Enchanting the Beast (Relics of Merlin) by Kathryne Kennedy

Paranormal Romance

From Goodreads:

Grimspell Castle. With its dark, imposing stone walls, it certainly looked haunted. As a ghost-hunter, Lady Philomena was accustomed to restless spirits. But she found the dark, imposing nature of the castle's owner far more haunting than any specter. London Society might not approve of shape-shifters such as Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, but firmly-on-the-shelf Philomena rather enjoyed the young baronet's sudden interest in sniffing around her skirts. She'd even consider giving in to him altogether if not for a murderer on the loose—a beast that might just be Nico himself.

I love the Relics of Merlin series.  Kathryne Kennedy come up with wonderful stories that stand on their own.  In each story she mixes the same paranormal elements but comes up with something that is unique to each book.  Enchanting the Beast fits right into the series.

Lady Philomena (Phil) comes to Grimspell at the invitation of Sir Nicodemus Wulfson (Nico).   There is a problem at Grimspell.  All of the ghosts are upset and causing problems.  Phil agrees to find the solution. 

There is another problem.  Nico is a wolf shape sifter.  He may be younger than Phil but he is very attracted to her.  His wolf has always been very near the surface and in addition to the attraction she calms his wolf like not on else ever has.  Phil is also attracted to Nico but feels that there is just too much difference in their ages for anything to work.

So the plot is to find a way to lay to rest the ghosts and get Nico and Phil together.  Those two elements make for a very entertaining story.  I admit I did suspect the person to blame for all the trouble but it did not affect my enjoyment of the story.  Nico and Phil are both such great characters and they did a good job of carrying the story.

There is some world building that is done in previous books.  It is dropped into Enchanting the Beast but for the most enjoyment do read the other books in the series.

Love Spell first published Enchanting the Beast by Kathryne Kennedy in 2009 and did a re-release in 2014.

I received an ARC of Enchanting the Beast from Netgalley.

Everlasting Enchantment (Relics of Merlin #4) by Kathryne Kennedy

Fantasy

What Goodreads says:

"Sir Gareth Solimere, knight of King Arthur's Round Table, has been trapped inside Merlin's relic for centuries, cursed until he finds his one true love. When he finally finds her in the unexpected form of a beautiful were-panther named Millicent Pantere, he has to use all of his charms to try to make her love him in return. But if he manages this feat, will he finally be free to live a normal life?"

While Everlasting Enchantment is book four of the Relics of Merlin series it has no problem standing on its own. 

The setting is Victorian England and Queen Victoria plays a role in the story.  It is an England with shape shifters and magic.  Gareth Solimere is trapped in one of Merlin’s relics.  Millicent Pantere is suppose to find that relic in order to save Nell, the only person she thinks she cares for.  Once the relic with Gareth comes into Millicent’s possession the story really takes off.

I had a great time reading Everlasting Enchantment.  There was action, adventure, romance, magic, shape shifting, and enough tension to keep me reading.  I loved Millicent.  She really did care about others; she just refused to admit that she did.  Gareth started out very jaded.  As the story progressed I got to watch him change into a wonderful caring man who loved with all his being.

Relics of Merlin is a fun series and Everlasting Enchantment is a great addition.  The writing is crisp, the plot well developed and the characters fun.  If you like fantasy and romance this is a good pick.

Sourcebook published EverlastingEnchantment by Kathryne Kennedy in 2013.