Merely Magic by Patricia Rice (Book Review)

Title: Merely Magic
Author: Patricia Rice
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

She has the magic as her birthright. . .

Ninian is a healer, but she's a Malcolm first and foremost, and Malcolms have always had a bit of magic -- unpredictable though it is -- to aid them in their pursuits.  She knows she must accept what she is or perish, but then Lord Drogo Ives arrives, bringing the deepest, most powerful magic she's ever experienced and turning Ninian's world upside down. . .

A man of science doesn't believe in anything he can't see. . .

Drogo Ives has no time for foolish musings or legends, even if he can't seem to resist the local witch.  Thrown together by a series of disastrous events, Ninian won't give herself fully to Drogo until she can make him trust and believe in her, and that's the last thing he'll ever do. . .

As the danger and chaos surrounding them escalates, Drogo and Ninian will be forced to decide: their love or their lives. . .

My thoughts: This book pulled me in from the beginning. Even the setting is magical - a village in the woods, secluded.  Everything sounded lush and green, until they discovered that something was poisoning the water.  Ninian discovers this just as she meets Drogo - because the stream is on his property that she collects her plants from for her cures.  She is the local healer - it is what she was born to do and all that she knows. Even the villagers steer clear of her unless they have need of her potions.

Drogo on the other hand is city bred and lives by logic.  He does not trust anything mystical or magical - or let's just say he doesn't believe in it.  He is the oldest Ives brother and has spent his entire life making sure that the rest of his family is provided for.  This leaves him alone with just his ledgers and his books most of the time.

Somehow these two lonely people are thrown together - well, they have help from Drogo's half sister Sarah, who seems to think that Ninian is the only one who can have Drogo's child.  I love the way that they fight each other through out the whole book - both wanting what they think they can't have.  It is almost like they can't see what is standing right in front of them. 

This is a reprint as this book was first published about 10 years ago.  It is the first in a series and I am looking forward to learning more about these two families - the Ives and the Malcolms.  They have a rich history and much legend in the village is built around what would happen if two of them ever got together.  If you like the current batch of paranormal/historical romances that are out, I would recommend giving this one a shot!

~I received a  complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my review.~

 

Merely Magic (Magic Series)
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Casablanca, Reprint March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4022-5193-1
352 pages