When Lisa Richards’ parents died, she never thought her life would change as drastically as it did. Now she has to take over her father’s seat on a secret supernatural council, lead troops into battle against the ferocious Goblin Lord, and try not to get herself killed in the process.
To make matters worse, Lisa thinks she may be falling in love with the socialite werewolf who was supposed to protect her.
Whoever said growing up was easy, clearly didn’t have to save the world every other week.
Monique Snyman’s mind is a confusing bedlam of glitter and death, where candy-coated gore is found in abundance and homicidal unicorns thrive. Sorting out the mess in her head is particularly irksome before she’s ingested a specific amount of coffee, which is equal to half the recommended intake of water for humans per day. When she’s not playing referee to her imaginary friends or trying to overdose on caffeine, she’s doing something with words—be it writing, reading, or editing.
Monique Snyman lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with her husband and an adorable Chihuahua. She’s the author of the Bram Stoker Award® nominated novels, THE NIGHT WEAVER and THE BONE CARVER, and the upcoming South African horror series, DARK COUNTRY.
Thank you to the author for providing a copy! The following are my own thoughts and opinions of the book.
Enticed by Monique Snyman is book one of her series Charming Incantations and follows the story of Lisa Richards. Lisa was living a normal life, getting ready for college until a fire took the lives of her parents and she discovered a secret world that her family was involved in. A world full of myth and fantasy that has now turned reality for her. Vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, banshees, witches....they all exist and thanks to a very old alliance they work to protect the humans from finding out their existence and to prevent the bad guys from taking over. Lisa's family was the only part from the humans and as the only living heir, she takes her father's role in the Alliance. Confused and grieving, Lisa must decide who she can trust and adapt to this new life if she hopes to save the human race.
Meet the Characters
Lisa is eighteen, out-going, and very independent until her parents are killed. Though this scene occurs before the book begins, the author gives us a glimpse at what Lisa is like when she is too busy to grieve. I like this character! She's funny, quick-witted, and though I'd have peed my pants meeting a vampire and werewolf (among other paranormal beings) she smiles and shows no fear. Lisa is also very trusting, too trusting in my opinion. When she goes to the Alliance's first meeting, she agrees to move in with the werewolf. Ummm....no thank you! I don't care how hot he is I would not be moving in with a creature that could kill me by accident. Not gonna happen! But Lisa trusts Romulus and does exactly the opposite of what I would do. (Of course, I trusted the vampire Milosh so maybe I'm not the best person to criticize ;) )
Romulus Lowell is the werewolf representative, a socialite growing up very rich and in the public eye. His mannerisms are formal and well beyond someone of his years (twenty-three). In fact he reminds me of an old-timey (like 1800s) suitor - very proper speech, formal mannerisms, and always dressed impeccably. Here is what I picture when I think of Rome:
Yes I know.....Alcide from True Blood, but it fits Rome too ;)
Milosh is a former Frenchman and the vampire representative. He speaks his mind and has a bit of fun teasing (or scaring depending on how you look at it) Lisa. But his respect for her family and the Alliance, keeps him from doing any real harm. Milosh is a fun character. He's not the typical vampire from other horror stories which I like, but he also isn't like the vampires that are portrayed in many YA novels these days. He is unique and wholly the author's. In fact I really want to know more about him!!
Plot (aka World-Building)
As this is the first book of the series, the plot focuses mainly on world- and character-building. Though it is told in first-person from Lisa's perspective, there are many characters (not just the few I mentioned) along with many supernatural/paranormal beings that come in and out of the story, such as witches, goblins, banshees, and shape shifters. The author draws a lot from mythological accounts when describing the banshees, but other characters are completely new too me as far as description, what they do and how they do it. I love this!! It made for an interesting read.
Overall the plot focuses on Lisa's slow/quick immersion into the world of supernatural, and the inevitable fight with the Goblin King (who happens to be the ultimate absent villain in my opinion). Everything about the Goblin King is rumor and speculation at best which makes the character a great bad guy :D There are lots of scenes with training and fighting, upping the suspense of the book. In fact I couldn't read it fast enough!
My Conclusions
Overall I kinda love this book! Lisa has a very dry humor that the other characters don't always get which leaves me snickering and the suspense kept me glued to my Kindle the entire read. In fact, I read this book in one sitting, not meaning too. I sat down after my three year old was tucked into bed with the intention of reading one or two chapters. That turned into 10 then 15 then the whole book!
