Spell Checked

Powell has created a unique and fresh take on the paranormal wor

Powell has created a unique and fresh take on the paranormal world. Her immortals aren't your standard vampires and witches, vanting to suuuuck your bloood or cackling around a cauldron. She’s mixed classic paranormal with a dash of Greek mythology and a twist of sci-fi and the combination has you turning pages! The characters were flawed, but believable and by the end of the book you definitely developed a connection with them. Powell has a real gift for setting the scene as well. Her descriptions of the characters and places really paint a picture in your mind.
The only things I would change about Spell Checked would be separating the point of view of the characters. In any given scene you have the inner thoughts of every and all main characters and it can be difficult to track who is thinking what. I feel that maybe if she separated the chapters or even the scenes into a single character’s point of view it would have streamlined the story and helped the reader follow along. Also, I felt like the whole book built up to a big showdown or fight, Mae spent time training for battle and self-defense, but in the end there wasn’t one. It could be Powell is setting up the next book for a battle, and if that’s the case I’ll be reading it!

This was a wonderful read! I read it in about two days because I

This was a wonderful read! I read it in about two days because I just had to know what was happening next. The story moves along at a quick pace without feeling like you are missing any information. You get all the information you need just when you feel like you need it. I thoroughly enjoyed the new twist on where vampires and witches come from (not telling where because you should read it). This story is about how vampires and witches exist in our world (specifically taking place in Dublin, Ireland mostly). Humans don't exactly know that they are among us, but they also are very accepting of the possibility. Vampires still need to drink human blood to survive, but it turns out that witch blood is poisonous to them. However, witches have breed so thoroughly with the human population, that it is becoming increasingly difficult for vampires not to drink some of the witch blood in their "human" donors. This is a problem that Beck, the main vampire character of the story, is researching for solutions. He believes there must be a way to help vampires and witches alike survive on Earth without bringing about war and with helping all races. He believes his research will even bring an end to many diseases like Cancer and Aids. This is where the main character, Mae, comes in. She becomes a part of his research as well as the love of his life.

Mae finds herself in Ireland on a vacation with her best friend Gemma. During her vacation, she beoms immersed in the world of the supernatural and finds her true place in the world. She has been an orphan, adopted child, and finally left alone when her adoptive parents died. Her only family is her best friend Gemma. She loves anything geeky (a woman of my own heart), but finds it difficult to really fit in since technology is still primarily a man's world. Beck falls in love with Mae even though his real reason for meeting her is because the soul of his eternal beloved is trapped somewhere in Mae's body. Helen of troy, Beck's beloved was cursed by Aphrodite to keep returning to a new body after death takes her and to find Beck again and again since he will never die. Mae is the host for this lifetime, but Beck falls in love with Mae and must decide between the love of his eternal life and his true soul mate. I thoroughly loved this story.

SPELL CHECKED? I THINK NOT.

Spell checked? I think not. I have no idea where to start with this review. I somewhat enjoyed the book, but there were so many things “wrong” with it, it’s actually quite sad. The one thing I can say with certainty, is that a good editor would’ve made a world of difference. But instead of droning on and on about the things which brings down the value of this book, I’ll give you a quick run-through of the points that bugged me. Just humor me and let me have my little rant here, about a book that has so much potential to be a bestseller if the author is willing to make a few changes to it. Let’s start with the first major point which I found quite annoying: the author’s fear of using the apostrophe in all the right places. Do not; has not; was not and are not, contributed to throwing the rhythm of the book off balance. Once I started reading it as don’t, hasn’t, wasn’t and aren’t, the story read smoother and suited its characters and setting much better. The second issue I had was the grammar errors. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was noticeable. The whole book is written in such a way as to make it an easy read suitable for young adults, but time and again the intimate scenes between the characters ended up being pure erotica with unexpected crude language at inappropriate intervals - thus making it unsuitable for younger readers. It also succeeded in creating the impression that the author wasn’t sure whether it should be a young adult novel, or a read suitable for more mature readers. Magic was used as a scapegoat to fix every situation to which the author couldn’t figure out a solution. Abracadabra and the characters got out of sticky situations in a jiffy. There was no point to the plot and not an ounce of suspense. No, really! The blurb hinted at some action and danger for the main character, but nothing happened. Mae - the main character - was trained throughout the book to use her magical gifts to protect herself and others from harm; creating the impression that she is preparing for a big battle scene or something similar. All she ended up using her magical gifts for were to heal one or two characters and to knock her lover off his feet while they were chasing after each other naked down the passages in their mansion. It was such a disappointment! The characters were somewhat flawed, in an effort to make them believable, but it was still hard to identify with them when all the difficulties they faced were easily solved with truckloads of money and magic, thus making it hard to feel any sympathy for them whenever they went through rough patches. As this is the first book in this series, I’ll rather believe that it served as a very (unnecessary) long introduction to the characters who will be the main role-players in the next books in the series. But other than that, there was really no point to this story other than character development. So why am I recommending this book with 3 stars? Because despite everything I found “wrong” with this book, I couldn’t put it down. There’s definitely something in the author’s writing that is captivating enough to grab the reader’s attention and keep it until the end of the book. This alone is testimony that CG Powell is a talented author who knows how to engage her readers, but just has to find the right rhythm for her writing style and some good advice (or a better editor) on how to add that extra “oomph” to this book. She certainly impressed me with her knowledge on

Amazing Read!

