“Simply Magic” by Mary Balogh

“Simply Magic” by Mary Balogh
2007, Bantam Dell
ISBN: 978-0-385-33823-3


I have my own personal gauges for what I consider good books. You can get a “good” feeling in your body. That’s not something that’s real obvious, but you know personally if you feel good or not. A more obvious clue for me if I like a book is if I cry at one or more points along the way. I did that with, “Simply Magic” by Mary Balogh.

If you’ve read any other books by Mary Balogh you’ll recognize some of the names in the books. Her characters are finely drawn and crafted and deserve to be in more than one book. I think it’s wonderful how she pulls the awkwardness of first meetings, of first infatuation and the hesitancy of first loves into this story. This is a Regency Romance with balls and coaches and polite teas. But, this is also the story of two people from different worlds who recognize in each other that simple gold and silver thread that is love.

Susanna Osbourne, with her green eyes and auburn hair, meets Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, by pure happenstance. If either of them had made a decision they’d both been contemplating the day before their meeting it would never have happened. And, I thought it was fantastic to read Peter’s thoughts as he saw her for the first time, “There she is.” Simple, but how wonderfully a heart will recognize love before the people involved will acknowledge it.

It is also always interesting to me to see how people in stories grow and develop. I loved seeing how their love brought them both the courage to do things for themselves that prior to their meeting they’d just not been willing or able to do. Together they created a formidable force.

“Simply Magic” was terrific. You can vist Mary's website here.