Customer Reviews

The Marriage Spell: A Novel

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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.

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.

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.

I've been a Mary Jo Putney fan for years, and this spritely book reminded me why.

I've always loved historicals, but after twenty years reading about dukes, marriage-minded-mamas, and the Ton, I'd gotten a little bored.

Putney neatly blows all the dust off with her magical version of the eighteenth century. That it's beautifully written goes without saying; Putney's prose has always been gorgeous. Then we have delicious Jack Langdon, who strikes sparks with his lovely, intelligent healer Abby. The rest of the cast is just as engaging, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I plan to get the other books in this series as soon as I finish posting this.

It's been a long time since I've been this charmed by a romance novel. Brava, Ms. Putney!

Angela Knight

From the first moment she laid eyes on him, Abigail Barton has loved Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne. Because she is a wizard's daughter (magic is scorned by those in respectable society), Abby has reconciled herself to the fact that her love will always remain unrequited, but then fate steps in.

Jack is grievously injured in a hunting accident and has only hours to live. In desperation, Jack's friends carry him to Abby's house to solicit her father's help, but Abby's father is in London. Abby is a gifted healer herself so she quickly steps in to help save Jack's life.

Before Abby begins work on Jack, she makes a bargain with him: If she can save his life, then he must marry her. Jack despises magic and anyone with magical abilities but agrees to her bargain.

The magic required to save Jack is tremendous but Abby pulls it off, at tremendous risk to her very life. Jack's condition is stabilized and he begins to heal. Before he can fulfill his part of the bargain, however, Abby releases him from his obligation. Jack is relieved but decides to marry Abby anyway.

Jack is very skittish of Abby's magical abilities and they go through a rocky adjustment period but they eventually fall in love. Furthermore, they begin to discover that Jack's reckless behavior and hostile attitude toward magic have been magically influenced by means of several curses. They tackle these with no problem, but the bigger danger is still ahead of them.

Jack's estate is under a powerful curse and his mother is caught up in it. The curse is literally leeching the life out of every living thing on his estate. Jack and Abby realize that it's going to take both of them to confront the evil that has taken up residence in their new home.

I really enjoyed this story. It's unusual but thoroughly entertaining. Some of it was quite predictable but still, it's a good read.

Oh, I had the loveliest time reading this novel!

For starters, I can say from the viewpoint of a professional psychic and healer that Ms. Putney does an outstanding job describing the realities of life experienced from that world view, or at least my own personal experience of life as a psychic. Other writers are more fun, or imaginative, or inventive, but as much as a description of something hard to quantify can be said to be "real," this is real.

But the very best part was the story, and the wonderful protagonists. I always appreciate reading about heroines of "abundant charms," since I can identify with that, too, but Mary Jo Putney's heroes are so often deep-down GOOD men, kind-hearted, often thoughtful, motivated by generosity and a sense of responsibility, even when crippled by some emotional difficulty.

And then, best of all, there was a sense of familiarity, of re-hearing a favorite old tale. I didn't realize till a few hours after finishing the story that it has many of the elements of one of my absolute favorites by this author, the novella "The Best Husband Money Can Buy," a Christmas tale you can find in at least one collection. That story, like this one, contains many of the author's best and most valuable traits: emotional maturity, courage, and a great, generous heart which is expressed through her characters.

Thanks, Mary Jo, for all the wonderful stories, and for finding a new plot in which to wrap these wonderful people.

As a lad Jack Langdon realized he had some wizard powers. But sorcery is only for the lower classes and shunned by gentry. Upon finding out Jack showed magical talent, his father sent him off to Stonebridge Academy. This is where all the gentry sent their sons to have them (basically) brainwashed into hating all things that deal with magic, especially the wizards "wyrdlings" who use it. On Jack's first full day at the academy, he meets the boys who will grow up to be his best friends. Ransom, Ashby, Kenmore, and Winslow were sent to the academy for the same reason as Jack. The academy did its job extremely well. As the boys grew into strong men, they buried their powers deep within themselves. In Jack's case though, his father took a couple of extra precautions to ensure Jack would hate everything about magic.

