Beth Ciotta, Charmed

Charmed

Beth Ciotta

Medallion, Dec 2004, $6.99

ISBN: 193281504X

His best friend FBI undercover agent Joe "Bogie" Bogart sends bodyguard Colin Murphy a message that the princess needs protection from abduction in of all places Margate, New Jersey. Not understanding what is going on or why a princess is even in Margate; Colin heeds the request and goes to protect Luciana "Lulu" Ross.

Colin sees Lulu dressed in a fairy tale princess costume as she performs at children events during the day; he thinks she is cute. She believes he is the latest broken hearted boyfriend of her sister Sofia crying on her shoulders instead of his pals or her sibling. Colin soon learns that the Princess works at a casino in the evenings, which he concludes is the most likely spot where the Bogie undercover connection and related silence occur. Still Colin struggles to keep Lulu safe from an unknown assailant who even slips ecstasy in her drink while waiting for more information from Bogie. Still she rejects his theory that she is in danger except with her heart as her personal protector and the princess fall in love.

This romantic suspense grips the audience from the moment a bewildered Colin arrives in Margate to protect the Princess from what he assumes is the mob based on the vague say so of his "brother". The story line never slows down as Lulu realizes that Colin is there for her and not her sister though she wonders why her. Though the stalker comes out of left field, fans will feel CHARMED by this fine contemporary tale of love between the Princess and her knight as Beth Ciotta avoids the second book jinx.

Harriet Klausner