Betraying Season (Leland Sisters, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Marissa Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009

Penelope (Pen) Leland has come to Ireland to study magic and prove to herself that she is as good a witch as her twin sister, Persy. But when the dashing Niall Keating begins to pay her court, she can’t help being distracted from her studies.

Little does Pen know, Niall is acting upon orders from his sorceress mother. And although it starts as a sham, Niall actually falls deeply in love with Pen, and she with him. But even if he halts his mother’s evil plan, will Pen be able to forgive him for trying to seduce her into a plot? And what of Pen’s magic, which seems to be increasingly powerful?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“As in the previous book, this is a full-bodied story that wonderfully combines elements of romance, fantasy, and history…Whether Doyle is describing the Irish countryside, a magical incantation, or a lover’s kiss, her writing is compelling, and it will be hard for readers not to be swept away by this invigorating story.”—Booklist

“The mixture of historical detail and magic makes this bodice-ripper another page-turner.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Seamlessly weaving elements of historical fiction, romance, and magic, Doyle creates believable characters in a realistic setting set in a fascinating plot.  Extremely well written and utterly delightful, this book should appeal to female readers fourteen and older. Although this sequel can stand alone, reading the first book would enhance the experience."--VOYA

About the Author

MARISSA DOYLE is fascinated by the past and lives in Massachusetts, where she is surrounded by history. This is her second novel.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805082522
• ISBN-13: 978-0805082524
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marissa Doyle graduated from Bryn Mawr College intending to be an archaeologist but somehow got distracted. When not writing historical-set YAs and fantasy for adults and kids, she's sailing on Cape Cod, quilting, or collecting 19th century fashion prints. She lives in her native Massachusetts with her family, an alarming number of research books, and a highly opinionated fourteen-pound lop-eared rabbit who shares her fondness for coffee and dark chocolate.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the first, November 21, 2009

By 

Julie W. "jujubean122" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Betraying Season (Leland Sisters, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Penelope Leland is off on an adventure of her own. Eager to get away from her newly married, not to mention disgustingly happy twin Persephone, Pen ships off to Ireland with her former governess Ally to continue her studies in magic in the hopes of getting to the same level as her sister.

But things never seem to go according to plan, and Pen soon finds herself more alone than she could have thought possible, Ally is expecting a baby and is dreadfully sick all the time, and though she has her magic classes with Ally's father-in-law to distract her, the gentlemen who she studies with are not enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge with a woman.

Quite unexpectedly, Lady Keating, a wealthy woman who is influential in Cork's society has taken a liking to Pen and graciously takes her under wing. She also has a very handsome son, Niall Keating whom Pen finds herself unexpectedly drawn to.

But the Keatings are hiding something. Lady Keating has instructed Niall to woo Pen and to lure her into a sense of security so she can take advantage of Pen's magical abilities. Niall agrees, not knowing what he's signing up for but soon finds himself falling in love with Pen. Niall has to choose where his loyalties lie: with the woman he loves, or with his family.

I find myself a little distraught on how to describe "Betraying Season." I liked it to be sure. Doyle has created very likable characters in the Leland girls and I'm hoping she'll write a third novel with the twins' brother Charles as the main character. "Betraying Season" however, lacked some of the charm that its predecessor "Bewitching Season" oozed in abundance.

My first gripe was with the character of Niall. I couldn't bring myself to like him the way I cheered for Lochnivar (the main love interest in "Bewitching Season"). I found the character of Niall to be almost Narcissistic in a way, and it kept me from liking him. Niall seemed to be one of those guys who was good-looking and knew it. Remember those guys in college? The ones who took longer to get ready than the girls did to go out, and who had to have their shirts ironed just to go to a dark bar where no one could see the difference anyway? The character of Niall reminded me of those guys, it was quite annoying after awhile.

"Betraying Season" also had a more PG-13 edge to it that was not present in "Bewitching Season." While not over the top in anyway, and definitely not outside the realm of YA, "Betraying Season" definitely had more sexual innuendos than its prequel, some of which I found...not disturbing per say, but more...disconcerting.

For example, (spoiler alert) Lady Keating's scheme is based on the fact that Pen is a virgin, so when Niall decides it's about time he saved her from this wretched fate his mother has concocted, he finds that his best course of action is to sleep with Pen rather than just tell her the truth.

Really? I get a little testy thinking about it because in my mind that whole part was just not needed. I mean it's a YA book! I'm not saying that all kids are naïve about sex, but in my opinion Doyle took her series from one very large age group (10 - 16 years), and totally bounced her series into another (13+) which is a much smaller market. I think she did herself a disfavor by doing this. It's just my opinion, but I would have let my 11 year old read "Bewitching Season" and would have been more than a little shocked if when he/she started "Betraying Season" and put the book down to ask me: "Mom, what's a virgin?" Talk about a derailment there.

On the flipside, I was still engaged with "Betraying Season." I was not as riveted as I was with "Bewitching Season," but I feel that Doyle is a strong author and will continue to churn out some good YA fantasy. I liked "Betraying Season," I will definitely read more of Marissa Doyle, but unfortunately in comparison with the Cinderella book "Bewitching Season," "Betraying Season," was a simply a moderately good-looking stepsister.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing ~ Magical ~ Romantic ~ Positively Enjoyable!, November 3, 2009

By 

Kicking back in New England - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Betraying Season (Leland Sisters, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I read the first book in this series, Bewitching Season, and enjoyed it tremendously. While many sequels fail to live up to the first book, this was definitely not the case here - in fact, I like Betraying Season even better (6 stars!!!). Penelope (Pen) is the focus of this book and heads off to Ireland to study magic. She is determined to apply herself to her studies so that she can become as good at magic as her sister Percy. Instead of studying with her former governess, Pen has a new teacher and joins a group of young men who are also studying magic. Of course these "charming" fellows clearly think she is in over her head and make things as difficult as possible. Adding to her feelings of inadequacy, Pen's former governess seems to be sleeping all the time and just isn't available for any girl talk.

So, what's a girl to do? Well, fall in love, of course! Pen meets Niall Keating and they are immediately attracted to one another. Their relationship is encouraged by Lady Keating who seems more than happy to escort Pen around town, have her over for tea, etc. From this point on you expect a lovely romance, but that just isn't in the cards. Marissa Doyle takes you on a journey of love, deceit and powerful magic as Penelope Leland discovers her inner core of strength.

Like Bewitching Season, Betraying Season will appeal to a wide range of ages from teen to adult. The story moves along at a wonderful pace and I found it really hard to put the book down. This is a great series of books and I would recommend reading both books if you get the chance!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Much Disappointed, November 19, 2009

By 

Jane Austen "Lizzie" (San Francisco, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Betraying Season (Leland Sisters, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I have to say that I am very much disappointed with the second book. I was IN LOVE with the first book and as I started reading this book I was thinking like "Yes!" As I read it more, I was let down. Pen is a baby; there really isn't any way to describe it. She says, "Leave me alone so that I could stare at him" or something like that. Come on; girl needs to grow up. Because that's seriously why she likes him; for the looks. It doesn't seem as if the characters had any life; they were all really fake. And omg, I forgot to mention, this book was boring as hell! It dragged on and on with myths and stories, and charcters...*yawn* I am really disappointed with this book.