading her others.