Review: Uncertain Magic

Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars 

*This is a TBRChallenge review, there will be spoilers, I don't spoil everything but enough, because I treat these reviews as a bookclub discussion. 

"You think I'm mad. I think you're mad. We're meant for each other, my love." 

This month's TBRChallenge was Tales of Old, so I went with this bodice ripper that has probably been on my tbr for around 20yrs. 

It's 1797 and Roderica (Roddy) is dressed as a stable boy watching a horse race. The reader learns that she has a “gift” that allows her to hear the thoughts and feelings of humans and animals. The horse winning the race is in severe pain and even though he wins, Roddy knows if he runs again, he will die. As any good romance heroine does, she pushes and shoves her way to get to the horse and jockey and tries to tear the reins out of his hands and starts stating that the horse can never run again. The jockey hits her and the owner of the horse shows up. 

For the first time in her life, Roddy felt herself reaching out instead of turning away, probing for emotion or thought instead of rejecting it. 

Iveragh. The Devil Earl of Ireland. Aka Faelan Savigar. He's a man known and reviled for his dastardly deeds, duels, and seducing innocent maidens. But, when Roddy tells him about the danger the horse is in, he agrees to never run the horse again, even though it will cost him a huge amount of money, money that he direly needs. Roddy is immediately drawn to his trust in her and most importantly, the fact that he is a blank slate to her, she can't read his thoughts or feelings. This is a huge relief to her, her family knows about her gift/curse because it effects the females from her dad's side. With her mother, father, and four older brothers, she tries to live in solitude in the Yorkshire countryside because of the toll it takes on her to try and keep her walls up so that she isn't constantly hit with others emotions and thoughts. Since she is an heiress, she decides to throw out that she and Faelan should get married. Even though she fears Faelan's reputation she wants a family and doesn't want to fall into the pit of despair one of her aunts did, who ended up killing herself because of her ability. 

"Good God, man," he exclaimed. "Are you in love with her?" 

Roddy bit her lip in the long pause that followed, afraid that Iveragh would miss another golden opportunity. 

But this time the earl took his cue. In a strangely subdued voice, he said, "It's quite possible that I am." 

They've only had a handful of conversations by this time but Kinsale, even in this obviously earlier work of hers, is great at showing those emotions under the rubble of damaged characters. The strangely subdued voice is a big clue that Faelan does have feelings. This story is all told from Roddy's point-of-view, it partly gets away with it because through Roddy's gift, we the reader can read other characters' thoughts and feelings, but Faelan is the exception. This is obviously done to keep him a mystery, is he really as evil as everyone says? But, like I said about Kinsale's skills, the reader can glean his true feelings in the subtleties. 

She sat up and looked at him. "You're not a rake," she cried. "I believe you're a bloody farmer!" 

By 12% we have the start of our marriage of convenience and by 20% they are married. I was excited because they were married so quickly, part of liking marriage of convenience trope is getting the part where they are forced together and have to learn one another. I think it was around 17% Faelan knows that Roddy has a gift, more in regards to her knowing emotions of animals, he's not afraid of it because he grew-up in Ireland and believes in the fae, which he considers Roddy a link to. This first half I liked how Faelan was considerate of Roddy, she's 19 to his 35, and his double speak goes above her head sometimes but it came off gentle teasing and I liked it. You can also tell he is hungry for love and when Roddy isn't afraid of him, he naturally leans toward her like a flower towards the sun (oof, reading purple prose is infecting my writing, lol). 

His hand touched hers, covering the pale shape with another, larger one, entwining their fingers in a gesture that was no less intimate for being muffled by two layers of kidskin. He remained silent. He did not even look at her. Though he pressed his palm to hers steadily, she sat still, afraid to misinterpret. It was so strange, to have that touch and not be certain of the thought behind it. 

More hand holding scenes in romance! These two are sweet together but, of course, we have a whole second half to fill and, unfortunately, it gets filled with misunderstanding after misunderstanding that a quick conversation and stating of intents could have solved. The big one is Roddy's childhood friend Geoffrey, who is also Faelan's childhood friend as he once saved Geoffrey's life. Faelan is sweet and caring towards Roddy but his character also flips and has seething jealously, he constantly thinks Roddy wants to or is sleeping with Geoffrey. When he then is cold towards her, Roddy instantly thinks Faelan doesn't love her and she's all alone in her feelings. This gets repeated/rehashed over and over. 

Because if he was human and not marble; if his heart and his mind were flesh and blood— then he said hurtful things because he was hurting. And he hurt now because she had the power to wound him. 

Roddy thinks this at 32% and I was excited because I thought she had Faelan's number but nope, this thought happens but then goes back to repeating lack of communication misunderstandings. The second half moves to Ireland because that is where Faelan's estate is and building that back up is what he wanted Roddy's money for and since this is 1797, the Irish Rebellion comes into play. Geoffrey has guns he wants Faelan to smuggle on his property for the United Irishmen and this leads to danger from British soldiers. Faelan doesn't want anything to do with either side and just wants to farm his estate land but outside players keep disrupting that. I enjoyed the history incorporating of this rebellion but with the whole fae and magic threads coming in and, honestly, kind of confusing matters, it made this second half feel more manic. The paranormal/fantasy really comes into play with fae stealing characters away for days at a time and playing with characters lives. 

Fionn smiled, her sly smile, bright and somehow terrible to look upon. "Ah. You think to bargain. Your wife. Do you care for her so much?" 

From around 65% on, the story gets really manic with trying to weave and tie-in the fae, rebellion, and Faelan's mother and uncle plots. I haven't talked about the rumor that Faelan killed his father and his relationship with his mother and how it seems her and his uncle scammed him out of Faelan's money for the estates because I'm not quite sure I understand it myself. It gets quickly dumped and wrapped up at the end with a reveal but again, I'd probably only get a C on a test about it. Just know, it also ties-in to why Roddy can't read Faelan's thoughts and emotions and all this doesn't get answered until 10mins left in the book. 

MacLassar made short work of a loaf of hard bread. She lifted his foot and inspected the bandage, made of a ripped cravat and tied with careful skill. Faelan did this, she thought, and suddenly her eyes went blurry and her throat closed. 

MacLassar was Roddy's pet pig and again, a sweet moment that happened after a miscommunication that had Faelan thinking Roddy cheated on him with Geoffrey and leading to Roddy thinking Faelan turned in Geoffrey and her brother to the British. So much repetitive misunderstandings, that made a mess of the second half! I did think modern romance could learn a thing or two from this couple's first long sex scene, slowed down and emotion that brought the heat rather than rushed slide part A into part B but the mixture of paranormal/fantasy elements, historical rebellion, and marriage of convenience needed to be edited down from misunderstanding after misunderstanding. The ending was a little surprising and abrupt from the paranormal/fantasy angle and I think my head is still trying to work out Faelan's family reveals from the last 10mins. Unless you're craving some old school-ness, I'd skip this one and read Prince of Midnight instead.

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