"terrific romantic fantasy"

In 1748 England, the Guardian Council Chief Enforcer of the use of magic, Earl Simon Malmain travels to the castle of Lord Drayton to charge him with using his mage skills to abet the Jacobytes. Drayton remains relaxed considering who is unwanted guest is and coolly changes his foe into a unicorn; only a virgin can convert Simon back into a human. The evil magician boasts that having a unicorn will make him the most powerful person ever on the planet. However, Simon escapes from the castle though he remains in his mythological form.

Simon the unicorn meets Drayton's servant "Mad Meggie", who is a virgin with a special skill with animals. She frees him from the spell and in turn he liberates her from an enchantment that left her under Drayton's control. They partner in an effort to stop Drayton, who wants to halt the Industrial Age from replacing the enlightened magical era.

This is a terrific romantic fantasy that uses mid eighteenth century England as a backdrop to anchor the magical elements so that the audience believes in spells, unicorns, and the battle of the mages. The story line is action-packed yet insures the key three characters appear fully developed. The romantic subplot between Meg and Simon accentuate a fabulous tale that will send enchanted readers seeking A KISS OF FATE.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 25, 2005

Read an Excerpt

With richly imagined characters and compelling stories, New York Times bestselling author M. J. Putney has won dazzling praise from reviewers and readers across the country. Her spellbinding new romantic fantasy will sweep you from Wales's mysterious forests to the glittering menace of Georgian London—and into a shattering rendezvous with fate.

Summary

Heir to an ancient title, Simon Malmain, the Earl of Falconer, is well known among the Guardians, humans with magical powers derived from nature. Well known, but not always well loved . . . for those who enforce the law are rarely embraced by those whom they protect—and this is equally true whether the law is magical or mundane.

A routine mission to confront a rogue Guardian who has misused his powers turns disastrous when Simon's quarry, Lord Drayton, captures his pursuer in a transformation spell that can only be released by Drayton—or death. Aid arrives in the form of Meg, a fey young woman who first traps Simon, then frees him.

As they flee together, Simon recognizes that Meg is also a victim of Drayton's evil enchantments, and he restores her nature and innate magic. Though her memory is still clouded, she is freed at last from a shadowy world of fear and lost identity. She agrees to help Simon bring down Drayton.

The need for each other's magic binds them together—and releases the more ancient magic of passion. But desire cannot be satisfied until the rogue mage is stopped. For Drayton has a diabolical plan that will profoundly alter the course of Britain's future. Even the combined power of Simon and Meg may not be enough to stave off catastrophe. Only a desperate act of love may win back the future—or destroy all they hold dear.