5 Wine Glass #Audio #Review of Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

 

Title: Again the Magic
Series: Wallflowers #0.5
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor
Format: Unabridged Audiobook (10 hours and 39 minutes)
Published: 1 Jan 2012 (Brilliance Audio)
ISBN: ASIN: B006S63K9I
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Audible | Audiobooks.com | Estories.com
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Estories.com
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

She gave him her innocence…

Lady Aline Marsden was brought up for one reason: to make an advantageous marriage to a member of her own class. Instead, she willingly gave her innocence to John McKenna, a servant on her father's estate. Their passionate transgression was unforgivable—John was sent away, and Aline was left to live in the countryside... an exile from London society.

...and he took her love.

Now McKenna has made his fortune, and he has returned—more boldly handsome and more mesmerizing than before. His ruthless plan is to take revenge on the woman who shattered his dreams of love. But the magic between them burns as bright as ever. And now he must decide whether to let vengeance take its toll…or risk everything for his first, and only, love.

Your Thoughts:
“No miles of level desert, no jagged mountain heights, no sea of endless blue,
Neither words nor tears, nor silent fears,
will keep me from coming back to you.” 

After listening to The Devil in Winter and becoming hooked on Lisa Kleypas’ writing and Rosalyn Landor’s narration, I vowed to go back and enjoy this series from the beginning starting with the audio edition of Again the Magic, the prequel to the series. Oh my! I loved it! It wrenched my heart, thoroughly wrung it out, and then, thankfully, knit it back together again. Again the Magic is a two-for as it encompasses two captivating romances.

The primary romance is the story of Lady Aline Marsden, a member of the aristocracy, and John McKenna, an orphan and servant on Aline’s father’s estate. They grew up together on the estate becoming first friends, then lovers. However, when her father discovers that the two are close, he is furious and sends McKenna away. The only way McKenna will leave the Stony Cross Estate which has been his home is for Aline to tell him to leave. It kills her, but she makes him believe that it’s her wish that he go away. The couple’s early relationship is both sweet and tragic – and for a short time, I questioned as to whether I could handle the sadness when they were cruelly torn apart. I’m so glad I stuck with it.

The couple’s journey to their HEA is awesome. Neither has been able to forget the other. McKenna is determined to wreak revenge on Aline as she had convinced him that she’d used and lied to him all those years ago. Aline cannot bring herself to share a secret that has left her physically and emotional scarred. My absolute favorite parts were when McKenna tackled and completed Aline’s three wishes. His poem brought tears to my eyes.

The second lovely romance is between Aline’s reclusive sister, Olivia Marsden, and McKenna’s partner, a handsome American financier, Gideon Shaw. Olivia has issues moving on from the passing of her fiancée and Gideon has an addiction problem. Will these obstacles keep them apart? Their story is heartwarming and intriguing.

This entire series is performed by Rosalyn Landor, truly a phenomenal historical romance narrator. Both her male and female voices are consistent and sound genuine. Her accents sound genuine. She exudes the proper expected emotions and she’s easy to understand. If you are an audiophile as I am, I’d highly recommend that you elect to pick up the audio edition of Again the Magic as listening to it is an incredible experience and guaranteed to enhance your reading pleasure.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Again the Magic:

“I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses...the smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life...to lie in your arms as I take my last breath.” 
--- 

“Have you ever wanted something so much that you would do anything to have it - even knowing that it was bad for you?"
"Of course," Adam replied. "All truly enjoyable things in life are invariably bad for you - and they are even better when done to excess.” 
--- 

“For thousands of nights I dreamed of making love to you. No man on earth has ever hated sunrise as I do.” 

Again the Magic is entrancing. It’s heartbreaking and romantic to the extreme. I could not put it down. I rarely listen to audio books in bed, but, I listened to the last two hours of this tale there because I could not sleep until I’d finished it. My heart ached for Aline and McKenna through most of the book, but, no worries! All works out more than satisfactorily in the end! If I had one complaint, it would be to wish for a longer epilogue as I didn’t want either of these romances to end. The good news is that I will be reading the rest of the Wallflowers series soon and I’ve heard that these couples appear sporadically in future installments. I can’t wait to catch up with them! If you are a fan of historical romances, don’t miss Again the Magic!



Suggested Reading Order: 
Again the Magic (Book #0.5)
Secrets of a Summer Night (Book #1)
It Happened One Autumn (Book #2)
Devil in Winter (Book #3)
Scandal in Spring (Book #4)
A Wallflower Christmas (Book #4.5)