I'm usually a big JAK fan, but this one was nothing to write home about. I couldn't help wondering why the heroine would want to end up with such an overbearing jerk. :) When the hero isn't someone you'd want to get to know, the book isn't enjoyable.

Reprint, so check for it in your library--you won't want to spend for this one. Very tired plot involving male domination as the way to a woman's heart. It definitely shows it's '80's roots. Plot is somewhat contrived and it's obvious who the bad guy is early on. Very disappointing

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This is a decent read, nothing special. Abby London is hiding a secret, a past with a stalker/jealous boyfriend and an almost affair with her cousin's husband when cousin was pregnant. Now someone is trying to blackmail her because of it.

Torr Latimer, is a man she meets in a flower arranging class. After 1 date is declaring he owns her etc....so dated. These are not bad reads. And I often like to catch the ones I missed, but I really resent very dated books being fostered off on us with high prices.

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Witchcraft is an anthology- a collection of short storys featuring suspense,mystery and romance. INcluded in this novel:

*Witchcraft by Jayne Krentz--Kimberly is a writer who receives a threatening gift in the mail. She immediate things about Darius- who is indebted to her and has made a promise to be there for her. Miraculously, he appears and whisks her aaway to his protection. Together they unravel the mystery of who is threatening her.

*Last Chance Cafe- Lena is a waitress who lost her husband tragically. 3 years later, a customer (cade) walks into her cafe and resembles her husband. This is a shorter story and you cannot help but root for Lena as she deals with her past.

*Bayou Moon by Rebecca York--Chase has inherited an old manor and finds his childhood friend Julienne in residence. They share a past filled with sadness- she is the daughter of the manor and he is the son of their servants. But now their positions are reversed- Chase is now the owner and she must work for him while hiding her past secrets. This was actually my favorite story of the 3--very touching and sad, showing how love can overcome even the most awful event.

These 3 storys were fun to read, but had been previously published and are not new. They were short and the plots seem to resolve themselves very quickly- with little time for much character developement.
My advice would not to pay full price for this book- definately check out Jayne Krentz's other novels and pick this one up at a used book shop.

If you are a loyal fan looking to pick up Jayne Ann Krentz's earlier works that have been out of print, this book is an okay way to pick up a reprint of one of her 1985 titles; but if you are looking to read your first Krentz, there are several others you should definitely try first to get a real feel for her work, three of my favorites being Absolutely, Positively, A Coral Kiss and Deep Waters.

The longest of this 3-story collection (and the real reason for the book being released probably) is the reprint of Krentz's 1985 Witchcraft which is an okay read, not her best and not her worst, but you can definitely tell it was written in the 80s. Typical alpha male (I like them in my fiction so they don't bother me) but her heroine needs smacked since her attitude changes so quickly throughout the book (she loves him, she hates him, she loves him, etc., etc.), again an 80's romance characterization quirk for Krentz (and many other authors of the category romances of the time).

The other two stories by Stevens and York were both published/posted online as free short stories on eHarlequin.com's online read library either last year or earlier so it was very disappointing to find nothing new in this collection at all. And when I say short, I mean short (approximately 50 pages each). No time for character development, real plot development or much of anything else. You get dropped in the middle of a situation and it soon gets resolved and everyone lives happily ever after except for you, the reader, as you are left with a desire to have more...something. Not to say that as short stories they aren't good, they are...good, not great. Both are short, quick reads that work as free stories on eHarlequin.com's site but definitely not satisfying enough to actually pay for them.

Unfortunately Krentz' tale of mystical love seems dated which isn't surprising as it was written in 1985. 'Last ChanceCafe'by Amanda Stevens and Rebecca York's 'Bayou Moon' were entertaining but truly short stories at about fifty pages apiece. Its difficult to flesh out characters in such a short story and the plots can only be superficial. I wish the publishers had made it clear that this edition contained one old work and two very short albeit enjoyable stories. I gave the three stars to the new pieces.

I couldn't get to review the others reviews of the book "Ghost of a Chance." I read it but, I read so many other books that I wanted to read a review on this book to see what it was about and the charaters names that were in it.

This is definitely one of the writer's better written books. The story was about Anne Silver avenging her reporter brother's attempted murder by a bunch of thieves stealing valuables disguised as de-ghost experts. Since Anne was just an ordinary woman with no special investigative skills or training, she sought out Julian Aries' help in exposing these phonies. Julian was an FBI agent who promised to come back to her after he finished his then assignment. The problem was he never showed up, and as much as Anne hated him, she was left with no choice but to turn to him for advice and help. The story went on about how they set up the plan and trapped these cons in a haunted house and how they fell in each other's arm during the process.

