THE HEART OF A HERO – Janet Chapman
A Spellbound Falls Romance , Book 4
Jove
ISBN: 978-0-515-15320-0
March 2013
Contemporary Romance w/ Magic

Spellbound Falls, Maine, Present Day

An unusual combination of strength and vulnerability, Julia Campbell works, saves, and waits for the chance to leave her unhappy home. Some may wonder why she moved back in with her father, the town drunk, after her divorce. There are just a few weeks to wait until her sister, Trisha, turns eighteen and can legally leave with her; that's why. Julia worked six years to put her ex-husband through school, but when it was her turn to attend college, he left her for his lover, justifying his leaving by spreading false rumors of her many infidelities. Is it any wonder that Julia is uninterested in men? Yet, she is about to meet one who gets under her skin and arouses her fiery temper.

Certain areas in Maine seem to be a magnet for magical beings. It started, perhaps, when a group of medieval Highland warriors were transported to Pine Creek a couple of generations ago. Since then communities of other beings of mythical origins have settled around the area. The ones at Spellbound Falls have a strong connection to Atlantis. In fact, Maximillian Oceanus, the son of Titus Oceanus—who founded Atlantis and then had to sink it beneath the sea and away from jealous gods—lives in the area with his wife Olivia, a local lady. They run a high end resort on Whisper Mountain called Nova Mare…named for the new inland sea that was miraculously created out of a fresh water lake by a massive earthquake.

A fairly recent newcomer to the area and now the resort's chief of security is a mysterious man named Nicholas—no last name. As a large and handsome man, he's quite the favorite of all the women in the area, but he has so far shown no interest in any of them. Perhaps because Julia Campbell is so different from the women who fawn over him that he's so intrigued by her when shows him her sharp side. They meet when he sees three young men harassing one of the inn's housekeepers and goes to her rescue, for which she doesn't appear at all grateful; one of the men is her younger brother. Upon insisting on driving her home, he meets her father and sister, and his strong protective instincts are further aroused and will be even more so in a short while. Nicholas becomes more and more interested as he learns more about Julia. He can't help but respect her ethics and stubborn independence. And it doesn't hurt that he finds her attractive.

Odd things begin to happen around the area that Julia can't help noticing and wondering about. Some of these seem to be connected to Nicholas, yet no matter how intimidating he his, he somehow makes her feel safe. As things improve for Julia with her promotion and move to the resort with Trisha, she proves to all what a smart and competent woman she is…if only she didn't believe herself such a failure in her personal life. Her trials are just beginning when Nicholas is sent away on a dangerous mission by Titus.

The above is only a small sample of the early chapters of THE HEART OF A HERO, so much goes on with our hero and heroine and the many secondary and repeating characters who add to the overall interest. Where references are made about things that happened in previous books, any reader will be instantly involved with the people and the magic and find plenty of backstory as things move along. One need not have read the prequels to understand and enjoy this novel, but they, too, are highly entertaining. Check out the author's backlist at http://janetchapman.com/ .

While being connected to Ms. Chapman's other paranormal romances, the Spellbound Falls romance series begins with SPELLBOUND FALLS and continues with CHARMED BY HIS LOVE and COURTING CAROLINA (In which we meet Nicholas). I sincerely hope THE HEART OF A HERO is not the end of the series; I need to find out what happens to Trisha and others. You see, Ms. Chapman's world has entered my bones and will stay there forever; I can't get enough.

Jane Bowers