Jove, $5.99, ISBN 0-515-12701-9
Paranormal Romance, 1999

I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, and it is with anticipation that I open Magic by Daylight. It tells the story of Clarice Stavely, the stepsister with a heart in Kissed by Starlight, and her romance with faerie being Dominic. Dominic is here to kidnap Clarice as a pawn in some faerie politics, but alas, faeries have hormones too.

Thing is, this book sags. Bad enough that Dom is supposed to be emotionless, but egad, he is emotionless most of the time. I have no idea what makes him tick, and when he does do something to make me think that maybe he’s sorta alive, it’s that predictable me-arrogant stint many romance heroes have perfected to a stereotype. Dom is boring, I’m afraid.

Clarice is better as a heroine, and she is the sole interesting character in this romance. But she deserves a better story, not this one, where the middle sags like an eighty-year old granny. The uninteresting hero and the slow pace act like tranquilizers – after a while it becomes a chore to keep my eyes open. I just can’t get into the story no matter how many rereads on my part.