BOOK REVIEW: Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast

Title: Wicked Enchantment

Author: Anya Bast

Publisher: Berkley Sensation

Publication Date: 5 Jan 2010

Paperback: 302 pages

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Rating: 8/10

Summary (Goodreads)

When you’re a half incubus, your reputation precedes you... All eyes are on Gabriel Mac Braire the day he makes his first appearance in the Seelie Court, including those of Aislinn Finvarra. Despite deep bitterness over her last failed relationship, Aislinn cannot help but be curious about the half incubus who is known to possess dark magick, both lethal and sexual in nature. Rumors abound of the women who have become enslaved to his irresistible charms.

So when the Summer Queen of the fae orders Aislinn herself to act as his guide in the court, she is understandably on guard. She’s fallen under the spell of far less persuasive men before. In addition, Gabriel might be more than he seems and his true mission is far from innocent. This time, Aislinn must protect not only her heart, but her very life...

Review:

This is the first book I've read by Anya Bast and it is the first book in her new Dark Magick series. I really enjoyed Wicked Enchantment. Bast's writing flows very well and I was pulled into the story within just a few pages. I liked Aislinn straight away too and Gabriel is just scrummy!

I have very limited experience when it comes to paranormal romance. It's not often a genre I dip into as I get too embarrassed with all the sexual shenanigans *blush* I like a bit of sexual tension and even the lead up to sex, but usually just cringe when it gets down to the nitty gritty. With Wicked Enchantment, however, it was different. The love scenes were written well and instead of making me shy away and skim those pages, I hung around and it is a pretty sizzling read. It's not overly explicit, although it's still about a nine out of ten on the hotness scale, but it had just about the right amount of heat I could handle.

I loved the romance between Aislinn and Gabriel - it's fiery and sensual but sweet as well and we see them go from total lust to totally in love. Although, Aislinn does seem to like being dominated, there is an essence of control in the way she deals with Gabriel. It is fun to read and as I don't really like my heroines to be submissive, I'm hoping Aislinn finds more of that assertiveness in the coming books.

We also see Aislinn and Gabriel grow as characters. Aislinn from a bored, spoilt member of the Summer Queen's entourage to a strong and determined woman who has to deal with a power she never knew she had, and Gabriel from a selfish womaniser who's never given his heart to anyone but his mother, into a love sick puppy who has fallen head over heels in love and will give anything to protect her, even his life. Both characters develop well and I like the direction Bast is taking them.

Now, this book isn't just about the romance, it has a plot too and a really good one. One that kept me engrossed until the very last page. It has action, and no not that kind of action. I'm talking about action that includes weapons and spells, creepy Sluagh (the army of unforgiven dead) and goblins. It's also about friendship and the lengths people will go to preserve it. The supporting characters are just as well defined and I look forward to finding out more about them in subsequent books.

Verdict:

I thoroughly enjoyed Wicked Enchantment and if you like paranormal romance then you will love this. A fabulous combination of action packed adventure and sexy red-hot romance. I can't wait for the next installment in this series, Cruel Enchantment, which is due September 2010.

Thank you to Anya Bast for sending me this book to review.

You can find out more about this author here:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads