What do you think?
Rate this book
Regency #6
Spellbound
When Raven Emerson, actress extraordinaire, is asked to impersonate a missing noblewoman, she is curious enough to accept despite the risk to herself should she get caught. Delving into the mystery that is her new employer occupies her despite the physical temptation the man represents. Having sworn never to take another protector after the horrifying spectacle she'd made of herself with the last one, this is a challenge of monumental proportions. Her employer, the elusive Duke of Windhaven, is desperate to make his family think he is happily and properly engaged. Hiring Raven is a means to an end. Falling in love with her merely increases his determination to call the beautiful actress his own. Staging a phony marriage ceremony to satisfy his grandmother helps reveal certain things about Raven that do not add up. Fighting demons from his own past, he convinces her to uphold the charade until he can uncover the secrets of her childhood.
160 pages, Trade Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
3 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Jaimey Grant
21 books167 followersI'm an author who battles ADD with sporadic doses of writing, book cover design, blogging, online promotion, homeschooling my two kids, fermenting things with my husband (mostly beer), video games, reading, and housework. (The housework suffers.) I sleep and eat when I remember.
Check out my blog, if you get the chance: Into the Mind of Jaimey Grant
Check out my blog, if you get the chance: Into the Mind of Jaimey Grant
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 11, 2010
Spellbound by Jaimey Grant is a captivating regency romance novel that sweeps the reader up into a tale of love and deception. This compelling drama involves a young actress named Raven who accepts a job to play the role of a rich duke’s fiancée, all the while knowing that if her real identity is uncovered she will be executed. The duke’s goal is to use Raven to assuage his family’s relentless pursuit to see him wed to a wealthy heiress. At first, Raven takes to her role with cunning efficiency. But trouble starts to brew when she finds herself passionately falling in love with the duke—an event which will send her life spiraling out of control and tumbling towards disaster.
What I most admire about this novel is Grant's ability to bring her wonderful characters to life with an undeniable wit and pomp. The prose is fluid and the dialogue accurately conveyed, fully immersing the reader in the periodic English setting. Grant truly understands her genre and flourishes with every word she writes. For certain, I will seek out more books from this author fully anticipating another richly told romance teeming with charming characters and an involving plot.
What I most admire about this novel is Grant's ability to bring her wonderful characters to life with an undeniable wit and pomp. The prose is fluid and the dialogue accurately conveyed, fully immersing the reader in the periodic English setting. Grant truly understands her genre and flourishes with every word she writes. For certain, I will seek out more books from this author fully anticipating another richly told romance teeming with charming characters and an involving plot.
August 10, 2009
I first became intrigued with the character of Raven Emerson when I read Jaimey Grant’s Regency romance, Betrayal. An accomplished actress and the hero’s mistress when that volume began, Raven showed herself to be intelligent, spirited, and compassionate, even as she found herself eventually cast off in favor of the hero’s new love. Rather than reacting with the jealousy one might expect from a scorned mistress, Raven responded instead with such dignity and proved herself a woman of such warmth, that when I discovered Ms. Grant had written a follow-up volume especially for Raven, I could not wait to read it!
Spellbound is that volume. Spellbound is filled with mysteries. Why does the Duke of Windhaven, who has hired Raven to pose, first as his fiancé and then as his wife, react with such terror when he sees Raven draw too close to the lake on his family estates? What is the truth about the missing noblewoman Raven is pretending to be, and what mysteries lie in Raven’s own past that have been hidden from her since childhood? And will the answers to these mysteries unite Raven and Windhaven together in love or tear them apart forever? Will the Raven I grew to love in Betrayal finally find her own happy ending?
You don’t expect me to answer all these questions, do you? You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out! I will say that I found the book difficult to put down, staying up later than I should have to read “just a few more words” in a new chapter, every time I finished an old one.
