Title:
SpellboundAuthor: Jo Atkinson, Kelly Wade, Charlotte Boyett-Compo, Holly East, Devin Salerno, Ashlyn Chase, Chase Jeffreys, Suzanne Elizabeth, Victoria Lake and Rachel Kenley
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Publisher URL:
http://www.ravenousromance.com/ISBN: 978-1-60777-071-8
Genre: Erotic, Fairytale, Anthology, M/F
Rating: 4 Nymphs
Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Rose Nymph
Handsome and Petal - 4.5 Nymphs - Jo Atkinson – From the moment he sets eyes on Lily, Brody knows that the thing he wants most from the bakery isn’t the delicious treats on the menu. Lily’s never seen a more handsome man and with her cooking skills, it isn’t long before he’s eating out of her hand. A mouth- watering treat for the senses, mixing hunger and heat perfectly while keeping the tradition of the tale nicely. This was a nice way to open the anthology.
Sasha and the Seven Rosetti Brothers - 3.5 Nymphs - Kelly Wade – Sasha’s finally getting back on her feet after being kicked out of her home by her horrid stepmother, Moira. The struggling actress is ecstatic when she gets a part in a play starring the gorgeous Aiden Prince but it seems she’s all out of luck, as Moira’s backing the play. The characters were wonderful in this but unfortunately I was far too interested in Moira getting her comeuppance to think about the romance. This story reads a little disjointed, with the plot jumping ahead in places but lagging behind at other times.
Windrush - 5 Nymphs - Charlotte Boyett-Compo – When Hayver finds himself in the middle of nowhere in a broken-down car and a storm closing in, he thinks his luck is out. As the rain starts to pour, he makes a dash for cover but when he sees what comes out to play when the clouds gather, he realizes this is no ordinary storm. A fantastic story with an introduction that made me laugh out loud, Hayver is a great character and the wonderfully descriptive writing made this a pleasure to read.
How Red Tamed her Wolf - 3 Nymphs - Holly East – Ruby loves Alex so much that she is blind to the fact that he is taking her for granted. It takes a good friend to help her see what’s going on and to point her in the right direction. Quite simply, it’s time for Ruby’s wild side to come out to play. I liked the idea of what was attempted here; a relationship that is in danger of getting stuck in a rut if action isn’t taken but this really needed more time to develop before I could really feel for the characters.
The Match - 5 Nymphs - Devin Salerno – As Elle walks the cold, lonely back streets on New Year’s Eve, she is too wrapped up in her own heartache to participate in the celebrations. The pain of Graeme leaving her has numbed her senses but on this eve of a new beginning, she may finally be able to find peace. This is a very well written story with substance and a plot well balanced with tragedy and optimism that had me hooked from start to finish.
Letting her Hair Down - 4 Nymphs - Ashlyn Chase – Rapunzel is slowly going mad, all alone in her tower except for visits from her evil witch of a mother. She wants to be like other girls; she wants a boyfriend who can teach her all the things she’s read about in Cosmo! When Prince Wunderkind hears her singing one night, Rapunzel thinks she’s found her man but mother dearest isn’t going to make things easy for them. By merging fairytale with modern day life and adding scorching scenes, the author has created a very amusing, adult tale indeed. It faltered slightly at the end but all in all was a great read.
Schumacher and the Elf – 3.5 Nymphs - Chase Jeffreys – Royce is feeling dissatisfied with life but doesn’t know how to fix things. When tragic news reaches him, he’s forced back home to pick up the pieces – he’s just not sure if he’s ready for it. Luckily there’s someone waiting for him to help get some satisfaction back in his life. This story had promise and the characters were likable but the constant perspective change hindered my enjoyment. Also, I can’t help but feel the erotic theme, which flirted with kink at times, was forced and the plot suffered because of it.
Frog - 4.5 Nymphs - Suzanne Elizabeth – To take her mind off her ex, Cassandra takes a walk to one of her favorite spots. There, she almost loses a locket that she cherishes dearly but a knight in shining armor rescues it. Everything would have worked out fine but for the fact that she can’t bear to look at her rescuer’s face. What’s with this guy, and why does he have such strange requests for Cassandra? This was an enjoyable take on a classic tale that was well written and kept my interest throughout. Strong characters, a magical romance and a satisfying ending made this a pleasure to read.
Free Falling - 4 Nymphs - Victoria Lake – Wendy’s circus job requires great trust in her ability and that of her partner, Peter if they are to pull off the stunt safely. The moment before she leaps, she sees that trust returned in Peter’s eyes. If only her horrid boss Hooke wasn’t there, hell bent on destroying her happiness, things would be perfect. Something about the way this story is written made it difficult for me to separate this from the fairytale and so the eroticism was hard to take at times. That being said, the plot was good, the characters likeable and the ending very satisfying.
Legs - 4.5 Nymphs - Rachel Kenley – Grace only has three days to find the ultimate pleasure; if she doesn’t she will be lost to the sea forever. When Logan finds her testing out her new body, she hopes he will be the one to help her. Logan’s never met a woman like Grace before and something tells him she’s different from all the other models he’s worked with. This is a wonderful way to end the anthology; with two very nice characters who I wanted to see happy and a rich, vibrant setting of the ocean and the model lifestyle. Logan’s dissatisfaction at his job is well portrayed, as is Grace’s frustration at not being able to communicate with Logan and the ending was perfect
Spellbound is a wonderful collection of fairytales with a twist. There are some very strong tales and it seems to me that the best brought a touch of humor to the classics. With a good mixture of laughter, sex and drama, it was a joy to read these tales given a perverted makeover. Fair to their origins, there is hardship and evil presences trying to defeat goodness at every turn but as we all know, good will out and the happy-ever-after is never far away.
