The hero debunks magical frauds for a living and the woman was such a fraud with her deceased husband before starting a new life in Scotland as a governess. Turns out, however, she is a witch with her emotions connecting to animals. Her charge has received death threats and her guardian has sent over two men to investigate. Turns off the hero is one of these men. The male is brutally honest to the point of rudeness and has absolutely no tolerance for silly emotions or stupid girls. The heroine is neither silly or stupid and though he knows of her past, he's drawn to her. He enjoys the verbal fighting matches she gives him and eagerly awaits her response to each of his statements. They're love was pure and genuine without all the bells and whistles but none the less magical. I think I have mixed feelings about this book. Based on the goodreads reviews on this book, it doesn't seem like this book is an example of Brockway's best. I for one was not all that amused by the Hayden/Amelie romance. I thought those two were annoying as all hell. I thought the "villain" at the end a bit ridiculous, although it did fit with the humor that tinged the book. I wished the plot moved a lot faster with more fun scenes with Grey and Fanny.Despite some of the book's flaws, and despite the inconsistent ratings, I DID see experience some spectacular writing and nuance. I loved the verbal sparring between Fanny and Grey, and I found their dialogue hilarious and fun. When they finally got together (about 2/3rds of the way through the book, might I add :/) it was gorgeously written and so romantic and amazing. I thought they were a well matched pair and I found their internal conflict an interesting one. There was depth to the characters and to the romance. Even though I hated Hayden and dumb Amelie, I understood why they were included in the plot as foils to the jaded and world-weary Grey and Fanny.At any rate, if this is Brockway at her so-so, I am really excited about the prospect of potentially reading her better stuff.
