Katie Chandler is taking a hiatus from all things magical. After the powerful wizard and all-around great guy she liked in New York chose to save her life instead of defeating the bad guy, she knew she was becoming an obstacle instead of an asset to her bosses at Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc. Katie has only been back at her parent's house, working in the family feed store, for a few months when an amateur wizard appears in town.

To make matters worse, Katie discovers that someone is advertising in magazines using an enchanted ad to find people with magical abilities and train them. When the amateur magician wearing a hooded cloak starts using beginner's magic to pickpocket people and steal jewelry through store windows, Katie can't ignore the issue any longer. As folks from her old job, including her favorite gargoyle Sam, come down to Texas to investigate, the number of magical people in town seems to increase exponentially.

Katie knows something big is going on when Owen Palmer, her favorite fellow back in the big city, shows up to help. Suddenly Katie's life in New York as a magical immune is much too close to her life in Texas trying to live with her eccentric family and trouble-making brothers. While Katie and Owen try to control the magic that's affecting the small town, they also must confront the emotions that are just as strong between them as when Katie first left New York. If all goes according to plan, these magical outsiders will soon be aware of the new state motto -- DON'T HEX WITH TEXAS.

Shanna Swendson has done it again! By taking her established characters to a new locale, she gives them new adventures, but also reveals new depths to Katie's back- story, including many secrets she didn't know about her own family. If you haven't read the first three fairy tales for modern times, ENCHANTED, INC., ONCE UPON STILETTOS and DAMSEL UNDER STRESS, you are missing out on some of the best, lighthearted, magical and fun romances. I love to recommend this series to other readers as "Harry Potter chick-lit," and the magic, adventure and romance continue into this fourth installment. These stories are good, clean fun appropriate for teen readers looking to branch out, as well as enjoyable for any romance reader looking for magical escape. Enjoy!

Book Summary

Katie Chandler has fled fast-paced Manhattan and returned home to a simpler life, working at her family’s feed-and- seed store in Cobb, Texas. Leaving the sexy wizard Owen Palmer to battle his demons in the magical realm may have been a selfless gesture—after all, Katie seemed to attract evil, which only made Owen's job a lot harder—but now it seems like trouble has followed her home. And despite the fact that Merlin, Katie’s old boss at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., has assured her that Cobb is free of enchantment, magically speaking, Katie begins to notice curious phenomena.

Soon Cobb is being plagued by a series of unexplainable petty crimes and other devilish mischief, and after her experiences in Manhattan, Katie knows "unauthorized magic" when she sees it. As this new dark magic strikes deep in the heart of Texas, Owen appears (literally) to investigate. Now Katie’s friends and family must show the bad guys why it’s bad luck to hex with Texas, while Katie and Owen combine their strengths like never before to uncover a sinister plot before evil takes root in the lone star state.