The Lightning Charmer
Ratings1
Average rating2
15
Ratings1
Average rating2
He brought down the sky for her. In the deep hollows and high ridges of the ancient Appalachian mountains, a legacy of stunning magic will change their lives forever. Laura is caught between the modern and the mystical, struggling to lead a normal life in New York despite a powerful psychic connection to her childhood home in North Carolina-and to the mysterious stranger who calls her name. She's a synesthete-someone who mentally "sees" and "tastes" splashes of color connected to people, emotions, and things. She's struggled against the distracting ability all her life; now the effects have grown stronger. She returns home to the mountains, desperate to resolve the obsessive pull of their mysteries. But life in her mountain community is far from peaceful. An arsonist has the town on edge, and she discovers Ayron, scarred and tormented, an irresistible recluse who rarely leaves the forest. As her childhood memories of him surface, the façade of her ordinary world begins to fade. The knots she's tied around her heart and her beliefs start unraveling. Ayron has never forgotten her or the meaning of their astonishing bond. If his kind is to survive in modern times, he and Laura must face the consequences of falling in love. Kathryn Magendie lives in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina with her weird discombobulated dog (who is strangely like Kathryn), two much missed ghost dogs, a mysterious shadowman, and many wild critters. Visit her at kathyrnmagendie.com.
Reviews with the most likes.
I really wanted to like this novel because it was recommended by my favorite author, Deborah Smith, and published by her company, Belle Books. But all I could do is think about how much better it would have been if Smith had been the author instead of Kathryn Magendie. The major problem is that the author keeps telling us that Laura and Ayron are meant to be together and perfect for each other, but their actual interactions are very limited and stilted at best, so I didn't believe in their love and had no investment in their HEA. Ayron appears to be a stereotypical “noble savage,” not a real person, and Laura's synesthesia doesn't serve any real purpose. The villain is so completely one-dimensional EEEEvil that I was surprised he wasn't portrayed as having devil ears and tail.
I actually enjoyed the secondary characters, including Laura's brother Bryan and her neighbor Betty, more than Laura and Ayron, which makes me think Magendie should try writing a different type of novel. Next time, show me the romance, don't tell me and expect me to accept it on faith.
