Janet Chapman (1)Reseñas

Date started April 19,2024
It’s interesting to say the least, the first book I’ve read from this author, at the time that I am reading it the language used is expected of the time that it was written, slightly misogynistic, and the use of words like Alpha male can be cringy but are still used in this day. While the writing itself is not bad, the story is all over the place. Her being a mathematician rocket scientist, virgin at 30 y.o. and that she is almost kidnapped by people who want to use her experiment as a weapon was a curve ball I wasn’t expecting. As I have not yet finished the book I am rating it so far at 3 stars.

I love Janet Chapman's writing. She creates characters that I'd want to know. I love that I know her stories are going to have a happy ending. This book, like all her others, are delightful, light reads that draw the reader in and keep you reading until late in the night. I'm always a little sad when I finish one of her books because now I have to wait until the next one comes out in a few months.

Another fun read by Janet Chapman. I'm never disappointed with her books. She does a great job at creating interesting and believable characters. Her story lines always keep my attention and flow well. I highly recommend her books and this is no exception

A great series to check out, one of my favorite fantasy/romance. Janet Chapman's books are fun and easy to read.

A great series to check out, one of my favorite fantasy/romance. Janet Chapman's books are fun and easy to read.

Another great one from Janet Champan!

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Picked up this book to get Mac & Henry's backstory. Fiona is a great heroine who has to overcome having something utterly horrific that happened to her. Trace also has personal issues to overcome. It was a perfectly fine romantic story.

But I could have done without the subtle monogamous misogyny that kept cropping up. e.g. How everything in nature comes in pairs (nope), how women are not whole unless they have children, how going childless is a betrayal of your mother. Despite the magical setting, I was getting some Christian fundy vibes from the book, which ruined a lot of my enjoyment of it. The overbearing men of Fiona's family was enough to convince me I don't want to read the rest of the series this book is a part of.

Loved being with Peg and her kids. Like the storyline. Like Duncan for the most part, except for his domineering ways. He obviously loves the kids though and that's wonderful to see, as well as his relationship with his clan. The author is obviously a fan of the "big, strong man" but I'm not, so that showing up frequently in these books is annoying. Not enough to stop me reading the series though.

Although this will didn't have as many big strong men moments it's still saying to get a little tiresome in this series. I like Nicholas our hero, maybe because we got to know him fairly well in the previous book. However I hated Julia. I get that she's been traumatized. But still so many of her early actions just didn't seem to make much sense. I like that we finally got to see her intelligence in the last third of the book but by that point I wasn't really engaged in her HEA.

I liked getting into Rana's head and enjoyed reading about an older couple. Also like how we get to follow the lives of those we've met in previous installments. It was a fun read.

Was looking forward to Carolina's story and this didn't disappoint. Love how this story is really about the right to choose who you want to be and how you want to live. Also sets up the next two books.

Lots of intrigue in this one. Like that there's discussion about why a womens' shelter is needed and seeing our people work together to solve issues. It's a shame the author died as you can see that the two cops and the doctor introduced are being set up to be heroes later but she never got to write it. Lots of new possibilities set up with this story that will sadly be unfulfilled.

This book signals a move away from the founding people of Spellbound Falls (we only glimpse Titus, Rana, and Olivia) to two newcomers (albeit one with ties to the earlier series). This book deals with the aftermath of rape and I appreciated how it was handled by all involved. Do feel that it's odd that the hero never gets a true explanation of the nature of the town, but that may be because the author died before this was published. The epilogue really feels like a way to quickly complete the series (much in the way A Dangerous Witch (Witch Central, #3) by |Debora Geary ties up the series after the author went through some personal change which made her not want to continue) and I wouldn't be surprised if someone else wrote it.

I did enjoy my time in Spellbound Falls.

Love the magical and mythical elements of the story, as well as the look at loss and found family. Not a fan of the big, strong man part of things. Enjoyed it enough to continue the series.

It's fun to read a time-travel romance where one of the central pair has been dragged forward in time instead of backward like in so many books. The characters are unique, and the story stays compelling through to the end.

