After the Cornish pisky community was rescued from an ancient spell, one would think that the rest of the story would be nonstop "they lived happily-ever-after." Cordelia, the community wise woman and person in charge with the rulers gone, knows she will never have happily-ever-after, not even if she continues to bind her passionate waternymph origins behind spells on her body.
Having the king's brother, Michael O'Connor, near her when disaster strikes provides a temptation Cordelia cannot afford to succumb to. In addition, his blood bond to Nightshade, part vampire/part pisky, as well as his connections to an immortal being, makes Michael all the more dangerous. When one of Michael's nephews is stolen from under both of their noses, Cordelia has to learn to trust the man while never giving her passions an inch.
Another "fast read" from Helen Scott Taylor, THE PHOENIX CHARM possesses sensual craft, as well as expertly wrought suspense that encourages the reader to delve ever- further into the world of the book. THE PHOENIX CHARM, like THE MAGIC KNOT before it, makes one eager to read the next in this series.
HE'S PURE TEMPTATION.
Cordelia has
sworn she'll abstain from looking into Michael's future--
particularly when the image in the gilded smoke of her
divination mirror shows him half naked. Yet she can't
resist watching the sexy rascal slowly running his hand
down his ribs, over his abdomen, flicking open the button
on his jeans with a little flourish like a magician
performing a trick.
SHE'S TRYING TO RESIST.
Respectable
wise woman Cordelia restrains her secret water nymph
sensuality with the Celtic symbols painted on her skin.
But Michael's powerful fairy glamour leaves her
breathless, off balance, struggling for control. When Gwyn
ap Nudd, the Welsh King of the Underworld, steals away
Michael's infant nephew, Cordelia must work with him to
save the child. But how can she trust her instincts with
Michael tempting her to explore the hidden elemental
depths of her nature and insisting that she believe in the
power of...
EXCERPT
She drew a slow, deep breath and stared through the dust
motes dancing in a shaft of sunlight at her divining dish.
Were the gods themselves tempting her to indulge? Surely
everyone was allowed one illicit pleasureโeven she.
Tamsy sat up and watched with enigmatic gray eyes as
Cordelia gave a defiant huff and marched back to her seat.
She lit the three fat white candles floating in the silver,
water-filled dish. Within seconds, wide ribbons of smoke
rose before her.
Raising a hand, she sketched a magical symbol in the air.
The smoke stilled and glazed over into a mirror. Her
insides trembled expectantly while she concentrated on
Michaelโs psychic signature and waited for an image of his
future to appear in the shiny surface.
She pressed her fingers to her lips as the picture became
clearer. When she peeped into Michaelโs future, half the
time she saw him performing routine activities at the pub
he owned in a nearby village, the other halfโฆ
Her breath caught. She stared, too entranced to blink as an
image of Michaelโs naked shoulders and lean back filled her
scrying surface. Muscles rippled beneath smooth skin when
he moved. His biceps clenched as he lifted a hand and
flicked back a handful of dark wavy hair from his face.
A woman appeared before him, an indistinct form clothed in
muted colors. When Cordelia watched Michael, she chose to
ignore the identity of his numerous human lovers. All her
attention focused on him.
Cordeliaโs heart thudded as he prowled forward, faded jeans
riding low on his hips. Slowly, sensuously, he ran his hand
down his ribs, over his abdomen, flicked open the buttons
on his fly one by one with a little flourish of his hand
like a magician performing a trick. Although it was no
white rabbit he was about to pull out. As the last button
popped and the jeans slid lower, a small needy sound
escaped Cordeliaโs lips.
Heat flashed across her flesh, gathered and swirled, a hot
whirlpool in her belly. Her sensual water nymph allure
flowed closer to her skin, preparing to draw in and capture
the man she desired. When the energies met the barrier of
the magical Celtic symbols painted on her skin, her
temperature shot up as though she were trapped in a
pressure cooker.
She flapped a hand in front of her face, fanning herself.
If she kept watching Michael, she would expire from lust.
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