Spellbound

I really enjoyed this book. The build-up to the romance was pretty realistic (more of a slow burn than most mm romance) and the paranormal elements were interesting and somewhat unique to what I've read before.However, it's hard not to compare this to [b:The Magpie Lord 17730586 The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies, #1) K.J. Charles https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365084262l/17730586.SX50.jpg 24803707] especially since I read this immediately after finishing the Magpie series. The two are very similar in so many ways. However, I enjoyed these two leads a little more and found Arthur far more charming, and Rory much more interesting and likeable. The author did a good job writing dialogue with historical slang (though a little liberal with the use of the word “doll”) with detailed descriptions of settings and clothing that make the reader more immersed in 1920s New York City. My main issue is that Rory/Theodore will be written in one scene as very sexual in an almost aggressive manner and then he'll be back to being very reserved, almost shy, and secretive in the next - the latter I feel is more realistic for the time. It's almost like two different characters. There's also no mention of the public baths or anti-vice laws in regards to homosexuality at the time which, while I realise this isn't supposed to be some kind of treatise on gay culture in early 1900s NYC, it's still odd that the characters don't even mention either in passing or internal dialogue (though they do fret about their predilections for dramatic purposes). Arthur frets internally quite a bit about engaging in homosexual acts while in America while simultaneously admitting to many affairs across Europe with some sense of freedom - this is more understandable in France which has always been a bit laissez-faire about sex in general, this wouldn't have been the case in England or Germany. This book also seems to suffer from the “everyone is gay” trope or at least everyone seems to simply accept same-sex relationships as if it's just expected and it always make me roll my eyes a bit. If you're going to set your book in a specific real-world era, all of these realities of that era should be considered and researched, despite the plot being in the fantasy genre.Speaking of sex, there's none in this book. This is a very closed doors book in that we “see” them kiss and make their way to the act, but then we're transported to the next morning or next scene and it's a little frustrating. If you're unable or unwilling to write out the scenes, you can have them develop their physical relationship outside of the timeline of the book. I personally found it felt like a bit of a cockblock for a “romance” novel.Despite those personal complaints, it's still a very enjoyable narrative with laughs and thrills and I look forward to continuing the series.

Five enthusiastic stars. I fell in love with both main characters early on and I had a hard time tearing myself away from their adventures. The side characters, both friends and enemies, are all interesting too.

The plot is also gripping. I was really impressed with the story's good pacing and clever structure. Almost every detail ended up being important.

I found the romance really enchanting, as well as realistic. There's a significant age and experience gap, which isn't my favorite trope, but I felt the author handled it well. Neither Rory nor Arthur really know what to do with the strength of their feelings for each other, which kind of made their different experience levels seem less important to me.

I really liked the tone of the book; it's kind of light, for the most part, with a decent amount of humor, despite serious events in both the action of the story and the characters' backstories. I think if you like Jordan L. Hawk's writing style, you'll probably enjoy this too.

Overall, this is an excellent book, and I'm sure I'll be rereading it many times. I look forward to the author's next release.