Customer Reviews

A Touch of Magic (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I ordered this book because of the excellent reviews given by other readers. I couldn't even finish it, myself. The characters had no consistent motivations or personalities at all. There was practically no development of the relationship between the hero and the heroine. Having read novels by Mary Balogh, who is wonderful at characterization, I found this book ridiculous in comparison. Spare me the "mystic pony" plot device!

What a difference of opinion here! Some readers think this book was wonderful, and some hated it! Well, I'm afraid I have to come down on the side of the haters: it really is an awful book. Sure, most works of fiction require some suspension of disbelief, but this one goes way too far. I was too busy saying 'no way!' to concentrate on the story.

As for the white pony the other reviewers complained about, what a stupid idea!

This is one book I want to forget I ever spent good money on, or invested time in reading. How did this author get published? Who told her that so-called 'mystic ponies' belonged in Regency romances? And worst of all, didn't her editor tell her she'd got so much plain wrong!

This book reads like it was written by an amateur with no notion of the habits, customs and rigid social structures of Regency times, let alone simple inheritance law. The characterisations are all over the place, and overall the book is just terrible.

I can't understand how this book got good ratings; maybe some of us are more fussy about accuracy, realism and consistent characterisation in our reading than others.

This book was bad. Totally incredible plot, no consistency of characterisation, and those white ponies made me want to be sick! This is not a Regency romance; it's a piece of poor fantasy written by someone who has no notion of the period in question but has a very strange imagination. Don't know how anyone can say the author is known for her research - this book bears no resemblance to the reality of the period or the habits of those who inhabited it, and contains some factual inaccuracies.

Probably about the most awful book I've read.

This has to be the most nauseating, unbelievably bad book I have ever read. Totally unconvincing plot, unlikeable and incredible characters and to add insult to injury, the most stupid, insulting plot devices I have ever come across. This book had no redeeming features whatsoever.

A duke falling in love with, and marrying, the illegitimate granddaughter of a witch? The illegitimate son of an earl inheriting his title? 'Mystic' bloody ponies? I wanted to be sick.

The saddest thing of all is that Nadine Miller's first book, 'The Duke's Dilemma', was just so good that I was really interested in reading more of her work. But having read this and 'The Unlikely Angel,' I'm almost inclined to doubt that they were written by the same person.

Appalling. Truly abysmal. And as for research - well, it looks to me as if Miller has never heard of the concept.

I really cannot believe that this book is written by the author of 'The Duke's Dilemma.' I bought it because that book was just so good I had to believe that the author's other work was equally good. But I was so wrong.

I could just say 'Do not buy this book.' But I see the author is about to publish a sequel to it, which makes me despair utterly about publishers' decision-making.

The plot of this book is truly nauseating. The 'mystic white pony,' the so-called witchcraft and so on are just appalling stuff. Okay in a fantasy universe, but not in regency romances, please! But even dismissing the supernatural, there is so much here which is completely incredible. *No way* would a duke (which is what the hero becomes by the end of the book) have married a woman from the lowest classes, especially one who is illegitimate.

And then we have the heroine's brother, Liam. The illegitimate son of an earl, close to the end of the book he gets named the earl's heir and inherits the title on his death. I wouldn't bother about this complete fantasy plot-twist were it not for the fact that Liam seems to be the hero of Miller's sequel. The illegitimate offspring of an earl - or any aristocrat - can inherit whatever money or property his/her parents decide to pass on to them, but CANNOT inherit any title (or any entailed property). These can only pass to legitimate heirs. Thus the entire premise of Miller's sequel is sunk before she starts.

Please do some research first next time!

Nadine Miller has done it again! This is regency writing at its best! Very few other writers are as meticulous in their research as Nadine and this novel is an example of that attention to detail. The Exmoors of Great Britain are usually ignored in literature, and the Exmoor Pony, an equine left over from the Ice Age and today rarer than the Giant Panda, is almost unknown. The land, the people, and the ponies have always been shrouded in mystery and with "A Touch of Magic" Nadine has captured the wonder of a people and a place largely ignored by writers. Romance, ponies and magic! Wow! This book has to be a winner.

Lord Adam, the second son of a duke sets out to lose himself on the western moores, and at the same time do a good turn for the widow Haines. However, he finds this freedom from the stifling London society adds richness to his life, and a new level self-worth he never enjoyed as an aristocrat. Not since Adam fought in the Peninsular war has he faced such a challenge as winning the flame-haired widow who enchants him with her simple, hard-working life and bent toward practicality. Though he must deceive her to remain in her presence, it's on her farm he discovers love, and a sense of values that being a highborn Londoner could never teach him: Everlasting love and a belief in its magic. A Touch of Magic is a beautiful love story, a great read.

Nadine's skill as a Regency author just gets better and better. I can't wait for her next one, and the next...and the next. -Lee Emory