All in all, it is page-turner with an intriguing plot. Both characters were well developed, and the twist at the end was a sure surprise. I also like it when the writer added in a touch of supernatural spirit to spice up the story. If it were not for the silly gibberish quarrel that the heroine picked up at the first few chapters and some occasional typos, this book would warrant a FIVE-star. Anyhow, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fast-paced, suspenseful gothic with strong sexual tension blended in it.

I enjoyed this novel a lot more than I have some of JAK's other shorter novels. The characters seemed to be adequately developed, there weren't any irrational jumps in emotion or plot, and the story didn't feel rushed or contrived. All in all I'd say it was worth reading, though I doubt I'd buy it.

Four stars for keeping me entertained and for keeping me from wanting to chuck it across the room in frustration.

Lacey Holbrook has gotten herself into dangerous trouble with a brief affair with a man who appears to be connected with the criminal sector. She schemes to have the man break off the affair when he finds out she has a supposed lover (sent to her by old family friends - the Merlin family who have an outstanding debt owing to her deceased father). But the man who comes to repay the debt is the son Jed Merlin, a man she thought herself in love with at the age of thirteen. Attraction and romance quickly develops between them.

Jayne Castle's romance stories have matured from the earlier ones in the series. Her plot line is actually realistic. Although the story line promises romantic suspense, Castle hasn't quite reached the stage in her writing career to develop it. Other than a brief car chase, there is little tension or suspense, and we never meet the criminal man himself. Still the love scenes with Jed are hot and steamy, and Castle keeps the pace racing. A nice page turner.

Heroine: tall, plump/voluptuous

Interior decorator Lacey Holbrook is in trouble, and she's ready to call in an old favor to get out of it. She fully expected the Merlin family to make good on her request for a "suitable" man to assist her, but was stunned to see the heir to the empire himself standing at the door of her trendy L.A. apartment. Jed Merlin had changed. No longer the clean-cut young man she worshipped with adolescent eyes, this shaggy denim-clad stranger hardly seems like the CEO of a major corporation, and certainly not the answer to her predicament!

Jed Merlin rang the bell expecting to help out an old family friend, but the cool, collected woman who answered the door was nothing like the little girl he so fondly recalled proposing marriage to him, citing it as a merger between their two family businesses. Irritated with the way Lacey is intent on playing Pygmalion and pigeon-holing him into her idea of an urbane male, Jed sets out to show Lacey what a real man is made out of, turning the voluptuous beauty and her ideals on their ear.

What worked for me:

I always get a kick out of reading older contemporaries because they are frozen in time. This story has the heroine sporting an easy-care Dorothy Hamill 'do and a silk jumpsuit, which I recall was all the rage way back when the wardrobe on "Charlie's Angels" was considered the cutting edge of chic fashion.

Though her appearance was brief, there is a secondary character, a writer of bodice rippers, who provides some tongue-in-cheek humor about the romance genre in general. It's nice to see an author who has a sense of humor about her line of work.

I thought Jed was fairly well-drawn for such a short novel, and I definitely could see myself chatting comfortably with him at a party.

Size-wise Lacey was heavier than was "in" for L.A. in the late 70s/early 80s, and felt self-conscious about her height around men under 6'.

What didn't work for me:

I hate to say it, but I really didn't like Lacey. I couldn't break my initial impression of her as a controlling ice-queen because it took her so long to thaw out.

The story hinted at Lacey being in danger, but with the exception of one scene the reader never feels it. "Spellbound" just didn't deliver the suspense it seemed to promise.

Overall:

A solid read, but it may be difficult to track down this older title.

Warning, there are some steamy scenes in this story.

If you liked "Spellbound" you might also enjoy "His Seductive Revenge", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "Carried Away", or "His E-mail Order Wife".

ARIZONA DESPERADO-Jake Cavender was cool on the outside, but inside beat a heart as hot as the desperate sands. He surprised Heather Strand by agreeing to an arranged marriage, evan if he had no intention of holding to her hands-off prenuptial agreement. Jake always played the gentleman-but Heather's sassy velvet mouth was turning him into a desperado...or just plain desperate. He'd agreed to take her, minus one clause-the marriage bed. He'd have a marriage...in every sence of the word.

These often reprinted stories put out in trade size - another chance to get more money out of these tired old romance series written in the early 1980's.

The stories are dated and just really do not hold interest.

