Customer Reviews

Much Ado About Magic (Signet Eclipse)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Our heroine, Lucinda, is a Malcolm, a family whose women tend to have varied psychic or magical talents. Her particular talent shows up in her paintings which portray things that have happened or might happen in the future.

The trouble starts when one of her paintings results in the hero, Sir Trevelyan Rochester, being accused of his cousin's murder. Trev is furious, and sets out to find the mysterious artist and force her to confess that his uncle hired her to paint the damning picture. Lucinda, on the other hand, decides to retire, incognito, to the country and paint nothing but landscapes, hoping to avoid such disturbing occurrences in the future.

But magic can't be denied, and Lucinda's subsequent paintings draw her further into the intrigue.

The rest of the story is an exciting quest to find what happened to the cousin, featuring romance, psychic abilities, & the family members from previous books in this series, particularly the mysterious Aidan...

It was wonderful visiting with this family again, and I particularly enjoyed Trev coming to terms with magic. As someone unfamiliar with the notorious Malcolms, it took him a long time to believe, and his skepticism was very believable.

Along with the adventure and romance is a healthy dose of humor that really makes these books a joy to read. Much Ado About Magic has got magic, romance, intrigue, humor, and history. What more could you ask for?

I've been in a reading slump lately & was really glad to find a book that I could enjoy this much. It has a little paranormal element to it, very likeable main characters; fun, entertaining secondary characters; an interesting storyline. It was the first book in a while that I was really interested in how the story would work out & how it would end.

If you like historical romance, like light mysteries, like a little paranormal in your books, then definitely give this a try. I'll definitely be trying more of Patricia Rice's Magic Series. Very entertaining!

If you want a change in story and plot...this is the book for you. Not only is the story innovative and attention holding, but Rice does such a nice job with her writting. I litterally couldn't put it down! Again, the story is about a woman who paints and draws the future, past, and present happenings in her sleep (or while she is unaware of what she is painting or drawing). Trev is the guy that she paints in her first painting (of the story), whom she's never met. The painting depicts the type of guy that Trev isn't...so he's mad. Anyway...Trev doesn't know that Lucinda painted the picture...he starts to fall for her before he realizes that she's the one who made a disgrace of his name. She's already fallen for him. And I'm not going to say anymore cuz it'll ruin the story.
Overall...the story was wonderful! It was different from the usual romance novel and i've read it several time. Hope that you enjoy it as much as I have!

I am torn between delight over discovering this new author, and dismay that I haven't picked up a Patricia Rice book before.

I am an avid romance fan, and this book sends Patricia Rice right up there among my other favorite authors (Lisa Kleypas & Judith McNaught). Rice has the rare ability to create memorable characters AND a decent plot.

I cannot express how delighted with this book. I admit that I thought the first chapters were a bit slow, but it quickly turned into a page turner that I didn't want to put down.

Sinda was an unconventional but extremely likable heroine. I liked how she was sometimes funny and witty, but never snippy or prickly. And I loved Trev. Rice did a phenomonal job of creating a sexy alpha male with just enough vulnerability and sweet points to make you wish he was real.

Having read so many other romances, I thought I was familiar with all the various plot directions, but I was always guessing on this one. Every time I thought I figured out where the story was going, Rice would change it up and then surpass my expectations. Absolutely a five star read.

This book is what Romance writing is all about. It was funny,intelligent,romantic and exciting.
The characters and plot were wonderful.
This was my first Patricia Rice book and it will not be my last.
I just ordered the other 4 books in the "Magic" series.
Do Not Miss This Book!

Setting - London 1755 --- Lucinda Malcolm Pembroke is an artist not only with enormous talent, but her paintings have also been known to create a good deal of scandal. Over the previous winter, she created a painting of a man she'd never met yet it was a perfect likeness of Sir Trevelyan "Trev" Rochester - unfortunately; it also depicted him as a murderer! Hoping to avoid the crowds, Lucinda ventured early to the museum to view her painting before the unveiling. At about the same time Sir Trevelyan had also ventured in to see what everyone in London was talking about. When Lucinda caught a glimpse of the man she knew then she had to escape London; run from causing any more scandal surrounding her family; and run before that enormous angry man she'd just seen caught up with her.