While this book is classified as young adult, I would suggest 16+ or mature young adult only. There is some profanity and a few sexual encounters (though nothing of the erotic nature). If you enjoy urban fantasy, character-driven novels then I'd recommend you check out this series!
I fucking loved it! My first audio book and so glad I got to pick this one. You can read here and there that it's a first book but considering she wrote it at 19 I'm seriously impressed. Can't wait to get started on book 2!
A gentleman vampire; a motherly witch; a shy banshee; a businessman shapeshifter and a drop dead gorgeous werewolf. These are the generals of the Alliance who protect their races against the evil trying to destroy their world. The sixth member is human but their general has been killed in an accident and his untrained daughter has to take over. Along with the other generals she must save the human and Supernatural world from total destruction and obliteration. Problem is, until now she knew nothing about the danger and didn't know Supernatural beings existed.
Elizabeth can't go back to her old life, everyone thinks she died with her parents. Her father was the best leader of the Generals so she must be trained to lead the troops. Not human troops as no other human must know of the existence of the beings in their midst. While she is trained she lives with Romulus, the handsome werewolf, in his mansion and the temptation is great. Elizabeth is fascinated by him but also scared - well he is a werewolf.
I loved the mischievous Milosh, the vampire who is very much the gentleman, but who has to resist temptation every time he sees a human. The other generals, while strong characters, didn't impact as much as the vampire, werewolf and human. Elizabeth is a feisty, modern young woman and Romulus is surprisingly gentle for a werewolf. The story is well written and draws the reader along at a steady pace until the climax arrives in a most unexpected way. The passion between the two main characters gradually builds as would a normal relationship, but of course there are abnormal stresses pulling at them both.
This book is a very satisfying read with just the right amount of highs in exactly the right places and the occasional lighthearted approach. I look forward to reading the next in this series as I know I'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed this first book.
Monique Snyman’s break out novel “Charming Incantations: Enticed” is a supernatural romance which has hints of “Twilight” and “Anita Blake Vampire Hunter” in it, without the glitter and erotica. This novel is a new take on an overused topic, but manages to pull it off.
Young Elizabeth (Lisa) is sole survivor of a family who has spent generations as representatives of the human species to an underground world of supernatural creatures. She is in the dark about such things until she meets with the other representatives from the banshee, werewolf, vampire, and shapeshifter factions. This alliance has been waging war against the unruly goblins; that have been hell bent on destroying the world as Lisa knows it for centuries.
During her endeavors to help curb this menace Lisa falls for the werewolf representative Romulus. Can you say, team Jacob? The vampire Milosh is intriguing to her, but never truly becomes a love interest. Thus Snyman breaks the human, vampire, werewolf love triangle paradigm which plagues the bookshelves, movies, and television of today. The wars in the book are well written with fun, intense action sequences. It all wraps up well in the end, enough to wet your whistle for the next novel that is.
This reader did have an issue with this novel. It is Snyman’s first novel and as such is plagued with editing errors. With her work on her blog and doing book reviews and with the help of better editing, her next novel should be a gem.
The only reason this novel is getting four stars is because of errors such as using a passive voice in spots and subtle grammar issues. Otherwise, this novel is a diamond in the rough and for originality, story line and action, gets two thumbs up from this reader.
When it comes to writing a paranormal fantasy novel that features of blend of romance and action, the most difficult part of the piece is the creation of a believable mythology that will inform how characters react. Monique Snyman is able to blend the an interesting universe that doesn’t shy away from incorporating a variety of popular “monsters” or creatures without missing a beat. But are the characters believable? Do they fit neatly into the world Snyman has envisioned? Fans of the genre are looking for beautiful characters who’re underdogs; characters dropped into a scenario beyond their comprehension and provided with talents and knowledge we can only dream of possessing. To top it off, Snyman gives us characters who speak and act naturally, without seeming stiff of cheesy. With a beautiful vocabulary that separates this book from work you might find in the independent world, Snyman’s book is a professionally-orchestrated adventure that entices readers with mystery and wonder. An irresistible werewolf who is both charming and interesting is the highlight of the book. Most of the reviews have talked about the creatures that are present in the book, and I can agree that I would love to see more goblins. I think there’s a goldmine’s worth of material Snyman has yet to uncover in her story. A well-written and fun addition to the genre that can’t be missed. The story is as beautiful and wondrous as its cover. I’m interested to see what else is in store for the mythos Snyman has wonderfully crafted for us to explore.
Charming Incantations Enticed takes you into a world of strong characters and icky goblins.
