Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Enchanting the Beast is an interesting and highly enjoyable combination of fantasy, mystery and paranormal romance. Despite being the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone thanks to Kennedy’s exceptional worldbuilding.Opening Sentence: Lady Philomena Radcliff closed her eyes and called to the spirit of the late Lord Stanhope.The Review:Lady Philomena Radcliff’s ability to both see and speak with the dead does little for her social life, but it pays the bills. Hired to perform séances at lavish parties hosted by the most elite magical families in London, Phil isn’t above using parlor tricks to make her clients happy and keep the invitations – and money – rolling in. After all, though her gift is very real, it’s not like communicating with the dearly departed is an exact science. Not every ghost responds to Phil’s requests, while others respond more…enthusiastically…than she likes. Luckily, she has a spirit-guide named Tup and a shape-shifting orphan named Sarah to help her when things get dangerous. Too bad neither Tup nor Sarah can protect her from an instant attraction to Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, the much younger baronet of Grimspell Castle – and her new client.As a shape-shifter, Nico is immune to the nobility’s magic and can see through the illusion created by any spell. His first encounter with the older, but still lively and beautiful, ghost-hunter leaves him skeptical of both her abilities and the existence of ghosts, but Nico is desperate. His ailing brother, Royden, is convinced that something has angered the ghosts of Grimspell Castle. Nico hopes Phil’s presence will be enough to put Royden’s fears to rest and help him recover his health.The ghosts aren’t the only things haunting Grimspell though. Turns out that something murdered Nico’s former fiancée, something that eyewitnesses describe as a giant black wolf. The fact that Nico’s wolf-form is brown doesn’t stop the townspeople from coming for his blood when another local girl turns up dead though. Declaring his innocence and leading the hunt to bring the real killer to justice, Nico also sets out to prove to Phil that his deepening feelings aren’t fleeting. When a chance encounter convinces Phil that the murders are tied to the haunting at Grimspell Castle, she races to find the proof she needs to save Nico and his family from a fate worse than death.The magical world Kennedy created for Enchanting the Beast is unlike anything I’ve read before. Basically, Merlin is the trunk of the magical family tree that became English nobility. The hierarchy and titles corresponds with the magical Merlin gift an offspring inherits: Kings and Queens are those who’ve inherited the most of Merlin’s magical capabilities and can perform comprehensive magical feats whereas Dukes have only inherited the ability to change matter and so on.At the bottom of the magical barrel are the baronets, shape-shifters that are both man and animal. While they are considered Merlin’s greatest enchantment, baronets are immune to all other forms of magic – making them both feared and despised by the majority of their magical cousins. That is, until it was discovered that the baronets were the only ones capable of finding the thirteen magical relics Merlin hid before pulling a disappearing act. The fact that the relics held power beyond anything that anyone had inherited made them the Holy Grail for noblemen (and women) looking to up their position in the world and baronets suddenly found themselves in a position of power. Which is how Nico, a baronet, is also the lord of a large estate bestowed on his family by Prince Albert as payment for their magic-sniffing services.That said, this story would’ve received a high rating even if the magical elements weren’t so unique thanks to the seriously smokin’ romance and Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery. Nico is literally the ultimate alpha male and his pursuit of Phil is nothing less than swoon-worthy. Phil’s “live and let live” attitude made her a very likeable character and I certainly became invested in her happiness – something that wasn’t a given because of the mystery surrounding the haunting at Grimspell Castle. Honestly, I had some inkling of who was behind both the murders and why the castle ghosts were up in arms, but the connection between the two actually surprised me.Overall, this story really impressed me and I don’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who enjoys a paranormal mystery with some heat.Notable Scene:“Sir Nicodemus.” Her voice was low, so husky with promise that he didn’t dare breathe. “I would like to forget, for just a moment, that I am forty and you are seven and twenty. I would like to be kissed in the moonlight, with straw in my hair and hayfairies dancing over fields of waving grass. Do you think you could retract your promise to be a gentleman?”Nico let out a breath.“Just for this moment, of course,” she added.Of course. Nico put his hand under her chin and stroked the firm line of her jaw with his thumb. He gently turned her face toward him, the wolf retreating so that he felt an unusual warmth flow through him as he lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips tasted sweet; she smelled of crushed hay and roses. Nico stroked his lips over hers, her mouth trembling beneath his. Something twisted inside his chest and he kept his touch light, his mouth relaxed and undemanding. He couldn’t remember ever bestowing such a tender kiss upon someone. He had never wanted to.FTC Advisory: Sourcebooks Casablanca provided me with a copy of Enchanting the Beast. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. I was enchanted by the idea of a blend of historical and paranormal romance so I eagerly pounced on this one when it came to my attention. I knew it was the third book in a series and gave it a try even though I haven't read the first two books. It worked out really well because the tie to the others seemed to be just the shared backdrop and not a story thread or characters. This turned out to be a great read and met up to expectation nicely- and then some. Along with the historical, paranormal and romance, I also got some mystery too.The background of the series is the assumption that the world is full of magic from the elements of the earth and its creatures to its people. This is set against the Victorian Era. It's made clear in the Prologue of the book so the reader knows the general idea when the current story opens.The story begins when Lady Philomena, the Ghosthunter, is conducting a seance. She is interrupted by an attractive shape shifting baronet who scopes out her skills and then makes her an offer to take his family situation on as her next commission. Sir Nicodemus Wulfson doesn't believe she really sees ghosts, but he believes her charlatan act is good enough to fool his ailing brother who does. Nico's brother, Royden, claims to be plagued in his sleep by angry ghosts who haunt the family home, Grimspell Castle.Nico just wants his brother at peace so he can continue to search for the werewolf who murdered his late fiancee. Nico was acquitted of the crime, but the villagers are still restless that the murderer goes free as either him or one of his wolf pack. Okay, so he also wants the beautiful lady to come to his home because of the strong visceral attraction he feels for her and the way just being in her presence calms his wolf nature.Phil is not wealthy even if she is a member of the upper class. She depends on her magical gift to earn her a living. It is both a gift and a curse in that its uniqueness has driven away many friends and lovers leaving many with the impression that she's crazy or a liar. She knows Sir Nicodemus doesn't believe her, but it doesn't take long once she arrives at his awe-inspiring home to convince him. Along with her ghost friend, Tup and her loyal companion Sarah, she is there to discover what has the castle ghosts so riled up that they would haunt Nico's brother, Royden. She has trouble focusing on her task between her strong mutual attraction with the much younger Nico and the pointed spite of Royden's young wife along with the obvious adoration she sees in one of his younger pack members to make Phil very aware that Nico's too young for her and needs to find a suitable bride of his own.All things come to a head from the paranormal, the mystery and the romantic story lines in a way that brought an exciting conclusion and a delightful epilogue.As I mentioned, the blended genres created an exciting plot that had my attention from cover to cover. I loved my intro to the author's well crafted worldbuilding, engaging characters, and the intrigue that led to both a ghostly treasure hunt and a murder mystery to solve along with a passionate May-December romance.The details of the magical world like Nico's Enchanted Forest and all the creatures and Were types living around there was as fascinating as the story itself. Those adorable stick people just made me smile. And I loved that Sarah was a snake shifter- so unique!The characters were great. Phil and Nico were a good pair. She has the hang-ups of being a much older woman and her fear of being accepted for who she is after all her past rejections. In fact, she's downright stubborn about it, but Nico takes it as a challenge to change her mind. Nico might be young and handsome, but he too worries that he isn't worthy because of his beast though he doesn't let it stop him from pursuing his lovely tempting prey. Together though they are not only strongly attracted, but they build each other up and bring out the best in each other. I loved the playfulness and protectiveness of Nico's wolf for Phil and her strong desire to believe in him even though many clues and the local consensus point to Nico's guilt. I cracked up when Nico thought she was more experienced than she was and he appreciated how she made him soar with pleasure, but it was all due to the fact that her house was a former brothel and one of the ghosts gives her quite a show at various times so her knowledge is mostly vicarious.I had such a good time reading this story that I am definitely going back for the other two books and then forging ahead. Again, I loved the blend of genres and felt this is one of the best reads I've had highlighting historical, suspense and paranormal romance. I most definitely recommend it to others who love that type of blending too.My thanks to Sourcebooks and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
What do You think about Enchanting The Beast (2009)?
Really fell hard for this Relics of Merlin series - historical fiction meets Harry Potter. Loved it.
—Cooa
This book wasn't as easy to get into as the previous story but I enjoyed it overall.
—marjoryka
This is totally the best of the series so far!
—Ace