The only thing that glitched a bit with me was the sudden appearance in the story of a series of characters I felt I was expected to know but didn’t, causing some confusion in a few scenes. I suspect this is because I read Ms. Grant’s titles out of chronological order in my impatience to read Raven’s story. I knew there was a volume between Betrayal and Spellbound in which Raven played a part, but I skipped over it to go straight to Raven’s romance. Although events in that middle volume are effectively summarized in Spellbound, the background of some characters who may have appeared in that or another of Ms Grant’s volumes was not always explained, leaving me, as I said, at a bit of a loss. To preempt such confusion for others, I would advise readers therefore to read Ms Grant’s books chronologically. (You can find the chronological order on Ms Grant’s website at http://www.jaimeygrant.com/)
Aside from that, I greatly enjoyed Spellbound, and I must add that the last four paragraphs of the closing chapter left me with a smile, while the final line of the epilogue I felt was exceptionally eloquent.
Spellbound is that volume. Spellbound is filled with mysteries. Why does the Duke of Windhaven, who has hired Raven to pose, first as his fiancé and then as his wife, react with such terror when he sees Raven draw too close to the lake on his family estates? What is the truth about the missing noblewoman Raven is pretending to be, and what mysteries lie in Raven’s own past that have been hidden from her since childhood? And will the answers to these mysteries unite Raven and Windhaven together in love or tear them apart forever? Will the Raven I grew to love in Betrayal finally find her own happy ending?
You don’t expect me to answer all these questions, do you? You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out! I will say that I found the book difficult to put down, staying up later than I should have to read “just a few more words” in a new chapter, every time I finished an old one.
The only thing that glitched a bit with me was the sudden appearance in the story of a series of characters I felt I was expected to know but didn’t, causing some confusion in a few scenes. I suspect this is because I read Ms. Grant’s titles out of chronological order in my impatience to read Raven’s story. I knew there was a volume between Betrayal and Spellbound in which Raven played a part, but I skipped over it to go straight to Raven’s romance. Although events in that middle volume are effectively summarized in Spellbound, the background of some characters who may have appeared in that or another of Ms Grant’s volumes was not always explained, leaving me, as I said, at a bit of a loss. To preempt such confusion for others, I would advise readers therefore to read Ms Grant’s books chronologically. (You can find the chronological order on Ms Grant’s website at http://www.jaimeygrant.com/)
Aside from that, I greatly enjoyed Spellbound, and I must add that the last four paragraphs of the closing chapter left me with a smile, while the final line of the epilogue I felt was exceptionally eloquent.
October 25, 2009
My review system:
5 stars is only given to books that are brilliant; ones that I will want to read again and again, ones that will become classics. I haven't come across more than a double handful of those in my lifetime, and I read a lot.
4 stars is given to books that are very, very good.
3 stars goes to good books, that I enjoyed and which had few or minor slips.
2 stars means that it passed the time in the absence of anything better to do, but I wouldn't want to read it again.
1 star indicates that I was sorry I ever picked the thing up, and wouldn't want to recommend it to my worst enemy.
"Spellbound" by Jaimey Grant,ISBN: 1440414726
I read this recently.
Now I have to admit, the genre, Regency romance, is not something that I habitually read. Well, to be honest, it's not a genre I've ever read.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a lot better than I was expecting. The protagonist, Raven, was someone I took to immediately. There was an admirable supporting cast of eccentrics, Regency fops, nobility in various shades of good, evil and torment, and a good story line. It's not a genre I could relate to, but I was hooked and made to care about the ultimate fate of Raven. All the characters were believable and well-realized. There were sub-plots and red herrings in abundance, and the dialogue was often snappy, believable and witty.
The book was also proofread and edited with very few mistakes that I noticed.
I have to admit I got confused at the late introduction of the nemesis, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it; much more than I was expecting.
So I am happy to award this a 3 star rating. Nice one, Jaimey.
5 stars is only given to books that are brilliant; ones that I will want to read again and again, ones that will become classics. I haven't come across more than a double handful of those in my lifetime, and I read a lot.
4 stars is given to books that are very, very good.
3 stars goes to good books, that I enjoyed and which had few or minor slips.
2 stars means that it passed the time in the absence of anything better to do, but I wouldn't want to read it again.
