Everlasting Enchantment

October 21, 2013
Millicent Pantere, raised in the shadowy Underground of misfits and outcasts, is out of her element at an 1839 London ball. As a shapeshifter, she is immune to the spells and charms cast by the lords and ladies, so an unscrupulous duke blackmails her into helping to steal a powerful magical relic. Gareth Solimere is a knight of the Round Table, imprisoned in that relic for hundreds of years for betraying Merlin. He thinks the path to breaking the curse is to seduce the relic’s wearer until she falls in love with him, but Millicent proves quite resistant. Gareth personifies chivalry, honor, and courage, and he teaches Millicent to embrace her fighting skills and self-worth. Though Millicent normally doesn’t care about the activities of the world above, noble Gareth convinces her to take on the duke’s shadowy army and foil a villainous plot. Magic is intriguingly woven into the historical romance, and watching Millicent gain confidence in herself is heartwarming, making the love affair believable despite the slow start and convoluted paranormal background.

December 1, 2013

Coerced by the Duke of Ghoulston to find one of Merlin's legendary relics, were-panther Millicent Pantere, a shape-shifter immune to magic, must attend a formal ball in order to achieve her goal. Lady Chatterley (yes, that Lady Chatterley) supposedly has the sought-after bracelet, and when Millicent ends up being "chosen" to wear it--and treated to a night of mind-blowing passion with Gareth Solimere, a curse-enslaved knight trapped in the relic--she soon finds herself involved in a dangerous, potentially lethal situation. VERDICT Magic-infused, highly sensual, and over-the-top creative, this fascinating, fast-paced Victorian adventure has been long awaited by series fans, who will be overjoyed. Kennedy (The Lord of Illusion) lives in Glendale, AZ.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2013
Underneath Victorian London lies a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns housing a shadow city, the only home Millicent Pantere, a were panther, has ever known. All members of the nobility possess magic, from the all-powerful queen to the less-gifted shape-shifting baronets. By holding hostage the only person Millicent loves, Duke Ghoulston forces her to go above ground and into London society to find a mysterious relic upon which Merlin cast a revengeful spell centuries earlier. She discovers a group of ladies who are hoping to be the one that the relic, a bracelet, will cleave to and at midnight bring the man of her dreams into her life for a night of exquisite lovemaking. The man who is imprisoned in the bracelet's stone is Sir Gareth Solimere, of King Arthur's Round Table, who made Merlin a cuckold. For centuries his fate has been to make love to each woman who dons the relic, looking for his own true love to break the spell. The latest in Kennedy's The Relics of Merlin series (Double Enchantment, 2013) features exquisite world building, making this richly imagined adventure appealing to fantasy fans and romance readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)