Casting Spells Paperback – November 4, 2008

This book has knitting, magic, mystery and romance. It was a solid series start. I’m intrigued by the range of characters.

I remember reading this in high school and recently recalled it. It's just as good as I remember. Looking forward to the next book!

Title: Casting SpellsSeries: The Sugar Maple ChroniclesAuthor: Barbara BrettonDesignation: Book One of Series, Full-Length, Can Be Read As Standalone, No Cliffhanger, Happy For Now Ending #paranormal #supernatural #fantasy #romance #magick #fae #shapeshifters #vampires #sorcerers #trolls #selkiesMy Rating: Three Entertaining Stars***Growing up, I was fascinated by my mother's ability to sew, knit and crochet. I even watched my grandmother and great grandmother use spinning wheels to spin wool into yarn. And yes, I'm that old! Through my eyes as a child, it seemed magical watching them create their colorful masterpieces. I remember asking my mom if it was magic and she would always reply: 'In a way, I guess it is magic, but it's the kind that can be done by anyone who's willing to make the effort and put their heart into it.' Unfortunately, I didn't inherit her talent, but I admire anyone possessing the ability and patience to make such beautiful creations. And believe me, I discovered quickly that knitting is a craft requiring years of hard work, skill, and countless hours of practice. Barbara Bretton is a new-to-me author, so I had no idea what to expect, but the knitting aspect of this story immediately snagged my interest. I did my due diligence by reading the blurb and several of the reviews, then made my purchase and dove in. And color me very pleasantly surprised. I found myself instantly drawn into the story and the town of Sugar Maple, Vermont. Casting Spells is a delightful cross between a sweet, clean paranormal romance, a delightful comedic whodunit, and an edge of your seat cozy mystery infused with a large cast of fascinating characters, an intriguing premise, an engaging storyline, a generous splash of suspense, a sprinkle of humor, and lots and lots of magic. The narrative was written in the first person with clearly defined his and her perspectives. The dialogue was smart, snappy, and flowed effortlessly. I was immediately smitten with the two protagonists, shop owner and Sugar Maple honorary mayor Chloe Hobbs and Boston police detective Luke McKenzie. I was spellbound by the interaction and chemistry between Chloe and Luke. When these two meet, attraction ignites, sparks fly, and passion explodes! And I do mean literally! I love stories in which the hearts of the hero and heroine know instantly what it wants, even if it does take their brain a while to catch up. Seeing them struggle to recognize their feelings is always the best part of the story, although I will admit, I did have my doubts about the outcome of the future for Chloe and Luke. When that happens, you know the writer has done their job exceptionally well, and Bretton certainly did because by the end, I was sniffling, snuffling, and angrily wiping tears, truly believing there could be no happy ending for our unlikely lovers. But thankfully, fate refuses to be denied and love always wins, at least that's what my heart chooses to believe. So, did I like this book! Yes, I did, very much! So why only three stars? I'm not trying to be a negative nelly but there were quite a few typos and several inconsistencies, one of which completely disrupted the flow of the story. The most noticeable was an important part of a scene missing in my book that should have occurred in Chapter 10 during Luke and Chloe's first dinner date/official business meeting to discuss the case. There were continued references throughout the story about Luke meeting Gunnar at the restaurant and a glass of wine which mysteriously(magically) flew across the table and ended up in Luke's lap - but it never happened, at least not in my copy. Gunnar nor the glass of wine were ever in the scene. And I searched-several times. It kinda broke my heart because I really liked this book. I was very disappointed. This story could have been so much better with a professional proofread and a little more attention to detail from the author. Would I recommend it? Yes, and I am for anyone age 14 and above. It's clean, sweet, and there is romance but no explicit sex. It does contain mild violence, but it's not gory or graphic, however the story is based on a murder mystery. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! This may have been my first time reading the work of Barbara Bretton, but it certainly won't be my last! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! If you enjoy paranormal cozy mysteries generously seasoned with romance, I'd give this book a whirl, especially if you enjoy a little humor and a lot of knitting!