1 star indicates that I was sorry I ever picked the thing up, and wouldn't want to recommend it to my worst enemy.
"Spellbound" by Jaimey Grant,ISBN: 1440414726
I read this recently.
Now I have to admit, the genre, Regency romance, is not something that I habitually read. Well, to be honest, it's not a genre I've ever read.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a lot better than I was expecting. The protagonist, Raven, was someone I took to immediately. There was an admirable supporting cast of eccentrics, Regency fops, nobility in various shades of good, evil and torment, and a good story line. It's not a genre I could relate to, but I was hooked and made to care about the ultimate fate of Raven. All the characters were believable and well-realized. There were sub-plots and red herrings in abundance, and the dialogue was often snappy, believable and witty.
The book was also proofread and edited with very few mistakes that I noticed.
I have to admit I got confused at the late introduction of the nemesis, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it; much more than I was expecting.
So I am happy to award this a 3 star rating. Nice one, Jaimey.
February 12, 2009
New to the genre of regency romance, I was unsure what to expect from Spellbound, but whatever I expected, it proved to be an interesting and entertaining read! As the story unfolds, Ms. Grant drops tantalizing tidbits about the characters and their pasts that keep you turning the pages wanting to know more. What are Raven's past indiscretions? What is behind the duke's uneasiness with the lake? And what is Lord Greydon hiding? Raven and Tristan at once endear themselves to the readers who are sure to cheer them on as they struggle to come to terms with their past as they try to plan their future. Along the way, the author tackles engaging issues such as morality, sexuality, and familial responsibility. Spellbound is sure to keep readers spellbound to the very end!
August 26, 2009
Regency author Jaimey Grant has done it again with "Spellbound." In this novel, Ms. Grant has brought more of her interesting (and interconnected) characters together in a plot filled with intrigue and suspense.
In this tale, Tristan hires a retired actress, Raven, to pretend to be his fiancee so that he can stop his grandmother's nagging at him to get married. Needless to say, they fall in love despite themselves, but (as the saying goes), the course of true love ne'er did run smooth. There are obstacles to be overcome and intrigues to resolve.
Ms. Grant's characters are well-drawn and believable, and I particularly like seeing minor characters from another of her tales being given an opportunity to tell their own stories in each book.
In this tale, Tristan hires a retired actress, Raven, to pretend to be his fiancee so that he can stop his grandmother's nagging at him to get married. Needless to say, they fall in love despite themselves, but (as the saying goes), the course of true love ne'er did run smooth. There are obstacles to be overcome and intrigues to resolve.
Ms. Grant's characters are well-drawn and believable, and I particularly like seeing minor characters from another of her tales being given an opportunity to tell their own stories in each book.
January 22, 2009
Spellbound is an enchanting tale woven through and around two broken souls. Ms. Grant takes Raven, an actress, and leads her through a wonderful adventure full of love, forgiveness and acceptance. Together, the characters learned to work through their issues under unique circumstanses.
I was particularly enthralled by the idea of the hero and heroine acting out a couple of Romeo and Juliet's duets! This definately added a sense of romance unparralled.
Once again Ms. Grant's style and discription placed the reader right in the thick of the adventure. Such a page turner!
I was particularly enthralled by the idea of the hero and heroine acting out a couple of Romeo and Juliet's duets! This definately added a sense of romance unparralled.
Once again Ms. Grant's style and discription placed the reader right in the thick of the adventure. Such a page turner!
November 10, 2009
Great book! I especially enjoyed the heroine and her struggle to rise above her past. Tristan was a good mix of the strong yet sensitive man. I thought the ending was a little abrupt but then again, I really wanted to finish the boook last night even though I could barely keep my eyes open at 2:30am :0) So far, all of Jaimey Grant's books are worth reading!
February 21, 2009
After reading Betrayal by Jaimey I couldn't wait to start this. I wasn't disappointed. It was another awesome read.
I really like how she fills in pieces of the characters past as the story progresses and the way the characters work to overcome their past mistakes.
