Review: The Charmed

Reviewed by Shelly
 

I had some hesitancy when I began to write this review because I wasn’t sure how I would convey my enjoyment of this story without being repetitive. As Christine Wenrick’s debut novel, this was an exceptional effort that paid off well. This isn’t your typical vampire retelling; it does in fact have an interesting angle on vampires and their coven.

The Charmed tells the story of Olivia Ann Greyson, a musically gifted graduate student and Caleb Wolfe, young vampire. Caleb and the Walker Coven save and rescue Olivia after her train has been ambushed by a mad pack of vampires. During the skirmish, Olivia and her best friend Sarah suffer severe bodily damage.

After Caleb's rescue, things start happening really fast for Olivia, primarily learning about the existence of vampires. Even though Caleb’s a vampire and Olivia’s not – these two find themselves very attracted to each other. Olivia’s disheartened to learn that Caleb fights it, really hard. And although Olivia feels a lot for Caleb, she knows that her past relationships have not gone well and she’s really concerned that whatever she and Caleb develop could go south and fast. Despite the odds, during their time together, they begin to fall in love. Through a sequence of events, Olivia discovers that she’s not able to stay in the protected world that Caleb offers and decides the only thing that she can do is leave. When she gets home, she meets her new protectors – The Brethren. They share with Olivia what her true ‘gift’ is. Holy cripes, these dudes --especially that Alec-- are hardcore. Me Like!

I really liked Olivia. She was full of insecurities, as any girl her age, raised in a sheltered environment, would be. I thought the way her story was told was well done, and I really connected with her and felt her highs and lows.

Caleb, on the other hand, is a dimpled hottie and has that strong silent-type, wholesome, thing going on. He had the whole non-verbal communication down to a tee - that’s really hard to do when it’s not a visual format, but oh my, does he know how to use those eyes. Umm-hmm-mmm. (Sorry about that, ya’ll, I’m good now.) Even though Caleb has some internal conflicts that dictate how he chooses to live his life, it’s neither over the top nor unbelievable for the world that he lives in. And of course, by now you must know that I’m on Team Wolfe - all the way.

Some of the other characters, especially Sarah and her family’s true relationship with Olivia, are something I hope to see more of. Jax and Gemma are the other members of the Walker Coven and bring more than enough drama of their own. Jax, you gentle giant, are you gonna man-up and bust a move on that girl? The other Brethren - Gordon, Lucas and Phin – can’t wait for more of you guys.

The sex between Caleb and Olivia was well done (off the chain as some might say) – it wasn’t gratuitous, but it wasn’t tame either and I thought it worked well for them. I really and totally enjoyed this story and I absolutely can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy. Well done Wenrick!

Happy Reading Folks!

Rating: A

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Charmed

by Christine Wenrick

Release Date: August 29, 2012

Publisher: Red Treehouse Publishing