Magic and Mayhem
Avon Red, Harper Collins
July 24, 2007
An innovative ebook featuring two intertwined stories:
"Magic" by Cathryn Fox: When good witch Brianna James uses her magic and writes a sexy, forbidden love spell on her thirty-first birthday, on the thirty-first day of October during a full moon, and conjures up on roguish, bad boy warlock, she has no idea that she'll experience a passion so deep and so intense it would forever turn her good girl days into bad girl nights. But, when that spell lands in the wrong hands, be prepared for a little mayhem...
"Mayhem" by Sylvia Day: When Abigail Garvey steps into Conjure, the local magic shop, all she's looking for are a few props to round out her fortune teller Halloween costume. Abby isn't looking for a love spell that turns her drop-dead gorgeous, but long-oblivious neighbor into an aggressive alpha sex machine.. Sure his single-minded pursuit (and follow-through!) is the stuff her wickedest fantasies are made of, but how much of it is the real deal? And how much of it is just a little magical mayhem?
As she took in the handsome man before her, her stomach clenched. A barrage of emotions closed over her like a bed of fog and shook her to her core.
At the stroke of midnight, he'll be gone.
A pang of regret hit her hard and nearly wobbled her knees. That reaction shocked her. She barely knew him, yet she felt so close to him, as though they belonged together.
He locked the door behind them, gathered her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. How did he know where it was? She was about to ask but his words cut her off.
Her body slid down his as he set her on the floor. His green eyes darkened. His jaw clenched. His voice dropped an octave. "You have something of mine."
Her heart leapt. "I do."
READ MORE"Yes, you do." He drew his sword from its sheath and circled her, keeping his body close. "And I believe you know better than to keep a treasure from a pirate."
Oh. My. God. He was playing out her fantasy. Almost word for word.
She lifted her chin in defiance. "I know of no such treasure that you speak of."
His grin turned wicked and did mysterious things to her never endings. "Is that so?"
"Yes, that is so."
He got quiet as though mulling things over. "I'm afraid you leave me with only two choices, my sweet."
She met his glance unflinchingly even though it took effort, especially with the heat pooling between her thighs, moistening her panties. She arched one brow. "And my choices are?"
"You either hand over the treasure, or I'll be forced to search for it
myself."
Her breasts tightened and tingled to the point of pain. She pursed her lips and held her ground. "I told you, I do not have your treasure."
He slipped his hand around her back and cut the knot with his sword,
releasing the straps on her sorceress costume.
In an automatic reaction she reached for the dress, pinning it to her chest.
"Don't." The authority in his tone excited her beyond anything she'd ever known, but the traces of tenderness did weird things to her insides. "Remove your hand."
Pleasure raced through her when she saw the hunger in his gaze. Her skin came alive and the tang of her arousal saturated the room. He inhaled, slowly, as though savoring the smell her excitement.
Holding his steely gaze, she let go of the fabric. It fell to her waist and bunched around her hips.
Green eyes full of lust traveled to her swollen nipples. He licked his lips and she nearly cried out in euphoria.
She arched her back and lowered her tone. "Is this the treasure you seek, Pirate?" God, she hardly recognized her voice.
The heated look in his eyes excited and frightened her at once. "It is
close but not the treasure you are still keeping from me."
She starched her spine. "As I said, I know of no such treasure."
He glanced the length of her, letting his gaze linger between the apex of her thighs. "Perhaps you are hiding it elsewhere." His dark tone excited her.
Brianna sucked in air. "Perhaps you are mistaken."
"Then let's find out."
COLLAPSESensual Reads & Reviews wrote:Sylvia Day and Cathryn Fox have delivered a wonderfully sexy little two story anthology in the most interesting way with their collaboration on SPELLBOUND: MAGIC AND MAYHEM! Their individual stories are connected, sharing the same timeline, with both stories occurring simultaneously. To reinforce that shared timeline, they actually alternate chapters back and forth, with Fox's Magic leading the way in chapter one and Day's Mayhem picking up the story in chapter two. In careless hands, going back and forth could be confusing, but not so with this pair of talented writers. You can tell they are in sync every step of the way, seamlessly blending the stories of their two couples in a way that flows beautifully. I absolutely loved the effect! In fact, I will not be at all surprised to see other books follow suit in the near future, after the success of this one.
Joyfully Reviewed wrote:This anthology brings a breath of refreshing air with Magic and Mayhem alternating between chapters bringing both scorching stories in real time. Sheer Genius! If you think the summer temperatures are blistering hot, wait till you feel the sultry flames; SPELLBOUND: MAGIC AND MAYHEM sizzles! I give this book my highest recommendations for bringing an inventive and invigorating originality back to the book market! Cathryn Fox and Sylvia Day are pure magic!
The only word for this book is WOW! The title is right — MAGIC AND MAYHEM is completely spellbinding from start to finish. Taken all together this anthology is a scorcher and will burn you in the best possible way! Go and buy yourself SPELLBOUND: MAGIC AND MAYHEM right now, but be warned you will stay up past your bedtime finishing this book.