Abigail "Abby" Barton is one of the best wizards in her generation. She has coveted Jack, Lord Frayne, for years but was content to worship him from afar. Abby is the area's best healer, except for her father, Sir Andrew Barton. But her father is away on business when Jack's friends knock upon her door. Jack has had an accident and is near death. With no where else to turn, Ransom and Ashby take Jack to Abby. Abby can save Jack's life, but only if she makes a great self-sacrifice to do so. Her price is Jack's hand in marriage.

It is not long before Jack feels an irresistible attraction to his new wife. Her allure is as intense as the reawakening magical abilities that dwell within himself. The two will challenge each other's extraordinary powers and deepest desires for the sake of a love that may cost them all they cherish most.

***** An outstanding story filled with love, magic, and trust. I did not think that I would enjoy this book when I laid eyes upon it. But from the moment I began reading I found myself bespelled. I read every moment that I had spare time. Author Mary Jo Putney will weave a spell upon your imagination. Resistance is futile! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

The Marriage Spell is a wonderful historical fantasy set in the Regency era. In this alternate universe, magic is everywhere and there are many wizards (female as well as male), but the aristocracy scorns magic. As a child, Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne, suffered terribly at the hands of his father, who hated Jack's magical talent so much, he sent Jack to a boarding school with brutal staff who beat and brainwashed Jack into loathing the magical part of himself--as well as magic in anyone else. While at the school, Jack banded together with several other sons of aristocrats, whose parents also despised their magical powers, in order to defend each other from the school bullies who abused their power as prefects over the other boys. In the process Jack formed lifelong friendships.

Abigail Barton is the daughter of a baronet who is a practicing wizard and who has raised her to use and respect her own magic. She has admired Jack from afar for many years when he has come to her part of England to hunt, but she has never met him until the day he suffers a terrible fall. Jack is paralyzed and near death when his long-time friends carry him to Abigail and beg her to try and heal him. Abigail agrees, but her powers are not strong enough alone. Jack's friends must unleash their long denied magical talent to join with Abigail and local wizards to do a powerful healing circle on Jack--which ultimately cannot fully succeed unless Abigail unlocks Jack's powers and draws on them as well.

The characters, story and writing are all excellent in this book, and I highly recommend it to fans of historical fantasy. Amazon seems to have placed all the reviews of Ms. Putney's fans for this book here, but I didn't see a review of the actual audiobook recording, so I will focus primarily on the quality of the audiobook recording itself.

Simon Prebble is a talented British actor who is a particularly felicitous choice to narrate a novel filled with British characters. He renders all of them with great authenticity.

Mr. Prebble is a multi-award-winning audiobook narrator who earns his glowing reputation here. He does full justice to every nuance of Ms. Putney's fabulous book and his voice talent reminds me of Jim Dale who narrated all of the Harry Potter books. That's a high compliment, because in my humble opinion, Jim Dale is the greatest living voice talent today.

The sound quality of this recording is excellent, and it comes with 10 separate discs.

If you like this recording, Mr. Prebble has recorded a number of other novels by romance authors, including Stolen Magic by Mary Jo Putney, Stephanie Laurens' The Reckless Bride, Jo Beverley's Lady Beware, and Julia Quinn's When He Was Wicked.

I've read a lot of Putney's older novels, both historical and contemporary. I didn't realize she had ventured into the realm of supernatural romance until I saw this book in the store.

The story was okay. It was a decent read if a bit fluffy for my tastes, but given that Putney was the author, I expected more. Some of the plot threads seemed to get lost. The reader is informed that Abby is infatuated with Lord Frayne because he once smiled at her provocatively. But when we get Jack's side of things, he has no idea who she is and he initially does not find her attractive.

I enjoyed the conflicts Putney created, but they were all resolved so quickly it felt hollow. Jack goes from being standoffish and defensive to eager to marry in the span of a few pages. As soon as Abby suggests he might be under a spell, Jack is able to not only identify the spells but destroy them almost immediately. Ditto with his personal distaste for magic.

Again, it was an okay read, but I really expected meatier conflict resolution from Putney.

I absolutely loved this book! Abby's and Jack's story is one that captivates and enthralls the reader from page one until the very last...and then you find yourself wishing for more!!!! I found myself so enmeshed in Ms. Putney's fabulous book that I couldn't put it down. I laughed, cried and sighed throughout this enchanting tale of magic and love discovered that I can only encourage all readers to pick this book up and take it home...it will find it's place in your heart and on your keeper shelf. Thank you, Ms. Putney, for another wonderful story.