After her father's death, Lisa finds herself taking over his role as the human representative of a council full of supernatural baddies and hotties called The Alliance. She's a lively yet inexperienced girl who has no idea what she's in store for.
You have Milosh, the vampire. At first I thought he was going to be like every big, bad vampire written in paranormal books today. Boy was I wrong. He's cunning yet sweet and caring. But he still has his bad side. You can't help to have a soft spot in your heart for this vamp.
Romulus, the werewolf, ended up being my favorite character. Being a vampire lover, I thought I'd fall for Milosh but it was Romulus who stuck out to me. He's quite the charmer and you can sense the growing sexual tension between him and Lisa.
The book has excellent fight scenes, believable dialogue, and a great atmospheric tone. I can't wait to read more from this author. Charming Incantations Enticed is a lovely written introduction to the series.
Charming Incantations: Enticed by Monique Snyman will keep you entranced in a paranormal world that you won’t want to leave. We are first introduced to Lisa as she makes her way to her very first meeting as the new human representative for a council that oversees all things paranormal. For a reason that is unknown to us until the end, Lisa was never trained to take over her role and she must now make up for lost time and adapt to the new environment she finds herself in.
Monique Snyman has done a wonderful job of creating a world that I enjoyed getting lost in. Perhaps out of all of the characters, I enjoyed Romulus the most. He is the Werewolf Representative and I couldn’t help but feel for him as he struggles with the pressure of his job and his feelings for Lisa.
If you enjoy paranormal romances that are well written and have emotion flooding from the pages, I recommend giving Charming Incantations a read.
Charming Incantations: Enticed is a very nice beginning to what looks to be an excellent series. The book starts out with a bang when Lisa discovers that she is much more than an average farm girl. She is the human representative to the Alliance, a group of mythical creatures that work to protect the world from evil. Not only does Lisa have to battle a goblin army, she soon discovers that there is danger closer to home. One of the members of the alliance may not be what they seem. The fight scenes were very beautifully written. In fact, if I had one complaint about the book, it was that I wished the battle scenes came sooner. Monique Snyman does an excellent job describing not only the tactical aspects of war, but the actions of the mythological creatures as well. It would be impossible for me to pick my favorite character from this book. They are all unique and fun to follow. The book will leave you wanting more. Simply put, it will charm you.
This was a fun read. Charming Incantations: Enticed presents us with all races of the supernatural thrown in the mix and surprise, even a human representative that is young and inexperienced thrown into the party. After Lisa's parents are killed she is on her own and finds herself called to be the human representative to supernatural counsel. This story has a bit of everything with romance, intrigue, betrayal, and action all wrapped up in a fun little bundle. It is, in my opinion, a great start to what promises to be a fun series. There are a few technical hiccups, but overall I really enjoyed the world building and characters and am looking forward to more from this world. I won this book from a giveaway at the Readers Den blog and have received no compensation for writing this review.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The storyline is a well balanced mix of supernatural, romance and action without any one overpowering the others. A lot of thought has gone into the characters and they blend well together, making the reader want to know more. The hint of suspense about a possible traitor kept me wondering and the battle scenes were well written without going overboard on the violence. All in all, it was a pleasure to read and kept me hooked the whole way through. Will definitely be reading the next one :)
I enjoyed reading this, it was action packed and full of plot twists. And a must read if you like romance. Although, some parts reminded me of twilight and the mortal instruments a lot, and I also did not like the main character that much, she was annoying, and there was also a lot of pop cuture references and Yoda was spelled as Joda. BUT besides that, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to start on the sequel.
I would like to say a huge thank you to Monique for sending me a copy! I absolutely loved this book, a wonderful story that has all my favourite things, romance, action and other worldly creatures. From the very first page, I slipped into a make believe but very believable world. I had a major problem putting it down & ended up reading it in one sitting - I blame the author entirely for my lack of sleep! An absolute must read!
This story took me some to get into which in my case sometimes happens but.. when i did actually get into the book it had me gripped i could not put it down. Very well written and intelligently done.. I shall not give no spoilers away all i can honestly and truly say is a must read... CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT ONE.. thank you Monique i loved it x
The book has a lot of mistakes, words left out, mispelled, and grammar issues.the font type is terrible and gave me a headache trying to read it. Otherwise the book is okay. The story has a bit of Fifty Shades of Grey with the rich reclusive guy. It also contains various other creatures and sterotypes seen in other books. The stoy could contain a bit more substance and length.