"Shadow Spell" - Review

I'm back at it again; reading books for fun!  This time it was "Shadow Spell" by Nora Roberts, book 2 in the Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy.  I enjoyed book two far better than book one, though I attribute that more to the pair of characters than the writing.  Check out my review for the first book "Dark Witch" (goodreads | blog) or for "Shadow Spell" (goodreads)

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2 star writing, 4 star world building, 
3 star characters
#romance #fantasy #Ireland #magic

Series: The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, book 2
Setting: Ireland
Characters: Connor, Maera, and the other 4 of their circle.
Sexual Themes: Sex
Violence: Yes; magical, physical and blood

Recommendation: 
If you're looking for a fluffy romance, some really neat magic and and all without a complicated read then pick this one up and enjoy. (read the first one though)

This is my second Nora Robert novel and as much as I did not enjoy the first book, I actually did enjoy this one.  Roberts was at it again with her wonderful worlds, believable magic system and this time, back with a better pair of characters.  Sorcha's children and their modern day lineage stand up to fight Cabhan once again.  They may have left him hurt in book one, but in book two each side pulls new and devastating tricks out of their bag.

"Shadow Spell" was Connor's story and how finally sees his childhood friend Meara for what she really is.  Their romance was more about two strong people learning how to protect each other without shutting them out and making them feel small than the acceptance that Iona's book was.  Maera and Connor we both written to be strong leads with spine, compassion and faults.  Maera is the deeper character with the struggles placed on her through her family, the circle and her self imposed imperfections.  Her character arc was what made this book worth reading.  Connor's childhood was apparently picture perfect and though his love for Maera was sweet, he was flat compaired to her.  

Same as the first book, my main issue with this novel was the writing. Sentences were repeated one after the other with just minor phrasing changes and it overall felt really difficult to read.  Then there was the repeating scenes.  Some action would occur, and attack by Cabhan for example, we the readers would view it as it happened and then whoever it happened to would sit around a table and tell the rest of the circle.  This happened every time, and there was always more detail about the encounter in the recap, why?  Once or twice, fine, but every time, no, just let me read it and then move on.  So basically the book had half as much content as it did words.

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Happy Reading!