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A Dangerous Magic
The rancher and the librarian...
He was wide-open spaces, solitude and strength - the kind of man to set women's hearts aflutter.
She was a small-town girl who never dreamed she'd end up marrying a rancher.
But if Catrina thought that Zade Mackensie's marriage proposal was the answer to those dreams, she was mistaken. Oh, Zade wanted to marry her, all right. He made no secret of the fact that a wife would make the ideal companion on his Montana Ranch. But he didn't offer her love. Catrina loved Zade enough to take a chance on marrying him. Now all she had to do was melt his resistance to romance.
- GenresHarlequin RomanceRomance
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1993
About the author
Patricia Wilson
121 books181 followersPatricia Wilson (1929 – 2010) was a best-selling writer of 53 romance novels for the Mills & Boon publisher from 1986 to 2004. She placed her novels primarily in England, Spain or France.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 17, 2017
Maybe Patricia Wilson couldn't make up her mind whether to write an English countryside romance or an American cowboy romance so she decided to blend the two. My guess is that she had some notes and a synopsis for two separate stories but she had a deadline to meet so, out of other ideas, she just mashed her two synopses together with a hope and a prayer.
She accomplished this by having her American cowboy hero (an English transplant) returning to the old English village of his childhood to visit his cousin, then promptly falling in lust/love with his cousin's fiancee.
If you already hate the two for their cheating, don't. As soon as the heroine realizes she has fallen for hero, she breaks up with the fiance, returning his ring. In the aftermath, she realizes the fiance was a lying, cheating scumbag who was just putting on a pleasant face and badgered her into getting married because there was no other way he could get her into bed. After the break-up, he and his vile mother conspire with the entire village to inflict some Scarlet-Letter mass shaming on the heroine, and he keeps showing up at her house threatening to rape her. Nice people!
The second half of the book has our English heroine moving across the ocean to live in hero's Montana ranch. We have the usual fish-out-of-water adjustment period although the really speedy version since by HPlandia rules, there are only a few pages left to resolve the conflict. H and h have the usual qualms about their marriage of convenience because naturally, they are too afraid to reveal to each other how they really feel.
She thinks he married her only because he was lonely and needed someone, anyone, to warm his bed, and he couldn't find a single, willing woman in all of the Rocky Mountains. A lie that is obviously debunked as heroine meets a green-with-envy, kind of scary OW in guise of welcome committee to the newlyweds. He, on the other hand, for some absolutely mysterious reason, thinks she still loves the ex-fiance and would-be rapist. Ooooookay.
The story then concludes abruptly with the author tying things up nicely by having the hero confess that he has been in love with the heroine for six years (though he did absolutely nothing about it) ever since he caught a glimpse of her in the English village on a previous visit there. He flew back to warn her against his own scumbag cousin when he received news that the two were engaged.
If that were true, why did he try to put her off when she was obviously falling for him, even telling her at one point that he was a lone wolf and that if she decided to fall for him, even let him make love to her, he would still leave her behind? I guess we'll never know because there were just too many threads to this story and PW ran out of space and explanations.
I like Patricia Wilson. She has written some of the better Harlequins out there, but this was a messy miss, in my opinion.
She accomplished this by having her American cowboy hero (an English transplant) returning to the old English village of his childhood to visit his cousin, then promptly falling in lust/love with his cousin's fiancee.
If you already hate the two for their cheating, don't. As soon as the heroine realizes she has fallen for hero, she breaks up with the fiance, returning his ring. In the aftermath, she realizes the fiance was a lying, cheating scumbag who was just putting on a pleasant face and badgered her into getting married because there was no other way he could get her into bed. After the break-up, he and his vile mother conspire with the entire village to inflict some Scarlet-Letter mass shaming on the heroine, and he keeps showing up at her house threatening to rape her. Nice people!
The second half of the book has our English heroine moving across the ocean to live in hero's Montana ranch. We have the usual fish-out-of-water adjustment period although the really speedy version since by HPlandia rules, there are only a few pages left to resolve the conflict. H and h have the usual qualms about their marriage of convenience because naturally, they are too afraid to reveal to each other how they really feel.
She thinks he married her only because he was lonely and needed someone, anyone, to warm his bed, and he couldn't find a single, willing woman in all of the Rocky Mountains. A lie that is obviously debunked as heroine meets a green-with-envy, kind of scary OW in guise of welcome committee to the newlyweds. He, on the other hand, for some absolutely mysterious reason, thinks she still loves the ex-fiance and would-be rapist. Ooooookay.
