Sometimes it takes love to make a woman feel desirable.
Sometimes it takes magic to make her feel desirable.
Sometimes it takes a little of each. Having loved and
admired Lord Jack Frayne from a distance for so many years
it truly amazed Abigail Barton that he was right there in
her home. But he was mortally wounded from a very nasty fall
from his horse and close to death. He was known as Lucky
Jack to his friends but it appeared as if his luck had run
out. Jack it seemed had a habit of getting into risky
situations that often put his very existence in peril. And
now his two closest friends were appealing to Abby as a
skilled healer and wizard to do what she could for Jack. One
of the biggest hurdles was Jack himself. He has a huge
aversion and hatred for all things magic and a special
disliking for wizards. Unfortunately although Abby was
willing and eager to do what she could to heal his injuries
she could do nothing without Jack's consent. Her standard of
ethical behavior would allow no less. So right from the
beginning these two were at odds. But Abby wasn't one to
relent and she was determined to return Jack to his previous
good health and physical well being even if it meant
jeopardizing her own health. The questions are what Abby
would do for love -- in this case her feelings toward Jack --
and what would Jack do in return for Abby saving his life.
Mary Jo Putney creates a wonderful mix of reality and magic
in THE MARRIAGE SPELL as she has in her previous works.
Putney shows once again that she has an incredible
imagination as she welcomes the reader to a world that she
has created for your enjoyment. You are so involved in the
story of Abby and Jack that the line between real and
fantasy is often blurred. Putney just makes you a believer.
After all there are so many things that occur in the world
that seem to have no likely explanation why not just call it
magic or wizardry. Of course there has to be the counterpart
to the good wizard and in this book we get to see both sides
of the world of magic. The evil or dark side and the
beneficent or light side of wizards is at odds in this story
as is the malevolent and gracious sides of the non wizards.
The interesting note is that malice is dangerous and harmful
whether at the hands of a wizard or a mortal being. This
book has the reader backing the wizards.
While the everyday use of magic in England is normal among
the lower classes, it is shunned by the nobility. Lord Jack
Frayne, a respected army officer and member of the peerage,
hides a shameful secret -- a talent for magic which he must
suppress at all costs or disgrace his family. When a mortal
hunting injury puts him at death's door, his only chance to
live is Abigail Barton, a skilled healer and wizard, as
well as the daughter of a country peer. Her price: his hand
in marriage. At first he resists her, but soon he discovers
an irresistible attraction to his new wife as powerful as
the reawakening magical abilities he can no longer deny.
Together, Abigail and Jack challenge the ton's
prejudice against magic, solve the mystery surrounding the
curse on his family, and discover a love more powerful than
they ever imagined.