Magically Delicious

by Jo Goodman, Hannah Howell, Linda Madl

A delightfully decadent trio of Regency romances features Hannah Howell's The Magic Garden, in which Rose Keith, thought to be a witch due to the erotic escapades that ensue after dining on the meals she prepares from her unusual garden, finds herself under the spell of laird Sir Adair Dundas, as well as A Basket of Magic by Jo Goodman and Linda Madl's The Orange Tree.

Genres: Romance, Anthologies

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

To find characters to illustrate my first family saga, I cut out models from the Sears catalogue. I was in fourth grade, but it was a start. In seventh grade I wrote a melodrama about two orphan sisters, one of whom was pregnant. There was also a story about a runaway girl with the unlikely name of Strawberry and one about mistaken identities and an evil blind date. My supportive, but vaguely concerned parents, sighed with relief when I announced I was going to write children's books. They bought me an electric typewriter and crossed their fingers, but somehow PASSION'S BRIDE came out. No one was really surprised.
I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry and some notion that I would do marine research. Years of competitive swimming didn't help me anticipate seasickness. A career change seemed in order. I began working with adolescents and families, first as a childcare worker and later, after graduating from West Virginia University with a master's degree in counseling, as a therapist. I am currently the executive director of a child caring/mental health agency and find my work and my writing often compliment each other. One grounds me in reality and the other offers a break from it.

Reviews

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A Basket of Magic" by Goodman. Abby Winslow is unusual - she bakes bread for a specific person. Dylan Kincannon is a Yankee in Dover Falls, VA. When Abby goes to his remote cabin, he's had his leg caught in a trap and as a Civil War doctor, expects to have to amputate it. Abby gets stranded there by an avalanche and gradually wins his heart and heals him physically and emotionally - Best of the 3 stories - a short bedroom scene.

"The Magic Garden" by Hannah Howell. Rose Keith is believed to have magical powers in her food/garden. In fact pixies do help the women of her family. When the new laird comes home, he finds Rose just what he wants, but without the magic. Eventually he comes around. Also has one bedroom scene. Reasonably well done.

"The Orange Tree" by Linda Madl. Lady Emmalyn goes to Lord Hugh's Isle of Scully to get oranges for her daughter's wedding so her husband will be better to her sexually than Emmalyn's was. Hugh is aghast, but makes a bet with her. The become lovers, but still have issues. A lady who's the Bishop's gardener during the crusades??? Weak.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three stories in differing time frames. 'A Basket of Magic' takes place after the American Civil War. 'The Magic Garden' occurs in Scotland in the late 1300s. The Isle of Sully (England) is the scene of 'The Orange Tree' and takes place in 1207.

Jo Goodman's story was a charmer and I really enjoyed it. I really like stories related to the Civil War, even though magic was part of the theme.

Hannah Howell's Scottish story was a bit heavy on dialect but was an interesting story. Linda Madl's story about a contest to decide if oranges were an aphrodisiac was just OK.

[Lauren]

Hannah Howell's The Magic Garden

A Basket of Magic by Jo Goodman

Linda Madl's The Orange Tree

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid and strong anthology. Stories ranged from VERY good to good with "A Basket of Magic" by Jo Goodman being my favorite of the 3 stories in this anthology.