If the Duke of Robinsworth had known it would be so difficult to raise a daughter alone, he never would have killed his wife.What a fantastic opening line. It was this first sentence that made me pick up A LADY AND HER MAGIC by Tammy Falkner from my TBR pile and then not put it down. This line introduces Ashley Trimble, Duke of Robinsworth, wealthy widower and suspected murderer. While out with his young daughter, Anne, he runs into the lovely and enchanting Sophia. It may seem like a coincidence, but Sophia has secrets and this meeting, unbeknownst to the Duke, was planned. Sophia has a wonderful affect on the hard to handle Anne and she makes an indelible impression on the Duke. After this “chance” encounter, they meet again at the Duke’s country estate. His mother is throwing a party in an effort to rehabilitate the Duke’s sinister reputation (but really she just wants to gamble with her friends) and Sophia and her grandmother are invited quests of the Duchess. So begins the Duke’s effort to win Sophia’s heart. Sophia herself tries to stick to her job as a fairy, safeguard her future from her attraction to the Duke, and keep a wily gnome from getting too involved in her business.Words that came to mind after finishing A LADY AND HER MAGIC are “sweet,” “frothy,” “fun”… "a confection of a tale.” Get the idea? This is a light, romantic story about a fairy on a mission who falls in love with a human despite the obstacles in their way. I’m a sucker for a period paranormal so I loved the fact that this was set in Regency England with a fey influence. However, this isn’t a story of the dark fey. This is a pixie dust, Tinker Bell, type of fairytale. Sophia is a mission fairy who is sent to the Robinsworth estate to help the family for a specific reason. For me, the weakest part of this story lay precisely in its paranormal aspects. I guess Sophia is a fairy godmother? I have no idea. I don’t understand why there are even mission fairies, why they care about the human world, what the point of their “humanitarian” missions are and what exactly they can do other than morph into little fairies with wings and spread truth dust. The world-building left a lot to be desired in this one. What was there was cute, fun, and light. I actually appreciate that this wasn’t a doom and gloom paranormal. There were a couple of dark moments but overall these weren’t the fey that make you too scared to eat the food. Reading something that was a bit more lighthearted in nature was a good change. I just wish it were a bit more developed. Unpardonable Error #5: Never, ever fall in love with a human.Mission fairies live and work by five unpardonable errors. One of which is to never fall in love with a human. For me, what really worked here was the romance. I loved Ashley Trimble, Duke of Robinsworth. He is a lonely, misunderstood man. Smart, powerful, and isolated. Sophia has an irreverent take on human society and their rules; she is a breath of fresh air to the Duke’s lonely existence. They have wonderful chemistry. I loved the shifting POVs and really enjoyed the Duke’s struggle to win Sophia’s heart. The supporting cast is fun – Wilson the loyal butler, the Duchess with her sharp tongue and gambling habit, the Duke’s brother, the rakish Finn, and Ronald, the snooping garden gnome. The dialogue was witty, the pace was just right, and the period setting was well done.I would classify this as a more traditional romance with a light paranormal twist. It was a fast and fun read. I just wish there was more there…the world-building was a little too featherweight for me to really sink my teeth into. Regardless, it was a sweet romantic tale, a fun diversion from the darker stuff I normally read.This review is courtesy of She-Wolf Reads.
