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Sunday, April 26, 2020

Book review: A Summer Bewitchment by Lindsay Townsend

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Blurb:

When a shadowy piper kidnaps seven beautiful girls, can a wounded knight and his witch-wife save them? Will Sir Magnus and Elfrida find them in time—and at what cost?

Magnus, the fearless, battered crusader knight, and his fey wife, Elfrida, are happily married, but each of them carries a secret. Elfrida believes that being peasant-born will one day undermine her husband’s love for her. Wounded and scarred, Magnus fears nothing—except, perhaps, that he will not be able to give Elfrida her greatest wish—children.

Their fears are sharpened when high-born Lady Astrid appears at their manor and demands their help to find the seven missing girls. Though the lady clearly regards low-born Elfrida beneath her, why has she truly sought out Magnus, a ruthless knight? Which one of the kidnapped girls does she really want to recover so badly—and to what hidden purpose?

In the scorching summer heat, Magnus and Elfrida search together for the missing girls. Will they be able to rescue them in time? And can their own marriage survive?

My Review:

I utterly adore that we got another The Knight and the Witch story!  Magnus and his Elfrida are some of my favorite characters in this time frame, and I'm pretty sure I love them more now than I did with their first book (and I really adored that one!).

One of my favorite tropes that seems to be a rare find for me (and well done), is when our hero and heroine are already married and for the most part, secure and solid.  Sure, there'll be bumps and tumbles along the way, but when they're already bound to each other, the emotions and (healthy!) possessiveness (you're mine!) seems deeper, stronger, infinate.  So getting to be with Magnus and Elfrida after they've been married a year-ish and seeing their bond, and how they face their struggles together was a delight.

The affection and desire between Magnus and Elfrida is still intensely burning bright, which is what helps to carry them through their next adventure saving seven girls.  So not only are they united on a mission, but as a consequence from that same mission (and other things), some insecurities rise to grip each of them tightly, adding another layer to the story.  I appreciated that we got to spend time in both their heads, hearing their thoughts, because even though they struggled with fully understanding and communicating their worries to each other, I as the reader knew exactly what those worries were and how each felt and responded and that made me empathize and ache with them all the more, and also rejoice when revelations broke free.

There was also quite the adventure in rescuing the girls, gifting readers with some unexpected surprises, interesting twists, and definitely several moments of nail-biting anxiety - oh and some eye rolls to with certain characters. haha!

I love how even though it's addressed and we know Magnus has his physical scars/wounds and Elfrida has her magic, we view one through the other's eyes so much that we forget all about that and just see them through love filled eyes.  Definitely a testament to it's what's inside that shines brightly to make the entire package a breathtakingly beautiful package.  They genuinely love each other and fulfill a need in the other so perfectly, that even when they are at odds, they still are together (and that's another kudos to the author!).

So that's alot of words to say, this is an amazing follow-up story to The Snow Bride, complete with all the heat and adventure and beauty you'd expect.  And I really do hope that we get more of their story soon!

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12 comments:

  1. Thank you for this wonderful review! I did love writing these characters, and I have touched upon them again, with my story, Sir Thomas and the Snow Troll, and my forthcoming The Master Cook and the Maiden. Thanks again, so much!

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  2. What!? There's two more coming!? I'm so excited! Now, to have some patience for them to arrive! Lol

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  3. What a wonderful review. Congratulations Lindsay.

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  4. Hi Michelle, The Snow Troll story is in one of the anthologies and features Elfrida and Magnus as secondary characters. The forthcoming novel about the master cook has a hero who is Elfrida and Magnus' great grandchild, but there is a link in his size to Magnus and skill to Elfrida.
    Thanks again for the lovely review, Michelle!

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    1. Um... just sayin' this is important stuff to know!! haha! I'm SOOOOO GLAD you mentioned the Snow Troll story was in an anthology because while I had the anthology, I hadn't read that story - and now I'm glad I didn't because it means all that much more now! :) If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd have missed out on that bit of goodness! Pulling that book out of the archives because I definitely am not going to miss out on it now!

      And I'll be anxiously but patiently awaiting the master cook story - yay!!!

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  5. Hi Michelle,
    My novella Sir Thomas and the Snow Troll is in the One Winter Knight anthology.

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  6. Congratulations, Lindsay. Great review. Best wishes for your book.

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  7. Lindsay, I love Magnus and Elfrida. They have a wonderful chemistry between them! Congrats on this fabulous review--well deserved!

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    1. CHEMISTRY!!! That would have been a brilliant word to use. Too late now, but it's sooooo true! (I'm a bit oooooover the top today with excitement about this story/series lol)

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    2. Michelle, yes! And don't they have it in spades? With that couple you just know there can never be anyone else for either one of them.

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  8. Many thanks again, Michelle and Cheryl!
    Thanks so much, Ann! Everyone at PRP is so supportive!

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