BEYOND MAGIC by Lizzie T. Leaf

The Magical Love series book 1
Publisher: Passion in Print
Date published: January 2011
ISBN: e-book 978-1-60820-296-6
Print: 978-1-60820-242-3
Paranormal romance
E-book
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by author


Emma Grant is pushing forty and still doesn’t have a man or even think she ever will. Emma is a tour guide and she has been asked to do a tour in Scotland. She starts to read up everything she can find which includes a book on magic. Thinking nothing would happen, she tries a spell to find her soul mate. The tour gives her a headache and they are finally stranded, lost in bad weather with a broken down coach. Emma heads off to a nearby castle where she finds Ian. Life as she knows it will now drastically change. Ian is the grandson of Oberon and Odin who live in the mortal realm. Even Emma herself is not what she seems to be. But a Scottish Cailleach’s magic has started them on the road to true love, if certain obstacles don’t get in their way.

In this first book of the series, Lizzie T. Leaf has masterfully woven Greek gods, Fae lore and some good old fashioned romance to create a story that is captivating and interesting. Her characters are multi-dimensional and I especially enjoyed the antics of the elderly ladies, Emma was showing around Scotland. Ms Leaf knows how to infuse just the right amount of humor in the right places to bring a smile on the readers faces. Ian is a great hero. In fact, Emma and Ian are two protagonists that I especially rooted for. The road they travelled was not easy as full of rocks and obstacles, but they had some pretty powerful friends to help pull them through. I had to reach for a tissue at the end of this story as it was very heart-touching. Oh, did I mention the love scenes? Yes, Ms. Leaf writes some very sensuous and passionate love scenes that may have you squirming in your seat. This is a promising start to what looks like a great series. I am looking forward to the next one.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.