Charmed

Winston Brothers #2

by Jayne Castle, Lori Foster, Julie Beard

On a faraway planet...
Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle, bestselling author of Zinnia, Amaryllis, and Orchid.

In a legendary time
Julie Beard, bestselling author of Romance of the Rose and The Maiden's Heart.

By a haunting presence...
Lori Foster, one of Harlequin's most popular and acclaimed authors.

With a dream of genie...
Eileen Wilks, bestselling author of many Silhouette romances.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Anthologies, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.

Pseudonyms:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Stephanie James
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass

Reviews

[PlotTrysts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This compendium is a mixed bag. We were looking for a Halloween romance collection, and this meets that one criterion. Other than that, the quality of the novellas is pretty mixed.

Bridal Jitters - Jayne Castle: 4 Stars. We both found this one to be the star of the collection. This is the first story set on Castle's world of "Harmony," and if you've been enjoying those novels you will probably enjoy this first foray into the world of ghost hunters and tanglers. With the marriage of convenience, treasure hunting, forced-proximity-in-a-cave, and lots and lots of amber, it's Jayne Castle to a T.

12-word summaries:
Meg: Halloween: the best night to get it on while exploring alien ruins.
Laine: Hottie ghost-hunter landlord convinces Virginia to go into business and get married.

Man in the Mirror - Julie Beard: 2 Stars. This one of the strangest romances we've ever read. Katie is an Arthurian history buff and also a medical intern. In this time travel romance novella, she gets to put both of her areas of expertise into action. And it all takes place on one Halloween night...⁠

19-word summaries:
Laine: Does a woman want to be a doctor who saves people or a damsel in distress? Merlin knows all. ⁠
⁠Meg: How can you tell when you’ve met The One? Only once you’ve had an affair with his distant ancestor.⁠

Tangled Dreams - Lori Foster: 2.5 stars. This is the only actual ghost story in the compendium. Allison is living with some ghosts - ghosts who want her to get laid for REASONS. Although she's been dating a guy who's going to propose, she really wants to bone a different dude, Chase Winston. ⁠With a little help from her friends, that's just what happens in this novella.

8-word summaries:
Meg: Mind reading, ghosts, and mild bondage = lifelong love.⁠
⁠Laine: Get laid to get hidden treasure because ghosts. ⁠

Pandora's Bottle - Eileen Wilks: 3 stars. We thought this one had a lot of potential. The world building was scant but solid: Dora and John live in an AU where magical creatures live on reservations, but are now fighting for acceptance and human rights. Our MCs are both super straight-laced, without a hint of magic in their souls... or so they would have each other believe. Unfortunately we felt that the execution was a bit lacking, even problematic. And most disappointing of all was that although the sexual tension was high, the payoff was low. ⁠
⁠
4-word summaries:
Laine: Wordplay! Enchantment! Djinn! Hijinks! ⁠
Meg: Jack & John love Pandora.⁠
⁠
www.linktr.ee/plottrysts⁠

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The five stars are for the first short story, Bridal Jitters, by Jayne Ann Krentz. This story is the beginning one (1999) for her Harmony books and is a good read, although there are some discrepancies with the later books. For example, Sam Gage gives Virginia Burch a mag-rez gun and shows her how to use it underground in the alien catacombs. In later books we learn that this is a very risky maneuver since the gun can explode when used in the catacombs, which in fact happens in Silver Master (the fourth Harmony book), so it was a bit disconcerting on a re-read. The other stories in the book, Man in the Mirror by Julie Beard, I give two stars; Tangled Dreams by Lori Foster, four stars, and Pandora's Bottle by Eileen Wilks, three stars.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read Bridal Jitters by Jayne Castle. It was a good series beginner. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Marybelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the Jayne Castle and Lori Foster stories. Both are classics. The Julie Beard story is rather sweet. But I just could not get into Eileen Wilks story at all. Pandora's Bottle is just too weird. The first time I read this anthology the book was very poorly printed. One section of Bridal Jitters was completely missing and found in the middle of another story. That story was incomplete and unreadable. I had to go buy Bridal Jitters in another anthology in order to finish the story. Not the fault of the writers, but the publisher messed up big time.

