4.5 Wine Glass #Review for Magnolia Mystic by Lisa Kessler

Title:  Magnolia Mystic
Series: Sentinels of Savannah #1 (A Magnolias and Moonshine Novella #10)
Author: Lisa Kessler
Format: Kindle, 129 pages
Published: April 20, 2017 (Lisa's Lair)
ISBN: ASIN: B01N171RRA
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Skye Olson is a psychic like her mother, and her grandmother before her, but a bad break up with the man she thought was her soulmate has left her confidence in her abilities shaken. While she's in crisis, a real estate tycoon from Atlanta swoops in with his eyes on her shop.

Colton Hayes spent his mortal life plundering royal ships with his pirate crew, but one holy relic changed everything. Now he and the rest of the crew protect the port of Savannah from their captain who traded his cutlass for a fountain pen.

When Colton discovers the captain wants to build a hotel in the heart of historic Savannah, he sets out to stop him, but nothing could prepare him for the violet eyes of the Magnolia Mystic.

Love is a dangerous game for a pirate.

Linda's Thoughts:

Colton’s grin made his dark eyes sparkle, and a flock of butterflies went off in her belly.
This guy could be trouble.
And she’d sworn off that.

Ahoy, hearties! Magnolia Mystic by Lisa Kessler is a fun and sexy pirate romance infused with the paranormal lore intrinsic to the beautiful coastal gem of historical Savannah, Georgia. To say I was excited when I first heard that Lisa was writing a swashbuckling romantic series featuring a marauding band of buccaneers was an understatement.  Something about pirates just draws me in. Seriously, who hasn’t sung a pirates’ song at some time? The Disney version comes to mind right away:

“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho”

Perhaps it’s because I think of them as the original bad boys. Needless, to say, I was IN! Lisa, of course, has applied her own twists including that there’s a prophecy, and a curse and that the heroine is a psychic. And, that’s just an inkling of what she has in store for her readers!

This first installment features a pirate cursed by an ancient relic to live out his days until he finds a certain violet-eyed woman…

The old woman’s voice echoed through his mind, like she’d been lurking in the shadows as the centuries passed, just waiting: “‘A woman with violet eyes will signal the beginning and ending of your life.”

Colton Hayes, captain of the Sea Dog, and his immortal pirate crew have been living in and around the port of Savannah since the seventeenth century – around two hundred and fifty years! Their immortality was a souvenir from a holy relic that they had plundered from a Spanish galleon. Some called it a gift; others a curse. Regardless, now their immortality seems to be waning and the original holy relic is missing. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Colton as he’s recently found a reason not to die.

Skye Olson comes from a long line of mystics. However, even Skye did not foresee being robbed by a man she thought was her soul mate. Devastated and broke, she has sworn off men henceforth. To symbolize to herself a new beginning, Skye joins a tour of a pirate ship moored in Savannah’s harbor. She’s not into the tour; her goal is to throw her ill-fated engagement ring overboard. But she is thwarted from the few private moments she needs to complete her quest by the extremely handsome, but oh-so-infuriating, captain of the ship.

When Colton informs the sassy red-head that she’s veered from the tour and must rejoin it, his entire world shifts the second she turns around and he sees her mesmerizing violet eyes. He’s found his harbinger. Now… will she be a cure for what ails him or another curse?

OMG! I love both the hero and the heroine and their back stories and bantering and interactions and chemistry! Taken in context that this is a short story and things must progress quickly (i.e., instant attraction), even so, their story is touching, heartwarming, humorous, and steamy! I also am fascinated by the plot – which is not resolved by the end of this book. Still, I was left with a good feeling that things were headed in the right direction and I am excited for the next installment!

It’s not surprising that there’s also a colorful array of quirky supporting characters including Ian Flynn, a real-estate tycoon who wants to buy Skye’s storefront at any cost; Eli, the ship’s first gunner who loves fast cars; Drake, the ship’s carpenter who now owns his own custom carpentry business; and One-Eyed Bob, once renowned as the best cook on the seven seas and now the owner/operator of the Pirate’s House, a quirky pirate-themed restaurant. Warning: You may experience serious cravings for One-Eyed Bob’s hushpuppies!

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Magnolia Mystic:

She tasted like rum, root beer, and something wild he couldn’t place, but it didn’t matter.
He wanted more.
Craved it.
--- 

“First rule of a pirate’s mate, keep yer eye on yer destination, not yer doom.”
--- 

She rocked her hips into him and gasped. “Do you have a sleeping cabin on this boat?”
His teeth brushed her ear. “Yes.”
“Do you have protection?”
Her question didn’t register through the haze of his hunger for her.
“Cannons, a cutlass, and a few pistols.”
She chuckled and kissed him again.
“How about condoms?”

Lisa is one of my very favorite storytellers. She has never disappointed and she certainly does not with this opening salvo to her new Sentinels of Savannah series. I’ve heard that Lisa has planned for this series to consist of a total of eight books. WooHoo! Bring them on!

Magnolia Mystic is a sweet and hot, highly entertaining adventure that will leave you longing for the high seas and a pirate of your own. So, weigh anchor, mateys! Lisa has hoisted the mizzen! There be treasures to find within the pages of Magnolia Mystic and, most assuredly, in the installments to come!