Review: Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale

published May 4th 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published March 2nd 1987) detailsPaperback, 512 pages
isbn13: 9781402237027

Rumors of ruined maidens, coldblooded duels, swindles, and murder swirl around the impoverished 'Devil Earl.' But Faelan Savigar hides an even darker secret. Roderica Delamore longs for a normal life but fears she'll end up mad or suicidal like the forebears from whom she inherited her "gift" of sensing others thoughts and emotions. As the two find their way to each other against all odds, Roddy's growing love for Faelen may end up saving him or destroying her…

A breathtaking historical romance filled with poignancy, darkness, love, and an unexpected twist of Gaelic magic…

Earlier this year, I reviewed Laura Kinsale's Lessons in French, so I had a bit of an idea of what to expect. Or at least I thought I did. In starting Uncertain Magic, I didn't feel that same initial pull as I did with my first Kinsale experience. But Uncertain Magic is a pretty meaty read so I kept going, hoping to get more from it.

I think my issue here was the likeability of the main characters. They both came across as standoffish, which can be off-putting for the reader. Roddy and Faelan are brought together quickly, each for their own reasons, and married. I was expecting the romance, or the achieving of it to be the central part of the story and I suppose to some degree it was, just in a different way than I'd imagined. And in the end, I liked this approach. It's good when an author can mix things up a bit.

With the marriage out of the way almost immediately, I was unsure where the rest of the story would take me. Roddy's special talent and Faelan's mysterious past are repeatedly mentioned but Kinsale waits till the bitter end to reveal the truths. Reaching this point though is achieved through the background of battles between the Irish Protestants and Catholics.

Having grown up with this history (mine was from the Scottish view point, but still similar), I had some insights into how bad the blood could be between these arch-rivals. But Kinsale always manages to teach me a thing or two that I didn't know, for instance how the land of Catholic families was divided after the death of its patriarch versus Protestant land owners (I've always thought of the Irish as being more Catholic, but it seems this was not always the case.)

I grew to enjoy the characters but found the paranormal aspects of the story a bit tedious and confusing at times. Overall, a decent read, especially if you like your romance with a twist of history.

Review: Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale

Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (Jan 26 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402237014
ISBN-13: 978-1402237010

From the Publisher:

Laura Kinsale's unique and powerfully written love stories transcend the romance genre. In this, her first new book in five years, she delivers a poignant, funny, sexy, Regency romance sure to delight her many fans and attract a whole new readership.

Trevelyan and Callie are childhood sweethearts with a taste for adventure, until the fateful day her father discovers them embracing in the carriage house and, in a furious frenzy, drives Trevelyan away in disgrace. Nine long, lonely years later, Trevelyan returns. Callie discovers that he can still make her blood race and fill her life with excitement, but he can't give her the one thing she wants more than anything—himself.

For Trevelyan, Callie is a spark of light in a world of darkness and deceit. Before he can bear to say his last goodbyes, he's determined to sweep her into one last, fateful adventure, just for the two of them.

Poor Callie is down in the dumps, having been engaged then left hanging three times. She now has quite the self-esteem problem. Along comes Trevelyan, with whom Callie has some interesting history, just in time to liven things up in her life. But Trevelyan has had his own issues recently, making him a wanted man.

There are elements throughout where you just want to shake the two of them and get them discuss things. But, we have to endure some of the characters' stupidity in the name of suspense and fun. The two of them do seem well paired with Callie, the shy one and Trev, the bold, brash one. Sadly, it seems that the society of those times will erect every barrier possible to keep them from being together.

The book goes from extremes of proper English court (while the story takes place in a country town, the rules of society still apply) to the mischief that happens behind closed doors. We see some sadness as we learn Trev fought with Napoleon only to be captured by the English, though his loyalties always remained true. He was just a victim of circumstance while trying to stay alive to recapture a lost dream.

From the cover, I was immediately expecting Lessons in French to be a cheesy romance novel. What I wasn't prepared for was the quick wit in Laura Kinsale's writing. I very much enjoyed this book, with its crazy cow in a kitchen scenario and the main characters resorting to disguising themselves to make things happen. I have never as much cared about the outcome for a fictional animal as I did for Herbert (when you read it you'll see what I mean.)

Lessons in French is a fun romp through Regency Romance, for sure!