New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney is acclaimed by critics and readers alike for unforgettable storytelling and arresting characters....
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Nov 14, 2011
L.G.C.
rated it: 
“The Marriage Spell” by Mary Jo Putney.
NYT bestseller Putney puts a new spin on the Regency period by envisioning a fantasy world in which wizards, witches and magic exist side by side with the non-magical. Magic is acknowledged by all, though considered disreputable and mostly dangerous.
Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne runs out of luck when a bad fall from his hunter leaves him with a broken neck. His friends take him to the local healer, Abby Barton.
Abby is shocked to More...
NYT bestseller Putney puts a new spin on the Regency period by envisioning a fantasy world in which wizards, witches and magic exist side by side with the non-magical. Magic is acknowledged by all, though considered disreputable and mostly dangerous.
Jack Langdon, Lord Frayne runs out of luck when a bad fall from his hunter leaves him with a broken neck. His friends take him to the local healer, Abby Barton.
Abby is shocked to More...
Aug 01, 2011
Mlle.
rated it: 
I thought the premise of The Marriage Spell was really promising - roughly Harry Potter + Regency Romance, with the twist that magic is frowned upon by elite English society - and Putney can be a really fantastic writer. But this book didn't work for me on pretty much any level.
Putney makes the easiest and biggest mistake authors run into when they write magic into their books - it diffuses all the conflict & drains any and all tension from the novel. Has a character been ensorcelled? More...
Putney makes the easiest and biggest mistake authors run into when they write magic into their books - it diffuses all the conflict & drains any and all tension from the novel. Has a character been ensorcelled? More...
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Jun 11, 2010
Jennifer
rated it: 
So I've tried steampunk (Incarceron), fantasy (The Magicians), and now regency romance. All three are genres that I will not be going back to, but had some fun discovering what they were all about.
I was anticipating an overblown use of phrases such as "quivering loins" or whatever else that is associated with this genre, so I was pleasantly surprised that the author didn't go there until after two hundred pages into the novel. If I had a penny for every time she used " More...
I was anticipating an overblown use of phrases such as "quivering loins" or whatever else that is associated with this genre, so I was pleasantly surprised that the author didn't go there until after two hundred pages into the novel. If I had a penny for every time she used " More...
Jun 24, 2011
Shelley
rated it: 
This was an excellent book. I'd say a 4 1/2 stars definitely, not quite 5 though. I like the mixture of having magic in the regency romance genre. I also like how they call the women wizards to. Jack, the hero, despised magic even though it saved his life from a mortal accident. He slowly came around of course. His healer Abby,a wizard who uses magic to heal, pulled a betrothal from Jack before she would heal him, which I felt was totally unethical. Abby did release Jack from his promise,
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Feb 21, 2010
Jamie
rated it:
I just can't get enough of these magical romance books! I really enjoyed listening to this book, Simon Pebble (Think I spelled his name right) is just an awesome narrator. His voice captures the characters moods, man or women, and draws you into the story. I'm liking Mary Jo Putney very much. This book is about a "plain Jane" named Abby who is a wizard healer raised by her wizard father. Jack was born into a wealthy family having wizard powers but in England, magic was frowned upon a
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Sep 16, 2011
Heather
rated it:
There's a headless hero on this cover, although you hardly notice he's there because he's subsumed by the special magical light. Which is, naturally enough, purple. At least, it's magic with a C and not magic with a K, which is always a bad sign. This book was fun, but pretty silly. Kind of like a very light-weight Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel. I'm predicting there will be sequels about the rest of the friends, since why create a collection of good looking men who are all friends with ea
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Jul 08, 2009
Jessica
rated it: 
You know, I can appreciate a good trashy novel. Sometimes it's nice to escape, and lord knows I am not a book snob. So when I saw the summary of this book - nobleman in regency England marries a female wizard - I thought "why not?" I like it when genres collide. Unfortunately, this succeeds as neither a paranormal romance nor a regency. None of the characters were particularly well written or interesting, and the magical system was pretty poorly explained. I didn't see the attract
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Dec 12, 2009
Christine
rated it:
I've been reading a lot of romance lately, but my first love is still fantasy, sow hen I ran across this author who does both, I was excited. Maybe I should have started with a different book of hers, but I was remarkably unimpressed. This was not a true blending of genres, but rather a romance novel set against an ill-conceived magical backdrop. The alternative reality was unconvincing and the magic was almost unnecessary. The characters were poorly drawn. This was pretty silly. One of these da
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Dec 02, 2010
Shaylaina
rated it:
I loved how this book had a different spin then other romances I've read.
The fact that it started off with meeting and getting married and moving on from there was a really nice change from the normal "they meet, they hate each other and then fall in love".
The school to stop those who were born with magic to not use it, the well supplying
the energy to drain the land, the spells put into his mind that had to be removed, the
sister and so many others who had magic More...
