Must Be Magic

Setting - England, 1753 ---- Lady Leila `Malcolm' Staines has always felt like the odd-man out when it came to her family because as far as she could see, she didn't seem to have any discernible special `gifts' like the other Malcolm women did. Now that she was a widow, she finally felt the freedom to do as she wished, to make her mark so to speak. She did have a gift though, that of a wonderful `nose' and she wanted to create scents that would be totally unique by growing and crossbreeding flowers. In order to expand upon this plan she needed the expertise of the greatest agronomist in England, Dunstan Ives. Because historically, Malcolm women and Ives men mix like oil and water - convincing the very angry and volatile Dunstan would take a minor miracle. When they both met though, it wasn't only Leila who experienced an olfactory scent of pure lust but Dunstan as well. With Dunstan trying to curb any type of involvement with women since the murder of his wife Celia - a murder most thought he committed - he was determined to stay away. Circumstances changed and badly needing not only the money, but a job, and land to plant his experimental seeds on, he negotiates a deal with Lady Leila. For Leila, to become involved with Dunstan or marry, she would lose her long sought independence. But, would that be so bad as over the course of time both would succumb to the lusty feelings they inspired in one another and as they began to grow their individual crops - his turnips, her flowers - they each began to see and respect each other for their individual uniqueness and the trust and respect each earned for one another turned into a most marvelous love story. This was another fabulous story featuring more of the marvelous Malcolm/Ives families that is a pure joy to read. Yes, there is a bit of magic that some might think of as cataloging this book as a paranormal but don't be turned off by this as it is so much more. Dunstan and Leila are both terrific characters who grow into each other. The confusion Dunstan felt as he was attracted to two different women (Leila and Lily) until he discovered they were one and the same; his undeniable love for his son Griffith; and his total support of Leila as she experimented with her `gift'; right up to the final realization that for the sake of those he loved he must clear his name in order to be able to have some kind of a life was a wonderfully drawn portrayal. Outstanding character development! Both Leila and Dunstan are unique and marvelous characters and their respective families are a total delight... Fans of Ms. Rice will surely not be disappointed in this brilliant and refreshing series. ---- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---

In my opinion, Patricia Rice's "Must Be Magic" is a must read. The story is a charming one and whimsical one that is bound to engage. However, it is, I must own, not a perfect book, and has it's share of what I call 'plot niggles.' For example, it takes forever for Dunstan to acknowledge that he needs help in trying to discover who actually murdered his faithless wife and to establish his innocence. His pigheadedness on this issue was a little trying. And I also found it very hard to believe that it took him so long to figure out that Leila and Lily were one and the same woman -- this was one plot gambit that did not really work for me. I think it would have made for far more interesting reading if both Dunstan and the reader got to see the 'two' different Leilas from the very beginning, so that we could all enjoy the contrast between the intelligent and vibrant Leila who was willing to work in the fields in order to realise her dreams, and the sultry drawing room Leila, who used her feminine charms to manipulate people and keep them at a distance. I was also curious about certain circumstances surrounding the Malcolm family. The Malcolms are an old Scottish family, renowned for producing female children who happen to be gifted with certain magical abilities. The Malcolms are also renowned for making advantageous marriages that further the family's fortunes. And yet, while the inference is that nearly every single marriage seems to have been a happy one, none of the Malcolm women seem to have married for love -- save the heroine of "Merely Magic," Nininan. I really wished that Patricia Rice had gone into (a little) what these other Malcolm women must have felt or thought about the whole concept of love, and marriage without love. She does do this with the heroine of "Must Be Magic," Leila. But even then what we know is that Leila married in order to promote her family's interests, that her mother has some feeling of love and affection for her father, and that even she (Leila) feels leery about counseling her younger sisters to seek only love matches. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I was curious as to why a family women with magical gifts would place advantageous marriages over love matches, and would have liked the authour to have delved into this matter a little more.On the other hand, however, "Must Be Magic" does indeed boast of possessing two very strong, memorable and engaging characters: Leila and Dunstan. When Leila's character was first introduced, I will admit that while I did feel for her because she felt so alienated and had such a low self esteem problem, I did not really take to her -- she was a little too manipulative for my taste. And while I understood why she used her beauty and her feminine allure to get things, I did not admire this trait in her at all. But as the novel progressed, so too did my sympathies for her grow. And in no time at all, I found myself rooting for her to find her hidden talents/magical gift, and

