Captivated and Entranced are the first and second books in Nora Roberts’ Donovan Legacy. I picked them up in a collection after I read the third in the series, Charmed, and fell in love with the Donovan family. I’m going to skip what is supposedly the fourth book, Enchanted. That book was published seven years after the first three, and it features a man named Liam Donovan, supposedly a cousin. However, that doesn’t fit what was written in the first three books. There are three cousins whose fathers, triplets, married sisters who are triplets. And, according to the earlier books, they each had one child, featured in those books. So, where did that odd “cousin” come from? I don’t really know, nor do I care.
Captivated is Morgana’s story. Morgana is the one who has a reputation in Monterey as actually practicing witchcraft. She was born near the site of the Witch Tree, on the night the tree fell. Morgana owns a successful shop, Wicca, that has crystals, herbs, and other items. Nash Kirkland writes screenplays for award-winning horror films, movies that he researches and twists in an unusual way. He’s heard of Morgana Donovan, and hopes to interview her, and find out why she thinks she’s a witch. Despite his movies about the supernatural, Nash doesn’t believe. Morgana is attracted to him, but it bothers her that he won’t accept her gift. She sees Nash’s power as storytelling. He doesn’t accept that she’s an actual witch. Morgana knows, though, that she’s destined to love Nash Kirland.
Sebastian Donovan is the third, and oldest cousin. He’s a psychic and the main male character in Entranced. This is my least favorite of the three stories, which is odd because Sebastian uses his gift to help the police, and he teams up with a private investigator, Meg Sutherland. Usually, this would be my kind of story. I enjoy Heather Graham’s books about the Krewe of Hunters who use their gifts in this same way. But, I didn’t like Meg. She has a chip on her shoulder, a former cop, and a PI in a field that is normally a man’s profession. She thinks Sebastian is a con man, a sham, trying to take advantage of needy people. However, Meg’s friend and client, has a missing tbaby, taken from her yard. Meg and the police have not yet found David, and Rose insists on consulting Sebastian. Yes, I know Meg and Sebastian will eventually get together. Meg rubbed me the wrong way, though.
If anyone plans on reading the Donovan Legacy, I would suggest they be read in order; Captivated, Entranced, and then Charmed. There are spoilers in Charmed. Unless you have psychic powers yourself, do you really want to know what happens to the characters before the final book? It’s another enjoyable trilogy from Nora Roberts, but they’re old enough that the reader recognizes the growth in her writing over the years.
Nora Roberts’ website is https://noraroberts.com/
Captivated & Entranced by Nora Roberts. Silhouette/Harlequin, 1992. 507p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I bought my copy of the book.
