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A Kind of Magic
by Susan Sizemore
More
for paranormal lovers than Medieval enthusiasts
Susan
Sizemore's A Kind of Magic, a
time travel romance going back to Medieval Scotland, is a romance more
likely to appeal to paranormal romance readers as opposed to Medieval
enthusiasts. The first part of the book delights with its humor and
time shift but a simplistic dichotomy between the characters and time
periods results from a lack of development of her themes and
characters. The depiction of the Middle Ages is highly stereotypical
and frustrating to readers who appreciate the time period but the
authors development of the magical elements is quite well written.
Engineer Maddie McCullough takes a plane trip to meet her childhood
heart throb Toby Coltrane. Intelligent and witty, she harbors
insecurities about herself as a woman due to her lack of success in
romance. Once a tomboy, Maddie is lonely and ready for adventure---but
is she ready for the adventure that awaits her? Her mother convinces
her that Toby and a trip to Glasgow is her last chance to tell Toby
what she feels. When on the same plane, her friend Kevin transports a
rare archeological find to the University of Glasgow for metallurgical
tests, Maddie cannot resist trying on this beautiful necklace. The rare
artifact seems to possess some kind of magic, or is it a curse, because
the plane crashes, transporting Maddie back to the 13th century
Scottish Highlands.
When a strange magical light blazes in the sky near Laird Rowan
Murray's land, he turns to help from the White Lady of Glenshael, a
woman with the gift of seeing the future. Before telling him his fate,
she makes him promise to do as she says. Reluctant, Rowan finally
agrees to marry the first woman whom he meets on the road. Rowan will
do anything to secure the welfare of his clan, including magic and
spells, if they provide usefulness. Even plotting with Aidan to fix the
promise to his desire fails and Rowan's marriage choice seems destined
as magic and time travel bring him a woman who challenges him again and
again.
When Maddie and Rowan come face to face, their two cultures collide.
Susan Sizemore's time travel creates multiple laughs and smiles as
Maddie, not yet aware of the time difference, seeks to understand her
new surroundings. The Medieval setting challenges her as her
engineering background and modern technological devices collide head on
with the lack of fax machines, cell phones, etc. Forced to rely on
herself and her own intelligence, Maddie opens up herself on a more
primal level, exposing her heart and body to a kind of romance that
reaches deeper within that the external trappings. Rowan, used to being
in charge as a powerful laird must learn to trust her, loving her for
mind as well as her body as her engineering gifts can bring new life.
Susan Sizemore pits woman against man, science against magic, modern
times against the barbaric Dark Ages in a tale that brings two unlikely
lovers together.
Paranormal lovers will appreciate the fine nuanced details of this
romance as magic transverses two time periods. Every detail is finely
constructed, creating a vision of magic that intrigues. Unfortunately,
the portrayal of the Medieval setting rarely goes beyond the barbaric
Dark Ages, a term coined by Renaissance poet Petrarch as a contrast and
criticism of earlier times as compared to the Renaissance's discovery
of classical literature. For readers like myself who chose this romance
for the medieval setting as well as the paranormal elements, the
continued stereotypical description of this time period as barbaric
grates on the nerves. Furthermore, it flattens Rowan's character. A
little bit more research into the time period or a bit more glance at
the beauty of Rowan's world through Maddie's eyes would have made this
an awesome romance for paranormal and Medieval lovers alike. As it is, A Kind of Magic is a romance with a
tough, intelligent heroine and an intriguing look at magic and science
together through an intriguing prism of time travel. As a lover of both
paranormal romance and anything medieval, I would encourage the author
to enter the Medieval world with a bit more imagination and research
because A Kind of Magic shows
a potential to be able to draw in many different kinds of romance
readers in future Medieval set time travel romances. Although I did not
enjoy this particular romance based on the depiction of the Middle Ages
and the lack of possible character depth, I will definitely be watching
for this author's future releases. This book is just so close to being
an awesome romance but I think it is only her not quite fully developed
vision of the time period as seen through Rowan's eyes and Maddie's
transformed eyes that seems to miss for me. I did not enjoy this
romance and yet at the same time, certain very well written parts
marked her on my list of authors to watch because I feel she has great
potential in terms of Medieval time travels.
Publisher: Cerridwen Press (June 2007)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Medieval Book Reviews
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