Kathryne Kennedy – Double Enchantment (Bk 2 in Relics of Merlin series)When a spell infused with Relic magic goes awry no one can tell you better of the consequences then Lady Jasmine Karlyle. She only wanted to bring back a brooch her mother had “borrowed” from a lady friend. With casting a spell she got a life and kicking replica of herself instead of the illusion it was meant to be. Only this replica doesn’t have the same upstanding values as Jasmine and Sir Sterling Thorn gets a sensual taste of the replica who calls herself Jaz.
Instead of asking for help, Jasmine thinks she can fix it all by herself only to get into more trouble. When her Aunt Henrietta and Jasmine finally cook up a story that reflects the problem they go to the Hall Of Mages and ask the person with the strongest magic to help them. The King listens to their story when Sterling walks in and sees Jasmine, thinking it is Jaz.
Jasmine is on the receiving end of a soul-scorching kiss and when she finally gets her bearings back she smacks Sterling straight across the face. This is where their story begins…
Double Enchantment casts its spell over me and I was utterly willing to be captured by the magic, the world and its characters! When I read Enchanting The Lady last year I could only hope that Kathryne Kennedy would deliver again. Upon reading the second installment in the Relics Of Merlin series I was once more lured back to a highly imaginative world. I got all that I expected and more!
The first pages transported me to a London where magic is only fit for those of nobility and royalty. It is with their magical abilities the nobles present their calling card and it’s a true feast to read about when described by Kathryne Kennedy. From gardens to houses, horses and even clothing, it all can be bathed in magic to enhance one’s appearance. Still, there are also the Baronets, with their were-selves and immunity to magic that is both needed but feared. The Baronets are in the King’s favor and they are a weapon against the Relic’s magic. The descriptive writing style of the author just made it so easy to imagine the scenery in my mind’s eye. I could go on and on about every magical detail steeped into this world but that would spoil the fun of discovering it all for yourself!
The outward prim and proper veneer of Lady Jasmine collides with her “other half” who is running amok in London and she needs Sir Sterling to solve it all. Sterling on the other hand doesn’t need this kind of distraction from the search for his sister. Still his were-stallion’s side will not be ignored and there’s a need driving him to get under the skin of Jasmine, revealing her true self. They have a combustible chemistry together and this ever-present attraction and sensuality is intertwined within the pages. It makes your heart start to beat in anticipation, holding your breath, wondering when all the pent up emotions and wanting is going to erupt. Because of a somewhat odd triangular relationship between Sterling Jasmine and Jaz there are many obstacles to overcome. Kathryne Kennedy pulls it off, for it is all about Sterling and Jasmine. The powerful emotions with the main couple were so convincingly portrayed it grabbed hold of me and in the end I needed a tissue or two.
The romance alone could hold one enthralled to the pages but the author adds a select but equally impressive cast of secondary characters to this tale. In her own unique way Aunt Henrietta dares Jasmine to step outside the conventional, moreover, take an adventure or two and I relished in the chaperone she turned out to be. She had me from grinning to full laugh-out-loud moments with her attitude and wisdom. Sir Artimus as a were-lion and right hand to the King was elegant but with a wicked side and then there are two gnomes, Nuisance and Trouble. They added a bit of mischief to Double Enchantment as they accompanied humans who encountered problems around every corner. And problems do arise…
The plot gradually unfolded and turned out to be surprising in the end providing an opening for a true happily ever after. The personal growth I witnessed was both realistic and convincing attaching me emotionally to many characters and caring for each in a different way. The epilogue, though not always needed in a tale, gave me that overwhelming sense of righteousness and completed the overall story.
With simmering hot romance, a superbly build up plot and a feast of characters to get to know, Double Enchantment fulfilled every desire of why I love to read so much! When I closed this book, I felt bereft, I didn’t get nearly enough of this world Kathryne Kennedy has created!
