This paranormal romance creates an endearing forced proximity story about a young witch who is cursed. The protagonist, Shanna is lovable and kind. Despite her good intentions, she usually makes a mess of situations, and that includes her relationship with Simon. Shanna inadvertently creates a spell that tethers her to Simon forcing them to face the attraction that they seem unwilling to admit to the other.
At times, Shanna appears hopeless, yet the character is relatable because every failure causes her to lose her sense of direction and her sense of herself. Serzenta is able to capture the doubt Shanna has as it clouds her life, but just as skillfully she imbues Shanna with the sunny optimism that draws people to her.
Simon can be grumpy, but in the most delightful way. He is a nice balance to Shanna as they embark on their adventures. Gran is more of an idea than a supporting character, but her character helps move the plot.
In my mind, I struggled with the character Chris in the novel. Her entire involvement is far-fetched. I like the sentiment, but I feel that issues that bring her into the story need to make sense with the storyline of Simon and Shanna. I also wanted to have bigger and bolder interactions with Shanna’s mother. There is so much potential to emotionally rake the audience over the coals with those interactions.
Ultimately, I feel the end is rushed. Again, there is a great opportunity to create tension and intrigue with this ending if Serzenta would have developed the twists. It seemed too easy for both Simon and Shanna to discover the truths they were seeking.
Overall, this is a fast moving story that compels you to turn the pages. This book is solidly in the fun, vacation reads stack of recommendations.
I received an advanced review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.