Enchanting the Lady

By Kathryne Kennedy

Historical Romance Meets Fairy Tale Magic

In a Victorian England with a rigid hierarchy of magic, lion shape-shifter Sir Terence Blackwell is at the bottom rung of society. Only Lady Felicity Seymour, who has no magic, no inheritance, and no prospects, may be willing to judge the man strictly on his own merits.

When family pressures push Lady Felicity into a terrible fate, she has only Sir Terence to turn to. As the two outcasts are propelled by circumstances beyond their control, they are forced to explore the unseen depths beneath society's facade.

And what they discover about each other is more real and more beautiful than they ever could have imagined...

A unique combination of historical and fantasy romance, Enchanting the Lady will fascinate readers of Karen Monin, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, and Diane Duval who will be charmed by this light-hearted, powerful mix of romance, history, magic, secrets, and spies.

The Relics of Merlin Historical Fantasy Romance Series:

Enchanting the Lady (Book 1)

Double Enchantment (Book 2)

Enchanting the Beast (Book 3)

Everlasting Enchantment (Book 4)

What people are saying about Kathryne Kennedy

"As darkly imaginative as Tolkien, as richly romantic as Heyer, Kennedy carves a new genre in romantic fiction."—Erin Quinn, author of Haunting Warrior

"[Kennedy] has created characters that live and breathe between the pages; a talent which is, in my opinion, a hallmark of skilled storytelling."—Fresh Fiction

"Ms. Kennedy's a pro at creating memorable characters, comical situations, a fun dialog, and an endearing love story."—Sia McKye's Thoughts Over Coffee

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Aug 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781402269837

Kathryne Kennedy

Kathryne Kennedy is a critically acclaimed, bestselling, award-winning author of magical romances. She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at www.kathrynekennedy.com. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives with her wonderful family in Glendale, Arizona.

Reviews for Enchanting the Lady

[cynical_ames · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An average but enjoyable historical paranormal romance where your level of magic is tied to your title and any accompanying lands. If you're heirs are weaker than you, they're demoted upon the outcome of the "testing" when someone is about to inherit but if there's no more magic left in your bloodline, say goodbye to your wealth and hello to destitution. This is what happens to poor naive Felicity after her parents die, leaving her with her less than understanding aunt, uncle and cousin.

However, if you happen to be a shapeshifter of any kind, you're at the bottom of the social ladder despite being held in high esteem by the royal family, probably due to that pesky little fact: shapeshifters are immune to magic.

People hate what they fear, and they fear these uncontrollable "beasts". Feeling powerless against these weres has led them to being treated as outcasts, the lowest of the low. Baronet Terrence Blackwell is the most honoured shifter in England being the Prince's top spy and relic hunter yet he is outwardly mocked despite his fierce shifter shape as a lion, which manages to scare most into submission.

When he smells relic magic on Felicity during her disastrous testing he assumes she can lead him to one of these mythical relics, which in the wrong hands can do serious damage like that done to his now dead brother. He'll do anything to find that relic. Anything. Even marry a desperate but seemingly innocent woman. But is he really courting her just to find the relic or are his beastly desires to mate with this woman commanding his actions. And is she really so innocent?

[mikaela_l_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I downloaded this from Discover a new love since I read and liked The Firelord's lover a couple of years ago.

This is a light paranormal, set in an alternate Victorian London. I had a lot of fun trying to guess which parts of London the different neighborhoods was based on. The alternative place names felt right and reflected the neighborhoods status. How the magic system was set up appealed a lot too me. I liked that you ( and your family) could raise or fall in status, depending on which kind of magic you had. I also liked that no one could do everything.

The thing I liked most about this book was Terence and Felicity. Both of them were shaped by their backgrounds. Terrence just lost his brother, and is fiercely protective of his remaining family. And I liked the lengths he went to protect Felicity.

Felicity has spent her life being ignored. And her adaptions to that made me smile. But the first scenes made my heart ache as well since they showed very clearly how her life must have been.

Too me the plot was very predicable. From the way they met, to their courtship and then their HEA. The thing that kept me reading was Terence and Felicity's relationship, but when I stopped reading yesterday I wasn't sure if I would finish this. In fact, it wasn't until the last 70 pages or so that I felt that I was interested in what happened next.

A lot of that stemmed from my main problem with this book: I had a lot of problem connecting with the characters. I liked Terence and Felicity, but I didn't love them. It felt like their feelings were just hinted at, and never truly shown. Which is too bad, since I felt that there was a lot of promise in the worldbuilding, and in parts of the plot.

[blodeuedd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be adorable, it was just so cute and fun. Not to mention that I liked the society that in this alternate England.

Magic is still around and English society is infused by it. The Royals have the most powers and then the Dukes and so forth. If you are without then you are stripped of titles and lands. Magic rules and different titles have different magic. I really liked what she created and it was interesting.

Our heroine is truly naive, but that is the only way she could be. No one ever notices Felicity and she believes she is a grey little mouse. But there lives a fighter in her that wants to peak her head out. She was sweet and innocent.

While the hero Terrance is something else entirely. There is one class of nobility that has no magic and that magic can't touch and that are the shapeshifters. But the Royals use them as spies since they can sense relic magic. And Terrance, well I wanted to be angry at him for using sweet Felicity, but at the same time he was falling for her so I forgave him. His beast knew better than he did.

A relic of evil magic must be found, a couple fall helplessly in love and all is not well in the country of England.

Conclusion:
Such a sweet story that I devoured in a day. Easy to read, easy to fall in love with

[mybookaddiction_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What’s love got to do with it? Everything and nothing. Now if you ask what’s magic got to do with it? The answer is everything. Amd in a round about way so does Merlin. You ask: how is Merlin involved? For the answer to this question you will have to read Enchanthing The Lady. This is a great love story and mystery rolled up into one. I totally enjoyed finding out what was going to happen to everyone. If you enjoy stories about magic, shapeshifters, or the Victorian age you will love this story which has all three. I know I loved it. OH! and don’t forget the dragon.Rating: 5Heat Rating: MildReviewed by: SusanF,My Book Addiction and More

[dpchapman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As someone who doesn’t like a lot of historical romance, I decided to read Enchanting the Lady mainly because of the paranormal aspect of the story. I am so happy I did! I love how Ms. Kennedy created a Victorian world that has magic in it. The fact that your magical ability is what determines your social position is a wonderful twist.Felicity Seymour is the orphaned daughter of a Duke and Duchess. She should have the magical ability to retain her parent’s title and lands but it appears she doesn’t. Instead she is penniless and must live with her Aunt, Uncle and cruel cousin. Then she meets Sir Terence Blackwell.While he may hold a title, Terence is at the bottom of the social ladder because he is a shapeshifter. Magic doesn’t work on him and as a spy for the Crown his job is to find magical relics that were crafted by Merlin himself. He can sense that Lady Felicity has been near one and believes she may be in possession of it.This is a wonderful start to a series and I can hardly wait to get my hands on Double Enchantment!

[jaie22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really sweet, fluffy romance. Pretty sure I downloaded it for free, so it was very much worth the price. Will look for more by this author, even if I have to pay for them! Set in a Victorian London where magic is an accepted part of the world - charming.

[jenson_aka_dl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Felicity had grown up knowing that it was her heritage to have wonderful magical abilities, but instead was doomed to insignificant mediocrity by both her lack of ability and absence of beauty.Baronet and were-lion Terence Blackwell lived his life in service and guardianship of the powerfully magic prince of his land. It was his duty and obsession to seek out and destroy all of the relics of Merlin that could threaten the empire. When Terrance senses the presence of one of the evil relics on the person of the newly tested and failed Felicity Seymour he is struck at once by both her beauty and innocence, unsure if either are the true soul of the girl before him. Determined to know the truth Terence decides to woo the lovely failed enchantress, but once discovering Felicity's charm is unsure if he will discover her culpability or lose his heart instead.This tale is a pleasant and quick read of politics, family, witchery and love. I felt that the romance progressed nicely from their initial attraction and enjoyed the interactions between Terrance and Felicity. I was amused how he couldn't seem to stop himself from bumping into her all the time. It was funny to imagine a man dressed as a lord head butting a lady like a common housecat. The plot did have a bit more action than a regular Victorian romance and it was interesting to see this author's view of a magical London through the eyes of her characters. Although I felt it was pretty clear from the onset who the culprits were, I didn't find this foreknowledge ruinous to the story. Certainly this is a very pleasant paranormal romance I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.