I really enjoyed this book. I have purchased copies to share with family and friends. I enjoyed the relationships that took place between the men and women. This book contained no sex, so my 13 year old daughter could read this book. I can't give enough praise to the authors of this book but, I will read this book every Christmas and it will remain on my shelf as one of my favorites.

I really enjoyed every one of the stories in this collection. I kept reading and re-reading "The Gift" by Emily Bradshaw. Another pregnant woman in a blizzard, but this time our heroine can't remember who she is or where she's from (and it's better off forgotten, anyway). But she changes the lives of the father and son who find her and she and her daughter charm their ways into a whole new life. I just loved it! "A Husband for Holly" by Jodi Thomas was enchanting! And Raine Cantrell's "A Time for Giving" was also a delight I read more than once.

A young woman, born on the wrong side of the blanket & raised in wealth by a nanny, is subsidized by the mother who wants to remain anonymous. Although raised with love by the servant, she is traumatized by the knowledge & stigma of her illegitimacy. She begins a search for her family roots after the nanny dies. Evie is an extremely intelligent, well-educated, very beautiful young woman - however she has a powerful imagination, fired by her love of literature & fiction, & a tendency to live in a dream-world. She hires a man she believes to be a famous gunfighter to escort her safely to Texas from post-Civil War St. Louis, Missouri. The "gunfighter" is a notorious, womanizing, gambler & though he is an expert marksman, he is definitely not the man Evie believes him to be - a hero she picked out of a penny novel. Tyler Monteigne, in fact has some serious traumas of his own. His family was killed during the War, their plantation in Louisiana lost to carpetbaggers, & he was a prisoner of war in a Yankee prison camp for 3 years.

Tyler agrees to accompany Evie, along with some other very colorful & well-defined characters, to Texas. He is a hunk. She is sooo sassy. Together they ignite. Very Steamy! These are more than cardboard, formulaic characters. Ms. Rice has worked to populate her novel with 3-D people, lots of humor & sensitivity. There are wonderful plots & sub-plots - and a beautiful & realistic love story.

What a great book! I could not put it down. The writing is intelligent & witty. I love strong heroes...but I like strong heroines more - especially back in the days when a woman had to fight extra hard for her independence & individuality. This one's a keeper.

PS - This is book #1 of a series. I look forward to reading books 2 & 3, "Paper Tiger" & "Paper Moon."

This book was very good.....I have read romance novels all my life and this was definetely a find....it kept me laughing and interested and OH so in love with Tyler that I couldn't put it down...for once the heroine was smart and sassy and loyal...it was nice to see a woman stand up for and believe in her man instead of always running him down....I loved the story and would highly recommend it to anyone....It helps too if you like the west and cowboys type of man.

This was the first PR book that I read and I'm sorry I lost it several years ago. Maria is the half-Spanish, half-Irish heiress of her father's ranch and is being pressured by a devious, local Spanish nobleman into marriage. In walks Cheyenne Walker, and the two strike sparks off each other when they first meet. Maria is probably the most fiery heroine I've ever read and I really liked her. The story is full of shoot-outs and hanging parties, as was the custom in the old West. The story even has a surprise revelation regarding a member of Maria's household. If you like a fast-paced western with a dangerous hero and a fiesty, gun-toting heroine, read Cheyenne's Lady. I hope the author will follow-up with another sequel.

Paper Moon, the third and final book in the Paper trilogy, was a wonderful read. We met the main character, Janice Harrison, in the book Paper Tiger. She is a strong, independant woman who, after spending too much time at the wrong end of town, is trying to find a way in life for her and her fragile sister, Betsy. She meets up with the rich,handsome Peter Mulloney, also from Paper Tiger, when her house burns to the ground in an unfortunate accident. Peter has just gotten over a terrible break-up with his fiancee and is trying to prove to his family that he can make it in the world on his own. The main characters must overcome their vastly different pasts and reveal secrets that they wanted to keep hidden, in order to find a love that they find frightening but is the rarest treausure treasure in a lifetime of dreams.

The minute you see this volume anywhere, buy it. (Unless, of course, it's a library book. In that case, just borrow it for a while.) Take it home, and after an aggravating day, pick it up and read THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING by Barbara Metzger. I guarantee you'll laugh out loud as you read about the ingenious young widow who tries to find a husband for her sister--only to win one for herself, instead.

On the other hand, if you're already too buoyant, and want to shed a few tears, Patricia Rice will oblige with THE CHRISTMAS GOOSE. Men go off to war seldom considering the woman they leave behind, and if you mix in a curmudgeonly father who ignores his now-widowed daughter, you have the ingredients for a real tear-prompting tale.

