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Everlasting Enchantment The Relics of Merlin Kathryne Kennedy 9781402269912 Books

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Everlasting Enchantment The Relics of Merlin Kathryne Kennedy 9781402269912 Books

Everlasting Enchantment
Kathryne Kennedy
Sourcebooks, Dec 3 2013, $7.99
ISBN 9781402269912

In 1839 the Duke of Ghoulston warns Millicent Pantere to accomplice the mission or else she will suffer though she insists she does not belong among the aristocracy attending Queen Victoria's gala having lived her entire life in the London Underground. The were-panther's immunity to aristocratic spells and her affinity with animals make her perfect for the Duke's mission of stealing a magical bracelet from Lady Chatterley.

Lady Chatterley gathers several ball attendees to allow the relic to choose one; which turns out to be the "country girl" Millicent. Several centuries ago Merlin trapped Knight of the Round Table Gareth Solimere inside the bracelet for sleeping with the mage's lover. Gareth believes that only the love of the possessor will free him. He plans to seduce the current wearer Millicent. They enjoy the tryst but she trusts no one or her heart. While falling in love with Millicent, he persuades her to embrace her magic in order to do the right thing; preventing the odious duke and his minion from achieving his real scheme.

The latest Relics of Merlin Victorian romantic fantasy (see Double Enchantment and Enchanting The Lady) is an exhilarating coming of age (actually social strata) historical as the student teaches her mentor what love is all about. Readers will enjoy the chivalrous cursed and his beloved shapeshifter battling evil and their hearts.

Harriet Klausner


Tags : Everlasting Enchantment (The Relics of Merlin) [Kathryne Kennedy] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <em><strong>From the enchanting world of Kathryne Kennedy comes the long-awaited new installment in her bestselling Relics of Merlin series―where the magic never dies.</strong></em> <strong>Power Magic is Afoot </strong> Millicent Pantere has lived her entire life in the notorious London Underground. She cares nothing for the problems of the crown or the intrigues of society. But the ladies of the realm are acting strangely,Kathryne Kennedy,Everlasting Enchantment (The Relics of Merlin),Sourcebooks Casablanca,1402269919,Blessing and cursing,Blessing and cursing;Fiction.,Fantasy fiction,Knights and knighthood,Knights and knighthood;Fiction.,London (England) - Social life and customs - 19th century,Love stories,Man-woman relationships,Man-woman relationships;Fiction.,Paranormal fiction,Shapeshifting,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,AMERICAN LIGHT ROMANTIC FICTION,FICTION Fantasy Historical,Fantasy - Historical,Fiction,Fiction - Romance,Fiction Romance Fantasy,Fiction Romance Historical Victorian,Fiction Romance Paranormal Shifters,Fiction-Romance,FictionFantasy - Historical,FictionLiterary,FictionRomance - Historical - Victorian,FictionRomance - Paranormal - Shifters,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,MASS MARKET,Monograph Series, any,Romance - Fantasy,Romance - Historical - Victorian,RomanceGothic,Romance: Gothic,Shapeshifting,United States,FICTION Fantasy Historical,Fantasy - Historical,Fiction Romance Fantasy,Fiction Romance Historical Victorian,Fiction Romance Paranormal Shifters,FictionFantasy - Historical,FictionLiterary,FictionRomance - Historical - Victorian,FictionRomance - Paranormal - Shifters,Romance - Fantasy,Romance - Historical - Victorian,Fiction - Romance,American Historical Fiction,American Light Romantic Fiction,Fiction,Romance: Gothic

Everlasting Enchantment The Relics of Merlin Kathryne Kennedy 9781402269912 Books Reviews

Sir Garath Solimere, a knight of Arthur’s Round Table, has been trapped inside a relic as punishment for having an affair. He is doomed to remain tethered to the bracelet until he meets his one true love. Over the years he has become very good at pleasuring the ladies so he is unpleasantly surprised that Millicent, a werepanthur, is only interested in handing his bracelet over to free her firebird friend, Nell.

Millicent Pantere lives in the underground where many like her have hidden away from the Victorian world rather than being used and abused. Shapeshifters are immune to magic so Millicent catches the eye of the Duke of Ghoulston. He kidnaps Nell to persuade Millicent to acquire one of Merlin’s relics. Millicent may have had a tough life but she is forthright, loyal and able to take down a range of foes. I enjoyed her interactions with Nell best.

Garath appears at night to whoever wears the bracelet and seduces them in hope that he will be freed. His bracelet will not release the lady in question until Garath has slept with her. He yearns for freedom but still hasn’t quite grasped the concept of love rather than lust after all this time. He thinks that sex is the only way to find his true love but thankfully Millicent resists his charms long enough for them to get to know each other. Rather than being completely swept away by the romance, I kept wondering what STIs he could have picked up given the hundreds upon hundreds of women he had slept with.

I had a few quibbles with the plot but nothing major. I’m not sure why the Duke picked Millicent to do his dirty work – he needed someone who could blend with the cream of society yet he picked a barmaid in a fairly rough bar instead of his seductive sidekick werebat called Selina. There also seemed to be rather a lot of people escaping, getting captured, escaping again and getting recaptured. The world was interesting and we had some interesting characters popping up. Queen Victoria was a highlight for me especially when she got involved in the action.

