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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brillant -- well worth the money spent, June 25, 2006
Lately, it seems as if I've been reading a lot of slightly above average romance novels, many of which I've rated higher than I usually would because I'd forgotten what a really well written romance novel reads like. And then I picked up Mary Jo Putney's "The Marriage Spell," and was reminded again of how important an interesting storyline, credibly told, with the appropriate amount of "fleshing out," good character development and a nicely developed romance subplot are to a romance novel. Truth to tell, historical romance novels with a magical motif aren't exactly my cup of tea; but I have to admit, "The Marriage Spell" was just so beguiling and so engrossing, that I'm hoping that this is the first installment in a series that will feature the young men who had been sent to Stonebridge Academy in order to have magic beaten out of them.
What happens when a lord brought up to abhor magic and all those who practice it ends up promising to marry the local healing woman if she agrees to save his life? This oft used plot premise get a fresh and tantalizing airing in "The Marriage Spell." Set in Regency-era England, where magic is an accepted way of life, even if many aristocrats frown on members of their class practicing magic, Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne, has been bred to hate anything and distrusts anyone who has anything to do with magic. But that was before he was fatally wounded in a hunting accident, and before his life hung in the balance. Now, only the local healing woman, Abigail Barton (a peer's daughter, herself) can cure him. But in order to do so, she would have to risk her own personal safety. And so, almost whimsically, because Abby has been secretly attracted to Jack for quite a few years now, she proposes that Jack agree to marry her in exchange for her risking her life to save his. The last thing she expected was that Jack would agree; or that, once she had saved his life that he would still agree to go through with the marriage. But while Jack and Abby have resolved to lead separate lives once they are married and Abby has conceived, they never expected the strong tug of attraction that would devlop between then. Is it magic? Or could two people with such opposing viewpoints on magic be actually ideally suited to each other?
If you're tired of romance novels where one character or the other is always tearing about in a dreadful temper, where the hero or heroine is just too foolish, silly and immature for words, or the ones that employ the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING as a plot device, where the hero and heroine retire to their separate corners to sulk and plot, then you really want to check out "The Marriage Spell." Both Jack and Abby are likable, intelligent and mature characters who think things through before rushing off to confront and accuse. I really enjoyed all those chapters that allowed for Jack and Abby to interact and get to know and like each other, before the marriage took place. This allowed for readers to "see" the developing relationship, appreciate the love that grows between the two and see just how well paired these two were. It is true, however, that the book unfolded at a slightly sedate pace with the last third of the book, where Jack finally uses his growing powers to save his home, unfolding at a much swifter pace. This gave the book a slightly off center feel, but that was a small thing, hardly worth mentioning at all. I enjoyed this book immensely, and would go so far as to term it an unputdownable. All in all, I'd recommend "The Marriage Spell" to anyone looking for a quality romance novel to read. It's well worth its hardcover price and should stand the test of several rereadings.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, excellent, excellent., June 2, 2006
As a fan of Mary Jo Putney's Guardian series (see A Kiss of Fate and Stolen Magic under M.J. Putney), I was somewhat doubtful about her new Stone Saints series. It is my understanding that there are more stories to come after this superb book, which will be greatly anticipated.
Abigail Barton is the daughter of a prominent baron, Sir Andrew Barton. He is also a very well-respected wizard, as it would happen. He trained Abby well, and she is quite capable of running the household in his abscence.
As it would happen, the hero of the story, Jack Langdon, is mortally wounded near the Barton grounds. Abby, being a skilled healer, is able to heal him...at a high price. Her stipulation for attempting to heal a mortally wounded man is Jack's hand in marriage. Astonishingly enough, he agrees. They marry, with equal hesitation and eagerness. Many twists reveal themselves throughout the story: magic, the academy that Jack was sent to, and bits and pieces of their own pasts come to life as they grow and become accustomed to their marriage.
This book was one that I could not put down. I kept telling myself, "One more chapter. Only one more chapter." I had managed to get through half the book in three hours! It kept me on the edge of my seat, breathless in anticipation. Putney continues to amaze her readers, but truly, this one shines above the others. I wasn't sure if I would like the book or not, but I truly admire her work on this book, and applaud the deft arrangements of the events in it. Putney has truly outdone herself.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great Idea, Poor Execution, July 29, 2006
I thought the premise of The Marriage Spell was really promising - roughly Harry Potter + Regency Romance, with the twist that magic is frowned upon by elite English society - and Putney can be a really fantastic writer. But this book didn't work for me on pretty much any level.
Putney makes the easiest and biggest mistake authors run into when they write magic into their books - it diffuses all the conflict & drains any and all tension from the novel. Has a character been ensorcelled? Well, just remove the spell! Is somebody injured? Heal him/her! Does somebody seem to be mean or unkind? Probably evil magic at work! Is something unknown or mysterious? Magic will tell you the answer to any difficult question! And quickly, too.
Nothing is hard. Nothing is challenging. As soon as a problem appears on the horizon, it is solved. Sometimes it's not instantaneous, but the danger disappears awfully fast.
The relationships between the characters work really similarly, which is even more mysterious since Putney can do such a good job building relationships. But it takes Jack about 3 pages to go from being resentful about being forced into marriage to being really content about it. It takes Jack's sister about 3 pages to go from being suspicious of Abby to being her new best friend.
So although the plot works - something happens, spurring another event, spurring another one - there's never any momentum or anxiety to it.
Add to that that the writing was really, really flat - here's a typical paragraph:
"He half expected Abby to gently say that he was being irrational, probably because he was jealous of his mother's attention, but instead she said seriously, "If your instinct says Scranton is a bad man, you're probably right. Your nature is too generous to be suspicious when there is no cause."
There's nothing actually *wrong* with that paragraph. It flows, it makes sense, the characters are expressing rational sentiments in line with their personalities. But it gives everything away. You don't have to wonder why Jack might be irrational, why Abby might tell him so, whether or not Jack has good instincts, how he came by them...it's just all laid out. There's nothing that makes you imagine or wonder.
I also had a poor sense of physicality throughout - Abby is apparently a big, curvacious woman and Jack is a strapping brute of a man, but I never felt it - I didn't doubt that it was true, but they weren't palpable characters to me.
I was disappointed. With such a good author, and such a good idea, it's a shame that the book turned out so badly.
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