Charming the Highlander is the first book in Janet Chapman’s Pine Creek Highlanders series. Laird Greylen MacKeage and three of his men, along with their chief rival and several of his men are catapulted forward in time eight hundred years, thanks to the magic of a wizard named Daar. For the past four years, they’ve been acclimating to their new surroundings with the help of Daar who is now masquerading as a priest. They’ve taken up residence in the small town of Pine Creek, Maine, where Grey is now the owner of a ski resort, which is nearing it’s grand opening. Elsewhere, scientist Grace Sutter works for a space exploration company and hopes that the technology she’s developing will allow people to travel into space and even to Mars on a regular basis in the near future. However, her work was put on the back burner when her sister came to stay after leaving the man who got her pregnant. She had just decided to return to her boyfriend when she was in a car accident. On her death bed, she made Grace promise to return her child, who was delivered via c-section, to his father. Grace returns to Pine Creek with the baby in tow, but the prop plane she’s traveling on for the final leg of her journey crashes in the mountains. The only other survivor is their fellow passenger who happens to be Grey. He quickly takes charge of the situation and saves both Grace’s and the baby’s lives from the bitter cold and snowy weather conditions. Finally back at her sister’s home, Grace has a big decision to make about the baby’s future. She wants to honor her sister’s wishes, but she isn’t sure a man who claims to have time traveled can be trusted with an infant. Then Grace’s boss makes an unexpected visit informing her that he sold her technology to a company that wants to use it to create weapons and that there are nefarious men on the way who will stop at nothing to get their hands on Grace who is the only one who can decipher the garbled transmission their space probe is sending back to Earth. Throughout all the turmoil, Grace has been falling for Grey, but will she be able to trust him when she discovers that he, too, is a time traveler who hasn’t been honest about his origins? And will a twelfth century warrior be able to save Grace from the modern bad guys when they kidnap her?

Grey was born in the year 1171. He was Laird of his Scottish clan and a respected Highland warrior before being catapulted eight hundred years into the future by a lightning storm created by a wizard. Grey doesn’t know for certain how they got there, but he’s been keeping a close watch on the priest named Daar who helped him and his men acclimate to the twenty-first century. Daar was able to sell some of their possessions for enough money to build a castle in their new home along with a ski resort business that’s about to open. Grey was returning from a travel convention in Chicago when the plane he was flying on went down. He manages to keep Grace and her baby safe during the crash and use his warrior’s survival skills to get them safely off the mountain and back home. He knows almost immediately that he wants to claim Grace as his woman, but she takes a little convincing. In the meantime, he looks out for her and her baby’s well-being. When Grey discovers that the child isn’t hers after all, but is the son of his mortal enemy, he supports her choice to keep him from his father. But Grace won’t stop until she’s brokered peace between the stubborn, feuding Highlanders. Then kidnappers come for Grace, leaving Grey in a race against time and the elements to save her. Usually I’m a big fan of Highlander heroes, but initially I wasn’t vibing with Grey. Part of the problem is that he’s a rather underdeveloped character, but he was also being a little too possessive and cavemanish in the way he kept grabbing Grace, kissing her, and feeling her up. Then a chapter or two later, he’s giving his men a lesson on women’s rights, which was a complete 180 that practically gave me whiplash. Luckily he evened out more as the story progressed, so he wasn’t as bad as some heroes I’ve read. I liked him better by the end, but I still didn’t fall for him the way I wanted to.

Grace comes from a rather large family, but her parents died some time ago. She’s a top scientist who’s been working on technology that will hopefully make space travel more common and accessible to the average person. In the midst of her project, her sister, Mary, came to visit, but she was being secretive about her reasons for leaving the boyfriend who got her pregnant. About a month before her due date, she decided to return home and reconcile with Michael, but she was in a car accident along the way. Her baby was delivered by c-section, and before she died, she extracted a promise from Grace to take the baby to his father. However, she also finally revealed that she’d left him because he’d claimed to be a time traveler. A month later and still grieving the loss of her sister, Grace returns home to Pine Creek with Baby, but she hasn’t decided yet whether she’s going to tell Michael the truth. It all depends on how she feels after meeting him and whether he’s still making his outrageous claims. Then her plane crashes on the mountain and she and Baby are saved by their ruggedly handsome fellow passenger. Grace is very attracted to Grey, and despite having a lot on her plate to deal with, she comes to the realization that she wants to be with him pretty quickly. When the shady business that her boss sold her technology to kidnaps her, Grey must ride to the rescue once again, but if he can save her, will she be able to trust him and handle the truth of his origins when it’s staring her in the face?

