Customer Reviews

The Wizard of Seattle

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the first book I have read by Kay Hooper, although I love fantasy and romance - together and separate. I really enjoyed this book. Very unique and thought-provoking. I couldn't stop thinking about it even after I finished it. The plot was fairly complex and I really liked the hero and heroine. Mostly what got me was that the conflict between male and female wizards was very unique and yet still very believeable. I have not read any other books that approached magic and power in this way. Definitely recommended reading!

Now I've got to find more of Kay Hooper's books!!!!

The Wizard of Seattle by Kay Hopper is an OUTSTANDING romance. I could not put this book down. I was rivetted by the main characters and how expertly Ms. Hooper fans their growing attraction into an deep abiding love. This was such a wonderful romance . . .

Richard Patrick Merlin is a wizard. Not just any wizard but a tenth degree wizard. He possesses an unimaginable power which draws a young Serena Smyth across the country in search of . . . him.

Serena "feels" the powers that lurk within her and is very determined to become a wizard. She never images how hard it would be to remain indifferent to Merlin's seductive handsomeness and power. In return, she has no knowledge of the powerful hunger she stirs within him as she blossoms into a beautiful woman. Beneath his calm facade, he longs for Serena, desires her with a growing hunger that is becoming harder and harder to control. Even as he is drawn to her, there is a part of himself that warns him of . . . danger. As if Serena somehow poses a threat to him!

There is an ancient law that strictly forbids a wizard to take a woman of power as his apprentice. From that first fateful day when she had stood before him, he sensed her untapped powers and was unable to turn her away.

Merlin believes that such a law is senseless and continues to teach Serena. He teaches her secretly without the knowledge of the Council of Elders. He is an excellant teacher, patient and gentle and he encourages Serena to develop and control the power that lurks deep within.

Now the knowledge of his teachings are no longer a secret. There are consequences for disobeying this law. Consequences that will destroy Serena if he should obey. Unexpectedly, fate might have given him the answer out of this dilemna.

He finds a very old ancient writing, describing in detail, the horrible destruction of Atlantis. This eyewitness was a wizard who warned that such terrible destruction could happen again. Merlin knows that there were some wizards living amongst the powerless there yet all details of Atlantis are sketchy. What really did happen to compell another wizard to write such an omnious warning???? A warning so foreboding that is still affects the wizards of this day and age!!

Merlin and Serena risk their very lives in a desperate bid to unravel the mystery surrounding this ancient law. They travel back in time, to the lost continent of Atlantis, hoping to change history.

Yet, there is a danger in tampering with history for it alters the future as you know it . . .

I LOVED this entire book. I absolutely loved the way Serena and Merlin fought for their love even when the odds were so clearly stacked against them. The interaction between the two characters were perfect. As the reader, you felt the intensity of their feelings as they tried so hard to deny them. Merlin, an omni-powerful wizard risks all he is, all he has been taught to claim a love none of his kind have ever know.

Also, there are a special pair of secondary characters which I grew to love. I could have read another hundred pages!!

AH - - - - - What a BEAUTIFUL, incredible lovestory!!!!!!

I found this book on a 'top 100 fantasy' list on amazon.com and got it because I thought the reviews looked good, and they were right. This book has a wonderfully written, complex plot. The characters are very well developed, likeable and believeble. Unlike some books I've read, the romance is not over done or unrealistic. If you like fantasy/romance books you'll love this one. I can't wait to read more of Kay Hooper's books.

I nearly didn't buy this book the majority of the reviews I read gave it a very average rating and I must admit that if your taste is for the frippery frothy romance you most certainly will be disappointed, however if you want a book were the story is the main line and the characters are almost believeable (considering that they are wizards)then I would recommend this book to you. I agree with some of the reviews that find some of the sexist attitudes to be a bit hard to take but then they have to be viewed in the context of the book and the story not in our modern life the majority of the book takes place in the past and yes children were sold and traded like cattle and yes underage sex did go on but it must be remembered that in the time that is being used as a background in the story it wasn't uncommon to be wed and bred by thirteen and dead by twenty one. Modern day conveniences and longer life expectancy have altered our views and perceptions. A good read an intriguing concept and definately a book that will be kept on my bookshelves for a long time and re-read.

