CATSPELL

Author: Colleen Shannon ISBN: 0505526115 1/2006 PARANORMAL Publisher: DORCHESTER/Love Spell
Time Period: Victorian England

Shelley Holmes is accustomed to the bizarre. Such phenomena as werewolves and vampires held no surprises for her. But in all her years of investigating the paranormal, she had never run across a case like this one… Beautiful Arielle Blaylock was a proper Victorian miss by day, but a daring wanton by night. In her dreams she seemed to enter another life, one where sorcery and sensuality held sway. But how was it possible that the happenings of that shadow world were beginning to manifest themselves in reality? What was the significance of the Egyptian cat amulet she wore at her throat? And of the two mystical beings who fought to seduce her, which was destined to be her lover…the creature of light or the one of darkness? As her midnight wanderings become ever more alluring, Arielle found herself lost in a maze of danger and desire where one misstep might mean the end of love and life.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

CATSPELL is one of the more unusual paranormal romances I've read. There are two romances going on here, and multiple kinds of shapeshifting. We've got your werewolves plus your assorted giant cats, with a huge helping of ancient Egyptian lore and Victoriana to keep it entertaining.

The primary heroine is Lady Arielle Blaylock. She's a physically challenged young woman with a dead mother, a concerned aristocrat father, and some really disturbing dreams. Her father brings in paranormal detective Shelley Holmes (who has been featured in other Shannon novels) to help him figure out what is going on. His late wife already died from complications of whatever is troubling his daughter, and he doesn't want these complications to destroy her life.

Feisty Arielle is pursued by two different men, one good and one evil, as she tries to solve the mystery of her mother's past. There are magical amulets and séances to encounter. An interesting man pursues Shelley as she tries to figure out the mystery of Arielle. It sounds complicated, but it isn't really. At its heart, the book is about a young woman discovering and embracing her own feminine power, at least in the context of aristocratic life in Victorian England when you are a direct descendant of Cleopatra.

CATSPELL is an absorbing tale for readers interested in paranormal stories.

Heather Hiestand