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Spellbound
A temptation of fate sends Nick Bardou home to New Orleans to confront the demons of his past and encounters a beautiful witch who stirs up a concoction of magic and love to help end his pain. Original.
- GenresRomance
305 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1998
11 people want to read
About the author
Trana Mae Simmons
19 books5 followersTrana Mae Simmons also writes paranormal mysteries as T.M. Simmons.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 8, 2025
10 years have passed since the horror he experienced that fateful night. 10 years living with the guilt and the pain of what he's done and how many lives were destroyed by the actions of others.
Returning to New Orleans is the absolute last thing the hero wants but it must be done. Still, returning to the humid climate and the home he spent his childhood in is a nightmare he can't wait to wake up from. 10 years ago, in the property operated by his uncle, his fathers mistress was murdered by the hero's hand in a drunken fury. Soon after his mother killed herself.
All of this torment and pain vibrate in these walls and in the hero's body and mind until he can barely breath because of it. Now, he's come face to face with a vision of the past, the daughter of the woman he slaughtered. The heroine knows the pain and scandal of the murder 10 years ago because she lived through it and unlike the hero, she had nowhere to run away to to escape it.
So instead, she and her aunt survived and pressed forward with their magic. But a month ago, their powers began to fade. She can't summon the spirit of her mother for answers and her mothers diary can only give so much information without the second half. She knows she'll find that missing book on the hero's property but getting to it will be like climbing a mountain.
The hero storms into her life like a bull and she can see the agony of his pain despite how he tries to hide it and because of this vulnerability she knows how to handle his outbursts. Yes he is rude and curt and everything about her seems to piss him off but spending a few days in his company makes her realizes that no matter how hot his temper may run, there's no way this man killed her mother. He is all show. He rants and raves and snaps like a dog but there's a kindness about him.
Even to her, his worst enemy-or so he says, he shows a softer side. By walking her home. By worrying if she has enough to eat. She is turn tries to convince him to let her ease the pain in his leg and the massages often end with a sexual encounter because, as is mostly the case, all this anger and frustration is a cover for the lust and desire that's developed between them. They attempt to themselves quite quickly that they want each other despite their hold on bitterness and pride.
When the heroine is attacked because the true killer fears that she is getting close to the truth, the keening wail that escapes the hero when he thinks her dead is a testament to his love for this woman. But his fear for that connection and his own guilt risk pushing her away. If he doesn't realize that loving her means giving her his all then these star crossed lovers will have to wait for another lifetime for another chance at love.
So good. The hero was a wounded animal is so many ways. Snarling at the heroine and anyone who got too close, he guarded his pride fiercely and desperately tried to hide any weakness. His wounded leg gave him a lot of trouble and until he let the heroine treat the pain he resorted to brandy. But he allowed the pleasure that came with the heroine's massages and in his arms he felt like a real and whole man.
I loved how she dealt with his growling and shouting because she knew that he was all bluster and pain. Later on she dealt with this attitude by getting angry in return and forcing him to shut up before he made things worse. The chemistry between this couple was off the charts and though they started out as enemies there was never any real hatred between them. They made their dislike known but fate just kept them together and no matter what, they couldn't escape it.
I love tortured heros and this mans pain and nightmarish memories made him such a damaged soul but one with hope and a spark of life left within him. Perhaps the story was predictable and the villain glaringly obvious but I loved it all the same and you beat a southern historical romance. Hot and steamy.
Returning to New Orleans is the absolute last thing the hero wants but it must be done. Still, returning to the humid climate and the home he spent his childhood in is a nightmare he can't wait to wake up from. 10 years ago, in the property operated by his uncle, his fathers mistress was murdered by the hero's hand in a drunken fury. Soon after his mother killed herself.
All of this torment and pain vibrate in these walls and in the hero's body and mind until he can barely breath because of it. Now, he's come face to face with a vision of the past, the daughter of the woman he slaughtered. The heroine knows the pain and scandal of the murder 10 years ago because she lived through it and unlike the hero, she had nowhere to run away to to escape it.
So instead, she and her aunt survived and pressed forward with their magic. But a month ago, their powers began to fade. She can't summon the spirit of her mother for answers and her mothers diary can only give so much information without the second half. She knows she'll find that missing book on the hero's property but getting to it will be like climbing a mountain.
The hero storms into her life like a bull and she can see the agony of his pain despite how he tries to hide it and because of this vulnerability she knows how to handle his outbursts. Yes he is rude and curt and everything about her seems to piss him off but spending a few days in his company makes her realizes that no matter how hot his temper may run, there's no way this man killed her mother. He is all show. He rants and raves and snaps like a dog but there's a kindness about him.
Even to her, his worst enemy-or so he says, he shows a softer side. By walking her home. By worrying if she has enough to eat. She is turn tries to convince him to let her ease the pain in his leg and the massages often end with a sexual encounter because, as is mostly the case, all this anger and frustration is a cover for the lust and desire that's developed between them. They attempt to themselves quite quickly that they want each other despite their hold on bitterness and pride.
When the heroine is attacked because the true killer fears that she is getting close to the truth, the keening wail that escapes the hero when he thinks her dead is a testament to his love for this woman. But his fear for that connection and his own guilt risk pushing her away. If he doesn't realize that loving her means giving her his all then these star crossed lovers will have to wait for another lifetime for another chance at love.
So good. The hero was a wounded animal is so many ways. Snarling at the heroine and anyone who got too close, he guarded his pride fiercely and desperately tried to hide any weakness. His wounded leg gave him a lot of trouble and until he let the heroine treat the pain he resorted to brandy. But he allowed the pleasure that came with the heroine's massages and in his arms he felt like a real and whole man.
I loved how she dealt with his growling and shouting because she knew that he was all bluster and pain. Later on she dealt with this attitude by getting angry in return and forcing him to shut up before he made things worse. The chemistry between this couple was off the charts and though they started out as enemies there was never any real hatred between them. They made their dislike known but fate just kept them together and no matter what, they couldn't escape it.
I love tortured heros and this mans pain and nightmarish memories made him such a damaged soul but one with hope and a spark of life left within him. Perhaps the story was predictable and the villain glaringly obvious but I loved it all the same and you beat a southern historical romance. Hot and steamy.
Displaying 1 of 1 review