Charmed & Ready
Grade : B

Charmed and Ready is the second book in a series, and not having read the first one, there were times I was lost. However, the book is funny and charming enough that I plan to check out the first one in the series, Charmed and Dangerous.

Bronwyn is a powerful witch who can not only cast protective charms, spells, and fireballs, she can make the earth shake. She’s also a down to earth diva who lives in the little town of Sweet, Texas, with her warlock boyfriend Sam who doesn’t practice magic but instead practices medicine. So what does a witch with all that kick-butt power do? She kicks demon butt. Bronwyn has sworn to protect and she serves as an undercover magic agent for the British Prime Minister. As the book begins, the PM asks her to help protect rock star/humanitarian Zane, who is being followed by creepy guys in cloaks. Bronwyn isn’t too happy about this since she really wants to spend some snuggle time with Sam, but duty calls and off she goes to England.

Zane turns out to be a really nice guy and Bronwyn becomes fond of him. While not a total crazed party animal, Zane does like to go out and one night Bronwyn misjudges her drinking limit and the paparazzi take lots of pictures of her and Zane that end up on Page 6. While nothing happened, Sam sees them and is not happy at all.

The creepy cloaked guys turn out to be poison-spitting demons. Bronwyn is able to defeat them, but she takes a hit from the poison and almost dies. She and Sam reconcile and things are fine between them, but Zane is still in trouble and as soon as Bronwyn gets better she’s off to England once more. Sam is not all that happy.

Will Bronwyn defeat the demons?

Will she and Sam reconcile?

What happens to Zane?

Read the book and find out.

Fans of MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead books will love Charmed and Ready. It’s a Chick Lit/Paranormal hybrid that is funny and very engaging, mostly because Bronwyn is such a likable character. The book is told in first person, so we get to know Bronwyn very well and she is a dear. Unlike Davidson's Betsy Taylor, Bronwyn is actually very intelligent, but she’s perfectly capable of acting like a doofus and doing the silliest things - especially when she parties a bit too hearty. However she is loyal and capable and I’d want her to have my back in a fight.

The rest of the characters are not as well developed as Bronwyn, but that’s only to be expected in a book narrated in first person. The romance is fairly negligible, since Bronwyn and Sam spend a lot of time apart, missing each other’s calls, and generally miscommunicating, but I didn’t mind. This book is more Chick Lit than Romance and the ending is a happy one.

I’ve not had a lot of luck this year with humorous romances, but Charmed and Ready really tickled my funny bone. I have to go out tonight and plan on stopping by the bookstore to get the first book in the series. Candace Havens can mix action, adventure and humor into a brew that thoroughly charmed me.

Reviewed by Ellen Micheletti
Grade : B

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : September 19, 2006

Publication Date: 2006

Review Tags: funny witch

Recent Comments …

Ellen Micheletti

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
What's your opinion?x
()
x