I saw that the anthology was reprinted digitally a couple of years later, so I bought it trying to see if I could enjoy the broken story better. However, my opinion didn’t change. Bridal Jitters and Tangled Dreams were very good, but I did not enjoy the other two at all.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though one takes into affect that there were four stories by three different authors in this books, some of the stories seemed rather rushed which adversely affected my enjoyment. I do like how all the stories were centered around Halloween and I look forward to digging up some other books by the other authors

[Gevera Piedmont · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun little book full of supernatural/paranormal romance stories that all take place at Halloween. I love Jayne Castle's books set on the other planet (with the green quartz and the ghosts) which is why I got the book but all stories were enjoyable and all very different.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mistakenly bought this book again. The different cover threw me. When I picked it up yesterday I kept thinking, "I've read this before." Went to story #2, same thing. I remembered that I liked all the stories. I liked the Castle story and the Wilks story the most.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute grouping of three short stories. I read this in an afternoon and enjoyed it immensely.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charmed, an anthology of four stories, was a bit uneven. I loved two of the stories, the other two not so much.

Bridal Jitters-Jayne Castle: A fantastic story set on the wonderful world of Harmony, with a love story between a ghost hunter and an illusion tangler and their adventures down in the alien catacombs.

Man in the Mirror-Julie Beard: Katie goes back in time through a mirror, and becomes involved with one of King Arthur’s knights, all as Merlin predicted. I didn’t care much for this one, it just didn’t work for me.

Tangled Dreams-Lori Foster: Two ghosts instigate a passionate encounter with a shy young lady and her dream man, a sexy bartender. I did not like the bartender and his sexual preferences, this turned me right off from the otherwise cute story, since I liked the ghost aspect of it.

Pandora’s Bottle-Eileen Wilks: This one had it all, magic, romance and passion, mystery and danger, and two people who were made for each other, after some choices are made.

[Sue Gosland]

this book was right up my alley!! Paranormal romance, Jayne Ann Krentz, Lori Foster, and now two more authors I am going to have to investigate. Eileen Wilks and Julie Beard both added wonderful stories to this anthology and I loved them all.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four Stories all taking place around Halloween. Bridal Jitters by Jayne, Man in the Mirror by Julie Bear, Tangled Dreams by Lori Foster and Pandora's Bottle by Eileen Wilks. I don't usually like short stories, but these were more like novellas. I enjoyed them.

[Mary Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lori Foster

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series of short stories involving love, passion and ghosts

[Book Binge · Rating 3 out of 5]

tangled dreams

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of fantasy romances that all involve Halloween.

[Amelia Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked all four stories.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like themed compilations of short stories giving you a chance to try various writers work. This book is a nice Halloween read with time travel and magic.

[Jennifer McMurrain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just not for me. I couldn't get into it.

[Anna McFadden · Rating 3 out of 5]

i did reread the book so here is the new review.
4 short stories by 5 different authors..... "Bridal Jitters" by Jayne Ann Krentz
Not long after paranormal hunter Sam and tangler Virginia has decided to combined their companies and get a marriage of convenience, which means they will be legally tied to each other for 2 years they almost lose everything to love...

Julie Beard's " Man in the Mirror" when Gazing into an antique mirror Katie Montgomery sees the face of a knight whose hurt from King Arthur's Court. when he calls to her for help she steps through the the mirror and goes to him. she nurses his wounds and falls for him but Marlin tells her she must go back to her own time her true love is there.m

Lori Foster "Tangle Dreams" 2 ghost are stuck here until they can help Allison catch the man that has "awaken" her greatest passion but first she has to her Chase over the fact that the original owners of her Victorian home are still bound there.

Eileen's Wilks "Pandora's Box" A stockbroker, John takes his girlfriend (whom he wants as a wife), Dora, to his family end of the century country home to not only ask for his hand but to tell her of his families secert that not only could it be the end of their relationship but their lives

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

About the only worthwhile story in this one is Bridal Jitters by Jayne Castle, although the Eileen Wilks story was very unique. Get Bridal Jitters by itself, none of the others make it worth the buy.

Bridal Jitters - Jayne Anne Krentz - 4 /5 - This is he first in the Harmony series and clearly an introduction to the world that Jayne Castle has created. It's a good romance with suspense and passion. Sam and Virginia are engaged to be married in a marriage of convenience that will merge their businesses, but Virginia is getting cold feet (thus the title). Virginia is madly in love with Sam and although she's getting a marriage to the man she loves, she wants him to love her. Sam loves Virginia and is hoping the 2-year-marriage contract will give him the chance to win Virginia for the long term. Miscommunication and hidden feelings is where the conflict between these two comes from.

