Love Spell
Stan Crowe
Contemporary Romance
Clint Christopherson’s love life is a running joke. When a crazed gypsy curses him with the best wish he could ever ask for, the punchline stops being funny. Now, even his barest touch drives girls mad for him. Desperate to reverse the curse, he turns to his last hope: an attractive private investigator who may be able to locate his missing gypsy. If only Clint knew who it was he just hired...
Excerpt
Lindsay
whirled on Clint suddenly, and pushed her face close to his. He flinched, but
didn’t withdraw. She breathed in his scent for a moment, savoring it along with
the fact that she had an ace to play at last. “Do you want to go to Seattle?”
she quietly inquired.
“I
want to find the old woman.”
“And
do you know where she is?”
“If
I did I wouldn’t be standing here.”
“And
if I do?”
“Then
I get this crazy feeling that I’m somehow even more indebted to you than I was
forty-five seconds ago.”
She
smirked. “I’ll get that in writing later. For now, how about a little road
trip?”
He
hesitated. “I can’t.”
She
blinked. “Wait. What?”
Clint
sighed sadly and looked away. “I can’t afford a road trip at the moment. I
don’t even have a car, in case you’d forgotten.”
Lindsay
winked at him. “It just so happens I got a Corolla recently. My Uncle Tom even
brought it by. It’s over in visitor parking. I’ll have the valet bring it up.”
He
paused, and she could see a war going on in his eyes. At length, he sighed.
“Can you find her? For sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“No,
I mean, if we drive to Seattle right now, or even in the next day or two, can
you take me right to her? I can’t go forward on a ‘maybe.’”
Lindsay
hedged. “I would certainly do my best.”
He
shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “You know, the road trip sounds
great, and I really, really want to
find her. But I’ve still got to see whether I can’t salvage something with
Graphitti.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. Before he
hit the send button, he looked back at her.
“This
is a career with Graphitti Graphics
we’re talking about. Curse or no curse, you just don’t pass up an offer like
this.”
She
was impressed. She’d seen the stuff he’d drawn in high school, and it was
pretty good even then. He must have gotten leaps and bounds better, though, if
no less than Graphitti Graphics was going to bring him on board. And yet, she
wasn’t about to let his job get in the way of her job. Lindsay grinned
wolfishly. “No problem. I drive you to the interview, you get the job, and we
hit the road. I’m fairly sure they’re not going to start you in the middle of a
week. We’d have at least until next Monday to catch Fey.”
Clint
made to speak, and then stopped. “Sullivan. That’s a brilliant idea. I can’t
believe I hadn’t thought of that.”
Lindsay
could totally believe he hadn’t
thought of it.
“Let’s
go,” she said. “You call Graphitti to let them know you’re on your way, and
you’ll be there soon. Their offices are downtown, aren’t they?”
He
nodded. “Yeah. I’ll give them a call to let them know I’m going to be late.” he
gestured. “We’d better hurry. Lead the way.”
“Right,”
she said, and started again for the valet station. Clint pulled out his phone
and tagged along behind her while waiting on hold, his eyes intense. He was so
engrossed in his call that he strayed dangerously toward the curb. Lindsay
turned just in time to see him stumble off the sidewalk and into the street. Of
course he didn’t see the motorcycle.
“Clint!
Wait!” She leapt for him, grabbing his shoulder just in time to rip him out of
harm’s way. What happened next caught her utterly by surprise. Even before he
stumbled back into her and knocked her to the ground, fire raced through her
fingertips to fill her entire frame. Her body tensed and her breathing went
shallow and rapid. Her eyes dilated, and the whole world seemed to glow before
her in a vague, minimalistic way. A Clint-shaped blob clambered to his feet and
jumped back. A distant, metallic voice wailed, “Why’d you have to go and do
that?” She wasn’t certain she’d heard the words correctly, but she could tell
it was him, and the sound was sugar to her ears.
Her
mind’s eye filled with the vision of Clint’s face, and an overwhelming urge to possess him wrapped itself around her
heart and mind like a boa constrictor. A sensation welled inside her, a lioness
rising and stretching her legs before a day of hunting; and the only thing it saw
was him. More than anything in the world, she desired him body and soul. She rose to her feet knowing beyond
doubt that she must seize him now or
lose him forever. After all these years, had she really been suppressing this much emotion with regards to him?
The feelings of lust were frighteningly unnatural; she wondered if this was
what it was like to be male.
No! her inner voice
screamed. Lindsay, get a grip! But there
was no shaking his face, or the burning desire to lose herself in him.
He ripped your
heart out and let it bleed on the floor, Lindsay! Let him go! You don’t need
this case! You don’t need him! The voice in her head made some
annoyingly notable points. Clint had been a sham in high school. Was he likely
any different now?
But he’s so
cute!
She
shook her head. Stop it, Lindsay. You
sound like a middle-school girl.
Clint
was now striding—no, jogging—away from her. The only logical course was to
follow him, and tackle him if necessary. He must not be allowed to get away!
“Plans
have changed a bit, Sully,” he called behind him. “You enjoy Seattle, and call
me when you find her. I’ll get my own ride, cool?”
Then
she refocused her mind. The case. That was what was important. There was no way
she’d give in to Mom and Dad’s expectations that she would utterly fail without
them. Clint was just another guy like any other. The real Lindsay was more than
some freak storm of hormones. The real Lindsay Sullivan needed no man. Let him
run. See if she cared.
Just get the car
and get this over with, she told herself.
With
an abrupt about face, Lindsay Sullivan tore herself away from the absolute need
to have Clint Christopherson.
My Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
If I had to describe Love Spell in one word, it would be fun. Silly plot, riotous characters...it all just sort of leaped off the pages. Part romance, part mystery, a touch paranormal, and all comedy, Love Spell was the perfect Sunday read. Stan Crowe breathes new life into the old adage, 'Be careful what you wish for". Main character Clint doesn't come across as stupid, yet he makes such an asinine wish...
Clint's life post-wish is worthy of a cable TV series. I love the opening scene between him and his latest accident, Jane. I'd say he got what he deserved, but frankly I wouldn't wish Jane on an enemy. On the run from crazy Jane, Clint seeks the help of a private investigator to help him find the gypsy responsible for granting his ill thought wish.
Enter Lindsay, who has had feelings for Clint since high school, until he inadvertently broke her heart. Lindsay is trying to pull away from the mold her wealthy parents want fit her into. When Clint walks through her door, she's just desperate enough to swallow past feelings and take his case. Looking for adventure, I think Lindsay found a bit more excitement than she was looking for.
I loved the characters in this novel. Even though I frequently wanted to bash Clint upside the head, it's really hard not to like him. The dialogue between the characters is witty and real. Things got a bit weird toward the end once the gypsy was involved, but I still enjoyed it. This is a great book to read when you're down or stressed and looking for something fun to cheer you up. Add Love Spell to your TBR list and pick it up when you need an entertaining story that gives you a good laugh.
Author Stan Crowe
Stan had a pretty normal, middle-class American youth. He was lucky enough to change that by convincing an exceptional woman to marry him in 2000, setting him on a much more fulfilling life course.
Four years later, Brigham Young University awarded him with a Bachelors of Science in civil and environmental engineering. He then he spent several years designing homes, prescribing work for bridges, and even exploring the mortgage industry.
In the midst of all this, he produced two science fiction anthologies in 2006 and 2007. In 2012, Breezy Reads Publishing picked up his romantic comedy The Cinderella Project. And thus he transformed himself from Captain Kirk into Don Juan.
Stan lives with his wife, children (final count to be determined) and two cats in Utah.
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