Spellbinder

Ms. Rawn has been on hiatus for quite awhile due to an injury. You nay remember her for her epic fantasies; Dragon Star and The Mageborn Traitor. The latter is the second novel in what promises...someday...to be exquisite. But sticking your foot back in the water after not having swum in years takes courage and slow deliberation. Spellbinder is Ms. Rawn's deliberation.

Fellas: Be warned! At its heart, this is a blatant and unapologetic romance novel.

Ladies: I recommended it to my 17-year old step-daughter and she loved it! (However, if she had been 15, this might have been a bit mature. The protagonists have a very adult relationship which is demonstrated in rather plain terms, although not descriptive.)

All that having been said, its a pretty darned good fantasy. The heroine is a Spellbinder - a type of witch that is weak in power, but her blood makes sure that other witches workings are powerful and accurate. In the world of Wicca (which this is not, but its oh-so-similar), her blood is in high demand and its not really necessary that her body be wrapped around it. She needs constant protection.

Enter the love interest, an Irish cop who is extremely attractive and all male. But he's no witch. He's not her protector, but he works for the man who is and the story being what it is they get together and their relationship is interwoven with her ability to do magic and the people she serves in keeping us mere mortals safe from the wicked witches of the world.

Make no mistake, this is not Ms. Rawn's usual mix of high fantasy and soulmates. This is more like Fern Michaels. Its not ever going to be on anybody's "Must Read" list for fantasy novels. But it is fun, its a relatively light read, and I enjoyed it.