I enjoy smart heroines, so overall, I liked Grace pretty well, except maybe for her eating up Grey’s possessiveness so easily. The other small thing that bothered me a bit is that Grace is a thirty-year-old virgin, which in and of itself is fine with me. But she simply says that she’s saving herself for marriage. In this modern age most women who’ve made this choice do so because of religious beliefs or some other specific reason. However, we don’t learn until late in the story what that reason was and I didn’t care for the fact that it was merely rooted in male chauvinism. Otherwise, she was a pretty good character who took on the role of temporary motherhood very admirably and despite having become attached to Baby, she did the right thing in the end by giving him back to Michael.

The Pine Creek Highlanders series is eight books long, so we meet some characters in Charming the Highlander who go on to get their own books in the series. Grey’s brother, Morgan, seems like he might be a little more lighthearted than Grey, and his story is the next one in the series, Loving the Highlander. Poor Michael is a tragic character who has now lost two women he loved and become a single father. Luckily he’ll finally get his HEA in book #3, Wedding the Highlander. From there, it moves on to the next generation. Book #4 is Michael’s son, Robbie’s story. Then Grey and Grace’s daughters, Winter, Megan, and Camry respectively become the heroines of the next three books, Only With the Highlander, Secrets of the Highlander, and A Highlander Christmas.

Overall, Charming the Highlander was a pretty good read. It held my attention well and was fairly entertaining, though not perfect. I couldn’t help feeling a little tweaked by the chauvinism in the story from both Grey and his men and later from Grace’s brothers. I understood on some level that Grey and his men might have different attitudes, having come from an era far in the past, and they do lighten up as the story progresses, but I’ve read other time travel and historical romances where the men didn’t act like this at all. And when it came to Grace’s brothers, IMHO, they had no excuse, because they’re supposed to be modern men. I also felt like Grey and Grace’s romance was rushed. Insta-love has never been a favorite trope for me, and they fall in love and commit to marriage in less than a week, which stretched the bounds of credibility a bit. I didn’t really feel much of an emotional connection between them early in the story either, but it did get better as it went along. Another small complaint I have is that I usually have pretty high expectations for the first love scene, especially if one of the characters is a virgin. Grey and Grace’s first sexual encounter left a lot to be desired with him not even attempting to pleasure her, which I thought was rather selfish of him and a major let-down. At least they had a nice, romantic, and somewhat steamy one toward the end that helped to make up for it some. Otherwise, I enjoyed the story. The town of Pine Creek has a certain charm to it, although I don’t know that we got to see a lot of it given that there’s ongoing inclement weather throughout the book. I also thought it was cute that Grey had built an actual castle—though with some modern amenities—in the middle of the Maine wilderness. I like that Grey and his men eventually bury the proverbial hatchet with Michael so that they can all live in harmony from now on. So the story had upsides too. It ultimately has left me open to checking out the other books in the series, which will work out well since I already have the second book on my TBR pile.

Gunnar Wolfe makes his living hunting and tracking down people but Katy gives him a run for his money.

Katy MacBain is a part-time real estate broker and a volunteer paramedic. She's returning to Spellbound Falls to work as an EMT but she disappeared three weeks before arriving on the job, Something happened to her that has her not trusting any beverages given to her by a man.
Katy's best friend sends Gunnar to track down the missing Katy and she becomes his obsession. When he picks up her trail heading to Spellbound Falls he gets himself hired at the same firehouse as Katy and finds more than he ever dreamed.

