Oh, the joy of discovering a new Joyce Harmon book! This series is just so much fun, and this episode, although somewhat gentler than some of the previous books, is still a delight. Still no sign of the handsome lord (and battle mage!!) I’ve been hankering after for several books now, but there is some potential love interest for our heroine.
Here’s the premise: bookish Mary Bennet, the little-regarded middle daughter of the Bennet family of Pride and Prejudice fame, has turned out to have a hidden talent – she can do magic! And because she didn’t discover this ability until adulthood and the perusal of a mysterious book found in the Bingleys’ library, her talent is untrained and therefore unusual. After four adventures, she’s back at Longbourn for a quieter time, she hopes, in celebrating Kitty’s marriage to a local vicar. But odd things start to happen which Mary, away from her magical mentors for the first time, has to deal with on her own, which she manages very well, with just a little help from her friends.
There’s also a serious love interest for the first time. Mr Whittaker has recently inherited a sizeable estate in the neighbourhood, he’s a scholar like Mary and he’s sensible, personable and totally nice. And he’s definitely interested. What should Mary do? This is a major dilemma for her, and the philosophical question of the wisdom of magicians marrying ‘muggles’ (so to speak) is dealt with very rationally. I liked that Mary was able to think it through and reach a conclusion she’ll be able to live with without regret.
The dramatic finale isn’t quite as earth-shattering as some of the previous books, and the villain wasn’t really terribly villainous, more a silly annoyance, but there was a very surprising twist at the end which I totally loved. I’ll be interested in seeing where (if anywhere) that goes. I’m also still hoping for the reappearance of the handsome young lord (Viscount St Ives, he of the honey-coloured hair). Since Mary keeps remembering him, I’m reasonably optimistic he’s not gone forever, and now Mary’s been invited to participate in some secret mission for the magical Order, so… fingers crossed.
If I were being picky, I’d say that nothing much happens in this book, but that’s not entirely true. The events are less dramatic, and the magical interactions are more charming than threatening, but that just makes it even more of a pleasure to read. The language isn’t always totally authentic, but when you’re swept up in the story it doesn’t really matter. A lovely read. Five stars.
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