Spellbound, by Kathleen Nance

Another read from way back in November, so please forgive me if this review is a bit meager: Spellbound, by Kathleen Nance.

As the Minstrel of Kaf, Zayne kept the land of the djinn in harmony. Yet lately, raging desires and unquenchable yearnings were throwing his life into discord and wreaking havoc on his home. He needed a woman to restore balance to his life, a woman with whom he could blend his voice and his body. And according to his destiny, this soul mate could only be found in the strange land of Earth.

Madeline knew to expect a guest while house-sitting for her eccentric neighbor. However, she hadn't expected the man would be so sexy, so potent, so fascinated by the doorbell. Zayne may have been a disaster with modern amenities, but he certainly knew what made her tick. With one soul-stirring kiss, she saw colorful sparks dancing on the air. But Madeline wanted to make sure her handsome djinni wouldn't pull a disappearing act before she could allow herself to become utterly . . . Spellbound.

This one is (I think) book 4 in Nance's Djinn series, dealing with genie-like beings from the planet Kaf, existing in a kind of alternate universe from Earth. I've read one so far, the very fun More Than Magic. This was just as fun: a B.

Hero Zayne is the Minstrel of Kaf, charged with keeping the harmony on his planet through his music. When he starts losing control of it, he resorts to a spell to help him find his mate, who will supposedly help balance him. The spell shows him Madeline Fairbanks, a woman from Terra (Earth, that is). Zayne has reservations, but he finally goes find her.

Madeline is a woman on a mission. Her catastrophic stage-fright has almost made her lose her job, and she needs to find her former stepfather to keep it (don't ask). When she meets Zayne and finds out he's a djinn, she's at first nervous of him, but when it turns out he needs to find her stepfather, too (he somehow seems to be related to the strange magic that is disturbing his music), they team up.

The humour was one of the things I loved best. I enjoyed how Nance played Zayne's fish-out-of-water circumstances, not making it ridiculous or slapstick, but making it hilarious anyway. For once, the back cover copy does convey the tone of the story: However, she hadn't expected the man would be so sexy, so potent, so fascinated by the doorbell.. That's the kind of humour we have here, and it made me laugh.

I also thought there was very nice chemistry between Madeline and Zayne. The book is not particularly erotic, but I thought these two clicked very nicely, and their scenes are enjoyable. I especially liked the way Zayne was able to let go his preconceived ideas of what his zaniya (wife) should be like and accepted Madeline for who she was.

The plot was pretty interesting, even if it did feel a bit insubstantial in the first sections. It actually turned out to be something pretty dark (so the humour I mentioned above was very a necessary element), and I especially enjoyed the final confrontation, and the scenes that result from it, when Madeline goes all out to fight for Zayne.

Spellbound isn't a perfect, wonderful book, but as all of Nance's stories that I've read, it's solidly enjoyable and very, very readable. This author is a true buried treasure.