This is a mostly light-hearted romance, with magical twists, charming little boys, overbearing protective highlanders and a wounded but yet still vibrant Katy. I always enjoy returning to Spellbound Falls, the charm of it makes me want to completely ignore pesky details and just go with it. If you enjoy light-hearted, romances with a touch of magic and lots of cameos from previous books, I think you'll enjoy 'Call it Magic.'

Per her daughter's Facebook message this was her mother's 'last and final book,' before she died of cancer in 2017. She brought a lot of joy to the world sharing her special worlds and she will be missed.

If you like my reviews I hope you will follow my blog. https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/

Wow what a so called 'Hero'.
He is so angry, bad tempered and at the start down right cruel to the heroine. Poor girl.

I loved this book and am heartbroken that there will be no more magical books from Janet Chapman. She is one of my favorite authors, and I will miss her and her magical worlds dreadfully.

Katy MacBain is the youngest daughter of Libby and Michael MacBain (Wedding the Highlander). She recently left her job as a real estate agent to become a paramedic. She applied for a job with the Spellbound Falls Fire and Rescue Team but disappeared for three weeks between completing her course in Colorado and arriving in Spellbound Falls. Her best friend, Jane (From Kiss to Queen), worries about Katy, and sends a trusted friend to look for her. I ached for Katy and the problem that haunts her.

Gunnar Wolfe was sent to find Katy and was frustrated at his inability to do so. Joining the Fire and Rescue Team was his last-ditch effort, as he knew she was due in Spellbound Falls by a specific date. He was hired as a firefighter, then as the interim fire chief. Gunnar is intrigued by Katy before he meets her, thanks to the information given to him by Jane before he begins his search.

I loved the first meeting between Katy and Gunnar. There are sparks, but also a little bit of head-butting. Gunnar's fascination with Katy increases, as he also senses that there are things she is hiding. Gunnar tries to fight the attraction, as she works for him, but it is a losing battle. Katy, on the other hand, is all-in and ready to pursue him. I enjoyed watching the development of their relationship. First, there is friendship, as Gunnar helps Katy settle into her duties as a paramedic. I liked seeing them spend time together and get to know each other. Gunnar is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of the pain he senses in her. I had fun with Katy's belief that Gunnar is an Atlantean and his reactions to some of the things she says. I ached for them both when Katy's issues come between them. It took a long conversation with her mom to work through that which haunts her (and I loved how that conversation came about). I loved Gunnar's patience and sensitivity as he worked his way past her walls. I loved seeing the changes in Katy as she regained her belief in herself. I also enjoyed the changes in Gunnar, as his feelings for Katy transformed him from footloose to ready to settle down. I loved the ending, especially Gunnar's confession of why he was there. The epilogue was terrific. I loved the bit with Jane at the beginning of it (bless her matchmaking little heart) and seeing how other characters are doing.

Another secret that Katy has is the gift that led her to become a paramedic. It isn't something that she can tell other people about, so working as a first responder is the logical way to use it without revealing herself. Gunnar is an inadvertent witness to one instance that puzzles him. He's further confused when he is on the receiving end. I loved the scene at the end when she trusts him enough to ask for his help with Shiloh.

Something I really enjoyed were the scenes involving the fire and rescue crew. Katy has some obstacles to overcome before the other members accept her. I loved that she didn't let it get her down, but worked to overcome them. The prank scene with Katy and Welles was great. I especially enjoyed the way that she foiled their tormentors. The scene at the lake was fantastic. The others' reaction to Katy's handling of the hopped-up druggie was hilarious and won their respect. I also loved the campfire events that Katy started and seeing the effect they had on the skeptics.

I liked the scenes that involved characters from other books. I laughed at how some of Katy's male relatives did a preemptive visit to the firehouse to warn off the men. I enjoyed the scenes with her brother, Robbie, which showed their love for each other as well as some of the more frustrating sibling moments. Titus, Olivia, Duncan, and others make brief appearances.

