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REVIEW

"superb romantic fantasy"

In 1813 in the Midlands, Lord Jack Frayne rides his horse Dancer during a foxhunt, but when they make a leap, the steed loses its footing and slips; Jack goes flying head first into a fence. His best friends since their Stonebridge Academy days Lords Ashby and Ransom are beside themselves as Jack nears death. Healer Abigail Barton, who has secretly loved Jack from afar, tries to help him but his injuries are beyond her magic. Though non- practitioners as the aristocracy sees magic as the bane of the working class, his friends offer to join Abigail in a Circle of Magic. She says since she is crossing the line of acceptable magic he must offer her something. She proposes marriage and the dying Jack agrees.

Abigail works her magic assisted by Jack's pals and the aristocrat heals. They marry, but Jack avoids his spouse as if he is ashamed of her vocation. However he cannot totally stay away from her and soon Jack falls in love with his wife and has a new appreciation for magic. First he must convince his beloved that he is hers as he loves her; to do so he decides he must speak out publicly in support of the healing powers of magic.

In her latest superb romantic fantasy, Mary Jo Putney uses the Regency era as a backdrop to anchor the magical elements so that the audience believes in healing spells and wizards. The story line is action-packed from the moment that Jack suffers the near death traumatic injury and never slows down as he becomes a true believer. Jack and Abigail are a fine couple who through love embrace magic though that is a taboo in Polite Society. Once again Ms. Putney provides a charming magical historical (see A KISS OF FATE).

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 25, 2006

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 19, 2007

SUMMARY

New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney is acclaimed by critics and readers alike for unforgettable storytelling and arresting characters. Now she introduces a Regency England you've never seen before, where dazzling magic is practiced in all but the highest reaches of Society, and where desire is the most mysterious and seductive force of all.

One of the Duke of Wellington's most respected officers, Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne, takes his family's honor very seriously. He also hides a shameful secret: a talent for sorcery he has been raised to suppress and openly reject. But after an injury lands Jack at death's door, his only chance at survival lies with Abigail Barton, a peer's daughter and a skilled wizard. Her price: Jack's hand in marriage. It isn't long before Jack feels an irresistible attraction to his forthright new wife, whose allure is as intense as the reawakening magical abilities he can no longer deny.

Abigail had to make a great sacrifice to perform a spell powerful enough to save Lord Frayne, and although she cannot help but be drawn to her reluctant husband's surprising sensitivity and kindness, she knows all too well his distaste for magic. Once she has Jack's name and the child she has always longed for, she is determined to live apart from him so that he can preserve his reputation—and so that she herself can stay true to her gifts.

But neither Abby nor Jack reckons on the deep, long-simmering passions her spell ignites. They challenge each other's extraordinary powers and deepest desires for the sake of a love that may cost them all they cherish most.

Read an Excerpt

 

The Marriage Spell
(Stone Saints: Book 1)
by Mary Jo Putney

Ballantine Books
May 1, 2006
ISBN #0345449185
EAN #9780345449184
352 pages
Hardcover
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Other Books by
Mary Jo Putney

A Distant Magic
Dragon Lovers
Stolen Magic
The Journey Home
A Kiss of Fate
Dearly Beloved
The Bartered Bride
Irresitible Forces
Uncommon Vows
Christmas Revels
Twist of Fate
Dancing on the Wind
Christmas Revels
Veils of Silk
The Bartered Bride
The Spiral Path
The China Bride
The Burning Point
Faery Magic


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