The Daddy Spell

Professional Reviews

5 TEA CUPS: "Magick… Wow, what can I say? The kids in this story made me fall in love with the theory of how magick was going to solve two problems in their family—dead beat dad and a new dad that would love them and their mother. So does magick really work or is it just fate, two people looking for love? Jack and Lynn are precious kids with one sole purpose in their adventure is finding a perfect dad. Lynn is your typical older teenage sister that torments her younger brother. I found myself laughing quite a few times at how Jack was able to stand up for himself and not dwell on being picked on. Jack is a very intelligent kid that knows what he wants and will do anything possible to get it. He is so smart that he does a couple of mischievous activities behind his mom's back, but somehow he is able to get what he wants. They are two great characters in the book and they make this book so much fun to read. Being a single mom with a pony farm to run along with being a substitute teacher, it is hard to be everywhere at one time. Elinor does her best to take care of her children but soon will find out that they need to be children and they should not be acting as adults. She has lived a rough life and now is the time she needs to start acting as a parent and stop depending so much on her children. This wonderful cowboy comes into their lives and he is so darn irresistible that he decides that he'll have this woman begging for more. Sean is extremely handsome and has lived his own troubled life as a child and also as an adult. I believe that is why he is trying so hard with Elinor and her kids to form a true family, something that lacked in his own life. He is able to make Elinor see what some of her faults are but at the same time he needs to understand that a woman will take it personal if they are being told that they are not being a good mother to their children. I love how he is able to keep his promises to Jack and Lynn—something that their father never did and that just warmed up my heart for Sean. He is a true gentleman and hopefully Elinor will realize that he is the true thing and he will to be the true father and husband to them and will not be a piecrust. I enjoyed watching this broken family become something bigger and how they were able to overcome some obstacles that a child or wife should never have to do. The best part of this book was how one man was able to show the kids and the woman he loves that one can trust again and not be afraid. I highly recommend this book to anyone will to read a sensual romantic book that you teach you a spell or two. It made a believer out of me!" -- Monica, Happily Ever After Reviews
 

4 CUPS: "What a great read. I love when the whole family gets involved in a romance; and in The Daddy Spell you get that including the animals. Toss in a bit of humor, some stubborn men, strong-willed women, and great chemistry between Elinor and Sean making the romance red hot, and it’ll make you want your own cowboy. Josie Malone has written a great book, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future: especially if they include a hero as yummy as Sean Killian." -- Matilda, Coffee Time Romance

Excerpt

At 7:38, feeling like a total loser because she was late again, Elinor parked the truck and hurried inside the building to collect her kids. A few parents still lingered, chatting to each other while they waited for their own children. She glanced around the room and spotted the older woman who’d volunteered as a 4-H leader for more than forty years. She waved at Marlene, then looked for Lynn and Jake.

They talked to a lean, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man in a bright red Western shirt and it reminded her of the club song that Lynn and Jake sang around the barn all the time. “Red and white shall never fight – they’re the colors of the best 4-H club in sight….”

Dark blue jeans encased long legs. He wore battered cowboy boots and held an equally ancient Stetson by the brim. He was a definite switch from the other fathers who came from offices and wore what she disrespectfully thought of as “nineteen-piece” suits. Of course, marriage to John had turned her off doctors, lawyers and men who were more feminine than she was.

Since nobody could read her mind, she had to admit she liked this man’s strong, angled features and firm jaw. As she approached, she noticed his nose had been broken at least once. He smiled at her. It was a real smile, not a polite one, and she couldn’t help it. She grinned back at him.

The impulsive reaction surprised her. As a businesswoman in the community and a former school teacher, she was courteous to everyone. Mostly, it was the business, she thought. Customers always talked to each other and complainers drove away potential clients.

She never gushed, so why did he make her want to?

She took a deep breath, and adopted the composed mask she used to hide from the world. “Hey, kids. Sorry I’m late. How was the meeting?”

Lynn looked at her with barely hidden disapproval. “Mom, this is Sean Killian. Jake and I hired him to shoe and trim the herd.”

“That’s right,” Jake agreed. “We know everything about Sean. Weasked.”

“Wonderful.” Elinor hoped the sarcasm passed by the children. “Go tell Marlene I’m here and I have you. We’ll swing by the deli and grab a pizza after you check out with her.”

“All right, but I get to fix it up,” Lynn said. “And bake it.”

“I can cook.” Elinor struggled to keep her tone level. “Just because I burned the last one doesn’t mean I can’t. If there hadn’t been a ruckus in the barn, I’d have pulled it out in time.”

“Yeah and I like my pizzas well-done.” Jake headed toward Marlene.“Come on, Lynnie.”

Elinor turned back to the horseshoer and met his amused gaze. His eyes were gray with a hint of green. They reminded her of the ocean on stormydays. She suddenly felt like a sixth-grader with her first crush. She couldn’t let that show so she lifted her chin to meet his steady look. “What did they tell you?”

“They’re the general manager and foreman of your spread.” Sean put on his hat and pushed it back with a thumb. “You have good help.”

“It was either give them titles or raises in pay.” She struggled to ignore the warmth in her face. “If they’re on hourly wages, they’ll be after my job. It’s touch and go most of the time. So, how good of a farrier are you?”

“Folks say I’m the best in the state.” He chuckled. “Marlene will give me a good reference. I shoe for Darlene Dawson in Granite Falls, Cascade Equestrian at Mill Creek, Xanudu Arabians in Monroe and Trails End up past Arlington.”

Those were the largest, most influential stables in the county. The owners had major bucks and expensive stock. “I can’t afford to pay what they must. Thanks for listening politely to my kids. I don’t appreciate you making fun of them.”

“What the hell do you mean?”

“You were leading them on. That’s not a real offer to shoe my stock.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, missy. You haven’t heard the deal yet.” His jaw tightened. “Your daughter and I agreed on a year’s contract—in writing. Forty for shoes. Ten for trims. You’re lucky I’m a man of my word.”

Elinor felt as if her jaw dropped to the floor. “If you’re as competent as you say, that’s a hefty discount, at least fifty percent of what you usually charge. What’s the catch?”

“Oh, there is one.” His gray eyes still held a hint of amusement. “You have to clear any sales with me, and keep a minimum of twelve head to get the business discount. It’s based on having a quantity of horses at one location. Once you sign a contract with me, none of the reputable farriers around here will touch your stock. I don’t share my horses or their owners.”

“Like hell.” Elinor glared up at him. “I can find a shoer in the classified ads of the weekly shopper.”

“None worth a tinker’s dam.” He folded his arms. “Face it, you’re stuck with me. You’ll grow to like it. I’m downright loveable and I’ve never quicked a horse in my career. Who was your previous shoer? Did he quit on you?”

“Not willingly. Her reserve unit was called up and she went to Iraq. Since then, I’ve tried three others. The first left for divinity school. The second didn’t show up on schedule and the third arrived drunk. I wouldn’t let him near my ponies.”

Sean nodded, worry sliding into his eyes. “I’ve known Maggie Stewart since she rode a Shetland pony and was bounced from foster home to foster home. She only joined the Army to get education benefits for vet school. She’s a good shoer.”

“Yes, and when she comes home, she’ll be back shoeing my stock,” Elinor said, refusing to say that the young woman might not return. She didn’t want to think about the number of kids she’d taught who were overseas serving their country. “You’ll be out of a job.