The external suspense comes from their occupation. This whole world revolves around psychic energies and those who can hunt ghosts with it or untangle traps. Some of it is quite confusing and I wish the author had dedicated a bit more time to explaining the world, it's history and the psychic abilities and energies that the story involves. The two are sort of archeologists and find themselves trapped in the catacombs of an alien city and trying to escape the bad guys. It was a good story and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Man in the Mirror - Julie Beard - 1 /5 - This is a time-travel romance which employs a completely unforgivable plot device. Our heroine, Katie, ends up back in time, in Arthur’s Camelot, with her hero Tristan. They fall in love before Katie ends up back in her own time and forever separated from Tristan. But then she meets Stan, Tristan’s descendant and the story ends on a hopeful note. And I hate it. Because I just spent the entire story reading about how Katie falls in love with Tristan only for her to end up with someone who isn’t Tristan. Why spend all that time writing a romance about a couple who don’t end up together? So disappointing.

Tangled Dreams - Lori Foster - 2 /5 - So Allison is a virgin who talks to ghost and they want her to find a treasure map, but she needs to have a “passionate” moment in order to find it. So they encourage her to go after the guy she’s hot for, Chase Winston. He’s never noticed her, but only because she seems so vanilla, and he likes to be in control and dominate in the bedroom. Allison finds she doesn’t mind and he ties her up and takes her virginity and she loves it. But I did have a problem because as much as she loved it, I didn’t get that she really loved it. I mean, it was her first time, she wanted to explore and touch him and he shut it down. I didn’t care for that really (but I don’t typically care for domination). I also didn’t like how suddenly they’re in love right after they have sex and they know nothing about one another.

Pandora’s Bottle - Eileen Wilks - 3 /5 - This was a very unusual story involving a descendant of a djinn who split his power off and stored it in a bottle. Then every generation, the magical half of himself develops alongside the heir and becomes his competition when he chooses a bride. The bride must then choose magical or mortal being. Only this time, because the heir’s bride is magical herself, the stakes are changed and the magical being is able to get free and compete in the flesh. Like I said, very unusual, but it basically sets up a love triangle which I didn’t care for. And because of magic, she’s able to end up with both of them when they end up as one person .

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Charmed anthology brings together four stylistically different authors under one common theme: romance at Halloween. Jayne Ann Krentz (writing as Jayne Castle, her futuristic romance pseudonym) takes us into the future to the novella that began her Harmony series of books, Lori Foster gives a passionate spin to treasure hunting and ghosts with a story that's part of her Winston brothers novellas, Julie Beard travels back in time to King Arthur and Eileen Wilks has a slightly gothic flair to a paranormal contemporary with djinn and witches.

Of the four stories I definitely enjoyed Castle's the best. I've been a fan of her Harmony books for several years now, but had not read this particular novella. There's less cohesion to the world, with more flair for the dramatic then usually found in the books, but the couple Sam Gage and Virginia Burch are sizzling. It was fun to see the guy so uncertain about where he stands with a woman and wanting love, not just sex. Virginia, also wanting love, but willing to settle for the sex if need be, is feisty and stubborn, but their respect for each other is apparent.

Foster's was the hottest of the four and gives the phrase 'grand passion' a literal meaning. I loved Allison. Hands down she was entertaining. Casually arguing with a ghost while trying to keep her wayward--and explicit--thoughts to herself and battle the flirtations of her long time crush sparked some interesting comments. Chase was very aggressive at first, but its understandable given the amount of frustration he must have been feeling. There was an unnecessary thread, involving an ex of Allison's, that was just kind of there as added 'danger' at the end, but overall this was a fun and often amusing story.

I enjoyed Beard's story the least of all the stories included. It was too pat, too predictable. It started out really well, with a crazy fortune-telling lady and misfortune and Woden's Curse, but devolved into a standard romance rather quickly. Tristan is entirely too nice and understanding for a guy in King Arthur's time, Katherine takes her time traveling really well (as well as the marauding Saxons) and the development of their relationship is pretty much off screen so to speak. Various mystics tell them both, about each other before they meet so they're already pre-disposed to falling in love. There is a clever trickery of words used, but even then the romance that develops from that is just so-so.

Wilks' story was a little confusing, and involved more psychological thinking then I usually like in a romance, but it was pretty basic. Dora and John, two seemingly dependable and staid people, are hiding secrets from each other. Which turns out to be an issue since Dora's secret puts her at risk because of John's secret and both together just makes them combustible. There was more wordplay trickery involved in here, which was funny but not discussed overmuch. The ending is a little abrupt with the consequences of their actions occurring and then lovely discussion begins, but it was fun. Plus I like romances involving djinns.

Overall this collection was entertaining and fun, but other then Jayne Castle I don't believe I'd read any of the other authors separate works based upon what I read here.