Though her gifts are not magical, and in a family of witches that makes her ever so slightly the outcast all her life, Leila Staines makes her own magic with the perfumes she derives from flowers. To help her get her business going, she hires rouge and accused murderer Dunstan Ives, a member of a family that has long feuded with hers, to help her grow the best flowers. Though Dunstan is a farmer at heart, he desperately needs the money, so he agrees to grow useless flowers and work for a woman with three strikes against her already in his book, a lady, a beauty, and a Staines. Enemies or not, they find themselves attracted beyond what they should be. Dunstan helps her in more ways than with her flowers, and eventually, using a ruse, Leila is able to make him see the true woman she is, and they succomb to their true feelings. Now, they have two quests, to make Leila a success, and to clear Dunstan of murdering his wife, if not for his own sake, for the sake of his son and the child Leila may carry. Pride will have to be put aside as he must use the powers of Leila's family to prevent his hanging and learn the truth. ***** If you shy from paranormals, do not be concerned that this is not a book for you. Witchery is only a minor aspect of this unusual novel. Leila is a refreshing heroine, as Ms. Rice's usually are, and Dunstan fits the gothic, brooding hero model. However, their unique role reversal is one that may appeal to the modern woman, with Leila being the one in power. It is also unusual to see a farmer as a hero of an English set story. The Staines family is delightful, and the scenes with Dunstan's son touching. Not the same old thing, this book will not in any way disappoint old or new fans of Ms. Rice. ***** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

All her life Lady Leila Staines has felt like an adopted outsider as the only member of the Malcolm women without any magical abilities. Even her hair is not the dark color that every other Malcolm female has. Still, she has done her part by marrying to improve the family fortune.With her husband dead, she controls the Staines estate as long she lives and never remarries. Leila wants to grow flowers that she can convert into perfumes as she feels she has a nose for this business. However, she needs a land usage expert and turns to agronomist Dunstan Ives, though he is considered a wife killer and her own mother warned her that Ives males are bad news for Malcolm females. Reluctantly, the landless Dunstan accepts her offer though he wants nothing to do with any woman, but especially those bewitching Malcolms. However, he berates himself for desiring Leila and another lass who looks like her (because of his stereotyping he refuses to realize that his two dreams are one in the same) even as he struggles to learn whom killed his wife.MUST BE MAGIC is an engaging historical romance that uses a pinch of witchcraft to spice up a tale with a rarely seen uniqueness. The story line mesmerizes the audience as Leila struggles with her "handicap" and her desire to belong while Malcolm battles between desire and not wanting to be burned again. Fans will believe that Patricia Rice must be magical as she spellbinds her audience with a one sitting fun novel.Harriet Klausner

Lady Leila Staines is close to the total opposite of the rest of her birth family, the Malcolms. She is raven haired rather than golden, and the magical gifts possessed by the female members of her family seemed to have missed her entirely. She grew up loved, as were all the children in her family, but she was treated differently enough by both peers and adults that she grew up to be a very different sort of Malcolm witch. Hardly a green thumb, her only "gift" is the ability to mix perfumes that seem to match the owner. She is determined to grow roses and combine the scents to make a unique flower, but is in need of the aid of Dunstan Ives, a man who can help her actually grow the flowers she can so clearly see and smell in her mind.Leila is widowed, and will only retain possession of her husband's property until she remarries. The current heir, Viscount Staines, is eager to have Leila married off, and is throwing any eligible man he can find at his aunt. A rather spoiled, nasty lout who thinks Leila's interest in roses and scents a complete waste of time, he has his eye on a young lady who will have nothing to do with him until he gains his property. Staines's clumsy attempts to find a man for Leila are dismal failures, so he turns to the man she has hired to help her gardens grow, hoping Dunstan can be persuaded to turn Leila's mind to other things. But Dunstan has problems of his own -- he is suspected of having murdered his wife. Although he needs this job with Lady Staines to raise the funds to clear his name, as well as the opportunity to test his own agricultural experiments, Dunstan is starting to regret having come to Leila's aid. He hates intrigue, hates feeling trapped, but most of all, hates being involved in any way with the witchy female side of the Malcolm clan.Can Leila outmaneuver her weasel of a nephew and keep her home long enough to grow her roses? Will Dunstan be able to clear his name and finally be free of the cloud hovering over his name? And more importantly, will the wonderful, witchy Malcolm women snare another Ives man? And for those of us who have been here since book one (MERELY MAGIC), will we FINALLY find out more about the rather mysterious (Adonis?Heeheehee...you'll have to read the book to find out. I refuse to give a single hint. Oh, don't be angry. This is a delicious treat of a read and I would not spoil a single moment for you. Trust me, run out and get this book. If you have not read MERELY MAGIC, run out and get that one too -- you will NOT need it for this book, but you'll enjoy the background. Patricia Rice has created two incredibly wonderful families stuffed to the brim with delightful characters who make you hope for a book about each and every one of them. MUST BE MAGIC is not just a keeper, it is nearly a perfect read with nothing to make you pause, stop, or want more as you turn page after page until you reach the end. Then you will sigh, and wait...impatiently...hoping for the