Sugar Maple, VT is the perfect postcard New England small town, until you look under the surface.The story begins with the "accidental" death of a young woman. Since the town has no police, the state sends in one to investigate.Sparks fly, literally, when the cop, Luke, shakes hands with the Mayor, Chloe. Chloe is the daughter of a witch and a human and the last of the Hobbs women who are the protectors of the town which is populated by various supernatural beings.The story is full of twists, evil twins, and a crazed fae who wants to take the town into the mist. The book bounces between Chloe and Luke as narrators and is easy to follow.You will not be disappointed.

When I first dug into this story, I was incredibly excited because it seemed like an enchanting, fresh look at all those mythical beings I so love (werewolves, vampires, witches, shapeshifters, the works!). Unfortunately, for a romance novel, I had a hard time finding the real romance and the book felt like something that would be directed more towards starry eyed teenage girls than adult romance readers.**SPOILER ALERT**For all that "sparks flew" every time the hero and heroine touch, there isn't a whole lot of romantic tension in my opinion and I found myself waiting for the part where they would actually get close and begin having a relationship that progresses beyond "you're sexy and human and I need a man", but it never happened. Gorgeous, klutzy, self-conscious girl with tragic past meets handsome, super confident (but polite) hunk of a police officer, sparks fly (literally), she falls in love with him after knowing him for like ten whole minutes and he falls in love with her back, a not-so-sexy allusion to a sex scene (in which the man only lasts 20 minutes), love is the key to her powers and girl is suddenly super powerful, sprinkle in some not-so-shocking reveals about her parents and past, then toss in a rather anti-climactic showdown with the baddies (even though the baddest of the bad is supposed to be Uber Powerful). Girl thinks hunk is dead, but he's not, but she still lets hunk go, hunk changes his mind and decides to stay, all is happy and awesome. The tensest part of the book was when the cop sees her smooching her best friend, and his response was pretty much to storm off in a huff then tell her not to do it again... Said best friend (who not-so-subtly is in love with her) nobly sacrifices himself to allow her and hunk to be together, even though 20 pages ago he dramatically insisted that he would make her love him and NOT the hunk...I loved the setting that the author created and her take on the familiar mythic races we all know and love, and I thought that she laid some solid groundwork for the characters in the very beginning, but in the end the story felt rushed, predictable, and, unfortunately, pretty dang cheesy. I'm all for a good "love at first sight" story but I expect a little bit more... substance, more depth to the characters, the plot, and the romance itself. Perhaps the series gets better as it goes on, but I won't be spending my money to find out. In my opinion, I definitely don't feel I got my $13 and change's worth... I may one day give this author another shot, but not any time soon.

This is a super relaxing and fun book, if you want something light and cute with good characters and romance. It would be great in a cozy winter night by the fire, or even a beach read. I enjoyed the knitting in-jokes, and I bet the book would still be fun for those who don't relate to them.

It is a nice read but it misses some sense of adventure do give it more life

This was a really fun and easy book to read and I look forward to the rest all the others.

Fab great book can't wait to read the next book. To find out more about the life in sugar maple.

Such a fun and enjoyable book. A great combination of romance, suspense, humour and magick. All the characters, even the bad guys, were fascinating. The plot and pacing held my attention and the writing was very smooth. Bretton has a new fan and I’m ready to read the next book in the series.

Leichter Lesestoff z.B. für den Urlaub, aber mehr auch nicht.Es liest sich ein wenig wie eine Reihe aneinander gestückelter Kapitel. Obwohl relativ schnell klar ist, dass die Hauptfigur eine wichtige Aufgabe hat und auch wie diese aussieht, plätschern die Kapitel erst mal so mit anderen Themen und Vorfällen dahin. Erst relativ spät kommt die Geschichte zum Kern der Sache und ist dann gleich darauf auch schon vorbei.Zwar ist mir sehr wohl bekannt, dass das ein beliebtes Stilmittel in der Literatur ist um Spannung aufzubauen, nur will bei mir leider so gar keine Spannung aufkommen.