Book Review
Mountain Charm
By Sydney Logan
Read on to learn about a delightful new book, one that has captivated me. After the summary and my review, I’ve got some lovely comments from the author and info with buying links. Don’t miss this book!
Summary:
At the age of thirteen, Angelina Clark followed in the footsteps of her ancestors by casting an Appalachian love spell, which promised she would blossom into a beautiful and gifted woman who would find her true love. A young Angelina had been thrilled to participate in the sacred ritual, but through the years, her father’s untimely death and her mother’s failing health have shaken Angelina’s magical faith to its core. As her twenty-first birthday approaches, she refuses to practice her supernatural gifts and no longer believes in the love charm.
That is, until Dylan Thomas arrives on her front porch.
Dylan, a Nashville writer, travels to the mountain town of Maple Ridge to unearth the family’s supernatural secrets. While her clairvoyant mother is convinced that Dylan is her daughter’s soul mate, Angelina refuses to see the nosy reporter as anything more than a nuisance. Despite their constant bickering, sparks fly.
Dylan admits he feels strangely drawn to Angelina and is in no hurry to leave Maple Ridge or publish his magazine article. Fearful that his emotions are being influenced by the spell, a stubborn Angelina struggles to fight her own budding attraction to the reporter. The two inevitably grow closer just as her mother’s health begins to deteriorate, and Angelina is faced with the possibility of selling the family’s music shop to pay the mounting medical expenses. Desperate to help the woman he loves, Dylan explores his own family tree and finds support from an unlikely source. Can he finally prove his love is real—spell or no spell?
My review:
The Charm of Mountain Charm
When I pick up a book by Sydney Logan, I know I will be taken to someplace very special. I know Sydney will create characters I wish I could meet and a setting I wish I could visit. And Mountain Charm is no exception; in fact, I think it’s my favorite of Sydney’s work so far.
What thirteen-year-old girl wouldn’t want to conduct some kind of charm to ensure she finds the perfect love? I was a girl like that, dreamy, romantic, idealistic. I know I would have done it. Still, I could completely sympathies with Angelina’s doubts when she was an adult. Life had dealt her two terrible blows. Why believe in magic after that?
I felt like I was right there with Angelina as she struggled with her feelings for Dylan, trying to tell herself his feelings couldn’t be real, forced upon him by magic. I agonized with her worries about how to pay the medical bills. I knew I’d want someone strong to stand with me through it all, and Dylan was the perfect one to do it.
I left the pages of Mountain Charm reluctantly. I wanted it to go on. I wanted to see Angelina’s shop, meet the people of Maple ridge, and breathe in the sweet mountain air. It was an experience, and it will live with me for a long long time.
Sydney Logan is a true artist. Her novels are more than just romances. She shows us her love of the country, her love of people, and her deep sense of love. I know this book will join my favorites for this year and is far up on my all-time favorites list as well.
Guest post from sydney
You have an amazing writing style. Can you tell us about yourself, and what influenced your stories?
Thank you, Sherry!
I’m a happily married, thirty-nine year old who has stumbled into the world of writing. It was never my plan. I’d considered majoring in journalism in college, but decided to become a teacher instead, which is what I’ve been doing for nearly twenty years. I love to collect lighthouses and play piano. I’m seriously addicted to music, my iPhone, and Candy Crush.
My stories (so far) have been influenced by the fact that I grew up, and still live, in the country. My fictional mountain towns are loosely based on my own and the areas surrounding me in Tennessee. As for my characters, they are sometimes based on people I’ve met in my life, but for the most part, they are just figments of my imagination. I love to read realistic, heartfelt romances
(like Nicholas Sparks) so that’s the kind of author I am. I decided to spice up my second novel, Mountain Charm, by making Angelina an Appalachian witch, but again, that’s just a little nod to the mountains. I’m very influenced by love, home, and family, and I hope that comes through in my stories.
Sydney’s bio
Author Bio:
Sydney Logan is an Amazon bestselling author and holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. With the 2012 release of her first novel, Lessons Learned, she made the transition from bookworm to author. Sydney has a very unhealthy obsession with music, and her iPod is filled with everything from Johnny Cash to Eminem. She is also the author of two short stories: “Mistletoe Magic,” available exclusively on Amazon Kindle, and “Stupid Cupid,” which is featured in the Romantic Interludescompilation. When she isn’t reading or writing, she enjoys playing piano and relaxing on her front porch at her home in East Tennessee with her wonderful husband and their very spoiled cat.
Her second novel, Mountain Charm, is slated for a summer 2013 release.
Visit Sydney’s website at www.sydneylogan.com
Buying link: http://ph.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/books/detail/91