Mesmerized [Mass Market Paperback]

At a séance Stephen St. Leger tries to prove that it is a fake by capturing a woman he thinks is part of the act, but instead he catches Olivia Moreland, an investigator of Psychic Phenomena. All her life Olivia had been fascinated with the idea that people can communicate with spirits, but had never run into a "psychic" who proved to be the real thing. Her grandmother, one of the first to be called a 'mad Moreland', had the 'second sight' and claimed Olivia did too. Stephen's frustration lies in the fact that his mother is being duped by a medium, Madame Valenskaya. His brother had died the previous year and in order to ease her grief she turned to Madame Valenskaya, a woman who manipulates Lady St. Leger's feelings to extort money from her, pretending she can communicate with the Lady's dead son. Stephen wants to tell his mother that the woman is just making a fool out of her, but he knows it is going to take more to convince her of that so he hires Olivia to help him show his mother that the medium is a fraud. Olivia is determined to keep their relationship strictly on a business level, but will she be able to ignore the attraction she feels for Stephen? After arriving at Blackhope Hall, Olivia starts to have dreams about a woman who lived long ago. Did this woman really exist or is she just a figment of Olivia's imagination? Olivia soon finds out Stephen has dreams about a knight who loved the woman Olivia has been dreaming about. Are these dreams real or are they just another trick of Madame Valenskaya? As darkness and evil loom around Stephen and Olivia, they find themselves falling in love, but will that love be powerful enough to save them?

I found Olivia to be a very believable and likeable heroine. She wasn't an impossibly beautiful woman, her looks bordered on plain and ordinary, but in the eyes of the hero she was beautiful. She was witty and open-minded, loving her family despite the things that other people in society found odd. It was nice to read about a heroine who had a loving and unique family; they only helped add to the story, they never took away from it. She was very confident in her abilities, but in the ways of being a woman, she wasn't sure how to act. I found this very endearing and relatable. Stephen wasn't your typical hero; he wasn't a womanizing, lustful creature. He was compassionate and truly cared about what the heroine thought and felt. His love and loyalty to his mother was touching, even though he didn't believe the medium was the real thing, he let his mother keep her around. He was never cruel to any of the main characters, which I found to be a refreshing change from the norm in historical romances.

Even though there are a lot of romance novels out there, many don't contain true romance, but this novel was an exception. The moments between the hero and heroine were breathtakingly romantic, not simply an exchange of passionate kisses and bold caresses. The reader can feel the deep connection and love between these two characters. Instead of spending all their time kissing, they actually talked to one another, building a foundation for a deep and strong love. I enjoy reading about characters who converse in a story, it helps draw in more emotion from the reader and makes their confession of love more plausible. I'm not usually one for a mystery in a romance novel, but I felt Camp did a great job weaving it into this story. The mystery never overpowered the novel, it simply complemented the romance between Stephen and Olivia. I was pleased with the novel as a whole and I can find no real faults with it. The storyline was fresh and original as were the characters, the secondary characters never overpowered the storyline, and all the events in the novel fit together perfectly. This is definitely going on my 'keeper' shelf.

This is the first of another trilogy and an excellent beginning.
I had to chuckle at the way Olivia Moreland met Stephen, Lord St. Leger - it definitely scared the medium, Mrs Terhune.

Included in the rounding out characters is Capshaw, Stephen's cousin, who was surprised at Stephen's attack on Olivia. The one in the shadows is, Rodrick, Stephen's deceased brother whom his mother is trying to communicate with - with the help of the Russian medium, Madame Valenskaya and her daughter Irena.

St. Leger is not too happy when his mother, Lady St. Leger, when she informs her son the she has invited the Madame and her daughter and their sponsor, Mr. Babbington, to Blackhope Hall. Also attending Lady St. Leger is her daughter-in-law, Lady Pamela, the Countess St. Leger and Belinda, Stephen's sister.
Lady Pamela is also trying to get back in the good graces of St. Leger as she has her [cold] eye on the "Martyr's Treasure". Ah, that is another mystery.

Stephen approaches Olivia about joining the party along with Tom, her right hand man.
Olivia Moreland has a neat family even though they are labeled "Mad Morelands".
The reigning patriarch is her father, the Duke of Broughton and his red-haired wife - there is the oldest son Theodosius, the adventurer and his twin sister, Thisbe and her husband. Then her sister, Lady Kyria Moreland who was labled "The Goddess", who says marriage is not for her - Reed, who takes care of the finances - Olivia and the ten year old twins, Alexander and Constantine. What a great family of characters, including Great-uncle Bellard, the historian.

Many weird things start to happen when Olivia comes to Blackhope Hall - first she thinks she sees a Norman Castle that ends up blending into the Hall. Then the dreams, and the chill of evil. Then Uncle Bellard shows up along with Stephen's friend and partner from Colorado, Rafe McIntyre.
[Please pray tell, how these castles are built that there can be passages and hallways and so many rooms on the 3rd or 4th floors that it is possible to get lost.] I need a detailed drawing of these buildings.

All I am going to say is that it is a Hot Plot with Sir Raymond, his wife, Alys and Sir John. And I dearly love the resolution of the combined stories. I still don't think that the Victorian ladies would surrender that easily to their passions. They would actually live in fear of being caught.

#2 is Beyond Compare with Rafe and Kyria's story.
#3 is Winterset with Reed and Ann Holcombe's story. Hope these turn out as well as this first book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PLUS --M - a keeper set? We shall see.

In 1876 Olivia Moreland works at exposing hoaxes that prey on the grieving who desperately want to communicate with loved ones from the great beyond. During a séance, she gets up to debunk the latest fraud, but Lord Stephen St. Leger stops her, thinking she is the fake. Once the air is cleared, both are tossed out as skeptics. Before Olivia leaves for home, she gives him her business card stating she is an Investigator of Psychic Phenomena. Stephen indiscreetly labels her as a member of the "mad" Morelands.

Not long afterward, Stephen hires Olivia to unmask a so called psychic taking advantage of his mother still mourning the loss of her oldest son. His sister-in-law is too selfish to help and mostly hinders Stephen and Olivia's efforts. As Olivia tries to prove fraud, Stephen and she fall in love with one another though she believes he still loves his deceased sibling's wife.

This engaging Victorian romance will please readers who appreciate a spunky young woman, a hunk of a hero, a touch of the supernatural (perhaps) and a pinch of suspense. The duo shares in common a healthy skepticism and a growing attraction. The entertaining story line leads to fans MESMERIZED by Candace Camp's fun historical.

Harriet Klausner