The story then concludes abruptly with the author tying things up nicely by having the hero confess that he has been in love with the heroine for six years (though he did absolutely nothing about it) ever since he caught a glimpse of her in the English village on a previous visit there. He flew back to warn her against his own scumbag cousin when he received news that the two were engaged.
If that were true, why did he try to put her off when she was obviously falling for him, even telling her at one point that he was a lone wolf and that if she decided to fall for him, even let him make love to her, he would still leave her behind? I guess we'll never know because there were just too many threads to this story and PW ran out of space and explanations.
I like Patricia Wilson. She has written some of the better Harlequins out there, but this was a messy miss, in my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2017
Cute librarian in a small town falls for her fiancé’s cousin. Wilson sneaks in a near rape and a depiction of an abusive man that’s more restrained and therefore feels more authentic than her usual over the top drama.
That cover though, amazing illustration but why is the heroine wearing boring clothes that are several sizes too big for her? I mean, I know she’s in Montana and it’s the 90s so yes we all had checked shirts and thought they were amazingly great, but what is she planning on hiding in those massive crotch folds?
And yes maybe I could have phrased that to be not quite so dirty, but if you are not seeing this cover on anything other than a tiny screen, you are not getting the full appreciation of how grossed out I am by it.
That cover though, amazing illustration but why is the heroine wearing boring clothes that are several sizes too big for her? I mean, I know she’s in Montana and it’s the 90s so yes we all had checked shirts and thought they were amazingly great, but what is she planning on hiding in those massive crotch folds?
And yes maybe I could have phrased that to be not quite so dirty, but if you are not seeing this cover on anything other than a tiny screen, you are not getting the full appreciation of how grossed out I am by it.
February 26, 2018
"A Dangerous Magic" is the story of Zade and Catrina.
Firstly, I have to say the blurb was misleading. It made it sound like a mail order/marriage of convinience story, when in actualty it was the story of cousin rivalry and discovering the delight of magical attraction.
As the book starts, we find our h Catrina engaged to a chirpy Gary who has a disapproving mother. She finds comfort, but no passion in his arms. All changes when Gary's cousin Zade comes to visit him, and stolen glances expose Catrina to the real truth about what happens when there is instant chemistry.
Soon Gary's real face is revealed as Cat tries to break the engagement, and Zade comes to rescues with his bruising kisses and marriage proposal.
There is major OM drama in this one before marriage, and OW drama post marriage. I am however glad that Cat finds happiness with him and stands up for her rights.
Ends rather abruptly.
SWE/Unsafe
2/5
Firstly, I have to say the blurb was misleading. It made it sound like a mail order/marriage of convinience story, when in actualty it was the story of cousin rivalry and discovering the delight of magical attraction.
As the book starts, we find our h Catrina engaged to a chirpy Gary who has a disapproving mother. She finds comfort, but no passion in his arms. All changes when Gary's cousin Zade comes to visit him, and stolen glances expose Catrina to the real truth about what happens when there is instant chemistry.
Soon Gary's real face is revealed as Cat tries to break the engagement, and Zade comes to rescues with his bruising kisses and marriage proposal.
There is major OM drama in this one before marriage, and OW drama post marriage. I am however glad that Cat finds happiness with him and stands up for her rights.
Ends rather abruptly.
SWE/Unsafe
2/5
December 3, 2017
Somebody left a bunch of books on the bench outside the store and they got all wet so that we couldn't do anything with them except throw them away. They were still readable, though, so I rescued a few category Romances because i like having something short and feel-good on hand for when I need a little reading snack, rather than a full meal. But, sadly, this one reminded me of why I tend to avoid category titles: the page count is so short that there's not a lot of there there. The heroine is a total Mary Sue/damsel, because there's not enough time before the end of the book for her to develop into anything more. There are two (and a half) antagonists, neither of whom are given either motivation, nor the time to develop into proper villains. There are supporting characters who might be interesting, but who just sort of disappear from the story when it's no longer convenient to write about them. It ended up more frustrating than satisfying. Oh, well. It was free and didn't eat up a lot of my time in the reading.
November 5, 2024
A dangerous type of magic that turns the entire population of the quaint English village into self-righteous bigots and a reliable and responsible boyfriend into an unhinged sociopath.
The h feels lonely, her mother’s recently died and her father is a busy international pilot. Her relationship with the local man slowly develops and they get engaged. The only fly in the ointment is his jealous mother.
Then his cousin comes for a visit and everything goes off the rails.