Thanks to the wonderful interplay of the myth of Atlantis that Kay Hooper wove into this book it has always been one of my favorites. Well written with excellent characters and a unique story line it is definately a book that can be enjoyed from many different angles.

Imagine a place of enchantment and people that enchant - scenes that bewitch and hold the reader captive - and you have "The Wizard of Seatle". Ms Hooper is indeed a talented writer, however, in this book, she surpasses anything that she has ever produced before. In her inimable style she weaves a story so enthralling that the reader is actually desolate when the story ends.

A wizard with years of training finds someone who has great power and decides to train this being - the only problem is that it is female, and females are not allowed to be wizards. Females are actively hated and distrusted by wizards, so the protagonists take it upon themselves to find out why - and end up in Atlantis just before it was destroyed. Need I say any more???

When two powerful forces of come together, a wizard and a sorceress, there is only one outcome - magic.

I've been a fan of Kay Hooper's storytelling since discovering her via my Loveswept subscription. I don't care for thrillers, so I was pleased to find some recent work of hers outside that genre.

The cover blurb, etc., does not really prepare you for the story. It is not so much about two people drawn over the bounds in modern Seattle as an exploration of the past. The major and most important part of the book is a trip by the lead characters into ancient days in order to try to change the world into which they were born to make the heroine's survival possible. The greater journey, though, is into the heart and mind of the hero as he discovers that it is not an ancient law but a long-cultivated flaw in wizards that is the true barrier in their romance.

Character is all in romances, and in this one you get a dandy assortment, complete with a secondary romance couple and even major antagonists you can come to understand (if still dislike). On top of this, add a charming visualization of magic and perfect atmosphere in the exotic sections where the implications of the culture are well followed-out. Combined with Kay Hooper's storytelling and pace and a hero and heroine whose obstacles are not in the least contrived (none of this "one sensible question would solve everything" stuff), you are in for a fine read. I meant to stretch this out, but wound up gobbling it up the first evening.

Why only four stars, then? Say I'm being mean because I expect a great deal from an author with this much talent. The characters are somewhat stereotyped, a common failing of the genre. I don't know if the heroine is rash because she's redheaded or redheaded because she's rash, but I'm tired of hair color and personality being so tied together. I'm also way tired of blue-eyed blondes and green-eyed redheads. Every natural redhead I've known had usually brown or occasionally blue eyes. The only green eyes I've seen were on brunettes. But when was the last time you read a redheaded heroine in a romance who didn't have green eyes?

The ending, I'm sure, will not be quite what you expect, either in Seattle or out of it. It's worth the money: indulge yourself in a good read.

I looked at the book because I saw It was Kay Hooper already one of my favorite writers. The title screamed time-travel so I bought it when I started reading I could not put it down. From the first when the Orphan Serena knocks on Merlins door I was Captivated by them both.liked that they did the time-travel with a reason and together it was like a mystery, romance & sci-fi together Serena's spirit and Richards caring enough to risk everything on a chance to fix something made wrong a very long time before he was born. So they can stay together. I have reread it so much I had to get another copy. When I finished reading it I menttioned it to my friend he borrowed it and also liked it and loaned it to a friend who also really liked it. It took awhile to get it back. liked that they did the time travel on purpose and together

This was the first romance novel that I have ever read and I loved it! I'm not normally fond of romance novels but this was absolutely breath-taking! It wasn't all sex it was a tender love-story that touched my heart and fired my soul. If you love fantasy, you'll definately love this one!

This was my first fantasy book and I couldn't put it down. Kay Hooper has developed a wonderful rich story! Full of romance, mystery, magic, and adventure. I can honestly say that this has been one of my favorite books!