Customer Reviews

Spellbound

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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!

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.

I really liked this story! It had a great plot and was well written. The only thing that prevents it from getting a 5 star rating is that the time traveler seemed a bit to accepting of his situation, as another reviewer mentioned. Very happy with my purchase - it will go in the 're-read' rotation :)

Patricia Simpson has done it again. SPELLBOUND features a gutsy, compelling strong heroine and a strong, admirable hero. I love Simpson's sense of place. She evokes Scotland with a deft hand. The romance is beautiful and touching with love triumphing in a most unusual way. I always love Simpson's books because love really does get to win against all odds, and SPELLBOUND is no exception. I look forward to the next one!

Personally I enjoyed this paranormal romance with a touch of gothic. The ghost gave me goosebumps. This is her second book I've read and I enjoyed Ms. Simpson's writing so far. I wish there are more of her books available in kindle selection.