Customer Reviews

A Kiss of Fate

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are supernaturally endowed Guardians who lived amongst the Mundanes, mere mortals. The Guardians each have special talents, and were sworn to protect the Mundanes. Years ago, Gywnne's father, a powerful Guardian too a Mundane to wife. This was not forbidden, but was discouraged because a Guardian man needed an equally strong woman to balance and enhance his powers. As Gwynne grew up in her father's home, she inherited his love for history and lore. When her father died, she was seventeen. Alone in the world, she passively accepts marriage to a man over 50 years older than she. Over fifteen years pass, with Gwynne still working in the library of her childhood home, keeping companionship with her late husband's sister. She's content to pass through life like some hothouse flower.

When Duncan McCrae, the Lord of the Storms, sees Gwynne he knows she is his destiny. Gwynne is a pain to Duncan (and the readers) by her willingness to avoid life. When Duncan makes it clear to her he wants her for his wife, she is shocked and rebuffs him. Gwynne believes she does not have any power and hesitates to welcome a union with such a powerful Guardian.

Duncan accepts Gwynne's mandate to leave her alone and is preparing to depart for his home in Scotland. Gwynne is been summoned by the Guardian Council and told she must marry Duncan. Gwynne hesitates, but finally accepts as a member of the Guardian society she must married Duncan. She is warned that war between Scotland and England is looming, and that Duncan will need her. He is a Scot, but his loyalties lay with Hanoverian rules in England. This will make his power as a Guardian very pivotal for both countries.

Duncan and Gwynne marry within days and start their journey toward Scotland, just as Bonnie Prince Charlie has landed in Scotland to raise the Clans. Gwynne and Duncan soon discover she is an Enchantress mage, a woman who can control men through her sexual aura. She did not know this, because Enchantresses only unlock their power after they have slept with a man they truly love.

Within short order, Duncan and Gwynne are tossed into the Jacobite rebellion and Gwynne soon sees her husband is using his power to help the Scottish cause, and only she can stop him.

While the premise holds so much promise, this novel is missing the usual Putney "Fallen Angel" fire. The two leads just don't capture the emotions or the heart in true Putney Style. Thunder of Roses and all the Fallen Angels are just so much more than this book. Since it dealt with Scotland, and the lore angle, I REALLY wanted to love this book. It an enjoyable read, just pale, The whole plot had so much potential she totally left untapped. Even the prose was failed to sparkle - "her waist was so tiny he could span it with both hands"....how many times has that overused phrase been trotted out in Historicals? A writer of Putney's strengths and talent should never fall back on something that worn out. And referring to Gwynne's wedding night as being "initiated in the ways of Aphrodite"...<g>

The second half of the book is much stronger and I was glad to see it picked up and started to come "alive", but it never overcame to "shallow" emotions of the characters. Putney is truly one of the greatest writers in Romance today. Thunder of Roses and Dancing on the Wind are prime examples of just how evocative her prose are. A Kiss of Fate is just not true Putney.

Everyone carries a spark of magic in his soul. Guardians just have more ...

"Guardians" have always lived among "Mundanes" (A.K.A. normal people). Guardians are those humans who have mage talents. There are several different types of mages with various levels of talent. Each take an oath, to swear to support what was good for the largest number of people. They were never to use their powers for harm, self gain, or to interfere with the normal process of the world such as war.

Gwyneth Owens had, at one time, a Guardian father and a Mundane mother. She lived among the Guardians and took the oath, even though she had never shown any magical abilities. She would have been content to live out her remaining days in the vast Guardian library. Fate had different plans for Gwynne. She caught the eye of Duncan Macrae, Lord of Thunder, a powerful Weather Mage of Scotland. Though attracted to each other, Gwynne refused his offer of marriage. One with such power should marry his equal. However, the Guardian Council's scrying glasses showed dark times ahead. There was talk of a Jacobite rebellion. Prince Charles, The Pretender, had landed in Scotland and civil war loomed ominously. Gwynne was all but ordered to marry Duncan. No one could see why, but as his wife Gwynne would give him balance. She could make sure his emotions never clouded his judgement. As the Lord of Thunder, Duncan's power of controlling the weather could sway the outcome of the war, which was against the Oath.

Soon Gywnne would learn about her own dormant mage talents and why they took so long to show. Only Gwynne's talents and her love for Duncan and the clan can keep the rivers of Scotland from running red with blood.

