Review: Spellbound Falls by Janet Chapman

Spellbound Falls
Book 1 in the Spellbound Falls series
Author: Janet Chapman
Publisher:  Jove
Author's website: Link

Maximilian Oceanus arrives in Spellbound Falls just in time to save Olivia Baldwin from an overly aggressive suitor, only to find himself attracted to the beautiful, if rather aloof, widow. And although Mac has come to Inglenook to get a handle on fatherhood, his newly discovered six-year-old son has set his sights on finding his father a wife.

Olivia, however, is busy getting Inglenook ready for its new season, so she doesn’t have time to deal with her growing attraction to the dangerously seductive Mac. Besides, weird stuff seems to happen all around him. Take the fact that her seatbelt keeps getting stuck in his presence, or locks magically open for him without keys, and that he seems to have a talent for sensing things. Never mind the three lost albatrosses walking down the road in the middle of the night. Since when are there albatrosses in Maine?

But despite Olivia’s resistance to falling under the sexy man’s spell, Olivia is having trouble fighting her longing. Because she knows Mac is just the man to unlock the powerful passion deep within her….A newcomer to Spellbound Falls, Maine, Maximilian Oceanus is trying to get a handle on fatherhood. But his newly discovered six-year-old son wants to find his father a wife. Too bad Olivia Baldwin wants nothing to do with the dangerously seductive mac--especially with all the weird stuff happening all around him...

The new Spellbound Falls series by Janet Chapman is a spin off of her Midnight Bay series. Some of the characters from that series is mentioned in this book, including one that finally gets his own book. Maximilian Oceanus is a very powerful wizard whose life has changed when he finds out that he has a son.  Mac knows all about handling magic and battling demons, but dealing with a child is something that he doesn't know. So he heads to Olivia Baldwin's camp Inglenook to learn how to connect and be a better parent to his son Henry. While there, Mac and Henry learn so much about not only each other but about themselves and Olivia had a big part to do with that. She's a calming influence for lots of people in Spellbound Falls and while she is able to help others with their issues, she has her own challenges that she has to deal with.  She's a widow and single mother who is dealing with the memories of her husband and dealing with this family.  Her past of being an orphan has also shaped her into the woman that she became.  She has her own insecurities at times and this is when Mac is able to help her overcome some of them.  They are patient and understanding with one another and this allows them to get closer.

Family and being connected is the main theme in this book and Janet Chapman does an excellent job of showing us so many different families in Spellbound Falls and the issues that they deal with.  I enjoyed reading Mac and Henry's journey from the start of them getting to know one another better.  They were unsure around each other, but Olivia's gentle talks to both of them opened up their eyes.  They realized what each of them needed from the other person.  Henry's character was absolutely adorable and it almost seemed as if he was an old soul trapped in the body of a six year old. Even though he doesn't know a lot about his dad, he wants to be like him and is ready to learn what it takes to be an all powerful wizard to protect the ones that he loves.  Mac is very open minded when it came to his son learning different things and took a lot of Olivia's advice to heart and it worked. 

I'm giving Spellbound Falls a rating of:

Janet Chapman's books contain heart warming stories that will leave you with a happy feeling.  She really took the dynamic of  family connection and applied it to several families in this book.  The reader could truly feel the the mending of the family problems that led to healing and the family being more connected and whole by the end of the story. I was hoping for a little more magic and action in this book, but I still enjoyed reading Mac and Olivia's story.  If you're looking for a sweet read that involves characters falling in love then you will enjoy Janet's books.