The h admits she’s attracted to the cousin and breaks off the engagement. After it becomes unbearable to stay the H whisks her to his ranch in the States.
But doesn’t say he loves her. And there’s a spiteful OW there waiting on the sidelines.
The h feels lonely, her mother’s recently died and her father is a busy international pilot. Her relationship with the local man slowly develops and they get engaged. The only fly in the ointment is his jealous mother.
Then his cousin comes for a visit and everything goes off the rails.
The h admits she’s attracted to the cousin and breaks off the engagement. After it becomes unbearable to stay the H whisks her to his ranch in the States.
But doesn’t say he loves her. And there’s a spiteful OW there waiting on the sidelines.
October 7, 2020
my first love and a masterpiece....all us girl cousins used to just die talking about Zade. Those were the days. Patricia Wilson my fav M&B author.
April 19, 2024
I didn't expect to like this one because I'm not into cowboys but enough of it was away from all that, and set in a vaguely recognizable if old fashioned England for me to sort of appreciate the story although I wouldn't say it was the greatest plot. The h, Catrina, had a creepy fiance Gary, a farmer with an overbearing mother. Zade (I know) is the visiting American cowboy cousin with whom she discovers the previously unfelt "magic" ie sexual chemistry, causing her to break the chaste engagement. Gary then reveals his true colours as your average entitled misogynist and threatens rape. Zade steps in, stays the night, deflowers the (very willing) h and marries her before whisking her to Montana. There's the usual neither of them feeling they can declare their true feelings, an OW sticking her oar in etc. Ends besottedly and baby ful (I can take or leave the baby epilogues myself but I know some like them.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2025
This is a strange story, but I think I was so thrilled to read a new (to me) Patricia Wilson story that I had to round up a star.
The story is in two parts. A small village in the Yorkshire Dales and then in Montana, USA. The Montana, USA must have been to tacked on for the requirements of this Hitched series it's been shoehorned into.
So virgin heroine, the town's librarian, is engaged to a farmer (OM) with an entitled attitude and a surly mother. She is not in love with him and seems to think he's her best friend, even though they don't talk and he doesn't share any of her interests. Her father is an airline pilot and her mother died three years before, so heroine is alone alot and probably mildly depressed.
Enter hero - the OM's rancher cousin from Montana. He grew up in the village and then ended up in Montana? It's not very clear how he came to be a businessman and could ride horses, while his cousin was clueless. Anyway - he's back in England to meet his cousin's fiance.
For the first time in her life, heroine has been struck by sexual attraction. Hero seems equally interested, but hides it under sarcasm and derision.
OM starts acting out when his cousin shows up and heroine realizes she doesn't know him - doesn't even like him - and breaks it off. Hero is alarmed because he knows how cruel his cousin can be. OM threatens to rape the heroine, but hero rescues her.
Meanwhile, OM's mother organizes a mass shunning of the heroine. (The gossips show up at the library and stand in groups talking loudly about her) Heroine is at her wits end. Hero saves her and then takes her to bed. Heroine realizes she's not frigid and she's in love with hero. She accepts his proposal and we're off to Montana.
Hero meets all the important people on the ranch, the wanna be OW, the hero's mother, etc. . The hero tells her to fight her own battles and basically ignores her until she fights back.
This is just as interesting as the first part of the story, but with entirely different themes. Hero is testing her by witholding. He wants her to come to him freely since he feels like she was trapped in England. (This is a red flag in real life, but reads incredibly romantic in this story).
Heroine handles it all with flying colors and hero finally tells her his feelings when she bars the OW from their ranch and tells her she's pregnant. (Before she tells the hero - who already figured it out)
There's a nice epilogue with H/h, their daughter and another baby on the way.
It's a strange story without a cohesive plot, but I enjoyed it. H/h are great.
The story is in two parts. A small village in the Yorkshire Dales and then in Montana, USA. The Montana, USA must have been to tacked on for the requirements of this Hitched series it's been shoehorned into.
So virgin heroine, the town's librarian, is engaged to a farmer (OM) with an entitled attitude and a surly mother. She is not in love with him and seems to think he's her best friend, even though they don't talk and he doesn't share any of her interests. Her father is an airline pilot and her mother died three years before, so heroine is alone alot and probably mildly depressed.
Enter hero - the OM's rancher cousin from Montana. He grew up in the village and then ended up in Montana? It's not very clear how he came to be a businessman and could ride horses, while his cousin was clueless. Anyway - he's back in England to meet his cousin's fiance.
