A Disappointment From One Of My Favorites

Although I wasn't thrilled by Mary Jo Putney's previous paranormal books, I was hoping this one would put more emphasis on the romance - and bring back the enjoyment I always got from her best books. (She's one of my all time favorite authors, although I'm not a big fan of paranormal so I tried not to get my hopes up too high.)

The Marriage Spell by Mary Jo Putney
(2006, Paranormal Regency Historical) 7/23/06
Grade: 3.5

In a Regency world where magic is commonplace (if not quite accepted), Jack is sent to school to beat the magic out of him. But when he ends up married to a healer, he discovers that magic isn’t all bad - and it may be the key to saving his family. And Abby finds herself pulled into a social world she’s never known, and discovers passion and acceptance within herself.

I enjoyed the first part of this book - the magical background was interesting, but not overwhelming, and the arranged marriage story worked well. The characters were sympathetic, and the blend of magic and romance seemed to work. Unfortunately, in the second half, the story went downhill. The focus turned to external problems, and magic conveniently solved everything, much too easily. The characters were still interesting, but there wasn’t much more to say about them - their relationship didn’t really develop in the second half, it just stayed the same. There were opportunities for more (especially when it came to Jack's background and the way his magic was suppressed by his father) but it was just pushed aside in favor of fighting the "bad guy" and using a few spells to fix everything. More disappointing than bad, but not one of Putney’s best.

Perhaps it's unfair, but I couldn't help comparing this to some of the arranged marriage stories that I've loved in the past - by Putney herself, as well as other authors. This one just seemed superficial by comparison. Throwing in some magic doesn't compensate for the lack of deep emotion, at least not for me.

Book by the Numbers

I just moved to a new city, and I'm thrilled to have the chance to join a book discussion group - I love meeting other romance readers! Even though I'm trying not to buy books for a while, I picked up this one so I'd be able to join in the discussion.

The Rogue Report by Barbara Dawson Smith
(2006, Regency Historical) 7/9/06
Grade: 3.5

Jack, the Earl of Rutledge, is enraged after his gambling exploits are revealed in an anonymous newsletter, ending his engagement. He decides to disguise himself as a math teacher at a charity school run by Julia Corwyn, an outcast from society since she had a child out of wedlock. But he finds himself unaccountably drawn to the stern headmistress...

This book is the perfect example of “nothing special”. The hero and heroine were likeable, the secondary characters amusing, the story unexceptionable, but nothing really stood out. It just seemed predictable. Sometimes an author can take a familiar story and make it sing, but this one just plodded along - it was pleasant enough for a lazy Sunday, but it could have been any one of dozens of books.

I hate to criticize a book that's OK when there are so many truly bad books out there, but this one just didn't stand out in any way - good or bad.