Damsel Under Stress - Shanna Swendson

Title: Damsel Under Stress (Enchanted Inc. #3)
Author: Shanna Swendson
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 320
Date read: November, 2015

At last, Owen Palmer, the dreamboat wizard at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., has conjured up the courage to get Katie Chandler under the mistletoe at the office holiday party. But just when it looks like Katie has found her prince, in pops her inept fairy godmother, Ethelinda, to throw a wand into the works. Ethelinda's timing couldn't be worse. A plot hatched by MSI's rogue ex-employees, Idris and his evil fairy gal pal Ari, threatens to expose the company's secrets - and the very existence of magic itself. Even worse, it could also mean the end of Katie's happily-ever-after.

Now Katie and Owen must work side by side (but alas, not cheek to cheek) to thwart the villains' plans. Braving black-magic-wielding sorceresses, subway-dwelling dragons, lovelorn frog princes, and even the dreaded trip to meet Owen's parents at Christmas, Katie and her beau are in a battle to beat Idris at his own sinister game. All mischief and matters of the heart will come to a head at a big New Year's Eve gala, when the crystal ball will drop, champagne will pour, and Katie will find herself truly spellbound.


Better than book two, still not as good as book one. The fairy Godmother got on my nerves (I'm really, really not fond of people who believe they always know best, contrary to all evidence), but I was less frustrated with Katie for not telling Owen and/or Merlin what was going on than I was in book 2. Especially since once something serious happened she DID tell them right away.

I did absolutely love Katie visiting Owen's parents for Christmas! I think that may have been my favourite part of the book.

Basically these books make for good entertainment, but (apart from possibly the first one) they're probably not books I'd care to reread.

I still want to read the next book in the series though!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 236
Date read: November, 2015

Four minutes changes everything. Hadley Sullivan 17 misses her flight at JFK airport, is late to her father's second wedding in London with never-met stepmother. Hadley meets the perfect boy. Oliver is British, sits in her row. A long night on the plane passes in a blink, but the two lose track in arrival chaos. Can fate bring them together again?


Really sweet YA that I picked up on a whim and was pleased to find very charming. It was a lot less shallow than I had originally expected, and I really loved seeing Hadley evolve as the day went on. Excellent plane reading, as it didn't ask too much of the reader, while still being very enjoyable and entertaining.

Don't Hex with Texas - Shanna Swendson

Title: Don't Hex with Texas (Enchanted Inc. #4)
Author: Shanna Swendson
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 292
Date read: November, 2015

Katie Chandler has fled fast-paced Manhattan and returned home to a simpler life, working at her family's feed-and-seed store in Cobb, Texas. In a painfully selfless gesture, Katie had left the sexy wizard Owen Palmer to battle his demons in the magical realm - after all, Katie just seemed to attract evil, which only made Owen's job a lot harder. But now it seems that trouble has followed her home: Despite the fact that Merlin, Katie's old boss at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., has assured her that Cobb is free of enchantment, (magically speaking), Katie begins to notice curious phenomena.

Cobb is being plagued by a series of inexplicable petty crimes and other devilish mischief, and after her experiences in Manhattan, Katie knows unauthorized magic when she sees it. As this new darkness strikes deep in the heart of Texas, Owen appears (literally) to investigate. Now Katie's friends and family must show the bad guys why it's bad luck to hex with Texas, while Katie and Owen combine their strengths like never before to uncover a sinister plot before evil takes root in the Lone Star State.


Book 4 almost manages to recapture the charm of the first book in the series. Katie is back in Texas to get away from magic... only to discover that there's more magic around than she had ever anticipated, and her desire to keep her family out of the loop is perhaps not as easily managed as first anticipated.

I loved seeing Katie relate to more people than just Owen, and was pleased to meet her family and friends back in Texas. I do still want her to return to New York, but for a bit of a change, this was very enjoyable. And I love her granny!