Simply Magic (Simply Quartet, Book 3)
by Mary Balogh
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mary BaloghEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-02-26
ISBN: 0440241987
Number of pages: 464
Publisher: Dell
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780440241980
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Simply Magic (Simply Quartet, Book 3)
Book Review: Expect a mild hero and friendship-first romance
Summary: 4 Stars
I haven't read other books by Mary Balogh, so I can only review this book as I see it alone and not in comparison to the writer's previous body of work.
Quick review: an unexpectedly mild-mannered hero and a friendship-first love affair make for an unusual, and well-written, romance novel. An open mind and willingness to sample a new flavor of romance will assist your enjoyment.
Summary: In Regency England, an orphaned schoolteacher struggles with her love for a viscount (1) whom she believes likes her only as a friend, (2) who has trouble asserting himself against his class-conscious family, and (3) whose family is intertwined with the sad death of the heroine's family.
High Points:
*The book is well-written and the characters, especially the hero, Peter, well-developed. Peter will come as a surprise to those long-time readers in the Romance genre who expect heroes to be "alpha males" full of bluster, dominance, and native authority. While these types are certainly appealing in their own way, they have "dominated" the genre for quite some time, and Balogh's friendly, eager-to-please, and still untested young hero is a not unwelcome change. Others reviewers have scoffed at a hero who, like Peter, admits that his "knees were shaking" the first time he asserted himself against his own employee, but I was quite impressed with this admission--very unusual in a romantic hero, but realistic for a rich young man of 26 who has been managed and controlled all of his adult life by mother and advisors.
*There is little in the way of fiery banter between the two leads (something most readers look forward to), however, Balogh has given us compensations: after the uncomfortable first meeting, there is a slowly-developing and warm friendship marked by finely tuned, heartfelt, and realistic dialogue.
*Many historical romance plots capitalize on the myriad external sources of tension of times past--arranged marriages, dynastic feuds, and the like. Although there is an external tension here--the circumstances of the heroine's father's inappropriate marriage and mysterious death--Balogh focuses more on the internal sources of conflict, such as the hero's need to learn to assert himself to his family, and the heroine's fear of giving up her independence for a man she believes may not love her as much as she him. Downplaying the usual historical, social impediments to relationships in service of the internal ones can be tricky, but Balogh manages to pull it off most of the time.
Less successful points:
*Others have remarked on the family history drama that would likely prove a permanent obstacle "in real life" to a union between Peter and Susanna. Although I can allow that Susanna might overlook this history because of her love for Peter, the whole issue still could have been handled better.
*Most jarring was Balogh's treatment of the physical relationship between the two leads. The two have a warm friendship marked by sexual attraction, but the otherwise sensible-to-a-fault Susanna's repeated choices to risk losing her hard-won livelihood due to pregnancy were not adequately explained or justified. Further, Susanna's reactions to her own choices to flout society's sexual rules are barely existent; it's hard to believe she would not dwell on her actions at least a little, and try to make sense of them. Even worse, and more bizarrely, each time the two become intimate, they meet again at a later date and resume their warm friendship without the natural embarrassment or tortured emotions of two lovers who know they cannot be together. If Balogh could not have delivered convincing interior monologues reflecting just how fraught a choice this was for Susanna, and realistic "aftermath" scenes between the two leads, she would have done better to just chuck the sex scenes altogether, or defer them `till after the happily ever after.
In the main, though, I do think the book will be enjoyable for any Romance reader who is ready to move beyond tried-and-true plot contrivances and assertive, aggressive heroes of the sort we've grown to love. If you're a reader who absolutely must have a hot-and-bothered sexual attraction, fiery banter between leads, and a wolf-pack leader hero, you may well find yourself disappointed by Simply Magic.
Summary of Simply Magic (Simply Quartet, Book 3)
On a splendid August afternoon Susanna Osbourne is introduced to the most handsome man she has ever seen . . . and instantly feels the icy chill of recognition. Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, is utterly charming?and seemingly unaware that they have met before. With his knowing smile and seductive gaze, Peter acts the rake; but he stirs something in Susanna she has never felt before, a yearning that both frightens and dazzles her. Instantly she knows: this brash nobleman poses a threat to her heart . . . and to the secrets she guards so desperately.From the moment they meet, Peter is drawn to Susanna?s independence, dazzled by her sharp wit?he simply must have her. But the more he pursues, the more Susanna withdraws . . . until a sensual game of thrust-and-parry culminates in a glorious afternoon of passion. Now more determined than ever to keep her by his side, Peter begins to suspect that a tragic history still haunts Susanna. And as he moves closer to the truth, Peter is certain of one thing: he will defy the mysteries of her past for a future with this exquisite creature?all Susanna must do is trust him with the most precious secret of all. . . .
From the Hardcover edition.
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