A Lady and Her Magic
by Tammy Falkner
Despite its title, A Lady and Her Magic has very little magic in it, more things we hear about rather than see. Sophia is a mission faerie who, apart from her pointed ears, looks as human as everyone else. She does have the ability to make herself small and can bring out her wings but readers only see that once. Sophia's real magic lies in her ability to cure the nightmares of a lonely little girl who lost her mother too young, and in loving the most dangerous man in the land—the Dangerous Duke of Robinsworth, whom everyone believes murdered his wife.
Ashley is a single father with a little girl whom no one knows how to handle, least of all himself. He is in the park one day lamenting the fact that if he'd known his daughter would be so unmanageable he wouldn't have killed her mother, when a young lady walks past and, with just a few words, gets his daughter to behave. Ashley is intrigued.
Along with her Grandmother, Sophia has escaped her world before her wings could be taken from her for incomplete missions in order to help Anne overcome her nightmares, and secondly to help Ashley re-enter society for both their sakes. Sophia's grandmother has been to the human realm before and calls upon those past acquaintances to get invited to a house party hosted by the duke's mother, where Sophia breaks one of the Fae's rules by falling in love with a human.
A Lady and Her Magic has a couple of mysteries at its center, that of what really happened to the duke's wife, and what happened to Sophia's mother. Sophia and her brother and sister were raised in faerie by their grandparents but, none of them know what really happened to their mother. They believe she is dead, but they never really know and for some surprising reason, they aren't really all that curious about her, which I found a bit odd but, I think it was part of the faerie magic.
Sophia is entranced by music though she doesn't know why, and there a quite a few nights when Ashley's midnight playing become irresistible to her and it is then the two of them talk and really fall in love. Sophia and Ashley's romance was slow, and very sweet. By the end of the book I couldn't wait to see how everything would play out, since a human can't live in faerie and the Fae can't live permanently in the human world with her magic. Which would Sophia choose, love or family? The answer wasn't as easy as we romance readers would expect but, it was the perfect ending for the book.
Tammy Falkner is one of the writing duo of Lydia Dare, who has ventured out on her own with A Lady and Her Magic. I really enjoy Lydia Dare's books so when I read about this one, I knew I had to read it, and I'm glad I did. I am looking forward to Ms. Falkner's next book. If it is about the couple that was foreshadowed in this book, it should be quite the ride as they really didn't get along well.
A Lady and Her Magic was a light summer read with a very touching ending. Give it a try, you'll be pleased you did.
Reviewed by: Valarie Pelissero
“Rules are made to be disobeyed, especially the impossible rules of the Fae.”
September 2012, 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks
ISBN: 1402268122
Sophia Thorne is new to the Regency's glittering high society, which resembles her magical homeland only insofar as both places are filled with ridiculous rules. Which means no matter where she goes, she's bound for trouble...
The Duke of Robinsworth has flaunted and shocked society for years. In a moment of fateful mischief, Robinsworth encounters the enchanting and distinctly scandalous Sophia. Between her streak of magical mischief and his penchant for scandal, they're about to take rule-breaking to a whole new level...