And Cathy Maxwell's Chattan Curse Novels go to ...

 

I want to thank everyone who visited and played,
As always it's a delight to have you come by to say hello!

I hope you've all been following the AVON ADDICT BLOG HOP,
there are still plenty of fun posts and giveaways yet to come.
For the complete list of blog hop sites
click BELOW.

AVON ADDICT BLOG HOP


Now for what you've all been waiting for
the winner of
THE SCOTTISH WITCH
and
LYON'S BRIDE
by Cathy Maxwell
is:




PENNI FREELS






Congratulations to Penni! 
The winner has been notified by email and already responded.

Happy Reading Everyone!



Day 17 - AVON ADDICT BLOG HOP: Review of THE SCOTTISH WITCH, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell

Welcome to DAY 17 of the AVON ADDICT BLOG HOP! I'm pleased to join my Sister Alums and my new Avon Addict Sisters, the second group of super readers for Avon Romance, in this 24 days of fun & fabulous Giveaways!

On Friday, I reviewed LYON'S BRIDE, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell and I told you that in order to appreciate the next book, THE SCOTTISH WITCH by Cathy Maxwell, you had to read the first. Well, I'm going to give my honest and unscripted review of THE SCOTTISH WITCH and then I'm going to give someone the chance to find out for themselves and read both books. More on that later.

Blurb for THE SCOTTISH WITCH:

Every woman has her dreams
Portia Maclean believes she is beyond love and marriage. Then one moonlit night, while attempting a daring masquerade in a desperate bid to protect her family, she finds herself swept off her feet by a powerful stranger. His very touch makes her long for much more. But what will he do when once he discovers she has betrayed him?

Every man has his demons
Harry Chattan is fighting for his family-their honor and their lives. For two hundred years the Chattan men have been destroyed by love.and now he's come to Scotland on the hunt for a witch who can break the legend's curse. Instead he finds himself bewitched by the tantalizing Portia. Determined to right legendary wrongs, Harry has vowed to fight the demons that torture him.
But will that battle destroy her as well?

                     *                          *                        *                        *                        *

Colonel Harry Chattan is a warrior who never backs down from a fight and right now he's in a fight for his brother's life and possibly some day his own. He never plans to fall in love so he doubts he will ever be faced with the consequences of the Chattan curse but he needs to find a way to end it to save his brother and sister. However, if he needs to he will offer himself up in place of his brother, Neal - Lord Lyon. He's traveled to Scotland in search of someone or something to end the curse set upon his family before his brother succumbs to it now that he's happily wed and expecting his first child.

Portia MacLean is the oldest of two sisters. It's her place to take care of her mother, her sister and ensure that they keep a roof over their head. When money becomes tight and the threat of being put out of their home becomes imminent, Portia connives another way to make sure they survive. When she learns that a Chattan has arrived in Glennfinnan to find a witch to remove the curse he believes haunts his family and is willing to pay well for it, she decides to lead him to believe she's that witch using an old book of recipes and home remedy cures she found in her attic. Complications ensue when he catches her before she has a chance to disguise herself, he begs her to help him, then she runs away with the promise to meet him again only to not show up. When Harry decides to stay in the village until he finds the witch he believes is Fenella of the Macnachtan reincarnated unaware that she is, in truth, Portia, she does her best to stay out of his way yet finds herself drawn to him in a way she can't explain.

Magic surrounds this story from the beginning, with a second remembrance of the story of the curse from Rose's point of view to Portia's discovery of Fenella's book of spells to the appearance of a strange cat, named Owl, who appears, disappears, then reappears mysteriously. Owl, the cat becomes a very intricate part of the story and the mystery. We soon discover that only Harry and Portia seem to be able to see it - and Monty's dogs!

Whereas LYON'S BRIDE alone was only good read, it was a great setup for this novel. Having read it, I thoroughly enjoyed THE SCOTTISH WITCH, the second book in the Chattan Curse series by Cathy Maxwell because of the history known of the story and having already met Harry. Not only is the relationship between Harry Chattan and Portia MacLean much more vibrant and magical, in that I got the definite impression that Owl might very well have a lot to do with their instant and passionate attraction to each other, but because I had already found myself attracted to Harry from the first book. After he meets Portia, who I so very strongly related to, Harry brings her alive and as she does him. The pair are wonderful together, charming and endearing. Harry is a good man with a loyalty that cannot be struck down by the meanest curse and when he extends that loyalty to Portia, you just want to embrace the man and wish him for your own.

THE SCOTTISH WITCH by Cathy Maxwell is fast-paced, character rich, and leads the reader into an even greater mystery with a teaser end that will have clamouring for the next installment. We are definitely left with an I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT yearning to read the next book in the Chattan Curse series, THE DEVIL'S HEART - which won't come to us until April - darn it!!

I do have one problem but it's very inconsequential, except maybe to me -  I do have to question the idea of a Scottish fold cat being in existence at this time in history. I suppose it's possible but the genetic anomaly wasn't even noticed until the 20th Century. I am, however, very pleased that Cathy decided to make this mysterious and bewitching cat white instead of black. Black cats, throughout history, immediately conjure a strong negativity among some people, which I truly wish they would get over. Black cats are beautiful and they are just cats but that's a rant for another time and place.

I highly recommend THE SCOTTISH WITCH by Cathy Maxwell, if you've read LYON'S BRIDE. If you haven't then do and get yourself caught up in this series. It's truly bewitching!

Now, since I just declared that everyone should read this series from the beginning and on through, I'm going to give one of my wonderful readers a chance to do just that. In celebration of the AVON ADDICT BLOG HOP, I am giving away a print copy of each of these Chattan Curse novels. Simply tell me this:

Have you ever read a novel with a character that you strongly related to and if so, who was the character?

GIVEAWAY PRIZE:  One print copy each of LYON'S BRIDE and THE SCOTTISH WITCH by Cathy Maxwell.
Feel free to click on the title to read my review of LYON'S BRIDE. 

GIVEAWAY RULES:

** This Giveaway is OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY (void where prohibited)

** To qualify for entry in this Giveaway, you must leave a comment and a valid email address. Remember the magic formula to be entered:

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

** This Giveaway will run until 11:30 PM EST, Wednesday, Dec 19, 2012 when one lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win both of these books.  The winner will be notified by email and announced in a special post on Thursday but if the winner fails to answer back by end of day, Monday, Dec 24, 2012 - I will be forced to run the randomizer again and give the prizes to someone else.

Good luck and Happy Reading Everyone!

THE SCOTTISH WITCH, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats.


                                       

Unwrapping: Review of LYON'S BRIDE, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell

A few weeks back, I started a discussion about series and gave away three copies of LYON'S BRIDE, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell provided to me, by Avon Romance, as an Avon Addict. I hadn't read it yet but since I've got a special posting coming up on Monday for the AVON ADDICT BLOG HOP featuring the next book in the Chattan Curse series, THE SCOTTISH WITCH, I thought I should read this one first. I saved one of the copies just for that purpose. I'll be parting with it in the next giveaway but more on that another time.

***Print copy supplied by publisher for reading, my choice to review and as always it will be honest and unscripted.

Blurb for LYON'S BRIDE:

"When a Chattan male falls in love, strike his heart with fire from above..."

They call him Lord Lyon, proud, determined-- and cursed. He is in need of a bride, but if he falls in love, he dies. His fervent hope is that by marrying-- and having a son--without love, perhaps he can break the curse's chains forever.

Enter beautiful Thea Martin--a duke's headstrong, errant daughter and society's most brilliant matchmaker. Years ago, she and Lyon were inseparable, until he disappeared from her life without a word. Now she is charged with finding Lyon's bride--a woman he cannot love for a man Thea could love too well.

                            *                      *                      *                     *                       *

Thea Martin is a widow with two sons to provide for and who has been cut off by her family because they didn't approve of her marriage. She has turned to working as a matchmaker.  She's got quite a knack for it and because of her success has been summoned to aid an old friend. When she learns the circumstances of the man's need for a wife he will not ever love, she is quite disbelieving as to the reason.

Neal Chattan, Lord Lyon needs a wife, not a bride, not a lover - simply a wife. One he hopes to never find desirable enough to fall in love with but one who will merely suffice as a spouse and bear him children. Why would a man wish for such a thing? When a man believes he is cursed by an ancient old witch whose daughter was slighted and left broken hearted by a Chattan ancestor, he will do anything to survive. His own father had survived and was the first Chattan in centuries to sire more than one child only because he had no love for their mother. However, after his unloved wife died, he fell madly in love and quickly died. No Chattan can fall in love without suffering the consequences of the curse set upon them by the witch, Fenella of the Macnachtan.

Thea and Neal have a past together. As teens, they were heading toward a true love. Then Neal was warned by his father that any such relationship will only end in tragedy. Neal tore himself away from Thea, Neal set himself against marriage and Thea married for what she thought was love. They had parted ways, thinking to never reconnect until one fateful day when they found themselves together in a solicitor's office. Their feelings for each other had not waned and were quickly reignited.

LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell is a good read. Is it a great read? I don't think so but it's the beginning of what appears to be a very intriguing series. Having already read the second book in this series which I will review on Monday, I can tell you without a doubt that this one, LYON'S BRIDE, is a must read if you wish to have an understanding of what is happening in the second book.

As a second chance romance, LYON'S BRIDE works very well. More importantly, it lends itself very well to setting the stage for what's to come in the next two books. This is definitely a trilogy that must be read in order to both understand the current story and the fight to end the curse that's been laid upon the Chattan family. By reading this story first, you learn some of the tale of the unfortunate suicide of Rose, the daughter of Fenella - the witch who cursed the Chattans.

Cathy Maxwell has set the stage for a mystery that will carry us through to the end of the third book and hopefully provide us with a Happily Ever After for Neal and Thea and Neal's siblings, Harry and Margaret. For if the curse is not ended, Neal will surely die followed by Harry and Margaret, if they fall in love as well. I found Neal a bit stuffy at first, but thankfully, Thea brings out the best in him and you can't help but pray that the curse will be lifted. Harry, Neal's brother, is the charmer and thankfully, the hero of book two. Whereas all three siblings had decided never to fall in love, so that hopefully the curse would end with them, you know that just isn't going to happen in romance novels.

I have to recommend LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell not because it's a really wonderful romance, it was a good read, but rather because if you wish to enjoy what comes next, you definitely need to read this one. This is definitely a continuous series and we won't see any real HEAs until the series concludes. Come back on Monday and I'll tell you why!

Happy Reading Everyone!!

LYON'S BRIDE, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats.

                                                             

And 3 Copies of LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell go to ...

Thank you to everyone who came by and visited. 

And to those who commented,

 I loved hearing about why you love series.

I believe it's pretty much unanimous that series are much loved

 and hopefully, are here to stay.  : )

 

The Winners of the 3 Print Copies

of

LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell

 

are

ERIN

MELODY MAY

MICHELLE AHRENS

 

 

 

The winners have been notified by email so I hope they will

check their mail and especially their

SPAM folders in case the message goes in there.

 

Congratulations and thank you for playing.

 

And as always, thank you for visiting

UNWRAPPING ROMANCE

 

I do it all for you, my wonderful readers.

xoxo

 

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

 

Wacky Wednesday: SERIOUS ABOUT SERIES!

It's Wacky Wednesday and yes, I've got a fabulous Giveaway for you but first I'd like to ask you what you think about SERIES - not sequels but series.

Series are books written so that each book works as a stand-alone novel but as a group, they tell a greater story. Many of the romance novels I review here at UNWRAPPING ROMANCE are books in a series. Series like the Mistress Matchmaker Series by Jess Michaels (I just reviewed her new release if you'd like to check out this wickedly naughty historical romance - FOR DESIRE ALONE), or the Devil DeVere Series by Victoria Vane (I'll have a review of her newest novella coming soon - we love that Devil, don't we?), or the Feral Warrior Series by Pamela Palmer (Go Feral - LOVE UNTAMED is coming next month - yes, I'm reviewing).

They may be called by another name such as Gaelen Foley's The Inferno Club or Maya Rodale's The Writing Girls but they are still by definition, a series.

I love series. I love that the characters I meet in the first book I will meet again when their stories intertwine with others and eventually they get their own happily-ever-after.  A series gives me something to look forward to as the next comes along. Of course, there's a certain amount of sadness when a series finally runs its course but hopefully it will be a long time down the road.

Cathy Maxwell has begun a new series called the Chattan Curse. The first book in this series is called LYON'S BRIDE. Now, I do have a copy of this one - in fact, I have four copies of this one - as well as a copy of THE SCOTTISH WITCH, the second Chattan Curse novel but I have not read either - YET!

Blurb for LYON'S BRIDE:

The Chattan Curse: When a Chattan male falls in love, strike his heart with fire from above...

They call him Lord Lyon, proud, determined-- and cursed. He is in need of a bride, but if he falls in love, he dies. His fervent hope is that by marrying-- and having a son--without love, perhaps he can break the curse's chains forever.

Enter beautiful Thea Martin--a duke's headstrong, errant daughter and society's most brilliant matchmaker. Years ago, she and Lyon were inseparable, until he disappeared from her life without a word. Now she is charged with finding Lyon's bride--a woman he cannot love for a man Thea could love too well.

                    *                               *                             *                                *

A Curse! A series about cursed men! Sounds like something I'm eager to follow, how about you?

To help get you hooked by this new series, I'm going to give away three (3) print copies of the first book in this series - LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell to three (3) lucky commenters.

All you have to do is tell me if you like or dislike series! If you don't, then maybe you'll share with us why not.

Giveaway Rules:

* This Giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY (void where prohibited).

* For your entry to qualify, you MUST leave a comment and a valid email address. Remember:

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  Thanks for playing.

 

* This Giveaway will run until 11:30PM EST, Friday, November 9, 2012 at which time, three (3) entries will be chosen by a randomizer and those lucky folks will be notified by email and announced in a special post on Saturday.

 

Good Luck and Happy Reading Everyone!

LYON'S BRIDE, a Chattan Curse novel by Cathy Maxwell, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook formats.