"Everlasting Enchantment" is a fairly light paranormal romance that is heavy on the fantasy. Kennedy has tried to breathe new life into the Merlin legend and even though the plot is a bit predictable, it is an enjoyable read. It can be read as a standalone.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
Imagine a Victorian London where magic never died. The stronger the mage, the higher his or her title. Birth is no longer the most important thing in society, magical power is. If the younger sibling is stronger than the oldest, the younger will inherit. If the children are weak in magical power, they will loose their title and estate and status completely to a stranger who will get it all.
Merlin’s offspring is numerous, and the not so white wizards have been experimenting on man and beasts and plants, creating horrors and wonders alike. Only the horrors are kept below London, in the Underground. The shapeshifters are looked down upon, but they have one big advantage over the normal humans they are immune to magic, and can look through the most elaborate illusions the nobles create.

Millicent Pantere is a panter shapeshifter, living in the Underground. She has had to look after herself from a young age and is quite capable of protecting herself. She doesn’t need friends or family, although she does have one good friend, an old firebird shifter called Nell. And now the evil Duke of Ghoulston has captured Nell to make Millicent do his bidding. She is to go out in Society as a real Lady, and steal one of the Relics of Merlin for him. Millicent is not so sure this will work, a few months of tutoring does not make a streetcat into a lady, but she has no choice if she wants to safe her friend.

To her own surprise, blending in as the Duke’s country cousin is easy, except of course the Baronets (shapeshifters) immediately smell what she is. One of the young ladies quickly befriends her, and takes her to Lady Chatterly, the current owner of the Relic. Apparently, the relic comes with a secret a cursed Knight of the Round Table who is looking for his one true love to break the curse. He will come out at midnight to the lady whom is wearing the enchanted bracelet, and seduces the lady in question, hoping she will be the one who will set him free. He will return into the bracelet at sunrise. Millicent doesn’t expect to end up wearing the blasted thing herself, but until the knight has seduced her, it won’t come off. Not for the Duke, nor for the Baronets who are chasing after her, following her from the Duke’s underground castle all through the Underground.

Millicent refuses to give in to the Knight’s seductive manners just to possibly end the curse, she treasures her virginity and won’t be swayed so easily. But spending a few nights together, on the run, Millicent and Sir Gareth get to know each other, and Millicent is falling for him. She admires his sense of honor, and how he genuinely seems to care for both her and Nell. But what if they do make love, and the curse is not broken, that means she will never see him again, as the bracelet only chooses a lady once. Sir Gareth has fallen in love with the fierce Millicent, even though she warns him she is incapable of loving anyone so deeply. He thinks differently, and to safe her he will gladly give up his own life…

It has been 4 years since the previous book in this series was published, and I was really looking forward to this one. I enjoyed the first books very much. Unfortunately, I am a bit disappointed in this one.

The story is entertaining enough, but I just don’t like the trope where the couple has to have sex because of the magic. So I did admire Millicent for refusing Sir Gareth time and again, but well, the man has been having sex with a different woman each night for centuries! Of course he went about it all wrong, how can you fall in love with a woman when you immediately on seeing her, set out to seduce her? Those things are completely different. And sleeping with married ladies, why would they fall in love with you in just a few hours?

It is also never explained how the Duke got a hold of Nell, and why he wanted or even found Millicent in the Underground and picked her for his dirty work. She was just working in a tavern as a kind of bouncer and barmaid. He was already employing a very willing and beautiful were-bat named Selena.

I did like the descriptions of the Underground, and the different kinds of creatures. Not the scary ones though. I liked Lady Yardley and how she immediately liked Millicent, but was still so very young and naïve. Queen Victoria was a good secondary character as well, and I loved how she fought the evil Duke when he had her under his spell. The ending of the book was good too, how Sir Gareth handled himself after the curse was broken. And the little hobgoblin in his new house sounds like fun.

I will certainly read more books in this series, but I hope for a story with more body like the previous ones.

6 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian </p>
Everlasting Enchantment
Kathryne Kennedy
Sourcebooks, Dec 3 2013, $7.99
ISBN 9781402269912

In 1839 the Duke of Ghoulston warns Millicent Pantere to accomplice the mission or else she will suffer though she insists she does not belong among the aristocracy attending Queen Victoria's gala having lived her entire life in the London Underground. The were-panther's immunity to aristocratic spells and her affinity with animals make her perfect for the Duke's mission of stealing a magical bracelet from Lady Chatterley.

Lady Chatterley gathers several ball attendees to allow the relic to choose one; which turns out to be the "country girl" Millicent. Several centuries ago Merlin trapped Knight of the Round Table Gareth Solimere inside the bracelet for sleeping with the mage's lover. Gareth believes that only the love of the possessor will free him. He plans to seduce the current wearer Millicent. They enjoy the tryst but she trusts no one or her heart. While falling in love with Millicent, he persuades her to embrace her magic in order to do the right thing; preventing the odious duke and his minion from achieving his real scheme.

The latest Relics of Merlin Victorian romantic fantasy (see Double Enchantment and Enchanting The Lady) is an exhilarating coming of age (actually social strata) historical as the student teaches her mentor what love is all about. Readers will enjoy the chivalrous cursed and his beloved shapeshifter battling evil and their hearts.

Harriet Klausner