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only got it for the Jayne Castle "Harmony" story. All were terrible.

[Cynthia Armistead Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book to read just one of the four novellas, "Pandora's Bottle" by Eileen Wilks, because I've enjoyed her Lupi books. Honestly, it was the weakest of the four. (Seriously—why would a djinn's magic be tied in any way to Halloween?)

Ordinarily, I would have moved on to another book right away. Charmed is very clearly a romance anthology, and I'm not a romance fan.

On the other hand, I was doing something involving a lot of waiting, and Charmed happened to be the book that was in my hands. I decided to try something new for me, so I read the other stories and tried to judge them as romance stories. Failing that, I tried to at least be less annoyed at the standard romance "stuff" (look, it's almost 5am and I do not know where my thesaurus is).

So—Jayne Castle's "Bridal Jitters" was set in a world I'd like to know more about. The relationship barrier was a bit contrived, but at least it was relatively fresh (to me).

Julie Beard's "Man in the Mirror" started with a handicap: I detest all those modern-person-goes-back-to-good-old-days stories, especially the romances. She saved the tale from total suckage by turning things around a bit.

Finally, "Tangled Dreams" by Lori Foster is our obligatory ghost story. The ghosts are the good people here, and they're matchmaking merrily while trying to warn the living occupant of their house that all is not well. From her prose, I have to wonder if Ms. Foster really thinks that the scenes she describes are "kinky" to most people? There's nothing to get your harness in a knot over, though, just a little light bondage.

So the volume wasn't torturous, and it did provide me with some distraction. Changing my attitude almost certainly helped me enjoy these stories a bit more. I don't think I'm likely to start seeking out romances, but with so much "paranormal romance" all over the shelves, I should probably get used to having somebody's romance in my fantasy.

[Shinyfox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average rating: 3

Story 1 - Bridal Jitters by Jayne Castle
4/5
I really liked this particular story. It was fun and interesting to read. I enjoyed the take that the author had on what Ghosts were in the society. It was 'believable' as far as fantasy/sci-fi stories go, which made it all the more enjoyable

Story 2 - Man in the Miror by Julie Beard
3/5
This story was just 'ok' for me. It was a little unbelievable as far as fantasy/sci-fi stories go and I just couldn't get into the main character. Besides that the ending threw me -

The fact that she fell in love with the 'MMC' of the book and then left him back in his time so he could do whatever knightly stuff he had to, and THEN fell in love with one of his decedents? It was strange and I didn't really like it. It seemed like it might have been 'fake' love the way she latched onto his descendent. I took that part of the book as if she latched onto 'Stan' since she couldn't have Tristan.

Story 3 - Tangled Dreams by Lori Foster
2/5
I didn't like this story at all. It was not my cup of tea. It seemed like both the FMC and the MMC were manipulated by the ghosts in the story. It didn't feel 'real' to me, how they came together and eventually 'fell in love'. And throughout the story we're led to think that the MMC is into some really kinky stuff, but this is not the case. This story hit all the wrong notes and left me wondering if the last story was going to be even worse.

Story 4 - Pandora's Bottle by Eileen Wilks
3.5/5
This one was pretty darn good. I enjoyed the twist on magic and magical beings in our world and adored the idea of a Djinn tearing out the immortal part of himself to be with a mortal woman. The whole choosing thing that brides-to-be had to go through was interesting. However I was able to figure out how this story would end about 1/3 of the way through it. Love, love, loved Jack and would be interested in reading stories/books about him when he was younger.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bridal Jitters Jayne Castle (futuristic stories from Jayne Ann Krentz) *** Harmony 0.5 - This story takes place in the futuristic world of Harmony. It's a brief but enjoyable story, which might not make any sense at all if you haven't read others in the series.
Man in the Mirror Julie Beard ** Time travel story about a woman who is having trouble finding herself, especially on Halloween. Characters felt very one-dimensional, and while the setting was interesting, I just didn't "feel" it.
Tangled Dreams Lori Foster ** Romance with paranormal elements, which is usually my cup of tea, but this one left me cold. Guy suddenly notices girl next door when he can read her erotic thoughts about him. Didn't feel the characters, or the setting, and everything felt too rushed.
Pandora's Bottle Eileen Wilks ***1/2 Not part of her Lupi series. Story was a very interesting one, although the ending felt a bit predictable. John is bringing his almost-fiance to his family home to propose. But both John & Dora have a secret that could keep them apart.

