Review: Romantic, mysterious and leaves you wanting more
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 6, 2012
Barely eight pages into The Charmed on a windy night and my heart was pumping and I was jumping every time something hit the windows! It's an addictive paranormal romance that doesn't skimp on the paranormal aspect or tone it down in order to bring the romance into the forefront. Both parts of the book are equally strong and equally entertaining.The Charmed has a strong start and Christine Wenrick is quite talented at making a reader feel like they're a part of the grisly scenes unfolding in the first few chapters. I could not only see what was happening but hear every sound, smell every scent and feel every emotion. It was not always pleasant BUT in my opinion that's what made this book such a strong one. If a story can take me places, I'm happy. If it could make me experience everything, I'm sold.I have noticed (and feel free to let me know if I'm wrong) that almost every time someone writes a vampire romance in first person there are automatically comparisons to that OTHER vampire series that became a multi-million dollar movie franchise (my guilty pleasure so sue me), and yes, there are a few similarities between Twilight and The Charmed but aside from that, The Charmed is without a doubt, an ADULT book. Trust me, this is an 18 and over read.Olivia is not a naive teenager with confidence issues. She's a mature woman who has suddenly and violently been thrown into a world she thought only existed in books. Though she finds herself in the middle of a nightmare, she's not completely defenseless. She's as tough as she can be, smart and once she knows what she wants, she doesn't stop until she gets it.Caleb is unbelievable sexy, and not because of how Olivia describes him, but of what he says to her, how he takes care of her without completely treating her like a helpless female. He's a skilled fighter, who is willing to do whatever it takes to protect Olivia and find out what exactly it is about her that draws not only his interest but that of rival vampires.The attraction between Caleb and Olivia is pretty intense, which makes the book that much more enjoyable, which was surprising to me because I'm not normally fond of books told in first person. The Charmed is actually the first adult romance novel I've ever read that was told in first person and thankfully, it works. It's dangerous, sexy, and full of surprises. Fans of paranormal romance won't be disappointed with The Charmed, there's enough sexual tension, chemistry and emotional angst that there will be no doubt about to which genre this book belongs to.Secondary characters are interesting but not too much so that they steal the spotlight from Caleb and Olivia. At times the story was a bit predictable and cliched but almost all romance novels are at some point, it doesn't take away from how enjoyable The Charmed is.The Charmed by Christine Wenrick is thankfully the first book in a series and according the Christine's website, book two is right around the corner. I cannot wait to revisit this world and its characters again.