Aug 10, 2009

Casting Spells - Book Review


Casting Spells
by Barbara Bretton
Berkley, 2008


The title tells a lot about the setting of the story. The heroine, Chloe Hobbs, owns and operates Sticks and Strings, a yarn shop situated in the picturesque town of Sugar Maple, Vermont. Chloe teaches knitting (casting on) to the many visiting tourists. Her mother, a practicioner of magic (spells) died in a tragic accident when Chloe was only six years old. All the inhabitants of this little village have some sort of paranormal connection. A vampire family runs the local funeral home. A golden blond god look alike named Gunner, a member of the fae, is head over heals in love with Chloe. Unfortunately she can only think of him as her best friend in the world. And wouldn't you know, Gunner has an evil twin named Dane, and an even more evil mother called Isadora.

The murder of a lovely young woman, crime never happens in Sugar Maple, brings unwanted government attention to the town. That unwanted attention appears in the form of Luke MacKenzie, a detective from Boston who has been wanting to leave the big city for the quieter life of a small town. He jumps at the chance to take on this case. Sparks literally fly when he and Chloe meet.

Another thing to keep in mind, Chloe has yet to come into her witch powers, and if that doesn't happen soon the nasty Isadora has plans that threatens the town's unique place in this world. Casting Spells is a charming mystery/paranormal romance. Not only is the story fun and captivating so are all the quirky characters that populate the town. Barbara Britton delivers an entertaing plot told with insight and humor.

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