Nora Roberts – Enchanted

The fourth book in the Donovan Legacy series, published April 1, 1999.
Genre: contemporary paranormal romance
Cover: nice, but my copy has a beautiful scene of the coast, with a gorgeous house on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. (Lol, I have a duology, with two books in it).



Lovely, guileless Rowan Murray felt drawn to brooding Liam Donovan with a power she'd never imagined possible. And his breathtaking kisses convinced her he felt the same. But she soon realized her darkly enigmatic neighbour was as elusive as the mysterious wolf she'd seen lurking about her cabin. Liam was tormented by indecision. He understood he had no right to love Rowan, knowing what lay ahead. But the allure of her beguiling innocence overpowered his will until he could resist no longer. And he knew, if he was ever to make Rowan his, he had no choice but to reveal his incredible secret.


Rowan Murray needs to think about her life, what she wants out of it, and how to get it. Her parents have been making her decisions for her all this time, and it is just not what she wants. They are both brilliant academics, and want her to be a teacher as well, going for her doctorate, and marrying Alan. But she doesn’t want to be a teacher, she knows she is not good enough and her heart is not in it. Even though she loves to learn. So she has come to this lovely little cottage in the middle of the woods on the Oregon Coast to think. To just enjoy herself, without pressure from anyone else.
Who would have thought she would find a handsome stranger there, who makes her heart beat faster? And that beautiful black wolf who keeps appearing whenever she is out for a walk, and who seems to be keeping her company?

Her neighbour is Liam Donovan, a powerful witch, and slated to be his father’s successor as head of the family, and counsellor in magical disputes. He doesn’t know if he wants the position or not, and if he wants it, he needs to be married to a woman with elvin blood. So this attraction to Rowan Murray is very dangerous. He doesn’t want to be led by destiny; he wants to makes his own choices. Staying with her in wolf form is much safer, or else he would ravish her. She has such a low self esteem; she doesn’t know how lovely she is. And as wolf, he can share her bed with her, and take care of her when she falls asleep as usual: sitting upright, reading. He can share her dreams if he wants to, make love with her that way.

Both Liam’s parents want him to hurry. To look inside of her, and see for himself. But Liam is stubborn, and doesn’t want to do that. He does encourage Rowan to make a profession of her drawings. She only sees it as a little hobby, but she is very good. Liam is designing a new computer game, and her drawings would be perfect to complement it. And so her new career begins, and the difficult job of telling her parents that she won’t be coming back to the city, she wants to stay here in Oregon, and buy herself a little cottage and start a garden.

Time is running out for Liam though, he has to tell Rowan who and what he is, and to show her her own heritage, teach her. Can she accept it all, and him? And can he choose for her out of love instead of obligation, or reject her because of the same thing?


Another little gem of a book by Nora Roberts. I liked Rowan a lot. It took courage to decide to go away for a few months, when she has always been pressured and persuaded by her parents to do the sensible thing, which is what they want for her. But she doesn’t want to go for her doctorate, and she doesn’t want to marry Alan. She is not in love with him, and neither is he with her.
I loved how she discovered herself, and to enjoy herself, just doing nothing. Lying on her stomach and watching the ocean, and the fishing boats, and the birds. And discovering the big black wolf, and to tame it with cookies. She wanted to be able to do everything herself, so she bought books on plumbing, on car maintenance, how to work a generator. Everything so she wound not be depended on a stranger if something happened.
She did not deny her attraction to Liam, but she was very naïf when she met his parents in their animal form. How can you not know that something was not right, that something magical was happening?

Liam was a great brooding hero. Wanting to make all the decisions in his life for himself, and not guided by fate or destiny. But by not telling Rowan the truth, he denied her to make her own choices for herself. And in the end, that really bit him in the backside. I loved how Rowan stood up to him, and just walked out. But my favourite scene is the afternoon spend with his cousins and their families. I loved that little peek in their lives a few years later from their HEA’s.

I do recommend this series to all lovers of sweet romances with just that touch of magic in them. I want to find me a Donovan all for myself!

8 stars.