Spell Checked is an amazing read. In a market supersaturated with Supernatural Beings (Vampires, Witches, etc.) author CG Powell weaves such an original story line the novel is in a league of its own. Not to be type cast as just another Paranormal Romance this story has great fight/action scenes, elements of suspense, enough mystery to keep you guessing and refreshingly steamy scenes expected in the genre. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Engaging

After reading the reviews, I had to read this book. Many of the reviews call this book fresh, original, steamy, engaging, interesting, and fun. I agree with them all. I'm waiting for the next book.

A paranormal must read!

Vampires, witches and Ireland, oh my! A well written paranormal romance with mythological and alien history, this is a new twist. The story is about Maelin, a woman who has just ended another relationship, in a long line of bad relationships. Her friend Gemma convinces her to escape to Ireland for a little fun and frolicking. Mae, as she is called, goes along for the trip even though she's more for the fun, less for the frolick. On the plane ride over they meet a handsome Irish man named Aidan. The girls have unknowingly been tricked by Aidan - he has cast a spell on them to get them to Ireland. Mae is special. She is the host to Helen, as in Helen of Troy Helen, who returns time and time again to a new body to reunite with her lover Beck.


Beck is a 3,500 year old vampire from the time of Greek gods. He's walked the earth searching for Helen over and over again due to a curse. Aidan, a witch, is his best friend along for the ride. Witches and vampires do not get along, which makes this friendship even more endearing and makes the reader like Beck even more. Aidan is a randy fellow, looking to bed humans and witches alike. Beck is a more down to earth and analytical creature, who is unlike most vampires in the fact that he is in love with Helen, something most vampires don't do.

Mae finds herself confused when she discovers that she is a witch, falling in love with a vampire. Beck too is confused that not only is Helen not surfacing from the host, as she usually does upon his appearance, but that he is also falling in love with Mae. Here is an excerpt:

Beck lay in bed tossing and turning, his actions from the day mentally replaying.
It was the first time in over thirty five hundred years that anyone other than
Helen had stolen his heart. He betrayed Helen by getting close to Mae and
now he stood at the cross-roads unable to choose. How could he tell Mae about Helen?

With a big cast of characters, twist and turns that will keep you on your toes, and everything from aliens to vampires, computer games to shopping, this book covers it all. Be warned, as with most romance books, there is sex scenes and they're pretty steamy! Make sure you have a fan handy!

I was not paid for this review. The book itself was gifted to me, and that's all there is to it! :)) My opinion was in no way swayed, this review is how I truly feel.Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Have an awesome day!
A room without books is like a body without a soul. -Cicero

Unique and fresh!

I haven't read a lot of paranormal romance, and I was intrigued by the premise of this one. The author created an interesting world, filled with vampires and witches in the unlikeliest of places; the main characters were likeable and sexy, and I enjoyed all the references to history and mythology. Grammatical errors and inappropriate shifts in point of view distracted me from the story at times. But hopefully that won't stop you from giving this unique, fresh tale a try!

Steamy Paranormal

I enjoyed the new take on some of the mythological creatures I find in books so often. It is quite clear that Ms. Powell has an analytical mind and it was easy to see from the get go that she had every little bit of the supernatural completely planned out and understood. She wove the mythical history that we study nowadays with her own interpretation, and created an interesting new world.

I was a little put off with Mae at times. She was hard to relate to, because I never got a good feel of her character. The supporting cast really made this book interesting, and I am hoping Mae will step up a little more once she understands herself better. I do look forward to finding out what happens in the next installment. I think it is going to be even more interesting

Great Book!!!!

I could not put this book down!!!!! Amazing.... just amazing!!!!

Intriguing

A galloping read. Mae has our sympathy and interest right from the start. Throw in hunky and intriguing male characters and the fun explodes. The characters are a delightful blend of contemporary with cool historical aspects - all sorts of facets to this complex and richly woven tale.

Totally Cool Story

This story line had me hooked form the get go! The heroine, Mae, gets herself roped into a trip to ireland where she discovers herself and her potential, discovering a fantastical world and powers beyond her imaginings as well as a healthy dose of romance! The characters are totally enthralling and I am looking forward to delving into their personalities further in future books. I also love the way the author features real life personalities of mystery and gives us the "real story" behind their inventions and motivations... i.e. Nikola Tesla - v. cool addition to the story! It was such a great story, I would even go so far as to say it could have been expanded and elaborated into more than one book and still kept me hooked! A great debut book, I can't wait to read more from this author.

Highly Recommended

Spell Checked is one of the most original Paranormal Romances that I've read in a long time. Forget what you ever thought about the stereotypical Immortals, this book has you seeing Vampires and Witches in a whole new light. Truly spell binding, funny and romantic. CG Powell's characters are likable and sexy, they will leave you wanting more. It's hard to believe this is CG's first book, I'm anxiously awaiting book 2 to see what she has in store for us next.

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