I loved it!
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When Harmony Cartwright finds an antique dress at a yard sale, she unexpectedly finds a psychic mandate. When she tries the dress on, she finds a ring sewn into the hem and gets a vision of Paxton Castle - a castle rumoured to be haunted by a witch. She sets out to uncover the secrets of the dress, its owner and the ghost of Paxton Castle but doesn't reckon with the castle's surly owner King. King Paxton wants to get the castle fixed up and sold as he believes it's cursed, so when Harmony Cartwright shows up and claims to be looking for clothes for her vintage clothing store he automatically expects the worst. But helping Harmony to complete her mandate might be just what King needs.
This is the first of Annette Blair's triplet witch trilogy, to be followed by Storm's book then finished with Destiny's. It's light-hearted and funny, but unlike other romances it does deal with some pretty big issues. The ghost-aspect of the story is fascinating, especially as you quickly realise that the relationship that existed in the castle then is the cause of the problems in relationships in the castle since. The best part though has to be Harmony's literal statement tees - you really never know what they'll say next. Overall, it's a great story that has you rooting for the characters and has enough unexpected twists to keep you guessing.
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Out-freaking-standing!
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Harmony Cartwright lives in Salem with her sisters, Destiny and Storm. Eight months ago the triplets were homeless. Now they not only have a home with their half-sister, Vickie, but also have co-ownership of a vintage clothing store named The Immortal Classic. They are hereditary Pictish witches and each has a psychic gift. Destiny reads the future. Storm reads the present. Harmony reads the past.
At a charity costume sale, Harmony's gift leads her to purchase a gold gown. Upon opening her mind to the gown's past, Harmony learns that it once belonged to a woman named Lisette. The sisters find a Celtic puzzles ring hidden in the hem. Reading the ring's past leads Harmony to Paxton Castle. The castle resides on a small island where, it seems, a spirit or two are in need of her help.
King Paxton is the heir of Paxton Castle. He wants nothing more than to fix it up and sell it off quickly. Everyone who has lived in the castle, himself included, has had nothing but misery and misfortune. The construction crew King hired is on a tight schedule. But staying on schedule is almost impossible with all the bad luck running rampant. Then there is the problem of the loud ghostly wailings. Everyone is on edge. But when the hot babe enters the area, peace and quiet descends. King offers Harmony a job as a live-in peace keeper with Gussie, the castle's ghost bent on spreading discord. With Harmony around, perhaps his crew can get some work accomplished. While there, Harmony has King's permission to pillage the castle for any vintage clothing she may desire. King has no idea that a couple of surprise visitors are en route which will turn his world even further upside-down.
Harmony is in vintage heaven! As Harmony looks for treasures, she also tries to understand what Gussie wants. As a plus, King is a hot stud she hopes to play with very soon. Too bad the man has an ice rod stuck up ... Well, she'd just have to thaw the man out. As for the Gussie, the spirit could very well be the strongest negative entity Harmony had ever encountered. She may need her sisters' help on this one.
***** Harmony and King may be the main focus of this novel, but Destiny and Storm meet their future matches within this tale as well. There are more hot scenes and teases than in the author's previous stories, but hey, bedroom time is positive time. (No negative vibes to strengthen the ghost at all.) The story has its own type of balance as well, building and connecting each twitchy witch, and their individual kittens, with each non-believing male. The section where Harmony and King meet Gussie sent chills down my spine. And each time Gussie toyed with someone, those chills would reverse direction and go straight back up. These triplets bring pure fun to the story with each outrageous stunt; and it all leads up to witchy climax that will warm your very soul. Author Annette Blair just may be a witch herself. I can hardly wait until the next Cartwright triplet spins her spell. Out-freaking-standing! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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A real disappointment
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This book is the first of three stories focuses on the Carrtwright sisters - Harmony, Destiny and Storm. The sisters are identical triplets and, apparently, seductresses.
The focus of this story is Harmony who is the buyer for her sisters' vintage curio shop. Her psychic talent is that she can read objects and learn of their former owners. A Celtic ring leads her to a castle on the coast of Massachusetts. When she arrives at the castle she meets its owner, King Paxton, who finds he is spending ever more money trying to renovate the castle before selling it. It soon becomes apparent that the 'ghost' that causes mayhem and delays his building work is quieted when Harmony is in residence so King employs her to spend time in the castle so he can complete the necessary renovations.
There was something altogether unsatisfying about this story. It seemed to consist more of a series of loosely-connected scenes between Harmony and King. These two are instantly in lust with each other and the first third of the book sees them alternately kissing each other and then ignoring each other. Harmony is apparently looking at the vintage clothes in the castle to see what can be sold although she's also looking for the pair for the celtic ring, although how this can take up all her time over several days is unclear. King Paxton is trying to do the castle up in order to sell it plus deal with bankers and yet he doesn't actually appear to do any work and it was unclear what work he would actually do to help with the renovations.
Harmony finds out about the ghost, Gussie. almost immediately and tries to learn more about her. What she learns is that Gussie doesn't like Paxton and takes revenge in a rather poltergeist-esque way. Various bits of the castle fall down at inconvenient moments, Harmony and King get trapped in an underground cave, that sort of thing. Things become stranger when two members of King's family appear unexpectedly as well as, in due course, Harmony's two sisters. There are also a bundle of kittens thrust into the story for no good reason, various other side characters who are pretty nebulous and a denouement against Gussie which is rather a damp squib.
The appeal in this story is the feisty heroine and her two sisters, their amusing banter and quirky natures. However this appeal palled very quickly for this reader and I was left ploughing through a story with minimal plot, minimal characterisation and minimal interest.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007
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