Book Review: Enchanted Ever After by Robin D. Owens

Enchanted Ever After by Robin D. Owens is the third book in the Mystic Circle series, and the only book I have read from the series. Kiri Palger is a gamer, and wants to work on the creative end of computer games more than anything. She has just moved into the same small community as her career hero, and has the chance to get her ideal job. Just as her computer and game dreams start to develop, so do her real relationships. Her best friends are facing huge changes in their own lives, and Kiri is making new friends and developing a love interest. But the game, and her new friends, are much more than they seem. Kiri too, holds special potential and must face evils that she could never have imagined.

In Enchanted Ever After, Kiri is a girl looking to make her own way in the world. She is a gamer, and tends to spend time online and with a couple close friends rather than out at bars or hanging out with large groups of people. I saw myself in her a lot, just change the games into books and we are very much alike. Finding new friends and interacting with new people, even those she really admired, felt awkward, and I completely related. Lythyr is a man searching for a place in the world. He might be a magical creature, but he is not accepted by either of the communities he shares blood with. He has no true home and is treated as a second class citizen wherever he goes. When the two met, neither can believe that the other could truly care for them, or fight the attraction they feel. I enjoyed the amount of action in the second half of the story, and the slow play of the romance. Even when you know two people are going to end up with a happy ever after, a interesting journey can make for a great story.

Enchanted Ever After might be the third book in a series, but I am glad to say that I did not feel lost or left behind while reading. There were definite hints that there was more to the story, and there was a bigger picture to the story that I could get if I read the whole series, but it did not make this installment any less fun and interesting to read.  That is a hard balance to strike, keeping current fans interested while also attracting new readers and keeping both sets happy. There were moments when I disliked the character's inner doubts and acceptance of the treatment of they receive from others after awhile, but it was all believable and relevant to the story.

I recommend Enchanted Ever After to readers that enjoy new looks at the fae here on earth, as well as readers that already enjoy Owens' writing. The series is intriguing, and has interested me enough that I will read any of the other books in the series I find. While I will not buy them, I will certainly be looking for the e-books and library copies of the books in the near future.