Spellbound

FANTASY: Isabella Barton is affianced to Ivan; however, he is New York mafia and takes her for granted. Isabella wants to be loved and longs for a family. She knows that Ivan doesn’t love her, but she doesn’t see a way out of the life she is stuck in, until something occurs that motivates her to return to Rhode Island. Zachariah is the first sorcerer to the King of Tarlis; in the midst of an important battle, when his king is depending on his magical skills, he is whisked forward in time to Rhode Island and Isabella Barton. He is unconscious on a boulder in the ocean and will drown if she can’t get him moved, but the currents are strong, and she can’t reach him. A Story Mage appears and rescues him, but takes his amulet, which is the only way Zachariah can return to the past.

The author does a wonderful job of encouraging listeners to care about these protagonists. The story seems to flow naturally and the pace is steady throughout. This audiobook is definitely entertaining! Magic almost feels believable at certain times, and especially during particularly amusing events. The ending is incredibly creative, and Julie D’Arcy saves a few unexpected surprises for listeners at the very end, which adds to the overall enjoyment.

The recording quality was good; however, the words preface and cursory are mispronounced (pre-face is spoken with a long e and pronounced as two separate words; cursory is recorded as cursurary). Nevertheless, Aimee Smith is able to engage listeners in this wonderful tale of righting some wrongs, finding true love, time travel, sorcery, and bad people getting exactly what they deserve. Listeners may find themselves cheering at times, when good things happen and when evil meets its match!

Carey Sullivan