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darkness223's review against another edition
3.0
This was a really cute fun romance it was really well written and had great characters.Sybil and Nicholas were complete opposites but the attraction between them was really strong but neither was prepared to act on it.This is perfect for a lazy afternoon
mvbookreviewer's review
4.0
First published in 1986, Bewitching Hour by Anne Stuart tells the story of Saralee (Sybil) Richardson and 34 year old Professor Nicholas Wyndham Fitzsimmons (Nick), who comes to Danbury, Vermont to debunk the beliefs held dear by the new age shopkeeper that is Sybil. Sybil at first believes Nick would an old professor at that and needless to say, when Nick does turn up at her shop, none is more surprised than her, most of all from the way she reacts to him at a very basic level.
Sybil comes from a family of geniuses, women who are overachievers for the most part. She is the odd one out, and having always felt out of place, it was no wonder that her marriage had proved to be dissatisfactory as well, the divorce having propelled her to move to Vermont. Believing she had found her place, the only thing that would make things perfect is for Sybil to find someone to share her life with, a man of the kind with whom she believes she would have a satisfying marriage with.
Nick fails to tick all those boxes that Sybil believes should be part and parcel of her ideal mate, and from the onset, Sybil resists at every turn from giving into him, even when she knows better. While Nick too finds Sybil infuriating and wholly sexy in a way that is indescribable, resistance is futile under the circumstances as the tension between them escalates until all of it culminates in the type of beautifully crafted sex scenes that only Ms. Stuart can deliver.
I loved Bewitching Hour for the most part. I have rarely come across books from Ms. Stuart that I didn’t particularly care for. I loved Nick; he was a refreshing change in the sense that he has a brilliant mind and insight of the kind which sees Sybil for truly who she is. He was kind and utterly sexy in a way that only exemplarily crafted heroes can be.
For some reason, Sybil continues to ignore the signs around her, not just when it comes to Nick and what he means for her future. She ignores the very real “danger” around her, for the small retirement community in which she lives, and that is one of the reasons I found it a bit hard to understand Sybil. To give credit where its due, Sybil is smart, perhaps just that she does not see herself as such because of being overshadowed by her more brilliant siblings4 all her life.
Another reason that I felt disappointed was by the lack of an epilogue or some sort of closure when it came to the “villain” in the story. The fact that the “villain” managed to escape did not sit well with me, when so much havoc and endangerment to lives had been caused by the very same person. I wanted an ending where justice was delivered in some form, but alas, I think what Ms. Stuart was going for was a “quirky” villain who would somehow be lovable at the same time? I quite didn’t feel that way, if that was what was intended.
Even with all the aspects of the story which I hoped were otherwise, I have to say I enjoyed reading Bewitching Hour. After all, in my world, Ms. Stuart is one of those authors who can seldom do any wrong.
Recommended for those who love unusual heroines and heroes who prove to be their undoing. And of course, for fans of Ms. Stuart.
Final Verdict: Two people who by all means are polar opposites find the chaotic oasis they have been searching for in each other. It is the quirky bits in between that made this a good read!
Rating = 3.75/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Sybil comes from a family of geniuses, women who are overachievers for the most part. She is the odd one out, and having always felt out of place, it was no wonder that her marriage had proved to be dissatisfactory as well, the divorce having propelled her to move to Vermont. Believing she had found her place, the only thing that would make things perfect is for Sybil to find someone to share her life with, a man of the kind with whom she believes she would have a satisfying marriage with.
Nick fails to tick all those boxes that Sybil believes should be part and parcel of her ideal mate, and from the onset, Sybil resists at every turn from giving into him, even when she knows better. While Nick too finds Sybil infuriating and wholly sexy in a way that is indescribable, resistance is futile under the circumstances as the tension between them escalates until all of it culminates in the type of beautifully crafted sex scenes that only Ms. Stuart can deliver.
I loved Bewitching Hour for the most part. I have rarely come across books from Ms. Stuart that I didn’t particularly care for. I loved Nick; he was a refreshing change in the sense that he has a brilliant mind and insight of the kind which sees Sybil for truly who she is. He was kind and utterly sexy in a way that only exemplarily crafted heroes can be.
