Twilight Magic [Mass Market Paperback]

Shari Anton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2006

Darian of Bruges knows where his loyalties lie. As a mercenary and right-hand man to William of Ypres, his loyalties lie to himself first and the King second and that will not change. When King Stephen summons him, asking him to assassinate a man on his behalf, Darian sees this as a job and nothing more. But he's been set up.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This tepid follow-up to Anton's Midnight Magic picks up her 12th-century tale of three orphaned English sisters with Lady Emma de Leon, who has a peculiar gift: looking into a pool of water, she is able to see events before they happen. One such vision shows her the image of a man, all bronze skin and dimples, who will one day become her lover—but that happy knowledge doesn't curb Emma's shock when she finally meets her dream man, Darian of Bruges, a lowly Flemish mercenary who stands accused of murdering an English noble. Believing him innocent, Emma bravely and scandalously offers herself up as Darian's alibi for the night of the murder, ruining her reputation while saving Darian from the noose. Instead of granting Darian's freedom, the king orders Darian to marry Emma and forces both into exile. Though attracted to Emma, Darian secretly plots to abandon her, return to London and find the man who framed him. Emma persuades Darian to take her with him, and the two embark on a dangerous journey made even more perilous by growing desire. Restrained and conventional, this bland romance remains unredeemed by its appealing characters and playful repartee. Anton's fans will be sated, but new readers will probably seek out steamier, more enchanting fare. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Lady Emma de Leon simply could not let an innocent man be executed, especially when one of Emma's visions foretold that one day he would be her lover. So, when Darian of Bruges is charged with the murder of Edward de Salis, Emma swears to King Stephen and his court that Darian could not have committed the crime, since he was with her the entire night. As the daughter of a traitor, Emma's reputation is already tattered beyond repair, but she never thought that, as the result of her announcement, King Stephen would force Darian to wed her. The last thing either Emma or Darian wants is to remain married, but the idea of an annulment becomes much less appealing the longer the two remain wed. Anton adds a generous measure of danger and intrigue--along with a sprinkling of magic--to her latest expertly crafted, utterly beguiling medieval romance, the second in her de Leon sisters trilogy. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Forever (December 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446617555
• ISBN-13: 978-0446617550
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,830,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shari Anton's publishing career began in 1997. Since then she has written several historical romances for Harlequin Historicals and Grand Central Publishing. Ms. Anton lives in Wisconsin, loves to ride on the Harley, and visit Civil War battlefields, medieval fairs and historical societies. This award winning author is a member of Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America (WisRWA), Novelists, Inc., and The Authors Guild.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Splendid Medieval Read!!, November 25, 2006

By 

Meagan Hatfield (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twilight Magic (Mass Market Paperback)

Ms. Anton does it again!! With her endearing characters, historically rich world and distinctive voice, she effortlessly transports you to a time when Knights, Lady's and honor abound.

Ever since she was a child, Emma de Leon has suffered visions. After a few traumatizing ones involving her loved ones, she found a way to suppress them. Yet the strongest vision, one of the man who would one day be her lover, has haunted her for years. When a family matter finds her at the Kings court, she at long last sees the man in the flesh. No sooner does her elation at finally seeing him crest, he is accused of a horrible crime. In her heart Emma knows he's innocent and steps in to save his life. The end result of her helpful act sees them wed by the Kings order. Emma's new husband is none too pleased with her for butting into his life, and for more reasons than just their hasty nuptials he believes there is no future in their marriage. Little does he know Emma has seen that they not only have a chance at a future, they have a chance at love.

Darian of Bruges has always been a faithful and loyal subject to the crown. So when the King orders he wed a stranger, Darian obeys without question. But he's not happy about it. Sure the woman is everything a man could want in a wife. Emma is beautiful, spirited and loving. However Darian is a wounded soul who believes himself not worthy of her. Not to mention, he's grown accustomed to his solitary life as a mercenary. Even so, the more time he spends playing husband to this intriguing Lady Emma, the more his heart yearns for the peace and contentment he feels when they're together. Will Darian be able to swallow his pride and become the man he sees in Emma's eyes? Or will his one chance at true love and happiness slip through his fingers?

I have been a fan of this very talented writer for years and she keeps upping the bar with each effort. No one can write medieval romances like her. She peppers the perfect amount of accurate historical details through the story to bring her well fleshed out characters to life. Twilight Magic is a wonderful, heartwarming tale that will sweep you up in the times and carry you away into a wonderful romance. Emma and Darian are delightful, and it is a pure joy to watch their love for one another blossom. I eagerly await the third book in this magical series about the De Leon sisters.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Fantasy Medieval, February 19, 2007

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Twilight Magic (Mass Market Paperback)

Shari Anton once again delights her fans with the second book in the de Leon sisters `Magic' trilogy. In TWILIGHT MAGIC, Lady Emma de Leon (the eldest) has been sent to court - a virtual prisoner and shunned because of the traitorous acts of her father and brother in supporting Queen Maud. In an attempt to gain an audience with King Stephen to plead leniency for her youngest sister, she slips into his hall behind his courtiers. While there Emma sees a man whom she's had a psychic visions of for many years, a man whom she knows would one day be her lover.

When Darian of Bruges is charged with murder, he knows he is being framed but cannot produce a witness to his whereabouts. Emma knows he is innocent and in a rash move announces that Darian was with her the entire night. This pronouncement not only puts her reputation in tatters, but also finds her immediately wed to Darian by order of the King. Darian had sworn he would never marry and was bound to have the marriage annulled as expediently as possible. However, the longer the two spend time together, and no matter the vast difference in stations, the thought of an annulment becomes much less appealing.

Anton serves up this second stand alone story with liberal amounts of intrigue, danger, compassion and the right amount of historical detail. Emma's affliction of excruciating headaches were explained away in a very originally creative manner that supported the plot. Both Emma and Darian were perfectly cast and loved the witty dialogs between them. Emma knew him to be the lover of her dreams and while Darian knew himself to be loyal to his king he did not feel that as a mercenary he would be worthy of Emma. Their adventures as they battled an evil Bishop in proving Darian's innocence proving the true villain made for a wonderfully adventurous tale, and further supported a robust cast of secondary characters and one wonderfully BIG dog! This book, as stated, stands alone , but I will say that I personally cannot wait to read the rest of this series and discover what delightful adventures await the headstrong and youngest de Leon sister Nicole! Terrific read, super author!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tepid Romance, April 22, 2008

By 

Melissa (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Twilight Magic (Mass Market Paperback)

The Flemish mercenary Darian is accused of murder by a powerful bishop because his dagger is found at the crime scene and he is sure to hang. But before King Stephen's guards can take him away he is rescued by Emma De Leon who provides him with a false alibi. She claims they were together all night and there is no way he could have murdered the man.

Darian is flabbergasted. He is even more shocked when he realizes that he is now forced by the king to wed Emma. He is only a lowly mercenary yet she is the daughter of nobles and of the Royal Welch house.

Emma is also surprised they must marry however she did know they would become lovers. She has visions and it was her vision of Darian that prompted her to come forward as Darian's alibi.

Darian is never comfortable with his wife's explanation of why she lied to the authorities(she says she just knew he was innocent and could not let him hang). Even worse, Darian never wanted a wife.

These two have mysteries to solve about each other and they must find the real assassin that tried to frame Darias. This takes them back to London several times and quite frankly the reader will surmise the person behind the murder before the protagonists.

The romance was okay. There was no build up to a consummation and both characters seemed so matter of fact about their marriage and possible annulment that their love scenes didn't seem romantic. Darian second guesses himself a lot but so does Emma and neither one seems overly committed to each other