A Kiss of Fate

By: Mary Jo Putney

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

Best-selling author Mary Jo Putney is the recipient of two RITA Awards, four Golden Leaf Awards, and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. With a touch of fantasy, she captivates fans with this enchanting love story rich in historical details.

In 18th century London, Gwynne Owens dutifully agrees to marry the dangerous laird of a Scottish clan, Duncan Macrae. Unlocking her hidden supernatural powers as a Guardian is the key to averting disaster for both England and Scotland. But, will Gwynne be forced to betray her husband?

©2004 Mary Jo Putney (P)2005 Recorded Books

I really really wanted to love this but......

Yes, this had such potential and I usually love MJP's books but I found this one to be a wee bit too slow and lacking in emotion. Duncan, a Scottish Laird and a weather mage Guardian is attracted to Gwynne (a Mundane) someone who hasn't any magic, or so they thought, and almost instantly proposes to her. The mage Council forces Gwynne to accept Duncan's proposal because they can see future events tie the two together so they go to his Castle in Scotland. But they get caught up in the Jacobite rebellion with dire consequences.

The problems about this book was the two main characters get married early on in the story and they seemed to amble along quite happily until near the end therefore there was no great build-up to the romance and so part 1 was a bit tedious, luckily part 2 was more lively. The characters didn't seem to have any depth to them and it just lacked the 'sizzle' that we normally associate with MJP's books.

Worth a credit? This is the start of a new series so I hope book 2 will be better and I guess I'll be downloading it because I can't resist her books and, if your a fan like me, you'll want this, but she's written far better Historical romances that would be more worthy of your credit.

Kiss of Fate

Davina Porter is magnificent as always, but I kept getting confused & thinking I was listening to Outlander because both stories take place during the Jacobite uprising of 1745, lol. Except that Outlander is the better story & I was tired of reading about each skirmish in the rebellion. Perhaps I’m being too harsh but I also didn’t care for how easily the hero went from wanting to kill the heroine to forgiving her. Usually it’s the woman who forgives too easily! To go from unforgivable betrayal to hot sex & a complete meeting of the minds was too much for me.

Davina Porter is a 5+++ narrator among many 5* narrators.

She does voices so well and conveys distinct personalities. Also just hearing her voice soothes and comforts me. In addition I loved this story. It had well developed characters who experience love, conflict and uncertainty, leading to their hea.

Good Solid Read by a Very Good Narrator

Where does A Kiss of Fate rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Though not of the high energy variety, this book takes a time in history and wraps it in magic and emotion. Character development is very well done, good since this is the first in a series.

What did you like best about this story?

The linking of all the characters and the telling of their own parts of the story.

What does Davina Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Davina is one of the best narrators. She adds the Scottish feel and makes it work. She also has the ability to soften harsher parts of the story and adds emotion to all the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but had to do it in two. (-;

Any additional comments?

This book is not one of the more intricately written with many sub-plots, but it is a well done and enjoyable story.

Tedious and uninteresting

After listening to the agonizingly tedious description of a wedding dinner that lasted for 30 minutes and consisted of minutiae that nearly made my ears bleed from boredom, I discarded the rest of the book. Definitely not worth it unless you find books reminiscent of the *original,* ancient ‘The Princess Bride’ to your taste. Personally, I enjoy interesting books. I recommend not wasting your time with this one.

romance, magic and history

Set in the world of 1737-1746 Great Britain, the Guardians are magically talented families who protect and serve in secret. Gwynne is a young sheltered widow rocked by her reaction to the powerful weather mage Duncan MacRae, Lord Ballister. Her first reaction is to stay far away, but when the Council requests, Gwynne marries Duncan to balance his power and impact on possible future history with Jacobites rising up in support of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Haunted by visions of blood and death, Gwynne experiences deep satisfaction in her marriage bed and the surprising unlocking of her own magical gifts that she works to develop while in her new Scotland home. When war breaks out, Gwen eventually sees Duncan’s growing impact on events and realizes her choices are betray the Guardians or betray the husband she has come to love very much. We are also introduced to Duncan’s sister Jean who is featured in book 3 A DISTANT MAGIC. This is not currently available through Audible, so I borrowed it online through my local public library. Porter does a great job of narration. She really can create distinct voices for multiple characters and communicate emotion without melodrama.

Another Outlander!

I really wanted to like this book and was hard pressed to give it a 2 star rating. The story was about trying to stop the rising in Scotland with the pretender Bonnie Prince Charlie. Same outlander story-esk. I was looking fore word to the mage aspect of the story, to which I liked Otherwise it droned on and on.I was going to stop in the middle and end it all, but I stuck with it. We all know what happens to the Scots after the rising and knew this story was not going to change. so the love between these two was ah so so. I was hoping more romance more desire more sensuality. The relationship had a great start but it hit a mental block for me. Otherwise the narrator was great, she hit all the high marks. I would look to see her narration again.

Surprisingly complex

This author writes complex, historically interesting, romantic, emotionally dense novels. This one, especially, has a fascinating historical background, being the period of the Jacobite uprising in Scotland, which attempted to put a Scot on the thrown of both Scotland and England. The author has mixed in magical powers in some of the characters, tensions of loyalty, betrayal, intrigue, and, my favorite, women who are secure in themselves and their understandings of their world, and what they will and won't accept in their lives.

Mystical, and romantic quick read

This story is great as is, although I do feel that it could have been a masterpiece. I am not sure what it is missing, but something is. I didn’t want it to end and I am getting the next book in the series now! I am completely taken with books that are loosely based on historical pieces. And of course the dreamy Scottsmen help too! Davina porters voice is matched by none! I fell in love with her ability during the Outlander series. I would listen to her read the dictionary!

Delightful!

A great love story of the ages. Beautifully written and absolutely absorbing. I loved it!