For the first time in her life, heroine has been struck by sexual attraction. Hero seems equally interested, but hides it under sarcasm and derision.
OM starts acting out when his cousin shows up and heroine realizes she doesn't know him - doesn't even like him - and breaks it off. Hero is alarmed because he knows how cruel his cousin can be. OM threatens to rape the heroine, but hero rescues her.
Meanwhile, OM's mother organizes a mass shunning of the heroine. (The gossips show up at the library and stand in groups talking loudly about her) Heroine is at her wits end. Hero saves her and then takes her to bed. Heroine realizes she's not frigid and she's in love with hero. She accepts his proposal and we're off to Montana.
Hero meets all the important people on the ranch, the wanna be OW, the hero's mother, etc. . The hero tells her to fight her own battles and basically ignores her until she fights back.
This is just as interesting as the first part of the story, but with entirely different themes. Hero is testing her by witholding. He wants her to come to him freely since he feels like she was trapped in England. (This is a red flag in real life, but reads incredibly romantic in this story).
Heroine handles it all with flying colors and hero finally tells her his feelings when she bars the OW from their ranch and tells her she's pregnant. (Before she tells the hero - who already figured it out)
There's a nice epilogue with H/h, their daughter and another baby on the way.
It's a strange story without a cohesive plot, but I enjoyed it. H/h are great.
August 28, 2023
Příběh je úplně pitomý.
Catrina se rok připravuje na svatbu s Garym a čekají, že po svatbě se něco stane s její „frigiditou“.
Potká jeho bratrance Zadea, který se sice chová jako trotl, ale je tak mužný, že z ní přece jen vykřeše jiskřičku vášně.
Zruší svatbu, pár dní po seznámení se se Zadem vyspí, přestane chodit do práce a i když se cítí bezmocná a podvedená, sbalí si své věci a odjede s ním do Ameriky.
Ale stejně tu bylo pár zásadních nejasností. (s. 101)
Třeba to, čím hrdinka vlastně myslí.
Vezmou se a nějak to dopadne.
Catrina letěla přes půl světa a všechno se jí vešlo do velkého auta.
Dostala vlastní pokojík, protože hrdina je ohleduplný (nechce ji ráno budit, když bude vstávat).
Druhý den vybalovala a trvalo jí to. Pak přišla sokyně a zeptala se, proč nevybaluje v hrdinově ložnici. Z toho Catrina usoudila, že s ní určitě hrdina něco měl.
Taky ji to tak rozlítilo, že našla jeho pokoj, prohlédla si ho a na odchodu práskla dveřmi.
Jestli bude muset bydlet jinde, hezky si to tam zařídí (…) Den kupodivu rychle uběhl a ona byla na hrdinu nachystaná.
Ale on se nedal. Vyšel ven a vrátil se „asi za deset minut“.
Zatáhl ji do svého pokoje a ukázal jí, že má ve své skříni aspoň polovinu jejího šatníku.
Než tohle gesto mě spíš udivilo, že ona se s tím pinožila celý boží den a on to zvládl za deset minut.
Po prvním předsvatebním pokusu už spolu nespali. Trochu jí to vadilo, ale měli společný pokoj a on se k ní choval hezky (jako ke psíkovi). A čekal, až mu řekne, že je těhotná a že ho miluje, protože jinak nic nebude.
Když už jsem byla ráda, že to mám skoro za sebou, přišel zlatý hřeb.
Hrdina se odkopal a přiznal, že ji miluje už šest let! Od doby, kdy ji poprvé zahlédl.
s. 105 Zade ji upozornil, že právě letí nad jeho rodištěm.
Nad Montanou. I když do šestnácti let žil v Anglii (s. 73). Pak se jeho matka znovu vdala a její manžel Odvezl nás oba do Států a adoptoval mě. (s. 25)
Konkurentka v Americe ho poznala, když byl ještě malé dítě. (s. 114)
„Bylo mu už přes deset let, když se sem přestěhoval,“ zdůraznila Catrina. (s. 115)
s. 56 Pust [Pusť]
s. 102 nechci..
s. 117 s [se]
špatné dělení slov - s. 5, 142
čárka - s. 19, 40, 49
[Nebezpečné kouzlo, české vydání, 1998]
Catrina se rok připravuje na svatbu s Garym a čekají, že po svatbě se něco stane s její „frigiditou“.
Potká jeho bratrance Zadea, který se sice chová jako trotl, ale je tak mužný, že z ní přece jen vykřeše jiskřičku vášně.
