Imagine living 300 years without love? Never mind that, imagine living 300 years without ever having a lover! Well, Alisande Wyrrd is a witch who has done just that. That’s all about to change, however, because she’s rapidly losing her paranormal powers and needs a “recharge” that only a powerful lover can provide.

Ali knows it would be prudent to mate with a male witch to quickly regain her powers, but she won’t settle for anything less than the true love she’s waited 300 years to find. Just in the nick of time she spots him in a photograph and wastes no time tracking him down. Now all she has to do is convince this skeptical mortal that he’s her destiny. This is where her trouble begins.

Sebastian, head of a multi-million dollar security firm, doesn’t know what to make of the gorgeous woman who bursts into his office declaring she’s a witch who wants him in the most intimate of ways. He’s turned on by her looks, no doubt about it, but she’s obviously crazy as a loon, so he throws her out – but not before she casts a magical love spell over him. Soon she’s invading his dreams and every waking thought.

Initially, he resists her charms, believing she’s a stalker after his money and fame. But she continues to chase him and wear him down. He does a little research and discovers that she comes from a very rich family full of eccentrics. He figures she’s harmless, decides to have a little fun, and takes her out on a date. Little does he know that his life will never, ever be the same again.

This story has a fun concept and the author has some clever ideas but the story has several flaws that kept this from becoming anything more than an average read.

The biggest problem was the characters. They did not have the depth I’ve become accustomed to. It was a neat twist watching Ali become the sexual aggressor but it quickly wore thin because she was difficult to empathize with. The drop dead gorgeous heroine with a to-die-for body is nothing new in romance fiction but the memorable heroines are usually unaware of their beauty or have at least one physical or emotional flaw. Ali has none. She’s a siren, a goddess, a temptress. Picture Pamela Anderson with paranormal powers. She’s also loaded and appears to spend her days doing nothing more than lounging by her pool in string bikini’s thinking of ways to seduce the hero. She does occasionally attend a charity ball where all attendants are awed by her stunning beauty. She also cries often and for little reason. The author’s attempts to make her appear charming (she’s never cooked and tries to throw together a cake while wearing a – you guessed it – bikini) fell flat for me and made this 300 year old woman appear, well, too stupid to live. The hero isn’t a whole heck of a lot better. He’s a bossy, gorgeous millionaire who has had nothing but fleeting relationships with beautiful woman. He’s certainly not awful but he’s nothing special either.

The conflict was also a bit weak and even confusing. Before the couple can live happily ever after, Sebastian must believe with all of his heart that Ali is truly a witch. Despite the fact that he knows she’s able to read his mind, they share dreams, and he’s seen and spoke with a real winged-fairy, he’s still more skeptical than the X-Files’ Dana Scully. This conflict drags on for too long, and as it is resolved, a new one crops up involving Sebastian and the original spell cast over him. Sebastian’s doubt here is understandable because I too was unclear of the real purpose of the spell until near the end of the story. The book would have worked better if the author has chosen a single conflict and stuck with it rather than solving one and creating a new one.

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Jill Barnett’s Bewitching or by Rebecca Paisley’s Basket of Wishes – or even by my own expectations. Because although Wedding Spell had all the ingredients of a likable, quirky, humorous read, it just did not deliver. However, if you are a fan of witches, magic and lusty relationships you may disagree.