Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In reading the reviews here for the 3rd book in the Katie Chandler Series, I saw that some of you had the same reaction that I did to the ending. I mean, this poor girl, raised in a small town in Texas which she leaves in order to go to the Big City (Manhattan), finds out that magic exists and that she, with her magic immunity, can be an important part of that world, in the first book, Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1). She also finds out that the magic world isn't one big happy family when she gets entangled with a rogue wizard who believes that might makes right, and just might want to rule the magic world through unethical spells. And as a harbinger of things to come, Katie also meets a dreamboat orphaned wizard, Owen, who is both very powerful and very shy. Around women, anyway. In "Enchanted, Inc.", things end on a happy note as Katie takes an executive assistant job (assisting Merlin. Yes, that Merlin) with a very prestigious magic manufacturing firm (MSI, Inc.) and the rogue wizard has his plans (at least temporarily) derailed. Things pick up pretty much where they left off in book 2, Once Upon Stilettos: A Novel (Katie Chandler Series, Book 2). Katie finds out early in the book that the rogue wizard in book 1 has recovered his footing after the events of book 1, AND he seems to have recruited someone employed by Katie's company, MSI, Inc., to help him. Because of Katie's immunity to magic, she's asked to assist in tracking down the traitor. This assignment throws her more and more into Owen's company, which Katie doesn't mind even a little bit. Well, she'd like him to pay a little more attention to her as a woman and not just see her as a fellow worker.... Things get pretty bad when Katie starts losing her magic immunity, but eventually the traitor is found and confined, Katie gets her immunity back, the rogue wizard is back to ground zero, and things are looking up between her and Owen. Very up. Ah, but this book, book 3, "Damsel Under Stress", is a little different. Again, the book starts almost exactly where book 2 ended. Just as Katie and Owen have acknowledged their interest in each other, Katie gets what she never really wanted: An inept fairy godmother. It seems that the fairy godmother is there to find someone special for Katie. Now, Katie thinks she may have already found someone special, and just wants her FG to go away. Easier said than done. And even when the FG tries to help, her spells don't seem to work out quite right, resulting in embarrassment for Katie and chaos in her vicinity. In the meantime, the rogue wizard manages to free the traitor from book 2 -- and this partnership means that he will be much, much more dangerous than he ever was alone. A whole bunch happens, including Katie meeting Owen's frosty foster parents, which could have gone better than it did, and in the end Shanna Swendson, author, gives us our first less than happy ending. Well, I said to myself, what the heck is this? I don't like less than happy endings. At all. Ever. That's why I almost exclusively buy romance books. Sure, I love all sorts of sub-genres, from contemporary to paranormal to historical to humorous to romantic suspense, but I want my happy ending. So I wrote to Shanna Swendson to ask her what the heck was going on. And what she had to say is very important: "I originally planned books 3 and 4 to be a two-parter published only a few months apart, and then the publisher changed the publication date on the fourth book after the third one was totally finalized. Argh. So I do feel your pain. [Note from Roxanne: The fourth book, "Don't Hex With Texas" is currently scheduled for release in January 2008.] "As a hint, I do look at the entire series as a romance, but I also believe that in order to earn a happy ending, the characters have to work for it and overcome some obstacles. Until now, their obstacles were external, but they really needed to be forced to confront their relationship and what it means. "However, each individual book is not a romance, so there may be ups and downs, and the third book was meant to be the pivotal central book in the series (kind of like Goblet of Fire in the Harry Potter series). "I have plans for a fifth book that will really resolve everything and answer most of the questions, but right now, my publisher won't commit to it because they don't think sales of the prior books are strong enough to warrant it." Roxanne again. I'm really, really bummed. I want to see sales skyrocket on this series, because I want that fifth book! If you like this series, and you want your questions answered and you want Katie to have a real happy ending, please, tell your friends. Give these books as gifts. Buy extra copies for when yours wear out. Anything -- we really need that fifth book! And if you agree that you'd like to see the fifth book, please mark my review as "helpful" so it will stay near the top of the reviews. That way new Amazon book browsers can read it, too. Roxanne Pierce rlpierce11@yahoo.com