Zruší svatbu, pár dní po seznámení se se Zadem vyspí, přestane chodit do práce a i když se cítí bezmocná a podvedená, sbalí si své věci a odjede s ním do Ameriky.
Ale stejně tu bylo pár zásadních nejasností. (s. 101)
Třeba to, čím hrdinka vlastně myslí.
Vezmou se a nějak to dopadne.
Catrina letěla přes půl světa a všechno se jí vešlo do velkého auta.
Dostala vlastní pokojík, protože hrdina je ohleduplný (nechce ji ráno budit, když bude vstávat).
Druhý den vybalovala a trvalo jí to. Pak přišla sokyně a zeptala se, proč nevybaluje v hrdinově ložnici. Z toho Catrina usoudila, že s ní určitě hrdina něco měl.
Taky ji to tak rozlítilo, že našla jeho pokoj, prohlédla si ho a na odchodu práskla dveřmi.
Jestli bude muset bydlet jinde, hezky si to tam zařídí (…) Den kupodivu rychle uběhl a ona byla na hrdinu nachystaná.
Ale on se nedal. Vyšel ven a vrátil se „asi za deset minut“.
Zatáhl ji do svého pokoje a ukázal jí, že má ve své skříni aspoň polovinu jejího šatníku.
Než tohle gesto mě spíš udivilo, že ona se s tím pinožila celý boží den a on to zvládl za deset minut.
Po prvním předsvatebním pokusu už spolu nespali. Trochu jí to vadilo, ale měli společný pokoj a on se k ní choval hezky (jako ke psíkovi). A čekal, až mu řekne, že je těhotná a že ho miluje, protože jinak nic nebude.
Když už jsem byla ráda, že to mám skoro za sebou, přišel zlatý hřeb.
Hrdina se odkopal a přiznal, že ji miluje už šest let! Od doby, kdy ji poprvé zahlédl.
s. 105 Zade ji upozornil, že právě letí nad jeho rodištěm.
Nad Montanou. I když do šestnácti let žil v Anglii (s. 73). Pak se jeho matka znovu vdala a její manžel Odvezl nás oba do Států a adoptoval mě. (s. 25)
Konkurentka v Americe ho poznala, když byl ještě malé dítě. (s. 114)
„Bylo mu už přes deset let, když se sem přestěhoval,“ zdůraznila Catrina. (s. 115)
s. 56 Pust [Pusť]
s. 102 nechci..
s. 117 s [se]
špatné dělení slov - s. 5, 142
čárka - s. 19, 40, 49
[Nebezpečné kouzlo, české vydání, 1998]
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2018
Catrina is engaged to Grag whom she thinks she loves, but can't respond to physically so she thinks herself cold. It's the arrival of his cousin, zade, that rids her of this illusion. Unfortunately, when she breaks her engagement things get nasty and for her protection she marries Zade.
For honesty, the story starts and ends so great, but the middle chapters were more of a thriller novel than a harlequin's romance.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable read since the emotions were at least believable and the two main characters lovable.
For honesty, the story starts and ends so great, but the middle chapters were more of a thriller novel than a harlequin's romance.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable read since the emotions were at least believable and the two main characters lovable.
July 30, 2025
He is a true knight in shining armour. Very protective, he comes to her rescue every time and he defends her against the world. He’s the boss in many ways. He works hard, he is handsome, fit and sexy, he isn’t a womanizer, he hasn’t been with tons of other women and he is an alpha male who wants to commit. What a man.
June 9, 2021
The rancher and the librarian...
He was wide-open spaces, solitude and strength - the kind of man to set women's hearts aflutter.
She was a small-town girl who never dreamed she'd end up marrying a rancher.
But if Catrina thought that Zade Mackensie's marriage proposal was the answer to those dreams, she was mistaken. Oh, Zade wanted to marry her, all right. He made no secret of the fact that a wife would make the ideal companion on his Montana Ranch. But he didn't offer her love. Catrina loved Zade enough to take a chance on marrying him. Now all she had to do was melt his resistance to romance.
He was wide-open spaces, solitude and strength - the kind of man to set women's hearts aflutter.
She was a small-town girl who never dreamed she'd end up marrying a rancher.
But if Catrina thought that Zade Mackensie's marriage proposal was the answer to those dreams, she was mistaken. Oh, Zade wanted to marry her, all right. He made no secret of the fact that a wife would make the ideal companion on his Montana Ranch. But he didn't offer her love. Catrina loved Zade enough to take a chance on marrying him. Now all she had to do was melt his resistance to romance.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews