Book Review: Daughter of the Spellcaster by Maggie Shayne

Title: Daughter of the Spellcaster
Author: Maggie Shayne
Series: Portal #2
Publisher: Harlequin
Pub Date: November 20, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 400
Device read on: My Nook
My Copy: Courtesy of NetGalley and Harlequin

Book Synopsis:

Has a spell been cast?

Lena Dunkirk is a practicing witch, Ryan McNally a wealthy playboy. Logic says mismatch, yet from the first they share a passion that defies reason, as if they know each other from another place, another time. Then Lena gets pregnant and runs for the safety of home.

Months later, when Ryan appears at her door looking to help raise their child, Lena doesn’t know whom to trust-particularly now that “guru to the stars” Bahru has taken an interest in her baby, offering gifts forged of magic.

Soon she and Ryan are sharing eerie dreams of ancient lands, while a vengeful demon plots to take possession of their child. As the moment of birth approaches, the demon’s power rises, forcing the hand of love to wield the blade that will decide the fate of a child’s soul-and the future of the world.

Book Review:

An amazing sequel that can stand on it’s own. Maggie Shayne delivers strong characters that you will not forget. I was immediately drawn to this book because I think the writing and mysteries were much more compelling than they were in the first book. 

Maggie Shayne immediately takes us into the past and it’s interesting how the past lives are intertwined into the current day of these characters. We are shown Lena’s childhood and it’s a nice one. Yet there are things that happen in a vision that she’s shown that will impact her future. Yet what makes this important is that we get to see a character who is very likeable and is learning things.

When we are thrust to present day, we see a very grown up Lena and the man she loves Ryan there are some issues because of Lena being pregnant. This is done in a way that I see as being somewhat realistic because lets face it not everyone goes the traditional route. What we see is two people who love each other very much, but have commitment issues. The pregnancy becomes a big issue for everything going forward.



The past lives vision becomes more and more intense and vivid as the book goes forward. It also helps guide Lena, Ryan and the other characters forward as there is danger surrounding her baby. Her baby fate is very important. Her baby fate is part of a prophecy that will determine if someone from the past gets to live or not.  I really like books with prophecies, as there is always something at stake.

Ryan and Lena as a couple are very interesting to read as they have to learn to trust and rebuild their relationship. I really like how they build upon the baby and their hopes and dreams for their daughter. Nothing is ever easy when we are dealing with the paranormal or witches. Things start to get crazy as when Lena gets closer to her due date, and all we know is questionable.  I mean there are people possessed and acting crazy. People who we thought we could trust really are possessed and not doing things that they wouldn’t normally do. 

The last chapter was so filled of awesome. We got answers to lot of our questions and really got to see the power of what love built on trust can accomplish and it really was extraordinary how Ryan and Lena admitted how they felt about each other. Also the love scenes were hot and sexy.  They were some awesome moments in the book. 

One of the nice things at the very end, was how happy Ryan and Lena are raising their baby. Also I like the fact that Indira and Tomas made an appearance. Overall, a solid second book. Definitely one of my favorite series this year.

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