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I picked up this book to read just one of the four novellas, "Pandora's Bottle" by Eileen Wilks, because I've enjoyed her Lupi books. Honestly, it was the weakest of the four. (Seriously—why would a djinn's magic be tied in any way to Halloween?)

Ordinarily, I would have moved on to another book right away. <i>Charmed</i> is very clearly a romance anthology, and I'm not a romance fan.

On the other hand, I was doing something involving a lot of waiting, and <i>Charmed</i> happened to be the book that was in my hands. I decided to try something new for me, so I read the other stories and tried to judge them <b>as</b> romance stories. Failing that, I tried to at least be less annoyed at the standard romance "stuff" (look, it's almost 5am and I do not know where my thesaurus is).

So&mdash;Jayne Castle's "Bridal Jitters" was set in a world I'd like to know more about. The relationship barrier was a bit contrived, but at least it was relatively fresh (to me).

Julie Beard's "Man in the Mirror" started with a handicap: I detest all those modern-person-goes-back-to-good-old-days stories, <b>especially</b> the romances. She saved the tale from total suckage by turning things around a bit.

Finally, "Tangled Dreams" by Lori Foster is our obligatory ghost story. The ghosts are the good people here, and they're matchmaking merrily while trying to warn the living occupant of their house that all is not well. From her prose, I have to wonder if Ms. Foster really thinks that the scenes she describes are "kinky" to most people? There's nothing to get your harness in a knot over, though, just a little light bondage.

So the volume wasn't torturous, and it did provide me with some distraction. Changing my attitude almost certainly helped me enjoy these stories a bit more. I don't think I'm likely to start seeking out romances, but with so much "paranormal romance" all over the shelves, I should probably get used to having somebody's romance in my fantasy.
  
Deadly Curiosities
Deadly Curiosities
Gail Z. Martin | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
4
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
DNF at 60%.
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The cover grabbed me and the synopsis made me think this could be quite a fun read.It turned out it took a lot of reading. That&rsquo;s not to say it was bad or anything, for me it was just okay; nothing special. I just prefer shorter books. And ones with less description. (I&rsquo;m probably the only one who feels like that!)

And for them to have at least a bit of romance in them. By the half way point I&rsquo;d given up on anything romantic happening. There wasn&rsquo;t the slightest whiff of it at all. I like a bit of action in stories but I love it when it ends in some sexual tension between characters and there was nil. I&rsquo;m a romance reader and I, wrongly, assumed that this would be like every other UF book I&rsquo;ve read where there would be some romance mixed in the storyline.

Getting past the lack of romance, I liked the abilities of Cassidy and Teag. It was a refreshing change to read about something different. Not that I don&rsquo;t love my shifters and vampires but every so often it&rsquo;s nice to get a different take on things and seeing the history of items when you touch them and being able to piece together information on the internet and through books as a Weaver were definitely new to me.

I must confess that the lack of romance in the book put me off and I struggled to become interested in the storyline. I&rsquo;m not the biggest fan of ghost stories and I&rsquo;m no history buff so having to read all the back story of the Charleston really put me off.

Being honest, I have to say that this wasn&rsquo;t my sort of book at all but if you like urban fantasy books with lots of description/back story with the occasional flashbacks and no romance, then this is likely perfect for you.
  
13 is a number that can be both good or bad for someone. For Aria it tends to bring out her powers. Yup powers... See she is actually magical and doesn't know it until two hot guys show up and show her the way. You may be wondering, but no this isn't a 2 guys 1 girl story. Sure a love triangle is inevitable but it does get resolved.

In that time we get an adventure, magic, romance, and plots upon plots. One can never know till the end who is on which side and where to put your trust.

Truly this was a well written and inviting story with all the fantasy elements one could want.
  
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Karlaalyy (10 KP) rated The Selection in Books

Jul 14, 2018  
The Selection
The Selection
Kiera Cass | 2012 | Children
8
7.9 (48 Ratings)
Book Rating
Character development (2 more)
Romance
Not your average heroine
Setting wasn’t very descriptive (0 more)
Dystopian fantasy
Contains spoilers, click to show
The story follows America, an unlikely heroine, in a futuristic USA where presidency has been overthrown and monarchy rules. In order to stop riots and rebellions across the country the monarchy organises a selection of women from different social classes (ordered by number) to compete to marry the crown prince. America is a singer, a woman of a lower class above only manual labourers, slaves and the homeless. Her large heart, rebellious spirit and social class endear her to both the prince and the people however the king sees her as a threat and will do everything in his power to get rid of her.
  
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Kristy S. (3 KP) rated Caraval in Books

Aug 10, 2018  
Caraval
Caraval
Stephanie Garber | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
5
8.1 (97 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was hoping for more. (0 more)
So much potential...
I read this book as it was recommended for those who enjoyed the book Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The story had all the elements of a book I should love - fantasy, adventure, a challenge, a bit of romance, but I did not enjoy the book as I thought I would. I world Garber attempted to create wasn't fully developed. Where she tried to exude mystery and intrigue felt more like plot holes and underdeveloped ideas. The characters made extreme choices that didn't feel realistic, specifically the protagonist's sister. Overall, the book fell flat for me. It has all the potential in the world, but it fizzled.