[July · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st story-Bridal Jitters-strange story set into the future, ghost hunters, halloween, marriage contract with a two years, it is considered a marriage of convience. And these two characters in this story are business partners so this kind of a marriage does not seem strange, but they are sent on a mission that may cost them their relationship if not there lives.
2nd story-Man in the Mirror-Fascinating story, time travel woman goes back in time to the medievel time of King Arthur and Merlin time on Halloween. When she gets there she finds a wounded man Tristian. It is his her job to heal him and take him to Avalon then return home. good story
3rd story-Tangled Dreams-cute little story, by Lori Foster. Chase Winston is working at the Bar the four of his brothers own when he notices that his older brother Mack's wife's cousin Allison is on the other side of the bar and he can read her mind. She is having erotic thought of him. After an hour of it, he approaches her because he cannot stand it any longer. This is a funny story
4th story-Pandora's Bottle, crazy short story about an engaged couple who travel to John's family home for the weekend. Dora will find out secrets about John and John will find out secrets about Dora. Hopefully they can have a passionate weekend in the mean time.

[AbsentLibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

overall: Disappointing!

A grouping of four short stories linked by a Halloween theme, or so it claimed. The concepts for all four stories sounded promising but I am not sure that the Halloween theme was the right link for this collection. In most of the stories, the inclusion of Halloween seemed forced and not at all necessary.

The first story, Bridal Jitters, felt overly edited. The setting was not set up well and led to some confusion throughout the story. 1 star out of 5

Story # 2, Man in the Mirror has been done before but this version felt thin. So far I was not at all impressed with this collection of stories. 1.5 stars out of 5.

Finally, in the third story entitled Tangled Dreams, I didn't feel like I was completely wasting my time. There was some value and depth and entertainment in the writing. For a short story, it was okay. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

The final story, Pandora's Bottle has some real promise with it's story line, but I felt ultimately failed to deliver in the ending. 2 out of 5 stars.

Based upon the synopsis, I certainly had higher hopes for this collection and found I was quite disappointed with the actual stories.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that I'm considerably less charmed by this anthology than I was when I first read it way back when. The genre, especially the PNR that I've read, has moved on, developed, gotten more exciting. These now seem mildly charming but tame.

Jayne Castle's Bridal Jitters--2 stars
I just reread the Harmony series and this prequel doesn't contain the magic--and the dust bunnies!--that makes the series a an auto-buy for me.

Julie Beard's Man in the Mirror--2 stars
A large part of the story takes place without the hero in the picture. While it's important for the heroine's growth, it's not good for the romantic development, especially in a novella. (Also, it's time travel...)

Lori Foster's Tangled Dreams--2 stars
I was charmed by the story way back when. I thought it was hot and daring. Now, I'm amused and irritated by the kink lite. Though the story is kinda cute, I guess.

Eileen Wilks' Pandora's Bottle--4 stars
Best story in the anthology, standing the test of time and still charming to me. A feel-good read. *warm fuzzies*

[Laurla2]

"bridal jitters"by jayne castle - harmony #0.5. Virginia Burch, a psychic archeologist, can't believe her luck when she meets Sam Gage, a ghost hunter. He offers her his space to live and start up her business. For professional reasons, he offers her a marriage of convenience that would lead to a very lucrative business partnership, Gage & Burch Consulting. Until something throws a wrench into the plan: the undeniable sensual energy that naturally exists between them - and a love so strong that it could wake the ghosts below.

"man in the mirror" by julie beard - "you see me as i can be, not as i have been." An ancient Britain who is a dashing knight wounded in the service of King Arthur, and a time traveling young woman meet, only to lose each other and find each other again.

"tangled dreams" by lori foster - a house haunted by two mischievous ghosts who wont leave a woman alone until she finds a passionate man.

"pandora's bottle" by eileen wilks - a woman torn between her fiance and a seductive djinn.

[LaSarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay - just okay. I could see how the stories were good ideas, but I don't think they were executed very well. I really didn't like the first story about ghost hunters and another planet, hence the reason it took me so long to read this.

I think I liked the Man in the Mirror story the best - I just wanted more of it. I wanted to hear more about things happening in the Dark-Ages and wanted more magical encounters with Merlin and Nimue. I felt the ending was rushed and never got to find out what happened with the seeds, but it was the one I liked best.

Story #3 was okay. I liked the idea and wanted to hear more from the other brothers - are there more stories with the other brothers? Hmmm.

Story #4 could have been great. I wanted to see more magic and romance. The characters were boring - admittedly. The ending was highly predictable but still sweet.

Over all - it was okay. Not the best, not the worst - okay.