Merely Magic by Patricia Rice (thoughts)

In Merely Magic, Ninian is leading a lonely secluded life as a healer in the village that she lives in. But the villagers call her a witch and although they come to her for help with sickness and in pain, they keep her at a distance from fear of her so-called powers. Drogo has just arrived at his family estate in the country and wants nothing more than finishing the business that he needs to get done and going back home to the city. But when Ninian and Drogo meet, old legends warn of their two families uniting which doesn't seem to stop the growing attraction between them.

I was in the mood for a good romance which is why I was looking forward to reading this book. But I couldn't quite connect with the characters which unfortunately took away from the reading experience for me. I actually liked Ninian's character for the most part although I would have liked to see her have a bit more of a backbone. I couldn't connect with Drogo's character at all though, and I had a hard time understanding some of his motivations and decisions. He frustrated me at times because he could be so hardheaded which led me to become a bit detached from the book. The storyline itself was both unique and interesting. Ninian's "gift" as she referred to it wasn't something that played a huge part in the story but it helped to draw me in. I wanted to know more about what she could do and liked how the author included the ways that she could read other people's emotions and feelings. I also liked the legend about the two families and wanted to know more about the history between these two families. The question was never answered as to why the families couldn't unite. The ending did leave me with a few questions and I was left wondering if there were any more books written by this author featuring some of these characters. I would definitely be interested in reading it if there was.

Although this wasn't my favorite romance, it turned out to be an okay read for me that I liked but didn't love. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author in the future as her books are rereleased.

Disclosure: I was sent this book for review by the lovely Danielle at Sourcebooks. These are my honest thoughts.