Generalmente, no me gustan las novelas románticas contemporáneas, pero después de leer todos los libros de Amanda Quick yo no pude contener las ganas de comprar ''Socios y amantes''(Perfect Partners) de Jayne Ann Krentz(el nombre verdadero de Amanda Quick). No resultó ser lo que yo esperaba. Es bastante agradable, tiene sus momentos cómicos, los diálogos son bien escritos pero no es tan emocionante como ''Fascinación''(Ravished) ''La Imprudente''(Reckless), ''Hipnosis''(Affair), o ''El peligro de la pasión''(Dangerous).En mi opinión, su novela contemporánea ''Grand passion'' es mucho mas interesante que ''Socios y amantes'', pero no se si esta traducida en Espanol. En conclusión quiero decir que, de todos modos , disfruté de ''Socios y amantes'' pero si usted recién descubrió a Jayne Krentz ,yo recomendaría leer sus novelas históricas, especialmente '' Fascinación''(definitivamente mi favorita). Estoy segura que no será la pérdida de su tiempo o de su dinero.

Generalmente, no me gustan las novelas romanticas contemporaneas, pero despues de leer todos los libros de Amanda Quick yo no pude contener las ganas de comprar ''Socios y amantes''(Perfect Partners) de Jayne Ann Krentz(el nombre verdadero de Amanda Quick). No resulto ser lo que yo esperaba. Es bastante agradable, tiene sus momentos comicos, los dialogos son bien escritos pero no es tan emocionante como ''Fascinacion''(Ravished) ''La Imprudente''(Reckless), ''Hipnosis''(Affair), o ''El peligro de la pasion''(Dangerous).En mi opinion, su novela contemporanea ''Grand passion'' es mucho mas interesante que ''Socios y amantes'', pero no se si esta traducida en Espanol. En conclusion quiero decir que, de todos modos , disfrute de ''Socios y amantes'' pero si usted recien descubrio a Jayne Krentz ,yo recomendaria leer sus novelas historicas, especialmente '' Fascinacion''(definitivamente mi favorita). Estoy segura que no sera la perdida de su tiempo o de su dinero.

Blackmail! Talia Haywood could hardly believe she was so desperate. But something about Kane Sebastion drove her to it:ANYTHING to get the information that only he could provide. She thought she knew his type: an arrogant industrial tycoon, the kind of man eho had ruined her career and reputation once before-and wouldn't get the better of her again! But she hadn't reckoned on Kane, who took the situation-and her-in hand, giving Talia a taste of real danger and raging desire. Suddenly she was vunerable to a man she couldn't trust, a man who had driven her off the track into a trap of passion and revenge!

Early Krentz that isn't as polished as her later work, but shows the beginnings of her wit and humor. The hero and heroine are delightful, although I didn't understand why the heroine would want to give up that lovely Pacific island for cold and rainy Seattle.

This is not one of Jayne Ann Krantz better books. The plot was too convulted and inner conflict that character was feeling was too long and drawn out. It took away from the storyline.

Great idea........starts off with a lot of good conflict...but....
Cade spent two months romancing Jamie at the same time he was investigating her employers. The investigation blows up, causing Jamie and her employer, Miss Isabel, to have to face the press and investors angry over losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Miss Isabel's brother's schemes. Cade arrogantly thinks he can say his investigation and using of Jamie to gain information had nothing to do with their romance. GRRRRRRRR

That was the first bad point, but figured you could work with the premise. But instead of learning from it, he continues in the same smug, arrogant, know it all attitude, treating Jamie like he knows more about he than she does herself, and simply because he took her to bed, he owns her. He even smirks that she is likely going to come crawling to him, because she got her pregnant!

Sorry, this one really [is bad]. Jamie is a wishy-washy character than lets the arrogant [person] run all over her and you really end up not liking either of them, and possible downright hating HIM. I don't know any woman who could have loved this [person].

Saying it was dated might cover these sins of woe, but frankly, I did not like this one when it was first published. This sort of jerk was no acceptable back then, and he certainly is not acceptable today.

Especially - DO NOT pay the hardback PRICE!

Jamie Garland feels betrayed and used by Cade Santerre when he catches her employer's brother in a financial scam.

The arrogance of the hero, Cade Santerre, was annoying. The heroine, Jamie Garland, kept telling Cade that he was having trouble accepting that he was a romantic hero, while insisting that he had trampled all her romantic dreams. Since this is a reissue, this may have been when Ms. Krentz was transitioning her heroes from being totally alpha males, but, the veneer of romantic male just didn't take. The characters caused the storyline to just galumph along.