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The Marriage Spell – Mary Jo Putney
Ballantine,
June 2006
ISBN-13: 978-0345449191
ISBN-10: 0345449193
July 2006
Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne, is a high ranking member of the ton but if you were to ask him he would tell you he would rather be doing anything else than take his place in society. He is a ranked officer in the army and has spent several years dodging his duty of managing his estate by fighting for England. He is home and trying to decide whether he wants to go back to fight or if it is time to sell his commission and take up his duty as Lord Frayne. While he is making up his mind he has met up with a few friends in the Shires to participate in the seasonal hunt. He is thoroughly enjoying himself when disaster strikes. He tries to jump a difficult hedge when his horse loses his footing and tumbles, throwing Jack and breaking his neck. Fraught with concern for Jack, his friends take him to the closest cottage. It happens to be the cottage of the local wizard and his daughter. Hoping they will be able to help Jack the friends request their special services.
Abigail Barton, known to all around her as Abby, is not only the daughter of a powerful wizard, she has special talents herself. She is known for her knack at healing around her village and is well respected in the community for helping where she can. Until now she has only had to heal minor ailments but when Lord Frayne is brought to her door she knows she must do all she can to save him. She has admired him from afar for many years and one day when she bumped in to him accidentally in the village she knew he was someone she wanted to know. Now, he was broken and desperate on her doorstep. She knew her magic was not enough to heal him but his friends were frantic. The only way she could heal Jack was to coordinate a healing circle of many wizards. Something like that was full of danger for the healer leading the circle. The power could become too great for the healer to control and who knew what would happen then. The friends try to put a price on the session and Abby suggests marriage to Jack as her payment for such a risk. They awaken Jack to ask if he is willing to pay the price for his life and he agrees. Abby wastes no time in forming her circle. She was successful in healing his neck but her power was depleted and she couldn’t fully mend his broken leg. Jack is too weak and ill to leave the cottage for some time giving him a chance to get to know his betrothed better.
Jack has been against wizardry since he was a young boy. Most aristocrats abhor magical arts feeling they are inferior to their station. Jack has an abnormal hatred for the craft and he has trouble overlooking Abby’s ability even though it meant her saving his life. Abby realized in the circle that Jack is in possession of some magic himself and wonders how he could shut out such a vital part of his life for so long. There are several things that need to be worked out if they want to make a tolerable marriage out of such turmoil.
Mary Jo Putney is an author that I have always enjoyed. She has a real talent for writing stories that are interesting and engrossing. She is wonderful at creating endearing characters that makes the reader press on until the very end.
THE MARRIAGE SPELL is a sweet story of magic, love, devotion and mystery. The only problem I had with the book was that it failed to completely wow me. I didn’t find anything wrong just, perhaps, lacking in provoking the reader into a passionate response to the story. Jack is a great character with many layers that are revealed slowly chapter after chapter. Abby is so unlike most heroines. She is practical, strong, capable and completely levelheaded. So many heroines are reckless and flighty. It was a nice change to have such a grounded woman star in this book.
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