Review: MERELY MAGIC by Patricia Rice

Logic and emotion collide in Patricia Rice's rich Georgian paranormal Merely Magic, a story of the importance of being true to oneself and of letting people live their own lives.

Malcolm women and Ives men do not mix. Sequestered in her isolated little village, healer and empath Ninian, one of the long line of Malcolm witches, has never met an Ives. And then Drogo, the long-absent Earl of Ives arrives at his castle. The uber-responsible slave to logic Drogo is taking a break from picking up the pieces after his maddeningly flighty family's antics. Never did either Ninian or Drogo expect the immediate and overpowering attraction that blasts them when they meet. But passion has its own logic, and these two supposedly mismatched people wed. Ninian is terrified she might lose herself under the onslaught of Drogo's potent masculinity. Drogo fears becoming like all the other male Iveses, who destroyed their marriages while siring numerous bastards. And he doesn't believe in witches.

Merely Magic takes you on a wild emotional ride in this complex, riveting tale of the mind-numbing fear and towering passion involved when opposites attract. Written in Ms. Rice's signature style that seamlessly combines emotion and action, the story sweeps you along with a varied cast of characters who are true to their time, and yet timeless. I especially like Ninian's and Drogo's wedding ceremony, where Drogo must vow equality with his wife. Equality with a woman in Georgian England? What a cork-brained idea.

First in Ms. Rice's "Magic" series, Merely Magic sets the scene for the continuing saga of the Malcolm witches. I can't wait for the next story.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks.