Again the Magic

By: Lisa Kleypas

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

She gave him her innocence . . .

Lady Aline Marsden was brought up to marry a man of her own class, but from the moment she meets John McKenna, she risks everything to be with him.

He gave her his heart

Although their love is forbidden, McKenna's passion for the beautiful Aline is too compelling to deny.

When their secret is discovered, their world is shattered. McKenna is forced to leave forever, unaware that the only reason Aline has given him up is to save him.

Now McKenna has returned, a powerful man determined to take revenge against the woman who broke his heart. But the magic between them burns as fiercely as ever . . . and as McKenna uncovers Aline's deepest secret, together they discover a love that will defy Fate itself.

©2009 Lisa Kleypas (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Great Story

I read this book a few years ago and decided I wanted to listen to it and it didn’t disappoint. I love the story. I can’t stand a wilting flower and love that the female leads are such strong women with a hint of vulnerability.

Great romance

I read this book years ago and just finished listening to it on audible. It's like putting on your favorite sweater. Just as good as when I first read it.

2 Love stories

So glad this story centered around 2 other characters besides McKenna and Aline because their stubbornness was killing me. I enjoyed Olivia and Gideons’ story better. Overall good precursor to the Wallflower series.

Double the romance, double the dimwits

“Staying awake is better than anything I could find in a dream.”
Even for historical romance, I struggled with the needless conflict created by the MC’s utterly nonsensical lies and failures to communicate. Aline in particular was exasperating. The story starts off with her lying to him, in order to send him away, even though he’d refused to go all the way and acknowledged they’d need to split eventually. Then, McKenna returns after twelve years and is the worst, all full of piss-N-vinegar and fronting about how he intended to use and discard her. Further, the lies, pity parties, and communication failures go on until the very last hour.

“It’s a poem- a terrible one; it was the loveliest thing she’d ever read.”
And yet … as much as I hated the contrived idiocy, it made the grand gestures so much sweeter.
There’s groveling, and speeches and bearing of hearts. The second half was worth the angst of the first.

“Just blink.”
Even better, there are two romances here, one for Aline and one for her sister Olivia.
Both romances are well developed and heartfelt.
I forgave these foolish couples their flaws and sniffled through their HEAs.

Wonderful until almost the end

I appreciate the star-crossed lovers tale, which was angsty and enjoyable overall.

About an hour and a half before the end of the book the heroine says something reminiscent of something she said much earlier in the book. I really liked her until that point— the choice she makes was so asinine and impossible to understand it made it difficult for me to like her after. The story is written to make the reader feel for her, but her choice to hurt the man she loves as much as she can makes me roll my eyes. I wish Lisa Kleypas had written the scene without making me dislike the heroine so much.

The secondary love story is well done, even though half the time I don’t really understand what Livia sees in him.

Roslyn Landor continues to be the greatest. Really, there is not other narrator that compares. Her young women never sound like children, her men never sound like a woman trying to have a deep voice, and she never falls into a whisper making it almost impossible to hear in a car (like others do).

wonderful

The story is fantastic. Very heartfelt. The love lines feel like I'm reading poetry. The narrator did a fantastic job with the voices as well.

The best romance ever written

It was so intensely good it may have ruined all other romance books for me. It’s the first time I have cried with the FMC cus we both loved that man so much. Roslyn was solid as always. Can’t rec highly enough for romance lovers!

One of my favorites!

I love all of the Kleypas stories but this one is especially touching. Well performed, well written…. I have read it and listened to it multiple times and will continue to enjoy it.

Great novel; questionable character narration

I found I loved this book and the story it told, but I didn’t enjoy the vocal characterization of the narrator’s style! I would have preferred less mimicry.

Just didn’t get the premise

The whole plot is based on the heroine’s belief that the man she loves would not be able to overlook a physical deformity. It really stretched it. I don’t blame the hero for being angry at her for concealing it through the whole novel. I reread this in anticipation of rereading wallflowers, but I think that will be the last time. Roslyn Landor, as always is great.