Adelaide, the Enchantress (Delaneys of Killaroo: Book 1) by Kay Hopper

Title: Adelaide the Enchantress

Author: Kay Hooper

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 10th, 2017 (original publication date: August 1st, 1987)

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Number of pages: 192

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Delaneys of Killaroo

Adelaide the Enchantress – Book 1

Matilda the Adventuress – Book 2

Sydney the Temptress – Book 3

Where you can find Adelaide the Enchantress: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Addie Delaney was racing for her life, for enough money to make a cherished dream come true when the only man who’d ever stirred her blood challenged her to resist him. The beguiling jockey, whose voice could tame animals and whose touch could bewitch men, astonished Shane Marston with her beauty and fragility-and her strength. The American horse breeder who was known as the sleekest, sexiest Thoroughbred in racing circles felt he’d go out of his mind if he couldn’t run his fingers through her flaming hair, and caress the velvet softness of her skin. Addie reveled in Shane’s savage need and echoed his demands with wild pleasure, but she ached at denying him what he desired most — her promise to give up the danger of the track. Could he believe that giving his love kept her safe in his heart forever

Trigger Warning: None

My review:

Adelaide, the Enchantress is book 1 of the Delaneys of Killaroo series by Kate Hooper. This book was first published in 1987 and it reflects it. Not saying that I didn’t enjoy it, I did, but I was taken down memory lane. I was 10 years old in 1987 and was not yet reading romance novels. That came about 4 years later. I have a very distinct memory of my grandmother reading bodice rippers. I have a very distinct memory of my grandfather getting mad at her for reading one in front of me. Why? Because seeing a half-naked man embracing a half-naked woman on the cover of the book might corrupt me. I laugh now but I can see why he thought that and why he strove to keep these types of books out of my sight.

Adelaide is a jockey who is set on racing her young stallion, Resolute, at the Melbourne Cup. She needs that money to help her father. She meets an American horse breeder, Shane Marston. Shane is dragged into a mystery with Addie, as Resolute is the target of sabotage. That sabotage leads to attempts at harm against Addie and Resolute. Addie and Shane are trying to figure out who wants to harm Resolute. While they are doing this they are giving in to their mutual attraction. That made for a very sensual book with a lot of mystery and thrills.

I liked Addie. She had almost a psychic connection with horses. She could get through to any horse that she rode. She also had a pet koala, which was adorable. Actually, Sebastian was more of Resolute’s pet then Addie’s. He used Addie as a ride to get to his horse…lol. The mystery about who was trying to harm Resolute bothered her because she didn’t know who it could be. It could have been anyone at the track, even those she trusted.

Shane wasn’t expecting to be poleaxed by his attraction to Addie. He was thrown for a loop when he saw Addie. He did give off a slight stalkerish vibe that went away about mid-book. I didn’t understand why he got so upset with Addie when she wouldn’t listen to him about stop being a jockey. When he explained, though, my annoyance with him went away. If someone I loved died that way, I would have acted the same way.

The sex between Shane and Addie was great. The author didn’t get very wordy with it, instead focusing on emotions. I did think that it came across as a little hokey when the experience was written as almost mystical. That whole scene with the deer was a little far out. But, I liked it. I also liked the romance part of the book. I will warn you like I said above, this book was written in 1987 and the romance part of the book reflects that. A little hokey (again that term!!) but very sweet. For those of you who don’t like Instalove (I am one of them), Shane and Addie’s romance is most definitely that. They knew each other for a week before expressing their never-ending love for each other. But, who am I to knock it. It worked in this book.

The end of the book felt a little rushed and again, a little dated. If what happened at the end of the book happened these days, that person would have been hauled off to jail. But that is why I liked this book so much. Because it was a throwback and it made me think of days that were more innocent than these days. The epilogue did make me smile too.

4 stars

My Summary of Adelaide, the Enchantress:

I enjoyed reading Adelaide, the Enchantress. It was a quick read and had everything a good romance needs. But, even more than that, I liked the plot. The main characters were relatable and that goes a long way towards me liking the book. I did think that having it be Instalove was a little hokey but it didn’t ruin the book for me. Actually, it made me like it even more.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Mild language, mild sexual situations, and mild language

I would like to thank Kay Hopper, Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Adelaide, the Enchantress

All opinions stated in this review of Adelaide, the Enchantress are mine. I also did not receive any compensation for this review.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**