Much Ado About Magic
In the latest installment of Patricia Rice’s series of historical romances, Lady Lucinda Malcolm Pembroke is swept off her feet—literally—and wooed by scarred, dark-visaged Sir Trevelyan Rochester, who joyfully learns the young lady is his match in every way. Happy to say, I fell willingly into the arms of this book, the fifth in the “Magic” series featuring the Malcolm witches, a family of women gifted with special powers.
In 1740s England, Lucinda is a talented artist whose paintings seem to predict the future. Trev Rochester, a privateer disinherited by his grandfather because of his mixed blood, sees his chances for reconciliation with his family ruined when one of Lucinda’s paintings suggests he is responsible for the murder of his missing cousin. The painting causes a scandal. Lucinda is puzzled; she and Trev have never met, and yet she has drawn his perfect likeness. She dons a disguise. He falls for her before realizing she is his nemesis. They fight and pose as gypsies…
Sexy? Absolutely. And chock full of crisp turns that keep the genre fresh. The nicest surprise, though, is that love and loss of family, and finding them again, is at the heart of this charming book. Highly recommended.