If you've ever all-of-a-sudden come to realize something that had been lurking in the recesses of your mind, you'll identify immediately with the young duke in Edith Layton's THE GINGERBREAD MAN. Awakened every morning by a scented memory, he discovers his heart's desire practically under his nose. You'll feel wonderful all day after this delight.

Have you ever wondered what on earth was a Syllabub? Wonder no more. In this instance, it, too, is a memory-maker as Sandra Heath whips up the tangled remnants of a marriage into a new concoction, and straightens them out to everyone's satisfaction in SOPHIE'S SYLLABUB.

And finally, Mary Balogh utilizes THE WASSAIL BOWL as a receptacle for love, hope and still more tears--all the things you need, in order to have a wonderful Holiday. Be sure to have a good one--and don't blame the reviewer for the calories you'll find in this delicious book--along with a related recipe from each author.

I am working my way through a little horde of Regency Christmas anthologies, savouring them one at a time. I picked this one up whilst on holiday recently and just read it; what a pleasure it was! I don't ordinarly seek out short stories as a matter of course but I am very fond of this particular little mini sub-genre. Three of the contributions stood out for me.

"The Rake's Christmas" by Edith Layton is the poignant story of a young man, back from the Peninsular wars, saddened and a little self loathing, who throws himself into some half-hearted rakery in order to put the wars behind him. He is taken up by a truly accomplished rake, Lord Shelton. During a Christmas house party, the elder rake plays deus ex machina to young Ian, Viscount Hunt in order to bring him together with Miss Eve Thompkins. Eve is the daughter Shelton never had - the offspring of his true life-long secret and unrequited love. So, he stands in an almost fatherly way over Hunt, helping him to overcome his sombre loneliness and sad boyhood in making a match for him and Eve. Edith Layton is a favourite of mine and she packs a lot of emotion into just a few short pages.

Jo Beverley is a writer whose books I have been collecting with the aim of indulging myself. Why she and Layton and Balogh are not published in the UK is beyone my comprehension - such a shame! I was delighted with her contribution to this anthology. "A Mummer's Play" is the story of Col "Lucky Jack" Beaufort, by default the new Duke of Cranmoore. Justina Travers lost her fiance in the Peninsula when he was under the command of his close friend, Jack. Justina has some reason to suspect that Cranmoore may have been a traitor and, therefore, the cause of her fiance's death. She insinuates herself into Jack's first Christmas house party as the new duke by hiding herself amongst the mummers who come to perform. Her aim is to expose him as a traitor and murderer. The story takes place during the course of just one evening and, in just a few intense, emotional pages, Jo Beverley brings an almost unbearably high degree of tension and emotion as these two lonely, hurt but passionate people find an extraordinary and unexpected love and mutual redemption. Simply excellent.

Mary Balogh's contribution is, as always, as near to perfection as you can get. Hers is the story of three young orphaned children whose wastrel parents largely ignored them. Their maternal uncle, Viscount Morsey, and paternal aunt, Lady Carlyle, reluctantly leave London to come to the depths of the countryside to "do their duty" and make some half-hearted provision for their upbringing. It emerges that the two adults were once engaged but huge family problems, anger and recriminations tore them apart. The story is largely told through the eyes of the children and the theme of the story, as Lady Carlyle discovers, is that Christmas is about birth, parenthood, love, hope and commitment. In the context of this very brief piece, all five players find themselves turned into a loving family. Mary Balogh is pure magic. She writes such poignant, moving and emotional stories which are refined to pure gold. Wonderful.

Do find yourself a second hand copy of this anthology; reading it is simply a pleasure worth the effort.

I work in various communities delivering community-based anthropology courses in a very short period of time from one week to a month. The activities and teaching strategies offered in this book are very practical and respond to a change in the field of education. The activities described in the book are easy to prepare and implement (and are fun to do). Most of the authors describe various in-class problems with which they were trying to address. Some authors also provide ideas to modify the activities according to the side of the class or the availability of resources. If you want to go beyond the straight lecture style of teaching this book certainly provides many ideas for creative teaching to stimulate consciousness-raising and encourage student participation. Two activities that stand out are "The Penny Game: An Exercise in Non-Industrial Economics" which examined the importance of reciprocity, and "The Trouble with the 'Race' Concept: It's All in the Cards" which enacts the problems in trying to classify "races". Other essays provide very practical strategies for preparing students for critical thinking, writing essays, critiquing films, participating in field visits to museums, and doing field research (excavating and interviews).

I read this anthology in the heat of summer by a pool. I was transported to a cold frosty wonderland as each story revealed itself! I read each story and enjoyed every last one, my favorites of the five being "The Bird of Paradise" and "The Black Beast of Belleterre." Each story in this anthology was well developed with fully fleshed out secondary characters. In short stories that is unusual to find.

"The Bird of Paradise" was delightfully funny. I laughed at each twist of fate that was thrown at Miss Kate Thacker in this Christmas tale. Charles was as honorable hero as you could find. Their adventure, complete with penny pinching boss, dreadful aunt, sweet brother Randolph, Charle's fine family (mom, pop, siblings and kiddies!) plus a TURKEY kept me pensive, giggling and cheering.

"The Black Beast of Belleterre" was a typical Beauty and the Beast story which takes place beginning in Spring and culminates at Christmas. That fairy tale is even mentioned in the story! I was kept guessing until the end what "The Beast" looked like! Don't peek ahead! This story moved me from despair to elation and all within 64 pages! Ariel and James are so brilliantly portrayed that their thoughts, dreams and wishes become your own. What a beautiful story full of surprises. And I loved the motley collection of misfit animals that James had collected. I have read this one story over and over.

I think this is the best anthology I have ever read. Even if you are normally a "Regency" novel reader, you will find the Victorian times close enough to satisfy. Do not miss obtaining your own copy.

The core plot of this book is a fun, entertaining romance. Seth is an understandably troubled hero and Pippa has some very real demons. I enjoyed the growing romantic chemistry between them.

The side plots are where this book stumbles. The story about his son works quite well and keeps this from being just another cookie-cutter book about a trouble boss saved by a charming assistant. What I found to be utterly gratuitous was the whole evil threats/bombing aspects. This seems to be a real trend in 1990's romances. It seems to be something of a cop-out when the really tough thing to write about is the growth of the relationship.

Bottom-line: A pleasant read but not a book I'll be keeping or lending to friends.

This was my first book by this author and I will definitley be going to pick up more.

Pippa had a positive outlook on everything even with all the demons she was fighting in her life. Her mother died of cancer, she lost her job, and she had an abusive boyfriend. Even with all that, she came out on top. She was humorous and loveable at the same time. Her relationship with Chad was heartwarming and I loved how she dealt with Seth!

Seth was a total recluse who didn't know what to make of this whirlwind that blew through his life and ruined his routine. He definitley desired her but he wasn't sure what else he felt for her.

The end of the book was thoroughly enjoyable and very satisfying. Do not miss this book!!

I loved this story. The characters are very believable with idiosyncrasies that make them just a little different from the mainstream story. I liked the humor that Pippa displays in almost every circumstance, yet her underlying distrust of men (with good reason) is seen in her relationship with Seth. With her unfailing humor she changes the attitude of almost all of the people who live in this little town especially Seth and his son Chad.

I can't wait to get my hands on more of her contempory stories.

In my opinion, Patricia Rice's "Must Be Magic" is a must read. The story is a charming one and whimsical one that is bound to engage. However, it is, I must own, not a perfect book, and has it's share of what I call 'plot niggles.'

For example, it takes forever for Dunstan to acknowledge that he needs help in trying to discover who actually murdered his faithless wife and to establish his innocence. His pigheadedness on this issue was a little trying. And I also found it very hard to believe that it took him so long to figure out that Leila and Lily were one and the same woman -- this was one plot gambit that did not really work for me. I think it would have made for far more interesting reading if both Dunstan and the reader got to see the 'two' different Leilas from the very beginning, so that we could all enjoy the contrast between the intelligent and vibrant Leila who was willing to work in the fields in order to realise her dreams, and the sultry drawing room Leila, who used her feminine charms to manipulate people and keep them at a distance.

I was also curious about certain circumstances surrounding the Malcolm family. The Malcolms are an old Scottish family, renowned for producing female children who happen to be gifted with certain magical abilities. The Malcolms are also renowned for making advantageous marriages that further the family's fortunes. And yet, while the inference is that nearly every single marriage seems to have been a happy one, none of the Malcolm women seem to have married for love -- save the heroine of "Merely Magic," Nininan. I really wished that Patricia Rice had gone into (a little) what these other Malcolm women must have felt or thought about the whole concept of love, and marriage without love. She does do this with the heroine of "Must Be Magic," Leila. But even then what we know is that Leila married in order to promote her family's interests, that her mother has some feeling of love and affection for her father, and that even she (Leila) feels leery about counseling her younger sisters to seek only love matches. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I was curious as to why a family women with magical gifts would place advantageous marriages over love matches, and would have liked the authour to have delved into this matter a little more.

On the other hand, however, "Must Be Magic" does indeed boast of possessing two very strong, memorable and engaging characters: Leila and Dunstan. When Leila's character was first introduced, I will admit that while I did feel for her because she felt so alienated and had such a low self esteem problem, I did not really take to her -- she was a little too manipulative for my taste. And while I understood why she used her beauty and her feminine allure to get things, I did not admire this trait in her at all. But as the novel progressed, so too did my sympathies for her grow. And in no time at all, I found myself rooting for her to find her hidden talents/magical gift, and to nab the man she believed was her soul mate. Leila, is the kind of full bodied multifaceted heroines that one wishes were more the norm rather than the exception. As for Dunstan, once I got past his foolish stubbornness and his tendency to glower all the time, there was much to admire and feel empathetic for. It's not every romance hero who as to deal with an alienated son, a murder rap and a strong-minded woman who's out to help you whether you want it or not!

Story-wise, things moved along smoothly enough while Leila and Dunstan were in the country, busy with their planting schemes and trying to thwart the machinations of Leila's nephew-in-law and his cohorts. Once the story moved to London, however, the book did loose its focus. There was a sudden addition in the cast as all sorts of Ives and Malcolm relatives came out of the woodwork in order to help Dunstan clear his name, and there even was a small subplot involving a certain Malcolm-Ives potential pairing -- probably the hinting of future Magic book at a later date. I, however, just wanted the mystery of who killed Duncan's wife to be cleared up --I already had my suspicions and wanted to know if I was right!

On the whole, "Must be Magic" was a truly fun read. It's not a book without flaws, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. and if you're looking for something little different, this should definitely satisfy.

Though her gifts are not magical, and in a family of witches that makes her ever so slightly the outcast all her life, Leila Staines makes her own magic with the perfumes she derives from flowers. To help her get her business going, she hires rouge and accused murderer Dunstan Ives, a member of a family that has long feuded with hers, to help her grow the best flowers. Though Dunstan is a farmer at heart, he desperately needs the money, so he agrees to grow useless flowers and work for a woman with three strikes against her already in his book, a lady, a beauty, and a Staines.

Enemies or not, they find themselves attracted beyond what they should be. Dunstan helps her in more ways than with her flowers, and eventually, using a ruse, Leila is able to make him see the true woman she is, and they succomb to their true feelings. Now, they have two quests, to make Leila a success, and to clear Dunstan of murdering his wife, if not for his own sake, for the sake of his son and the child Leila may carry. Pride will have to be put aside as he must use the powers of Leila's family to prevent his hanging and learn the truth.

***** If you shy from paranormals, do not be concerned that this is not a book for you. Witchery is only a minor aspect of this unusual novel. Leila is a refreshing heroine, as Ms. Rice's usually are, and Dunstan fits the gothic, brooding hero model. However, their unique role reversal is one that may appeal to the modern woman, with Leila being the one in power. It is also unusual to see a farmer as a hero of an English set story. The Staines family is delightful, and the scenes with Dunstan's son touching. Not the same old thing, this book will not in any way disappoint old or new fans of Ms. Rice. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

All her life Lady Leila Staines has felt like an adopted outsider as the only member of the Malcolm women without any magical abilities. Even her hair is not the dark color that every other Malcolm female has. Still, she has done her part by marrying to improve the family fortune.

With her husband dead, she controls the Staines estate as long she lives and never remarries. Leila wants to grow flowers that she can convert into perfumes as she feels she has a nose for this business. However, she needs a land usage expert and turns to agronomist Dunstan Ives, though he is considered a wife killer and her own mother warned her that Ives males are bad news for Malcolm females. Reluctantly, the landless Dunstan accepts her offer though he wants nothing to do with any woman, but especially those bewitching Malcolms. However, he berates himself for desiring Leila and another lass who looks like her (because of his stereotyping he refuses to realize that his two dreams are one in the same) even as he struggles to learn whom killed his wife.

MUST BE MAGIC is an engaging historical romance that uses a pinch of witchcraft to spice up a tale with a rarely seen uniqueness. The story line mesmerizes the audience as Leila struggles with her "handicap" and her desire to belong while Malcolm battles between desire and not wanting to be burned again. Fans will believe that Patricia Rice must be magical as she spellbinds her audience with a one sitting fun novel.

Harriet Klausner