Enchanted (1999)

Book 4. Good not great. H meets h. Some tension. HEA. And I still can't stop reading Nora Roberts. I think it's a sickness. ( )

This was the romance novel I ever read so my opinion may be a little skewed, but the story hasn't lost any of its magic no matter how many times I reread it. Rowan is very much a heroine I can identify with and Liam is a hero that captures the readers interest (both things I find desirable in any book). ( )

This was the romance novel I ever read so my opinion may be a little skewed, but the story hasn't lost any of its magic no matter how many times I reread it. Rowan is very much a heroine I can identify with and Liam is a hero that captures the readers interest (both things I find desirable in any book). ( )

Fourth in the Donovan legacy and this feels like it was tagged on a bit. It introduces a cousin that has never been mentioned in any of the previous three books and it's unclear how he fits in to the family. But still a light and interesting read. ( )

Fourth in the series about the magical Donovan cousins.

Rowan Murray has always been the quintessential good girl, but she really needs a break, so she accepts a friend's offer of a quiet vacation in a remote cabin.

Her nearest neighbor is sexy and mysterious Liam Donovan who is also, though she's unaware of it, the wolf she's seen prowling around, and that she eventually befriends.

Liam's next in line to head his family, an eventuality that weighs heavily on him and that tends to set him apart from his cousins.

Rowan, too, is the victim of family expectations. Her family grows increasingly insistent that she cease her foolishness and come home, go back to teaching, and marry the man they've chosen for her.

It's a pleasant story, but there are a few things that get in the way of completely enjoying it. Chief among them is that Liam tends to be a voyeur when he's in wolf form. It's a bit creepy, to be honest, and even though I've read this book a few times, I'm still not sure if I believe that Rowan's not angry with him when she finds out.

There's also Rowan's situation with her family. They're realistic enough, but they made me mad. A revelation later in the book helps to explain some of her mother's willful blindness, but I spent most of the book really irritated with them. Their confusion and concern for her well-being came across clearly enough--from their perspective, she's just abandoned her life, so they're worried. I didn't quite understand the pressure to marry the boyfriend, however.

Part of that was Rowan's fault. She's a bit of a wimp--okay, more than a bit--when it comes to her family. Instead of explaining to them that she didn't really want what they thought she wanted, she just runs off. But I'll forgive her that, because she does develop a backbone eventually.

I liked Liam's dilemma. He's not sure he wants the responsibility, but he's determined to do it right if he accepts. And therefore he can't fall in love with someone who's not also a witch. His parents drop cryptic hints that are both amusing and irritating.

I really can't put my finger on why I didn't love this book--as you can see, because I'm rambling, trying to figure it out. Maybe it's that it doesn't end at the right place. It feels like it should have been either shorter--say, novella-length, or much longer--single-title-length. Various plot threads, like Rowan's heritage and Liam's eventual rise to power, were just not really developed all that well, and I think I'd have liked the story better if they were either dropped altogether or expanded. Maybe that's it.

Anyway, still a pleasant enough story, and we get to check in with the other Donovans, which is fun, if a bit pointless (another reason why the head-of-the-family thead should be expanded). ( )