***** W-O-W-! This is not to be missed! It is the first of a new breathtaking series by the best-selling mistress of historical romance, Mary Jo Putney. Fans will want this one in hardback so it can be read many times in the future. (And just wait until you meet Gwynne's cat. It is half wild cat and very protective of her.) Excellent tale that will keep readers glued to the pages! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Aliens must have abducted Mary Jo Putney because there's no way she wrote this book! Putney, one of my all-time favourite authors and who I once named "Queen of Romance" usually writes brilliant, heartwarming stories with page-turning action, to-die-for valiant, handsome heroes and equally admirable heroines. KISS OF FATE was a boring, drawn-out historical novel about the Jacobite rebellion, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Battle of Culloden. The history should have been a backdrop to a tender love story (that IS WHY we read romance, isn't it??) Instead, the characters were wooden, deceitful and totally two-dimensional. There was no depth to their relationship nor did the storyline help form their personalities or actions. Everything was preplanned - it was Fate and Destiny. Well - if everything was BOUND to happen from page 6 onward, how compelled did Putney think I would be to read to the end? NOT VERY! So I skimmed the last 150 pages just to finish this horribly disappointing book. No big mystery that the sequel will feature Jean and Simon - the author made sure we "got" that.
So who wrote this book???? Certainly not the "real" Mary Jo Putney. I'd recognize her style anywhere in books such as Shattered Rainbows, China Bride, Bartered Bride and The Rake. Try these if you want captivating love stories worthy of the name Putney.

I was fascinated by the magic but disenchanted with the storyline. Hero, despite being--supposedly at least--a powerful man and mage, was rather weak and lost his appeal as the novel progressed. I found his reaction after the betrayal and his release from prison unconvincing, irrespective of how necessary the heroine's actions were. I mean under any circumstance who would behave the way he did after Gwynne's betrayal? I had at least expected that she'd have to work a little to regain his trust which would have certainly spiced things up a bit. No such luck.

Heroine to me was rather arrogant and self-righteous. She was wonderful in the beginning but also lost her appeal as the story went on. Though she was right about the uprising, she doesnt seem wont to compromise otherwise. It was her way or the highway, and the hero left her unchallenged too often for my taste.

I think the author henged the story on plot points that were believable but not developed to there fullest potential. This is very disappointing coming from a respected author such as MJP. I also believe other more interesting points of conflict were ignored, for example the consequences of Gwynne's enchantress power and its toll on her marriage among other things.

Another thing that irked me about the novel was its many references to modern ideals. This was supposed to be a historical, after all. As many liberties Scotswomen may have enjoyed I doubt they could have denied a man access to his child in the 18th century. More likely, automatic custody would have gone to the man.

All in all, two and a half stars ... and that's only because the paranormal aspect of it was so entertaining. Burrow it from the library as I did, don't waste your money on a purchase. Thank goodness, I didn't.

I've been a devoted Mary Jo Putney reader since I read Thunder and Roses in 1993. I've read all of her backlist. Then sometime during the bride series, I became aware that the stories were not holding me the way they used to. I didn't even buy her contemporaries. But, this book reminded me why I love Putney. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements of the story, and they really added to the development of the characters in a realistic, unforced way. The characters were strong, but human and very compelling. Their attraction and courtship were incredibly dynamic. I wouldn't rank this work with Putney's best; however, it is a truly enjoyable read. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

I have enjoyed Mary Jo Putney books in the past but I just couldn't get into this book. I read part of it and put it aside while I read 3 or 4 other books. Then I came back to it and read a little bit more and it hit me that I was just trying to finish it so I could start reading something else that I could enjoy. At that point, I knew this was a book I would end up taking to Goodwill.

Early in the book we are told that Gwynne will betray Duncan and throughout the book we are constantly reminded of that fact. I started thinking, "Enough with the betrayal already! If she's gonna do it, just go ahead and do it!!!!" By the time the "betrayal" finally comes it is terribly anticlimactic and you find yourself asking, "Is that it? That's all there is to it?" I was just very disappointed!

Oh, and by the way, I have read all the other reviews and it seems everyone either LOVES this book or HATES it. Makes me wonder...did we all read the same book?

Just like eating a banana cream pie, this book is fluffy, mildly pleasant, quite sweet and rather disappointing once it's finished. What really got me down was how predictable it was. The basic story line is: Manly, powerful wizard meets sweet & womanly wanna-be wizard, they marry and SURPRISE!! It turns out that she's actually a repressed enchantress who is as powerful as her new husband, but her powers don't appear until she's done the horizontal lambada with Manly Man. The Manly Man gets all mixed up in the doings of those silly Scottish clans and their attempt to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on throne, & the only person who can stop him is (SURPRISE!!!) his womanly wife. And OF COURSE, betraying him like that almost wrecks their marriage but when he decides to "get" her he realizes he really loves her & is all fuzzy-wuzzy in touch with his feelings when he finds out that she's pregnant with the baby that was conceived on the night when they lambada'd for the last time prior to her betraying him (ANOTHER SURPRISE!!!) and she wasn't going to tell him because it was all she had left of their great & glorious love. There are also appearances by the required stereotypical romance novel support characters--the devastatingly handsome and very lonely Falcon (sense another book in the works here, ladies?), the peppery & tomboyish younger sister to Manly Man (sense a possible mate for the Lonely Falcon?), the crusty and loyal housekeeper who is willing to betray Manly Man with Womanly Woman to protect her family, and OF COURSE the elderly Woman-As-A-Substitute-Mother who counsels Womanly Woman to marry Manly Man. I think I've said enough. If you read this book with low expectations, you will be very satisfied, although the love scenes reminded me of the mating dance of the common guppy (it's hilarious because every time Manly Man gets horny, he loses control of his powers and almost zaps himself & Womanly Woman with lightening since he's a weather mage). Read it, don't buy it, and don't recommend it to anyone you really want to have a good opinion of your literary tastes.