The fact that it started off with meeting and getting married and moving on from there was a really nice change from the normal "they meet, they hate each other and then fall in love".
The school to stop those who were born with magic to not use it, the well supplying
the energy to drain the land, the spells put into his mind that had to be removed, the
sister and so many others who had magic More...
Oct 15, 2011
Mara
rated it:
A very sweet love story, if silly, with a nice plot where romance doesn't over-dominate everything else.
The world-building was somewhat lacking and the ending a bit strained (where he finds his magic and saves the day). Moreover, there was some cheesiness and the sex scenes were bland or a bit awkward (to me), but overall, I enjoyed reading it.
If you like the Enchanting the.. series byKathryn Kennedy, give it a try. It didn't find it as as good but you may find it interestin More...
The world-building was somewhat lacking and the ending a bit strained (where he finds his magic and saves the day). Moreover, there was some cheesiness and the sex scenes were bland or a bit awkward (to me), but overall, I enjoyed reading it.
If you like the Enchanting the.. series byKathryn Kennedy, give it a try. It didn't find it as as good but you may find it interestin More...
Apr 22, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
This book seemed to get really mixed reviews so I had low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised with this magical love story.
Abbey is a Wizard (healer) and finds herself faced with healing a man she has admired and been attracted to for many years. A bargain is made and a marriage takes place.
Jack and Abby's relationship is a slow and steady growing love rather than a instant she's MINE kind of romance.
Mix in a little magic and you have a wonderful tw More...
Abbey is a Wizard (healer) and finds herself faced with healing a man she has admired and been attracted to for many years. A bargain is made and a marriage takes place.
Jack and Abby's relationship is a slow and steady growing love rather than a instant she's MINE kind of romance.
Mix in a little magic and you have a wonderful tw More...
Jun 02, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Not my fav, but a nice enjoyable story for reading on the beach. The passages that dealt with magic were a little hokey in my opinion, but I have never much enjoyed the historical romances that incorporate the paranormal. Good characters, fast moving storyline, not a bad way to spend an afternoon
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Jan 04, 2010
Kristen
rated it:
This is a beautiful historical romance story that's set in England, and has a hint of fantasy. This has plenty of romance in store, lots of drama. When Jack Langdon falls off his horse in a riding accident, he's badly injured, and meets Abby, a wizard, who heals him and saves his life. For the past couple of years, Jack's been taught to hate magic and suppressed his magic. Abby makes a bargain, that if she saved his life, they get married. She gets more than she bargained for, when they dealt wi
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Sep 13, 2007
Chris
rated it:
Old TT review:
I checked Mary Jo Putney's The Marriage Spell out of the library because our budget just doesn't stretch to hardbacks these days and because as much as I love Putney, I was a a bit dubious about the melding of Regency and fantasy. But this is really pretty much her usual well-done Regency historical, with the titled hero who bonded with other "misfits" at school and the heroine not quite of his social standing. The difference is that magic is pretty much every More...
I checked Mary Jo Putney's The Marriage Spell out of the library because our budget just doesn't stretch to hardbacks these days and because as much as I love Putney, I was a a bit dubious about the melding of Regency and fantasy. But this is really pretty much her usual well-done Regency historical, with the titled hero who bonded with other "misfits" at school and the heroine not quite of his social standing. The difference is that magic is pretty much every More...
Apr 19, 2010
Me Lin
rated it:
I've come to expect more from Putney's novels. Usually her plots are well thought out and detailed. I felt like this particular story didn't reflect her true story-telling abilities. Enjoyable in it's way, it was still a disappointment in light of her other books.
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May 23, 2010
Another author I found through audio books and my favorite narrator, Simon Prebble. Love this book and audio book. Both listen and read often.
Oct 03, 2008
Andrea
rated it:
Part of the Guardian Book Series (an alternative regency England), Lord Frayne hates magic and his gift was beat out of him in an anti-magic school. When he has a serious hunting accident a healing wizard (Abigail) manages to heal him with the help of a healing circle. Her price to pay - marriage after he is well. When he does get well, Abigail releases him from the pledge but he still feels duty bound to offer and they still marry. In the process, he learns to accept her, magic, and ultimat
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Oct 15, 2011
Elena
rated it:
This book was cute. But in a world where magic is hated and feared by the upper classes, the author couldn't toss in a little more plot?
Mar 30, 2010
Bree
rated it:
I just couldn't buy the alternate history that the book's premise was based on - the magical world didn't seem "real" to me. Maybe I've been spoiled buy Harry Potter and Susan Carroll's series.
Nov 20, 2011
Bob
rated it:
The ending was a little weak, but this was just a really fun read. I can always depend on Putney for that.
Jun 05, 2010
Lois
rated it:
Whisper of a plot. Nothing was a real obstacle, and whatever came up was quickly and easily overcome.
Apr 05, 2010
Janalynn
rated it:
I like this romance more than most because it actually had a good plot.
