The Marriage Spell
by Mary Jo
Finally The Marriage Spell is available as an ebook! Because the story has fantasy elements, it's listed as by "Mary Jo Putney writing as M. J. Putney." I intended for the book to be first of a new series, but Ballantine didn't want that or me, so The Marriage Spell ended up being a standalone Regency historical with magic. and I went to a different publisher, Kensington, where I've been ever since. That's life in the book business!
I've been independently releasing my backlist books since 2011. Production and cover development take time, which is why my backlist project has been going on so long. Now the cupboard is bare except for novellas and short stories. (I intend to release those as well over time.)
The Marriage Spell is a Regency story that tilts toward romance, while my Guardian series is Georgian and tilts a little more toward fantasy. But the books have a similar feel so I went with a similar cover, but with a woman, not a man. (On the right is the cover for A Kiss of Fate, first in the Guardian trilogy.)
A RITA finalist for best historical romance, The Marriage Spell is a story about a healer heroine and a hero who has been raised to hate his own magical powers. When Major Lord Jack Langdon, a soldier on leave, breaks his neck in a hunting accident, his only chance of survival is if Abigail Barton, a powerful local healer, can lead a healing circle and risk her life to save his. Abby had always admired him from afar, so she says she'll take the risk if he'll marry her if he survives. She saves him, but doesn't expect him to follow through on the bargain!
(Here's a picture of a modern fox hunt, and it probably doesn't look that much different than it did during the Regency. Fox hunting has now been banned in Great Britain, but the memories linger on.)
An excerpt:
Jack Langdon lives in a Regency world where magic is accepted, but considered vulgar and undesirable by the ton. Jack met his best friends at a school designed to beat the magic out of aristocratic boys with too great an interest in wizardry.
Twenty years later, with magic far behind him, Jack has become an army officer fighting in the Peninsular wars. On leave back home, he suffers mortal injuries in the hunting field. His friends take him to Abigail Barton, a talented healer, and a young woman who has long admired him from afar....
Abby turned to look at Lord Frayne. Lucky Jack Langdon, he was called. From what his friends said, he would never have smiled at her on the streets of Melton Mowbray if he’d known she was a wizard. He probably would have spat and turned away. Yet the man still drew her, both for her memories of him healthy, and for his present vulnerability.
“I want very much for him to live,” she said honestly. “It would be a tragedy for a strong young man who has such a gift for inspiring friendship to die needlessly. But…I don’t know if I can do this. Would it be worth risking my life when I don’t know if there is a real chance of success?” She bit her lip. “My father would be most disappointed if his only daughter killed herself while attempting something beyond her abilities.”
“Is there anything that would make the risk worthwhile? If you wish wealth or independence….” Ashby’s voice trailed off suggestively.
Abby studied Frayne’s unconscious form, aching with frustration that his life was slipping away, and she didn’t think she could save him. It was absurd to be half in love with a man she didn’t even know.
An outrageous thought struck her. More to herself than the men, she murmured, “There is something that would make the risk worthwhile, but it’s not a price Lord Frayne would be willing to pay.”
“Souls can’t be stolen,” Ransom said. “Anything else is open for discussion.”
She laughed at the absurdity of her idea. “Even marriage? I doubt he would do that, even to save his life.” Yet as she gazed at him, she realized that she was willing to risk her life for no payment whatsoever, simply because she wanted him to live. I’m sorry, Papa, but I must do this.
To her shock, Ashby studied her through narrowed eyes. “Ask him. He might surprise you.”
Here are a couple of reviews:
"Putney skillfully, cleverly, and beautifully combines the paranormal with the romantic...pure enchantment."
Romantic Times Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars
“For its inspired creation of an "alternate Regency" that is both familiar and new, and because of the magic of Ms. Putney's huge talent, I'm ensorcelled into awarding THE MARRIAGE SPELL a Perfect 10."
Jane Bowers, Romance Reviews Today
A POD (print on demand) version of The Marriage Spell will be available in the next week or so, and an audiobook version has been continuously available since the book as first published in 2006. The image on the left is of the original cover.
I'll be giving away two Kindle e-editions of The Marriage Spell to commenters who post on this blog between now and Saturday night. Sadly, it's for US readers only because ebooks can no longer be gifted to other countries.
Happy reading!
Mary Jo