Customer Reviews

Touch of Desire

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

 

 

Malachi Seymour, the Earl of Graymar, is the Dewin Mawr¾a very powerful sorcerer. When a rather bothersome and inquisitive woman named Sarah Tamony persistently seeks him out to learn more about him and his family for a book she is writing, Malachi insists that she be stopped. For anyone to know too much about the magic users would be dangerous.

The time has almost come for Malachi to face the Cythraul¾a demon who arrives to test all ruling wizards. He must reach the demon before his enemy Morcar Cadmaran. Morcar craves power and seeks revenge against Malachi. Morcar is not the only one who wants power though; Serifina Daray is a sorceress determined to best both Malachi and Morcar, and rule the world.

An unexpected meeting between Malachi and Sarah forges a partnership that turns into so much more. Along with Sarah, Malachi will soon require the help of all those around him including an enemy to stop the Cythraul from taking over.

Wondrous magic fills the pages in Touch Of Desire. The enchanting spells vary between mysterious, amusing, glorious and scary. Malachi emanates power and control, and his intense and seductive charm is very appealing. Sarah is lovely and her fearless thirst to learn about magic is infectious. Sorcerers and spells are seamlessly blended with reality in Touch Of Desire, creating a world where magic truly exists. Touch of Desire is the third book in the Enchanters series. I hope there is more to come.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This stand-alone book belongs to a series from an author focusing on a family of English wizards with a little Welsh/Celt spin. The particular "spin" adds new words to our collection of magical phrases. but doesn't do much else. This story continues with characters from her other novels but the story is rather familiar and doesn't connect to the others in such a way to prevent a solo read. The theme of familiarity continues with characters that are almost stock from most Regency-era novels--"Lord of the Manor" Alpha male, spinister, blue-stocking female, silly younger female sibling--we've been here before. The audience for this novel is really a younger reader or one not familiar with this genre. The sensuality is so restrained as to be virtually absent--so a teen could handle this easily. Still the quality of the writing, command of the language and setting make it an OK purchase or used book bargain.

As the head sorcerer among his people. Malachi Seymour has his share of headaches, the latest of which being the incessant pestering of popular author, Sarah Tamony, who has enchanted the world with his people's tales. Such things risk exposing the magical community to mundane eyes, and now the impertinent woman wants his assistance in telling more. Yet, when she blunders onto his lands uninvited and expresses such joy and delight at the powers that to him are commonplace, Malachi finds himself softening. He still does not want to tell the secrets she wishes to reveal, but he is falling for her. Moreover, she has been chosen by the spirits to reveal the clues he needs to solve a test that magical mortals must pass every century. Malachi dares not lose, for he is a light magicician and his opponents are inclined to the dark.

**** There is a lot going on in what is only an average in length tale; magical contests, rivalry, redemption, and love fill the pages, and there is no padding in the novel at all. Despite the title's implications, the romance is not explicitly portrayed, yet is still a powerful factor in the narrative. The secondary romance is a true bonus and I would have enjoyed seeing it as the headline feature in the book. ****

Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer

I was half way through this book when I realized this was the same author I had bought Touch of Night, read it, then sold it, only to accidentally re-buy and read the book again because I forgot all about it. Touch of Desire is similar to Touch of Night in that it's not very rememberable.

If you like the regency period, it was a well written book and the language spoken stays consistent. However, despite the magical elements of the book the story was dry and the characters were not all that interesting.

Storywise, Sarah is a 26 year old popular non-fiction writer on magic, myth, and lore. She wants to interview Malachi because she has researched that he is the head of all the light magical families. Of course he continually rejects her letters, forcing Sarah to do a little snooping on her own. During this time period, every 100 years or so there is a test that is given to the strongest one w/ magic. If Malachi, whose family has always wins, is able to determine where and when the test will be after given various clues then a demon won't come to inhabit the mortal world. Some how the powers that be called the Guardians, have selected Sarah to be the dispenser of clues. The story continues w/ Malachi trying to circumvent Sarah from writing her book on his family and her tagging around her to determine the clues. From there, multiple events beging to

Overall, the plot was interesting, but the characterization of the characters wasn't very deep. It bothered me that Malachi who is in charge of all the magical families would tell Sarah of all his secrets, show her his magic, and explain about the whole Test he must do. The entire time he's trying to circumvent her from writing her book, yet he air's out his entire closet skeletons to her. The Love angle between the hero and heroine fit w/ the time period, even though it made for a dry reading since so many other paranormals these days are getting hotter and steamier by the month.

It was difficult to like the heroine. I know she was supposed to have a reporter's persistent mentality but it didn't really seem endearing--annoying really. As for the hero, he started at like the typical alpha male, but soon lost the whole mysterious alpha personality whenever he told Sarah or showed her his magic. W/ the exception of the villainess, everyone seemed too good that it got to be a little grating on the nerves. In fact the villainess, her rival of another sorceress, Desdomona (used to be from a dark family but now was married into a light family), and head of the dark family, seemed like the most interesting characters because they weren't so goody two shoes.

The magic elements themselves also seem terrible farfetched as well. Stopping time, flying, transportation, fire, and etc got to be too unbelievable.

I would recommend this book to only the avid Regency reader who likes magic and this time period. It's well written and flows, but is not just my cup of tea.

By 1823, the Earl of Graymar, Malachi Seymour, assumes he will spend his life with no one ever getting close to him. A bit sad, but not melancholy he believes he must avoid love or even a close camaraderie because he has a responsibility as the powerful Sorcerer, Dewin Mawr that supersedes love let alone friendships; secrecy is key.

Popular author Sarah Tamony has arrived at Castle Glain to investigate the rumors she has heard about his Welsh clan having magical abilities. He tries to ignore her demands for an interview, but at night dreams of stubborn Sarah. She finds him fascinating and the more she hears about the mysterious Malachi the more she desires him. However, she demands and has always reported what she finds while he must hide the truth. As they argue, fuss and fight, the sorcerer and the author fall under the magical spell of love, but unless they find a compromise involving her findings, this enchanting relationship will fail.

The newest "Touch: historical romantic fantasy (see TOUCH OF PASSION and TOUCH OF NIGHT) is a superb tale of love's enchantment. The story line is driven by the lead couple as he must prevent her from revealing what she uncovers in order to keep his clan safe while she cannot fathom how the truth could hurt. Love complicates their already complex relationship. The final spin is a tribute to one of the sub-genre's great authors as places both Susan Spencer Paul writes a fabulous Regency relationship drama inside a believable fantasy setting.

Harriet Klausner

I really liked this book. Even though the love scenes were pretty tame and there were only like two but anyway a great read! Alright first off it is about sorcerors and magic and demons. Which myself I have never read about that before and I wish more authors would. Our hero is the highest sorceror around and he is a good guy. Our heroine is one of the most famous people around and she is an author. Our villian is the evilest sorceror around and he bad(But I so do love a bad boy...especially when he falls in love) Okay the story starts off with the hero and his brother discussing how they can get our heroine to NOT publish her book of fables and fairy tales for to do so would reveal their secrets and their magic. But our heroine is determined to have her book so she goes in search of our hero's acient burial grounds. That is when the story reall takes off. I would have LOVED to have seen Morcar(our villian) and Philistia(heroine's cousin) to have had their own story they had all the signs of a good book but well they make a really good secondary romance and I just love secondary romances cause one romance is never enough! This is the third in the series but since this one was the first I read I thought it was great even without the kind of love scenes I normally prefer it was still good.