For some reason, Sybil continues to ignore the signs around her, not just when it comes to Nick and what he means for her future. She ignores the very real “danger” around her, for the small retirement community in which she lives, and that is one of the reasons I found it a bit hard to understand Sybil. To give credit where its due, Sybil is smart, perhaps just that she does not see herself as such because of being overshadowed by her more brilliant siblings4 all her life.
Another reason that I felt disappointed was by the lack of an epilogue or some sort of closure when it came to the “villain” in the story. The fact that the “villain” managed to escape did not sit well with me, when so much havoc and endangerment to lives had been caused by the very same person. I wanted an ending where justice was delivered in some form, but alas, I think what Ms. Stuart was going for was a “quirky” villain who would somehow be lovable at the same time? I quite didn’t feel that way, if that was what was intended.
Even with all the aspects of the story which I hoped were otherwise, I have to say I enjoyed reading Bewitching Hour. After all, in my world, Ms. Stuart is one of those authors who can seldom do any wrong.
Recommended for those who love unusual heroines and heroes who prove to be their undoing. And of course, for fans of Ms. Stuart.
Final Verdict: Two people who by all means are polar opposites find the chaotic oasis they have been searching for in each other. It is the quirky bits in between that made this a good read!
Rating = 3.75/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
sandlynn's review
2.0
Anne Stuart is one of the Grand Dames of romance writing. Even though I must own more than 20 of her books, I have only read two and this is one of them. Bewitching Hour is a Harlequin American Romance, published in 1986, over 30 years ago.
This story involves a young woman living in a small Vermont town, who manages a paranormal bookstore and acts as secretary to a group called the Society of Water Witches who dabble in dowsing, among other things. Sybil Richardson, whose real name is Saralee — no kidding — left her marriage to an up and coming banker as well as her very successful parents and siblings in Princeton, New Jersey, a few years back to live on her own in New England. She’s always felt out of place in her family — a not brilliant, mousey girl amongst a brood of tall, gorgeous, successful brainiacs. Recently, the Society works for was contacted by a Harvard professor doing research for a book on dowsing. He has asked to do research in their collection of papers and meet with a few locals who are experts in the work. During his weeks up in Vermont, the Society has offered to help him find a place to stay as well as offer their expertise.
Sybil is expecting Nicholas Fitzsimmons to be a crusty old scholar, but he ends up being nothing of the sort. Nick is a tall, handsome 34 year old, driving a Jaguar and exhibiting an attitude of amused skepticism — not of dowsing, but of all the other mystical pursuits and beliefs the members of the Society hold. Right off the bat, Sybil is both intrigued and irritated by Nick. She finds him enormously attractive but thinks he couldn’t belong with her since she sees herself as very average, leaving aside his skepticism of her interests. Because of this, she tries to pawn him off on a friend of hers who is a very good looking member of their Society. That being said, he doesn’t take the bait and continues to flirt and bait Sybil.
Nick, for his part, finds himself strangely drawn to Sybil. Some members of the Society are a little too much for him to take and he feels hostility emanating from their leader, Leona, but he definitely wants to get to know Sybil better, even though there’s a part of him which feels like they already know each other.
Bewitching Hour sells itself as one thing but ends up being something else. Although the synopsis on the back of the book promises that the contents include a lot of paranormal elements, including a haunted house which Nick rents during his stay in Vermont, very, very little of this actually comes to fruition. Towards the beginning of the story, I was kind of excited because there’s a scene that suggests this is going to be explored, putting a paranormal spin on Sybil and Nick’s attraction, but other than a few dreams Sybil has, it’s hardly touched on! I was so disappointed. I’m not a fan of haunted houses, but even that ball was dropped.
Instead the story turns into a partial who-done-it as Nick tries to find evidence against someone who is bilking the old ladies of the town of their savings. (Where did that come from?!) And, on Sybil’s side, the story pivots around her inability to understand what the gorgeous Nick sees in her — which gets tiresome — and her reluctance to get involved with someone who not only isn’t open to her beliefs but would potentially drag her back to the type of life she escaped a few years ago. (And, to be frank, I’m not so sure that wouldn’t be the case.) In any event, it’s a real bait and switch.