Trev had come home craving nothing more than to put down roots in his ancestral home, but instead, because of a painting created by a painter known as the "prophetess" most of London was ready to hang and quarter him for murder! He is bound and determined to discover the whereabouts of this artist and make her confess to plotting with his grandfather in an attempt to ruin him.

Eventually, he does meet up with Lucinda only she's changed her distinctive hair color and her name to Lucy. It is Lucy who beguiles, bewitches and instills in Trev a passion unlike any he has ever known before. Soon he discovers that Lucy is really Lucinda in disguise. After he is captured, and even though she manages to help him escape jail, Trev still doesn't trust her and takes her prisoner aboard his ship. Before the end of the voyage Lucinda has turned the tables and captured his heart.

*** Rice habitually creates a magical world that I always hate to leave creating characters that you want to embrace and never let them go. This latest volume chronicling the ever so unique and always entertaining Malcolm witches is another example of brilliant storytelling and superb writing. Her characters are always so unique and endearing the reader will naturally feel compelled to go in search of the previous novels in this series. This is definitely a keeper for me, and a highly recommended read for those who love entertaining, witty and extremely romantic romances. --- Marilyn, for www.romancewriters.com ---

The characters were enjoyable. Their interaction was fun. Toward the end, I didn't like that she refused to marry him and would not explain why to her father and to him. Her reason was to avoid bringing future scandal to his life, but she didn't tell him that. He could have assured her that he'd want her anyway. She didn't tell her own father how much she loved him. Her father's actions might have been different had he known of her love for Trev. I don't like conflicts and dilemmas that are caused by someone not telling the truth about their own feelings. Other than that, the story was a fun escape.

Set in the 1700's, the heroine is a 20ish woman of well-to-do stature who couldn't snare a husband because she's tainted with an odd ability to paint beautiful pictures of the future. She's not bothered as she'd rather spend her life painting than attending to a husband and children.

When the man from her latest painting suddenly makes a real life appearance into her life she dons a disguise and decides to flee to the safety of a widowed cousin's home. Considering she's practically accused him of murder in the painting it's understandable. As only can happen in a romance novel, he just so happens to have ties to the cousin and turns up at her safe haven but he doesn't realize she's the artists as she's died her hair from blonde to red. It sounds bad written out like this, doesn't it? But surprisingly the characters are captivating enough that I was able to buy into it and just enjoy the flow of the book. My attention began to wane about a third of the way through when the plot became too action driven for my tastes but overall it was a very decent romantic adventure and I don't regret reading it.

In 1755 London Lucinda Malcolm Pemroke hides in an alcove of the Royal Art Gallery that displays the infamous painting she drew just to see reactions. Her painting depicts the sinking of a yacht with the heir to Lansdowne on board while his cousin laughs. Everyone assumes that the Prophetess as everyone calls Sinda assumes from her painting that the cousin Trevelyan Rochester murdered his relative to inherit the estate.

Trev has just returned from years overseas planning to find a wife in polite society. Instead he is a pariah the center of a scandal caused by a painting from the artist LMP. Trev confronts Lucinda to withdraw her portrayal, but she is not what he expected. She is stunned to see him as she never met Trev before drawing the picture before the vessel sank. As Trev continues to pursue Sinda in disguise as artist Lucy Jones, they fall in love even while she paints new pictures that begin to clarify what happened to his cousin and one that is not quite finished endowed with him in the buff.

There is much ado about this fine historical fantasy romance with a touch of the amateur sleuth to enhance its magic. Readers will enjoy the relationship between the fey artist and the beleaguered "model" who leans more towards confronting her with his kisses than forcing her to absolve him of the rumors that he murdered his cousin. Sub-genre fans will want to read all the charming Malcolm Magic novels (see THE TROUBLE WITH MAGIC, THIS MAGIC MOMENT, and MERELY MAGIC).

Harriet Klausner