For What It's Worth


Friday, April 18, 2014

{Speed Dating} Review: Shadow Spell (The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts


18527947From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts comes a trilogy about the land we’re drawn to, the family we learn to cherish, and the people we long to love…

With the legends and lore of Ireland running through his blood, falconer Connor O’Dwyer is proud to call County Mayo home. It’s where his sister, Branna, lives and works, where his cousin, Iona, has found true love, and where his childhood friends form a circle that can’t be broken…

A circle that is about to be stretched out of shape—by a long-awaited kiss.
Meara Quinn is Branna’s best friend, a sister in all but blood. Her and Connor’s paths cross almost daily, as Connor takes tourists on hawk walks and Meara guides them on horseback across the lush countryside. She has the eyes of a gypsy and the body of a goddess…things Connor has always taken for granted—until his brush with death propels them into a quick, hot tangle.

Plenty of women have found their way to Connor’s bed, but none to his heart until now. Frustratingly, Meara is okay with just the heat, afraid to lose herself—and their friendship—to something more. But soon, Connor will see the full force and fury of what runs in his blood. And he will need his family and friends around him when his past rolls in like the fog, threatening an end to all he loves.

Goodreads | Author | Amazon

*** I love The Bookswarm’s Speed Date reviews and Mary kindly gave me permission to do my own twist on the format.

Review:

How we met: In a reading slump, I decided to pick up a book from one of my favorite, comfort read authors – Nora Roberts. The story is set in scenic Ireland, has the friends to lovers trope and has a hot falconer. What could go wrong?

The honeymoon phase: Connor is indeed a hot falconer. The Ireland countryside is indeed lush and scenic. The land is filled with mystery and magic. I didn’t read book #1 but there is a wonderful recap of the history of the land and the friendships between the characters. Connor and Meara fall pretty quickly once they decide to move past the friend zone but I like them together.

Reality hits: I have no clue what anyone is talking about. They talk in weird “witchy spell speak”.

“We’re not the three, but with the three. Another delicate balance we could say. What we bring to the circle is as vital as the other end of that balance. The three might think it different from time to time, and some with the three might think different, but it is what it is, and that’s for us all to remember and respect.”

What the whaaaa? Could we please just get back to the Connor, Meara sexy, romantic times with a healthy dose of tension? Those were great. Except we’re interrupted almost constantly by an evil dude who’s there – then not there – then there – then - whatever. I stopped caring. But apparently after each evil guy encounter the friends must all gather and eat. At this point I feel like I’ve missed a lot from the first book even with the recap. Or this is just a dumb book. The dialogue is awful so I’m going with the latter.

Can this relationship be saved? No. We can still be friends with occasional re-read benefits of Nora Roberts other novels. I just won’t be continuing with this series.

17 comments:

  1. Sometimes one just have to give up

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    1. I hate that I can rarely give up on a book. I just HAVE to know. lol

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  2. Oh no! I LOVED the first book. It was actually the first Nora Roberts book that I've ever read. I think you might be right about missing a lot from the first book b/c as convoluted as that quote is, I knew what they were talking about . . . I'm sorry you didn't like it :(

    Jessica @ Rabid Reads

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    1. I did end up understanding the quote but I just didn't like the dialogue for most of the book.

      I guess this wasn't the right Robert's book for me to dive into even though I've loved so many of her other books.

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  3. I've been super curious about this trilogy, and it's been a long time that I've read a Nora Roberts book, but now after reading your review I'm not so sure. It doesn't sound like Shadow Spell cured your reading slump at all. Thanks for the honest review!

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    1. I love Robert's so I would definitely read more by her. This didn't interest me enough to go back and read the first or continue on though.

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  4. LOL! I love your twist on the speed date! I have that honeymoon phase with so many books and then...reality. Yeppers. Evil Guy sound like he needs go away and stay away.

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    1. Glad you approve :-)

      It's one of those evil guys situations that doesn't really go anywhere. I do realize there is a bigger story arc taking place but the story seemed kind of scattered just so there could be more books.

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  5. Oh no! Did you read the 1st in the series? Although if you didn't like her writing style in this one you probably wouldn't have liked that either :( Good thing I like "weird “witchy spell speak”."

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    1. I didn't. There was a very thorough recap in the prologue so I didn't' feel like I missed much as far as plot but I do think I missed out on something. More the friendship backgrounds. They just have a rapport that felt out of context to me and probably would have made more sense if I had read the first.

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  6. Oh geez. That passage you included was baaaaad. Like, I couldn't even get through it. I've never read any of Roberts's books. If I do, I'm going to try her Chesapeake Bay series.

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    1. It does make sense if you read the books but it's all so unnecessarily convoluted. Then in the next second they talk perfectly normal. It was just so odd.

      I do recommend her other books though. And you would LOVE the first book in her The Bride Quartet series - Vision in White. Nerdy, NICE, hero!

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  7. Bummed that this one had weird witchy writing, as Nora Roberts is one of my go-to comfort reads too. Think I'll steer clear of this one and pick up one of her other series. Loved the speed-dating review format though! Will have to check out Bookswarm's site.

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  8. haha..I love this trilogy and the spell-speak! Sorry this didn't work for you. Conner is yummy though :)

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    1. Connor was yummy ;-) I might give the first one a try at some point. I've liked so many of her books in the past but I didn't feel like anything really even happened in this one.

      I'm glad it worked for you though. I know a lot of people enjoy this one.

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  9. Oh no! I liked the first book in the series.. I kind of understand the witchy speak that you highlighted (did you read the first one?) I think the first book is vital in this series for sure, because otherwise you don't really get the history of the backstory that you'd need to understand that witchy speak. (Assuming there's not even more confusing witchy speak LOL)

    I'm sort of weird in that I wished there almost WASN'T that emphasis on the romance aspect and just more on the magic and then the bad guy and the plans for him. I did kind of feel with the first one that it could've/should've almost been one book and not dragged out.. it could've easily been concluded in that first one (if the battle at the end had been much better.) So, even having read the first, I'm not sure how I'm gonna feel about the second or if I will read the third either.

    April @ My Shelf Confessions

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    1. I didn't read the first one but she does a really good job explaining everything. I understood what was going on.

      I think my problem with the dialogue was that they switched to normal conversation to stuff like that. It felt awkward.

      I can see how you would like less romance in this series. To me - she didn't juggle the two very well, so I just wanted it to go one way or the other.

      I've enjoyed other paranormal series by her so I'm not sure why this one didn't work for me.

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