Goodreads Synopsis
Even true love can be cursed …
When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.
Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?
Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.
*Winner of the 2017 Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for Gothic/Mythology/Folk Tales
My review
This is one of those books that you read and some of the niggles don’t stop you from reading it more! It’s definitely a page turner.
So what are the niggles? The characters annoyed me! They aren’t likable, but perhaps they aren’t meant to be? The magician is a Casanova type with magical powers whose actions are excusable by a curse that forces him to procreate with another until he finds true love. I suppose with such a curse it is bound to be in his genes to be so full of himself! All the women vie for his attention. But he seems pretty heartless in his treatment of his servant (no spoilers – you’d have to read the book to see what I mean.)
The young woman with the unusual name – Herman who falls in love with him is naive, inexperienced and doesn’t spare a thought for his poor servant either.
So, out of all the characters I related to the servant’s plight the most! Though, I thought her to be a bit loopy too!
The Magician’s Curse plays to various tropes: a masterful, dominant lover, unrequited love, first love, a virgin losing her virginity, love at first sight.
The sensual scenes are extremely well written – 5 stars!! Hats off to Linda G. Hill for them. They are sizzling. I can see why people would like them. I like them!
The plot idea for this story is good, and with further development I think this could be a 5 star read. The love affair between the magician Steven Dagmaru and his assistant Herman (who he meets on the train,) is sudden – even with his magical powers. Maybe I am a cynic! Lol. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more magic development within the story. This would have helped to make Steven’s power over the ladies more believable.
So, to sum up, this is definitely for you if you like to read a sizzling sensual romance and don’t mind some scenes of a sexual nature (so, not for younger readers,) with a light flourish of magic/paranormal as a backdrop.
I wasn’t sure where The Magician’s Curse fits in terms of the age group of readers who might enjoy it. Perhaps New Adult? Or anyone who likes a bit of sizzle…
A difficult one to rate. I wavered between 3.5 and 4 stars. I’d say overall 4 stars, the sizzle… took it up there!
There is more… a book two… The Magician’s Blood. Details about both books here: https://lindaghill.com/my-books/
Have you read The Magician’s Curse? Do comment below if you have.
Authors Website: https://mjmallon.com
Authors Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-J-Mallon/e/B074CGNK4L
Twitter: @Marjorie_Mallon and @curseof_time Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjmallonauthor/
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I’ve enjoyed all of these!
Ah, only read the first. Would like to read some more!
They are good! Cant wait for the last!
Thanks for reviewing my book, Marje. <3 The age range for readers of this series is definitely 18+. Also, you might want to skip the next book: I think you'll find the unlikeability of the characters gets worse. But that's okay. 🙂 It's not to everyone's taste.
I wrote the characters and what they go through as honestly as I could. The honesty of a story means far more to me than whether or not everyone loves it.
I've heard from readers who love Stephen and Herman, and some who hated them. One actually threw the book across the room and told me they wished they could run Stephen over with a bus. And I'm okay with that. Because my book evoked emotion. That's what I write for. 🙂
Again, thanks very much for your honest review, my friend. 🙂
Hi Linda. Happy to review for you. Imagine someone throwing the book across the room and wanting to run Stephen over! Your characters do provoke strong emotions. Wishing you all the best. <3
What an excellent review! I also read this book Marje. The characters do come off a bit cold, but I took that to be partly because of the demon who seems to be in control of things. Herman is naive, for sure. She seems to possess her own set of paranormal abilities. I wonder if those paranormal gifts make them that much less human, in likability terms. All in all, I thought the novel was well done. <3
Thank you Colleen. It’s great that my review is provoking discussion. Yes I agree that the novel was well done. It is without doubt quite an unusual book and definitely a page turner as I said in my review. 🙂
The sex was about control… that’s how I took it, anyway. The succubus was an interesting addition. Very creative. 😀
Yes he was definitely controlling. <3 Thanks Colleen.
Great review Marje. We all take to books differently for sure, but as long as we give an honest review that’s what counts ❤
Thank you Debby. Sorry just found you in my spam folder! Yes indeed and it’s important to be honest. <3