This might be a really weird way to start a book review, but the entire time I was reading this novel I kept getting some really strong Halloweentown and Twitches vibes (two Disney channel movies). Time of Enchantment had sort of a whimsical, playful quality to it. I'd call it 'innocent' if it didn't revolve around a reverse harem (multiple men and one woman, although they don't necessarily have sex all together I've learned).
Blurb: Ana Marea is disenchanted. By men. By the promise of love. By the illusion of forever. Ana may have the brilliant mind of a scientist, but she’s a romantic at heart. Endowed with the ability to enchant objects, she can’t seem to spark the same magic in her love life. And after a string of failed relationships, she worries she’ll never get her chance at a happily ever after. Could the answer lie with a wolf shifter, a genetics professor, and two men from the past? Or when time runs out and the spell breaks, will Ana’s heart shatter with it?
Review: The author, Julia Clarke, recommends that one begin her Cursed Legacy series by reading the prequel novella--Charms of Attraction--featured in Realms and Rebels, a collection of 22 reverse harem novels filled with magic, danger, mystery, adventure, and romance. Of course, I didn't know about this until I'd already started reading Time of Enchantment and I wasn't about to stop reading a book I had in my hands for a book I'd have to buy, so I just continued. But I can definitely see why it might have been helpful to have a little background information on some characters and the society they live in. I caught up eventually, but it definitely took longer than it would have had I read the prequel.
Time of Enchantment takes places in 2024 where men far outnumber women and reverse harms are commonplace (a reverse harem, if you don't know, is when a woman has many male partners, but they may not engage in threesomes/foursomes, etc.) This is such a drastic change from the taboo aspect of many books focusing on multiple partner romances. I really loved that this was the norm within their society because you were able to focus more on the budding relationships and less on the 'dirtiness' of the situation (though, I'll admit that taboo romances are positively spectacular).
There's also magical/paranormal aspects to this novel which is perfect for those looking for a little bit of Halloween in their romance novels this month. The magic is a main plot point over all though, so if that isn't your thing then you've been warned, but it isn't so much of a thing that it overwhelms the novel as a whole.
Our characters are Ana--our bright, capable heroine, Easton--the man from her past, Beckett--the professor from her present, and Will and CJ--two men from the literal past (hello, time travelers). I really didn't have any problems with any of the characters. They were all pleasantly different and brought a lot to the story individually. The best part of the whole book in my opinion, and what made it so unique, is that there's no jealousy between the men. Reverse harms, like I mentioned, are so normalized in society that men are more than used to other men in their relationships. It made the dynamic between the characters comfortable and kept the focus on the apple of all their eyes... Ana.
For a book with tons of men and only one woman Time of Enchantment was not nearly as dirty as I thought (probably because there isn't as much sharing of one woman between multiple men as you'd think). It was actually one of the least raunchy novels I've read in a while... but maybe that says something about the amount of total debauchery I'm willing to ingest into my body via my eyes. So, if you immediately think that this book won't be your sort of book because you like things at least somewhat readable in public, then have no fear... Time of Enchantment fits the bill.
My complaints? CJ and Will, our bad boys of the Wild West, don't speak in the accents you'd expect. I wish there was a tad more drama regarding Ana's ex-boyfriends (I live for drama). And I thought that there was an assumption of understanding regarding some of the magical abilities, though perhaps I would have understood more if I'd read the prequel (cue eye roll at myself). But these are mostly personal preferences, so don't hold them against the book!
Pick it up October 21st, 2018! (Also, I love this cover!)