Charmed by His Love _0.jpg

“Chapman is unmatched and unforgettable.”*

Praise for novels of Janet Chapman

“A romantic, funny, quietly intense story of wounded

survivors reluctantly finding love.”

—Publishers Weekly

“If anyone can make me fal in love with a ninth-century

warrior who also spent several centuries as a dragon, it’s

Janet Chapman. I always love her secondary characters …

I love the humor that she injects [in Dragon Warrior].”

Fallen Angels Review (Five Angel Review)

“The idea of a time-traveling warrior, who was once a

dragon, courting a modern woman is steamy fun … As

funny and steamy as can be expected from Chapman …

Wel executed!”

Fresh Fiction

“Janet Chapman’s Dragon Warrior is head and shoulders

above any shape-shifting or paranormal romance … A

spectacular and bril iant novel for those who love the

juxtaposition of the paranormal and the real world … A

PERFECT 10 is a fitting rating for … a novel which is both

tender and joyful, but also has beasts looking for peace and

a new way of life after centuries of struggle.”

—Romance Reviews Today

“Delightful romantic series with a paranormal twist …

Chapman brings plenty of warmth and fun to the story by

enlivening it with a rich cast of characters. You can’t go

wrong with a Chapman story!”

—*RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

“From exceptional y moving scenes to delightful y amusing

moments, the originality of Dragon Warrior keeps your total

attention … Creatively innovative with inventive plots and

particularly appealing characters.”

—Single Titles

“Readers wil be enchanted with Chapman’s love of Maine

in her latest romance, a story fil ed with wit and tenderness.”

Booklist

Jove titles by Janet Chapman

HIGHLANDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS

SPELLBOUND FALLS

CHARMED BY HIS LOVE

Charmed by His Love _1.jpg

Charmed by His Love _2.jpg

Charmed by

His Love

Janet Chapman

JOVE BOOKS, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) •

Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin

Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre,

Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ),

67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of

Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24

Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL,

England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have control over and does not have any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

CHARMED BY HIS LOVE

A Jove Book / published by arrangement with the author

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Jove mass-market edition / June 2012

Copyright © 2012 by Janet Chapman.

Excerpt from Courting Carolina copyright © 2012 by Janet Chapman.

Cover art by Jim Griffin.

Cover handlettering by Ron Zinn.

Cover design by George Long.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or

electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or

encourage piracy of

copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58545-0

JOVE®

Jove Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

JOVE® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The “J” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is

stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the

author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

Any similarities between Duncan MacKeage and my own

driven, never-say-die, magical hero are, of course, purely

coincidental. You’re still standing guard at the gate of my

dreams, husband, and you still rock my world!

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Epilogue

Courting Carolina

Charmed by His Love _3.jpg

Chapter One

Peg Thompson slid open the side door of her minivan and

gave the four children inside her wel -perfected, I-mean-

business scowl. “Okay, you clean and handsome little

human beings, your chal enge for the day is to stay clean

and handsome until after the wedding. And when we come

back here for the reception, you wil change into your play

clothes before you go near any food. Got that?” Peg

paused for effect, stifling a smile when every last one of

them vigorously nodded. “So that means until we leave for

church you wil stay away from mud puddles, melting piles

of snow, and the lake.” She lost her scowl when her gaze

landed on her youngest son. “And nobody goes near the

scientific equipment on the beach, or any of the scientists.

Charlotte, you’re in charge of Jacob, and Isabel, you’re in

charge of Peter.” She held up her hand when both girls

started to protest. “This is Miss Olivia’s special day, and as

her bridesmaid I have to help her get ready. So could you

al please just cooperate with me this morning?”

“But Mommm,” Charlotte protested anyway. “I need to

help Sophie. Today’s special for her, too. She’s going to be

the maid of honor and she’s getting a new dad.”

“And Henry needs me,” Isabel chimed in, not about to

be out-whined. “I have to make sure he looks al handsome

because he’s getting a new mom today.”

Peg was fairly certain the last thing Henry wanted was

Isabel’s help, considering the girl had blatantly been


Перейти на страницу:
Изменить размер шрифта: