Review: Intriguing historical romance enchants
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 21, 2014
I was given a copy of this book by the author for a beta read. Caution: possible spoilers ahead, but I have tried to keep these to a minimum.I typically do not read historical romances, let alone romances that cover the spectrum of genres that MarcoAntonio & Amaryllis covered, ranging from romance and light erotica to action and adventure and the paranormal. Despite the fact that I might otherwise never have come across this book or chosen to read it on my own I enjoyed MA&A.;Ms. Correa has invented a cast of characters that catch your attention and remain with you after the book and story has ended. The plot pacing is well done - quick, to the point, and keeps you wondering what will happen next. There is never a dull moment in these characters' lives for the duration of this adventure. There are no extraneous characters; each person has a history and behavioral motivations that are believable.While enjoying the story I would have enjoyed a bit more delving into specifics  on just why the English hated the Spanish as fervently as they did. A bit more historical detail would have brought MA & A's backstory and current situation to brighter, richer life as well as giving credence to MarcoAntonio's family's connection to the crown. Yet these are minor issues when considering the entirety of the experience.I would also have loved to see more physical detail as to where all of the action was taking place. Ms. Correa does specify the general locations, ie: Madrid, Spain as well as the time frames each scene was taking place in, but I did feel a little lost trying to track them from one location to another, leaving me with a few questions that otherwise did not necessarily detract from the reading. I would also have appreciated a bit more backstory on the paranormal aspects; I felt a bit "plonked down" into a story already in full swing and into a world that did not question the presence of covens of witches or the presence of an otherworldly demon/spirit questing for world domination.One other note, which may be solved in editing, is the use of anachronistic terminology in a few places. Modern terminology or slang juxtaposes the medievil setting in one or two instances (particularly for MarcoAntonio) that did pull me away from the story. On a related note I did have some difficulties understanding the English dialog due to the spelling of some words (wilw, vs will) but this may come down to my unfamiliarity with the phonetics of early English spoken language vs today's pronunciation and sentence structuring.Overall I appreciate the time invested in reading this book/story. Ms. Correa clearly has a passion for writing and knows what stories she wants to tell. With MA&A; she has gone for the gusto, weaving a story that sweeps you away and begs to enchant. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a light historical romance interspersed with a slew of genre-merging elements that all serve to deliver an intriguing story.