Ratings24
Average rating4.2
Hmm. This started off strong, and then once the two MCs got together, it, hmm.
Minor spoiler.
Listen, I like languages too, but like one word of Italian and you're weak at the knees? Come on.
This just didn't hit the spot. I think it's that the big final battle felt anti climactic. I've seen this often though, so I won't let it detract from the rest of the book. Still a solid read.
Be warned though, the sex scenes are fade-to-black.
super fun read, i liked the world and the romance was cute but i wish the characters had a bit more depth. despite the personal trials they face, the main characters still felt very surface level to me.
It was a good read but im not racing to pick up book 2
This is set in 1925 Manhattan. Rory is a psychic who scries objects to determine whether they are frauds or the real thing. In comes dashing Ace trying to find out about an object. Turns out more than one person is looking for psychics to unlock a dangerous object. There are no graphic sex scenes but a few sweet scenes between Rory and Ace. I really enjoyed this and will continue the series.
Of all the books on my TBR for this month, I was least certain about this one. It's by an author I don't know, it's been on my TBR since it was first released, and I never hear any talk about it. But it was so much fun.
The plot/world-building is great. It's got these people with powers (think X-Men) and these Relics that cause trouble (think Warehouse 13/The Librarians) and it exactly the kind of setup I love.
The cast of characters are great. My favorites are Arthur and his best friend Jade, but Rory, Zhang and Mrs. B. are all such great characters. (I do hope Zhang and especially Jade will have a little more development in the sequels, but, even if not, they are fun characters.) And that's pretty much the best thing about this book: it's fun, fun, fun.
I support the romance (and I love that it's a pretty slow burn that's fade to black) but...it took me awhile to warm to them as a couple because it's just a type of romance that isn't a favorite. (Sweetheart that's a bit physically intimidating with a shorter, thinner one that is described as a ‘firebrand'.) Not a favorite, but the two guys are delightfully vulnerable and really lonely and the relationship is a nice one.
Honestly, this book reminded me a lot of Jordan L. Hawk's work - which is a huge complement.
I really enjoyed this book. The build-up to the romance was pretty realistic (more of a slow burn than most mm romance) and the paranormal elements were interesting and somewhat unique to what I've read before.However, it's hard not to compare this to [b:The Magpie Lord 17730586 The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1) K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365084262l/17730586.SX50.jpg 24803707] especially since I read this immediately after finishing the Magpie series. The two are very similar in so many ways. However, I enjoyed these two leads a little more and found Arthur far more charming, and Rory much more interesting and likeable. The author did a good job writing dialogue with historical slang (though a little liberal with the use of the word “doll”) with detailed descriptions of settings and clothing that make the reader more immersed in 1920s New York City. My main issue is that Rory/Theodore will be written in one scene as very sexual in an almost aggressive manner and then he'll be back to being very reserved, almost shy, and secretive in the next - the latter I feel is more realistic for the time. It's almost like two different characters. There's also no mention of the public baths or anti-vice laws in regards to homosexuality at the time which, while I realise this isn't supposed to be some kind of treatise on gay culture in early 1900s NYC, it's still odd that the characters don't even mention either in passing or internal dialogue (though they do fret about their predilections for dramatic purposes). Arthur frets internally quite a bit about engaging in homosexual acts while in America while simultaneously admitting to many affairs across Europe with some sense of freedom - this is more understandable in France which has always been a bit laissez-faire about sex in general, this wouldn't have been the case in England or Germany. This book also seems to suffer from the “everyone is gay” trope or at least everyone seems to simply accept same-sex relationships as if it's just expected and it always make me roll my eyes a bit. If you're going to set your book in a specific real-world era, all of these realities of that era should be considered and researched, despite the plot being in the fantasy genre.Speaking of sex, there's none in this book. This is a very closed doors book in that we “see” them kiss and make their way to the act, but then we're transported to the next morning or next scene and it's a little frustrating. If you're unable or unwilling to write out the scenes, you can have them develop their physical relationship outside of the timeline of the book. I personally found it felt like a bit of a cockblock for a “romance” novel.Despite those personal complaints, it's still a very enjoyable narrative with laughs and thrills and I look forward to continuing the series.
Five enthusiastic stars. I fell in love with both main characters early on and I had a hard time tearing myself away from their adventures. The side characters, both friends and enemies, are all interesting too.
The plot is also gripping. I was really impressed with the story's good pacing and clever structure. Almost every detail ended up being important.
I found the romance really enchanting, as well as realistic. There's a significant age and experience gap, which isn't my favorite trope, but I felt the author handled it well. Neither Rory nor Arthur really know what to do with the strength of their feelings for each other, which kind of made their different experience levels seem less important to me.
I really liked the tone of the book; it's kind of light, for the most part, with a decent amount of humor, despite serious events in both the action of the story and the characters' backstories. I think if you like Jordan L. Hawk's writing style, you'll probably enjoy this too.
Overall, this is an excellent book, and I'm sure I'll be rereading it many times. I look forward to the author's next release.
3.5 stars. Very promising debut novel and series opener. Spellbound is set in one of my favorite time periods and places, prohibition-era New York City. It features the rich, handsome Arthur “Ace” Kenzie, who has no magical powers of his own but works with paranormals to keep the world safe from dangerous magical artifacts. When he meets scrappy, grumpy Rory Brodigan, a psychometric who hides his powers from others and is resigned to gradually being driven mad by his tendency to get lost into whatever he is scrying, sparks fly. Rory is initially mistrustful of Arthur's motives and even after he begrudgingly starts to trust him, he is sure that the dashing former soldier would never go for a poor, near-sighted wreck like himself. But the bond they formed in a moment of confusion proves to be exactly what both men needed to change their lives - and maybe save them when some bad guys with magic of their own turn up.
There were definitely some weaknesses to this story. Rory acts like a hissing, spitting cat for a REALLY long time, to the point where I wouldn't have blamed Arthur for giving up on him. And then he does a very abrupt 180 degree shift to “Oh god, he's wonderful, what could he possibly see in little old me?” which is really one of my least favorite tropes (while arrogance is awful, absolute self-doubt isn't much better). Plus there's a fair amount of telling not showing in the first half with some info-dumping about Arthur's previous experiences with magic.
And yet Spellbound was a very enjoyable, page-turning read that sets up an intriguing world I want to know more about. There are lovely moments of passion and tenderness between the two MCs, and plenty of wry humor. The secondary characters are diverse and interesting in their own right (Rory's boss, Mrs. Brodigan pretty much steals the show), and the last third of the story is taut and action-packed. There's still a lot for Arthur and Rory to figure out about their relationship, and there are plenty of loose ends left about the magic plot, but there's a satisfying HFN ending.
I will definitely read the next book in the series and look forward to Allie Therin's growth as an author.
ARC provided by Net Galley in exchange for an objective review.