Summer Dawn Riley’s an extraordinary elemental witch whose troubled past haunts her. She’s created a calm life for herself teaching yoga and keeping people at a distance. Her life takes a one eighty degree turn when she enrolls in a woman’s weapon’s class and meets ruggedly handsome Devlin Sawyer.
Devlin, a former Navy Seal, has sworn off women after two long-term failed relationships, but there is no denying his attraction to Summer. She intrigues him like no other woman ever has.
Despite her attempts to ignore him, Summer is drawn to Devlin. His magic signature is strong, but he’s no warlock. Will Valentine’s Day magic find them a future together?
Getting to her feet, she brushed the dust from her black yoga pants, tugged at the bottom of her bright orange tunic, and flipped the light switch on. A soft glow of florescent lighting flooded the large room, soothing Summer’s nerves. Guess she would never be the same carefree individual she was before the incident. Oh, shake it off. You’re safe and it’s time to get on with life. “Come on Pip, let’s get this place open.”
A massive stone fireplace towered in the corner. She picked up an arm full of wood and flung it in the general direction. Logs landed in the fire pit and neatly arranged themselves in a tepee shape. With a magic flick of her finger toward the hearth, flames raced up the aspen logs. “That’s better.”
She raised her arms, about to send the yoga mats back to their proper place when the heavy wooden front door creaked open. Piper rushed toward the door, teeth bared and a growl rumbled in her throat. Summer whirled around and yelped as Devlin ambled into the room, black hair tousled and glistening with melting snowflakes. His nonchalance at the dog’s approach surprised her as he slowed to a stop. Piper sniffed around him, backed up a few inches, then stood at alert in front of Devlin.
“You scared the bejeebers out of me.” Summer held her hand to her chest as her heart thundered.
“What are you doing here?”
“Call your guard dog off and I’ll tell you.” The corners of Devlin’s mouth curved up into a smile, a faint light twinkled in the depths of his dark eyes.
“Piper, leave it…come.” The dog gave Devlin a last sideways glance, trotted back to Summer and sat at her side.
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(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
With the skittishness of Summer around the dangers lurking in the dark, I thought more would’ve unfolded which might’ve created a more in-depth plot. Maybe if this was a full length novel rather than a short story, my wish would’ve came true. However, this was a short story who’s main focus was on love —hence it being a Valentine’s story.
True to form with all LOVE stories, there was romance and romantic gestures. Devlin sure knew how to woo a woman. Lucky witch (Summer).
All in all, not a bad read. Short, sweet and (for lack a better word) charming. 🙂
HEA
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤
With the majestic Rocky Mountains for a backdrop, Tena Stetler is a paranormal romance author with an over-active imagination. She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Tena finds stories in the strangest places, while camping, kayaking, or hiking in the mountains. Even at a gun club, weapon class and Agility training for her chow dog she found a story, Charm Me. So far, she’s only found one dead body (imagined not real) during a camping trip, turned it into an exciting paranormal romantic suspense that’s nearly complete. For many years, Tena worked as a paralegal for a criminal law firm. You won’t believe the tales she can spin from that experience! Colorado is her home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-year-old box turtle. She loves the adventure of a road trip. Together with her husband and their companion animals, they have logged thousands of miles in their RV visiting over three-quarters of the United States. The great northeast and Alaska are still on the bucket list. Any winter evening, you can find her curled up in front of a crackling fire with a good book, a mug of hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn.
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