I wanted to like this book but I found it boring and there was a huge disconnect between the reader and the characters. I don't know, it just didn't shine for me. I felt from the beginning - when Duncan and Gwynne meet at the garden party - that the scenes were bland, and while it had its few brief moments throughout, the grand story never materialized for me. Sorry, because I adore this author.

This book has an original plot and a nice setting and a good hero but the heroine was a bit cold and at times inscrutable. I was not able to empathize with her.

Lord Duncan McCrea is a Scottish Laird and a Guardian. He possesses powerful magic like all the Guardians, he is able to control weather patterns. He meets beautiful English widow Gwynne and is smitten at once.

Gwynne's father was a Guardian and she grew up as his library assistant so she knows all about the history and powers of the Guardians. She even lives with an older woman who is part of the Guardian governing council in London. She is happy with her life and wants nothing to do with Duncan. She is almost shrewish in her determination to dissuade him from pursuing her even though she feels an attraction and destiny with him. She even goes so far as to strike him with a riding crop which she blames on him for provoking her temper. Actions like this never put heroines or heroes in a good light.

Gwynne also sees a vision of death and destruction around Duncan. She reveals this to her friend on the council and it has the council very upset. There is a fragile peace between Scotland and England but Bonny Prince Charles is coming back to claim his throne and the Council believes these visions foretell much doom for both countries and Duncan. Their solution is for Gwynne to marry Duncan and somehow prevent these visions from becoming a reality. Gwynne agrees to the marriage since she feels she owes the Guardians as they have been kind to her. Duncan is unaware that she wants to marry him for this reason.

Gwynne is a confusing heroine and one that try as I might I could not understand. She was married to a man fifty years older than her. She is a virgin which is not that surprising but what shocked me was that she wanted to make love with her elderly husband on her wedding night! Go figure. I wondered if she was oversexed or just really attracted to a very old man.

Nevertheless she does consummate her wedding with Duncan and discovers that she has her own powers. She is an enchantress that can trap men into falling in love with her. She learns to harness this ability quickly.

In Scotland, she and Duncan have a difficult relationship. He loves her but she does not love him. When Charles Stuart needs help for his cause, Duncan is torn between his loyalties to Scotland and his knowledge that Charles is not the best ruler in the long run. To make sure that her husband has no influence in battles (remember he can control the weather) she casts an enchantress spell on him to bring him home. This betrayal is complete and while I understood why Gwynne did this to her husband, I still had a hard time liking her. She seemed supremely arrogant in her beliefs.

The ending wraps up the story nicely and Mary Jo Putney is an excellent writer and researcher. Her settings are described in crisp detail and her dialogue is quite good. Because of the unlikable heroine, though, this gets only 2 ½ stars.

Guardians are charged with protecting the people, reducing the damages from war, and following the orders of their council. Although Gwynne Owens is a guardian, she lacks the magic that makes guardians so powerful and is surprised when first her late father's lord and then (after his death), powerful weather-guardian Duncan Macrae seek her hand in marriage. Although her body and soul respond to Duncan's magnetic touch, she feels an air of a horrible fate when he kisses her. Their relationship will be surrounded by suffering, death. Still, when the guardian council begs her to marry Duncan, Gwynne agrees.

The two arrive in Scotland just as Bonnie Prince Charlie's rebellion begins. Although Duncan has sworn the guardian oath, he's a loyal Scot. The Hanovers are horrible kings--and their rule over Scotland has been heavy-handed at best. Would it be so horrible to have a Stuart king in Scotland again? Despite the guardian council decision to support Hanover, Duncan's heart inclines to Charles Stuart--and his weather-magic just might provide the difference in the rising.

Although their passionate love for one another draws them together, their political differences push Duncan and Gwynne apart. Gywnne's vision is of death, rivers of blood, complete destruction if the Stuart cause is victorious while Duncan sees only the possibility of his nation ruled again by its hereditary kings. The disagreement leads Gwynne to consider an ultimate betrayal--one that will shatter their love and marriage. Can love possibly triumph when the world races into the madness of war and when both sides are so completely unattractive?

Author Mary Jo Putney adds paranormal elements to her strong historical voice in an intriguing tale of romance in one of the most horrible and darkly romantic periods of Britain's past. Her exploration of the growth of Gwynne's 'enchantress' magic and of the guardian system deepens the appeal of a well-written historical.