On the upside, the book cover does seem to look a bit like the characters, although Sybil spends most of the book with braids wrapped around her head, described in a manner that made me feel she purposely wore her hair that way to look unattractive. (On the cover, she looks more like Samantha Stephens of Bewitched, without the braids, which, I guess, is what the publisher was going for.) Anyway, even though the writing was fine. (I wouldn’t expect less from Anne Stuart.) The plot was totally misrepresented. I’d give it a C.
This story involves a young woman living in a small Vermont town, who manages a paranormal bookstore and acts as secretary to a group called the Society of Water Witches who dabble in dowsing, among other things. Sybil Richardson, whose real name is Saralee — no kidding — left her marriage to an up and coming banker as well as her very successful parents and siblings in Princeton, New Jersey, a few years back to live on her own in New England. She’s always felt out of place in her family — a not brilliant, mousey girl amongst a brood of tall, gorgeous, successful brainiacs. Recently, the Society works for was contacted by a Harvard professor doing research for a book on dowsing. He has asked to do research in their collection of papers and meet with a few locals who are experts in the work. During his weeks up in Vermont, the Society has offered to help him find a place to stay as well as offer their expertise.
Sybil is expecting Nicholas Fitzsimmons to be a crusty old scholar, but he ends up being nothing of the sort. Nick is a tall, handsome 34 year old, driving a Jaguar and exhibiting an attitude of amused skepticism — not of dowsing, but of all the other mystical pursuits and beliefs the members of the Society hold. Right off the bat, Sybil is both intrigued and irritated by Nick. She finds him enormously attractive but thinks he couldn’t belong with her since she sees herself as very average, leaving aside his skepticism of her interests. Because of this, she tries to pawn him off on a friend of hers who is a very good looking member of their Society. That being said, he doesn’t take the bait and continues to flirt and bait Sybil.
Nick, for his part, finds himself strangely drawn to Sybil. Some members of the Society are a little too much for him to take and he feels hostility emanating from their leader, Leona, but he definitely wants to get to know Sybil better, even though there’s a part of him which feels like they already know each other.
Bewitching Hour sells itself as one thing but ends up being something else. Although the synopsis on the back of the book promises that the contents include a lot of paranormal elements, including a haunted house which Nick rents during his stay in Vermont, very, very little of this actually comes to fruition. Towards the beginning of the story, I was kind of excited because there’s a scene that suggests this is going to be explored, putting a paranormal spin on Sybil and Nick’s attraction, but other than a few dreams Sybil has, it’s hardly touched on! I was so disappointed. I’m not a fan of haunted houses, but even that ball was dropped.
Instead the story turns into a partial who-done-it as Nick tries to find evidence against someone who is bilking the old ladies of the town of their savings. (Where did that come from?!) And, on Sybil’s side, the story pivots around her inability to understand what the gorgeous Nick sees in her — which gets tiresome — and her reluctance to get involved with someone who not only isn’t open to her beliefs but would potentially drag her back to the type of life she escaped a few years ago. (And, to be frank, I’m not so sure that wouldn’t be the case.) In any event, it’s a real bait and switch.
On the upside, the book cover does seem to look a bit like the characters, although Sybil spends most of the book with braids wrapped around her head, described in a manner that made me feel she purposely wore her hair that way to look unattractive. (On the cover, she looks more like Samantha Stephens of Bewitched, without the braids, which, I guess, is what the publisher was going for.) Anyway, even though the writing was fine. (I wouldn’t expect less from Anne Stuart.) The plot was totally misrepresented. I’d give it a C.
schomj's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to my friend Anne for letting me borrow this - one of my favorite Stuarts so far! Starts off with the Society of Water Witches (SOWW *gigglesnort*), add in some past life regression (with the h/h as lovers in a former life, of course), Tarot readings, embezzlement, conveniently timed snow storms and more. Hilarious bit of campy Gothic romance, with a hero who demonstrates the softer side of gamma.