Yes, I did receive an ARC, and I'm finding it a little disconcerting to read a book written by a deceased author. I can tell that another author has had a (small) hand in this book, and of course, that is not wholly unexpected. I see Janet's creativity all over this book. As a matter of fact, I think that if this author did a little more studying of Janet's style flawed, sometimes physically flawed characters, magic, and fantasy with a dollop of hotness, they could really make a go of keeping this series alive. There are enough kids, nieces, and nephews to keep this series going for decades. Well, enough of my opining and onto the review: I am going to start by telling you that this book deals with a very sensitive topic *Spoiler Alert* rape. If you do select this book and I hope you do and are wondering why this author would choose this subject, then I suggest you actually start this book by reading both of the Letters From the Author first. You will find these at the back of the book. -this will explain the why of it. *End Spoiler*

What amazes me, Gunner (who you meet in From Kiss to Queen) is not the one with magic. I was surprised since so many (not all mind you) of the past books have the Alpha males generally being the ones with magic. Gunner was just not as Alpha-ish as the males in previous books.

This book follows most of the same formulas as the past novels, although it seemed to me that there was just a tad more swearing in this than other books.

I love that Katy got the same magic as her mother Libby had (Wedding the Highlander).

Please do not make this the first book of Ms. Chapman's that you read. You may find it unnerving to understand so much backstory. What I loved most is that past characters from most of the separate series are talked about or included in this book. This is a book for fans of Ms. Chapman's. And a fitting tribute to the late author. I will be re-reading this today and also re-reading Ms. Chapman's entire library.

*ARC supplied by the Publisher.

NEWEST UPDATE! August 21,2019

Call It Magic-is up for preorder at Amazon. May 5, 2020, is the delivery date.

Synopsis: "The latest magical romance in the Spellbound Falls series from the New York Times bestselling author of From Kiss to Queen and The Highlander Next Door

Welcome back to Spellbound Falls, Maine—where love is the greatest magic of all...

Katy MacBain moved to Spellbound Falls with secrets she plans to keep. The newest member of the Fire and Rescue Team, she disappeared for three weeks before arriving on the job. She doesn’t understand why Gunnar Wolfe—the town’s interim fire chief and her boss—seems determined to uncover the truth of what happened to her during that time. Or why she’s more attracted to him than she’s ever been to any other man.

A confident firefighter, Gunnar Wolfe doesn’t give up—and he’s resolved to find out what’s wrong with the mysterious and beautiful Katy. Since she is the newest member of his team, he’s naturally protective of her, but he’s surprised to find himself captivated by the tenacious and talented woman who is so...magical."
End Update

UPDATE MARCH 24th 2019
Janet Chapman, Author

Hello Everyone, I'm sorry for the silence over the past year. It's been a long process to make sure Janet's last book gets finished. I finally have some good and bad news. The good news is that it will be finished and released!! The bad news is that it has a tentative release date of May 2020. I guess all good things are worth waiting for! Thank you for remaining her loyal fans and being so patient. -Jessica"
This message above was quoted from the FB page of Janet's that I'm still following.

End Update

"It is with my deepest sorrow that I am to inform you of the death of our beloved: Janet Chapman passed away on Saturday, October 28, 2017 with a long battle of cancer. She was surrounded by her loved ones. Janet was a truly marvelous woman, I will greatly miss her. Please pray for her husband and family. ~Vanetta “keep sprinkling the magic”"

This is one of my very favorite authors -as a matter of fact, I just finished a re-re-re-read of almost all her books, last week. I had a suspicion that something like this was going to happen when her next book publication date kept changing and Amazon made it "not available" instead of pre-order. I will miss this author's wonderful way with words, magic, and love -nobody can ever take her place.

I always hope that I stay alive long enough for my favorite author's to finish their series -but I have never thought about the fact that *they* can die before they have finished. This loss brings that fact home to me.
28 likes

fun½

Lovely read, established couple getting back in touch with each other, old friends and new characters set the stage for future books.

Sweet

Sweet love story, with scheming old folks and a tender hearted woman. His grandfather wanted her for one of his grandsons. Sam is willing but he has to convince her.