#Review: Spellbound by Michelle M. Pillow - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Spellbound
Series: Warlocks MacGregor #2
Author: Michelle M. Pillow
Format: ebook
Published: July 7th 2015 by The Raven Books
ISBN:139781625011190
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Let Sleeping Warlocks Lie...

Iain MacGregor knows how his warlock family feels about outsiders discovering the truth of their powers, its forbidden. That doesn't seem to stop him from having accidental magickal discharges whenever he's around the woman who has captured his attention. Apparently his magick and other "parts" don't seem to care what the rules are, or that the object of his affection just might be his undoing.

Warning: Contains yummy, hot, mischievous MacGregor boys who may or may not be wearing clothing and who are almost certainly up to no good on their quest to find true love.

Linda's Thoughts:
"So, the MacGregors."
"Yeah." Jane nodded with a long sigh. "The MacGregors."
"I don't get what the big deal is with them," Charlotte said.
"If you saw under their kilts, you would get what the big deal---" Annabelle tried to break in.

SPELLBOUND by Michelle M. Pillow is the second installment in the author's delightful Warlocks MacGregor series. The first book, LOVE POTIONS, was one of my favorite reads in 2014, so it was absolutely imperative that I read SPELLBOUND! I was not disappointed! The whole series is a laugh a minute. It's overflowing with magic, mayhem and sexy guys in kilts (and some without) - need I say more?

Even though this is the second book in the series, it can be enjoyed as a standalone if that is your preference. There are interconnected characters and there were events in the first book that affected this tale, but the author fills in what you need to know as the story progresses. That said, the first book was even better, in my opinion, than this one - and that's saying something as they're both very good. I highly recommend the whole series.

The series takes place in the small town of Green Vallis in Wisconsin and features the MacGregor family of Scottish warlocks and witches. The clan includes parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In the first book, the family purchased a mansion that had been vacant for years so they could all be together in a relatively safe place and be close to nature. They need the trees and plants on the property to replenish their magic (and to run through the woods naked.)

This is the story of Iain MacGregor, a hunky Scottish druid like his brother, Eric, from the first book, and Jane, a magically-gifted woman with a sad history. Jane runs the local nursery in Green Vallis. She loves plants and they love her. She moved here to escape from her nightmarish family and live out her final days as she believes her time is nigh. She sees ghosts and hallucinates. She needs funds and hopes the MacGregors will hire her to care for their gardens so she can pay her bills. She doesn't want to get involved with anyone as she doesn't have long to live. Her attraction to Iain scares her witless.

Iain can't seem to keep his magic under control now. It keeps escaping and creating situations. He's known as a Romeo and normally has women running after him. But when his eyes alight on Jane, she ran from him! That has never happened and his family sure won't let him forget it! The only way he can find to enjoy her company is to hire her to work the landscape on their estate. But, when his mother sees Jane, she screams at her and chases Jane away. Iain just can't win...

I loved both the hero and the heroine, but have to say that Jane's family was creepy from her mother to her brother to her dead step-mother. Yuck! I can see why Jane wanted to get away from them all!
Fans of the first book will be thrilled with the beginning of this one as readers get to witness Erik, our hero from LOVE POTIONS, proposing to Lydia, the heroine from the same book. I loved those two and I almost cried in happiness at the outset. Thank you, Michelle, for allowing your fans the enjoyment of that happy, heartwarming moment. Of course, it's not a run of the mill marriage request. You'll have to pick up this book to find out how Erik proposes. :-)

Following please find a couple of my favorite quotes from this highly entertaining read:

"Ya smell like honey," he said.
"I'm allergic to bees," she whispered.
"I'll do my best not to sting ya, love."
---

Is he all right?" Jane asked.
"Oh, sure, probably losing a fight against a squirrel," Angus said.
"Or his shadow..."

I wanted to also share one of my favorite scenes. I've not been able to forget this one. This is an excerpt from when Jane first meets Ian's family and it's so funny. I catch myself now watching for a glimpse of a MacGregor when I walk in wooded areas. Warning: the following excerpt involves some naked running in the woods.:

“Iain MacGregor,” she whispered longingly, looking up. The woods were quiet. Strips of moonlight shone through tree limbs that reached like surreal black fingertips across her vision. A single tear slid down her cheek. She touched her mouth, imagining his kiss.
Taking a small pocket knife out of her cargo pants, she looked about. A mystic had once told her that if she left pieces of herself around while she lived, it would expand her haunting territory when she died. Jane wasn’t sure she believed in sideshow magic tricks—or the Old Magick as the mystic had spelled it on her sign. She had no idea what had possessed her to talk to the palm reader and ask about ghosts. Still, just in case, she was leaving her stamp all over the woods.
She cut her palm and pressed it to a nearby tree under a branch. Holding the wound to the rough bark stung at first, but then it made her feel better. This forest wouldn’t be a bad eternity.
The sound of running feet erupted behind her and she stiffened. No one ever came out here at night. She’d walked the woods hundreds of times. Her mind instantly went to the creepy girl ghosts chanting by the stream.
“Whoohoo!”
Jane whipped around, startled as a streak of naked flesh sprinted past her. The Scottish voice was met with loud cheers from those who followed him. “Water’s this way, lads, or my name isn’t Raibeart MacGregor, King of the Highlands!”
Another naked man dashed through the forest after him. “It smells of freedom.”
Jane stayed hidden in the branches, undetected, with her hand pressed to the bark.
“Aye, freedom from your proper Cait,” Raibeart answered, his voice coming through the dark where he’d disappeared into the trees.
“Murdoch, stop him before he reaches town. Cait will not teleport ya out of jail again,” a third man yelled, not running quite so fast. “Raibeart, ya are goin’ the wrong way!”
“Och, Angus, my Cait canna live without me,” Murdoch, the second streaker, answered. “She’ll always come to my rescue.”
“I said stop him, Murdoch, we’re new to this place.” Angus skidded to a stop and lifted his jaw, as if sensing he was being watched. He looked in her direction and instantly covered his manhood as his eyes caught Jane’s shocked face in the tree limbs. “Oh, lassie.”
“Oh, naked man,” Jane teased before she could stop herself.
“That I am,” Angus answered, “but there is an explanation for it.”
“I don’t think some things need explained,” Jane said.

SPELLBOUND was a charming return to Green Vallis with the MacGregor clan! Don't worry about a cliffhanger as there isn't one. The happy-ever-after ending was a hoot; It was perfect and I  couldn't stop laughing. The whole series is extremely fun and witty. I love the whole crazy cool family. I especially enjoy the pranks that they play on each other. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys farcical Scottish paranormal romances! Now I can't wait for the next installment to see which MacGregor will bite the dust next!