For the Love of Magic (A Spellbound Falls Romance)

Title: For the Love of Magic

Series: Spellbound Falls bk 5

Author: Janet Chapman

Genre: Paranormal

After forty years of marriage, Rana Oceanus has done the unthinkable and run away from her mighty, magical husband. Not that she ran very far, having purchased a house in Spellbound Falls right on the shore of the Bottomless Sea, where she intends to prepare for the scariest battle of her life. The only flaw in her plan, however, is that she is still very much in love with Titus...

Shocked and deeply shaken that his wife really has left him--though he still can't fathom why--Titus sets out to win her back. But when grand gestures of his esteem don't seem to further his cause, he conjures up some of his original courtship magic to capture the heart of the beautiful young maiden all over again.

Then his plan takes a dangerous turn when Titus discovers that dealing with demons is far less threatening than the little secret his very mortal wife has been keeping from him.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, as I'm typically not a fan of older couples, especially couples who have been married for a long time unless its to see their original love story. But I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised when I couldn't put the book down.

When the book opens up its been four months since Rana left Titus and he's still trying to figure out why. As far as he knew they were happy. After having been married for forty years he thought he knew his wife. He's done everything she's asked but all he wants is his wife back. When an opportunity presents itself where he can have her all to himself, and where she can't disappear he takes it. Determined to discover what made her leave and what it will take to bring her back.

Rana is terrified. Not because she's afraid of her husband. No it's because if what she suspects is true about what is going on with her body he will be a basket case. She has very good intentions for why she left Titus. It's to protect him. What she never counted on was missing him so much. After all they haven't slept apart in forty years. When she's forced to spend time with him, she realizes it wasn't fair to either of them to keep the secret she's been keeping from him, as it affects him as well.

I loved this story. It's very clear from the beginning that Rana and Titus love each other and everything they do they do for the other person. Even when they are misguided in what they think they other one needs. It was great to see a couple who even after so many years together can still make mistakes, fight, and make-up and get on with being married. Oh and the fact that they still wanted to have rip roaring sex with each other.

There is a small side story about a new God that helps to fuel what eventually happens with Rana and Titus. We also get to check in on the other characters from the series and see what is happening with them.

I'm really glad I picked up this book and gave it a chance.

Grade B+
Review by: Heather
[...]

This is another wonderful installment in the Spellbound Falls series by Janet Chapman. What I love most about the series is the way the author blends magic and reality, without going overboard. The magic elements just seem to flow into the reality elements, with the reader often not even aware what is happening until it does or after the fact. In this installment, Rana Oceanus, a mortal married to a god, and Titus Oceanus, her husband of forty years have drifted apart. Rana has left to sort things out. Titus, who can deny his wife nothing, cannot understand why Rana has left and pursues her to find answers. Their differences stem from those things that naturally keep us all apart when they are present: misunderstanding, poor or no communication, half-truths, etc. The author has woven a wonderful story of their love and how they bring things together once again. I particularly enjoyed the way each shows his/her love of the other in simple daily actions and thoughts. Other characters in the series periodically make their appearance--their adult son and daughter, grandchildren, their extended family and friends, but the story is truly about Titus and Rana and their love for each other and how they solve their problems. I love this series and look forward to the next installment.

For the Love of Magic, Spellbound Falls #5, by Janet Chapman
Grade: C

“Wow. When you take off your tiara, you don’t mess around, do you?”

Rena Oceanus has a secret and under no circumstances can she let her husband find out which is why she left Atlantis and is in Spellbound Falls alone. After forty years of marriage Rena needs space and getting it from her immortal husband Titus is not always easy and she knows if he is around he will discover her secret since he knows her so well. The more time she spends in Spellbound Falls the more she discovers how much she loves the little Maine town and people who live there and finds she doesn’t want to leave this new modern world.

Titus Oceanus is shocked when his wife declares she needs space and is leaving him for a while. Not one to sit back and let things fall, Titus follows his wife to Spellbound Falls determined to win her back. Titus knows his wife is hiding something and he too has some secrets he’s been keeping from her. Besides his wife leaving Titus is also dealing with a new god, a crazy cult and trying to keep the peace in Spellbound Falls all of which lead to him to make some big decisions in his life.

I am a big fan of the Spellbound Falls series and I was excited to get Rena and Titus’s story but for some reason this book just didn’t do it for me. I felt that it could have been a novella instead of a full novel and at times it seemed anticlimactic. For me For the Love of Magic didn’t do much but set up the next set of books in the series and again would have been better if it was shorter and not set as a full book in the series.

I honestly felt that Rena and Titus separating was a little boring as these two weren't having major problems and there was never a doubt in my mind that things would just blow over. I wanted to spend more time focusing on the cult, the new god and Niall (whose book I hope is next) instead of “marriage problems”between these two. I also wanted to see Rena do more of her metal work and interactions with Zack and grow into more of a modern woman.

All in all I was very disappointed in this book and I was hoping for much, much more. I still I have high hopes for this series and I’m very excited to get Niall’s book, which I am praying is next. This book was a great concept but it just didn’t work out.

For some reason this was my least favorite of the books.

1) I didn't like how the new God/goddess was forgotten and never named.

2) The end of a reign, have to read to find out who it is, and it lost the fun of reading about the magic between the characters.

3) You grow to like the characters for who and what they were, and now, I am not sure if I would continue even to find out what the new god or goddess is, what happens with all the Oceanuses, and the rest of SF.

just finished reading For the Love of Magic...talk about giving me a surprise...did not go where I thought it would but am NOT going to do a spoiler....I love the humor, sarcasm, raw emotion...love, devotion, loyalty and the unexpected wisdom and humor the children pack throughout a story line. The love of Titus for his Stasia, the romance of it...ah sigh...and having all these bold powerful men so in love with their women..she takes us all into her world and we embrace the feeling she leaves us with. Cannot wait for the next journey, thank you for taking me along!