I really like how she fills in pieces of the characters past as the story progresses and the way the characters work to overcome their past mistakes.
books-i-wrote-or-contributed-to
December 4, 2008Note: The heroine of Spellbound was the mistress of
Betrayal's
hero at one time...and
Deception's
hero, as well...hmmm. She appears to like romance heroes...
(Deception is not yet released. The link goes to the excerpt.)
Anyway, this story touches on how much we can beat ourselves up over past mistakes. Raven's guilty conscience over her past almost costs her the love of her life. She finds some solace in helping the hero, Tristan, to overcome some inner demons of his own.
There is more romance in this book than the others of this series. Shakespeare has a lot to do with this, as the heroine was best known for her role as Juliet and the hero, naturally, was a fan of the stage.
The main characters are interesting in their interaction while the supporting characters bring a little comedy relief--the duke has some rather eccentric relatives. There is some considerable drama in the form of Tristan's brother Grey.
(Deception is not yet released. The link goes to the excerpt.)
Anyway, this story touches on how much we can beat ourselves up over past mistakes. Raven's guilty conscience over her past almost costs her the love of her life. She finds some solace in helping the hero, Tristan, to overcome some inner demons of his own.
There is more romance in this book than the others of this series. Shakespeare has a lot to do with this, as the heroine was best known for her role as Juliet and the hero, naturally, was a fan of the stage.
The main characters are interesting in their interaction while the supporting characters bring a little comedy relief--the duke has some rather eccentric relatives. There is some considerable drama in the form of Tristan's brother Grey.
November 23, 2012
I loved this installment in the continuation of the story started with Honor.
Tristan and Raven are thrown together when Tristan is mercilessly hounded to marry when he doesn't want to. Raven is hired to play the part of his finance so Tristan's family would finally leave him alone. Through their association, a spark ignites that neither is strong enough to extinguish. As the charade continues the sparks grows to a roaring fire despite the danger involved when both are found out about their deception.
I loved the development of Tristan and Raven. I found myself routing for Tristan with each turn of the page. I loved seeing more into Raven's life, to get to know her better as she has been a key character is the previous stories.
The only thing I felt lacking was the ending as I felt is just stopped, leaving me wishing I could see more of what their "happy ever after" would be like.
But still, this book was gripping and had me up late nights reading so I could know what happened next!
Tristan and Raven are thrown together when Tristan is mercilessly hounded to marry when he doesn't want to. Raven is hired to play the part of his finance so Tristan's family would finally leave him alone. Through their association, a spark ignites that neither is strong enough to extinguish. As the charade continues the sparks grows to a roaring fire despite the danger involved when both are found out about their deception.
I loved the development of Tristan and Raven. I found myself routing for Tristan with each turn of the page. I loved seeing more into Raven's life, to get to know her better as she has been a key character is the previous stories.
The only thing I felt lacking was the ending as I felt is just stopped, leaving me wishing I could see more of what their "happy ever after" would be like.
But still, this book was gripping and had me up late nights reading so I could know what happened next!
April 19, 2016
The basic story is interesting, and that is what kept me going.
But it was not well told. And later, too many excitements and characters were crammed into it. The plot was simply too thick for me.
Somehow this made me think of a miss Salisbury, supposedly written by Sarah Gore in Julia Quinn's books.
I appreciate the decision to forgo the usual regency romance cover depicting a beautiful woman, but I don't get it.
But it was not well told. And later, too many excitements and characters were crammed into it. The plot was simply too thick for me.
Somehow this made me think of a miss Salisbury, supposedly written by Sarah Gore in Julia Quinn's books.
I appreciate the decision to forgo the usual regency romance cover depicting a beautiful woman, but I don't get it.
January 16, 2012
Jaimie weaves a wonderful story. Reading her books in order has been fun. Watching the characters grow and learn is a big part of this story. I look forward to more. I know I am more sensitive than most, but I wish the language was cleaner and even the morality. Although it is terrific to see Raven fighting to overcome the weaknesses she had in the area of morality.
August 3, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed. Another good read from Jaimey. Raven and Tristan both grow and evolve well together, just wish there had been more to her missing past in way of an explanation of what occurred.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews