Bewitching

Regency Magic #1

by Jill Barnett

Forced by circumstance into a marriage of convenience with one of England's most prestigious dukes, Joy McQuarrie hides a scandalous secret.

Alec Castlemaine, Duke of Belmore, one of the wealthiest and proudest lords in England, has been rejected by the woman he believed to be the perfect wife--a beauty whose bloodline is flawless and whose family is scandal free. His plans for the future have gone up in smoke...until a chance encounter with an oddly intriguing young Scottish lass catapults Alec into a rash proposal and what he thinks will be a most convenient marriage. But his new wife has wedding night secrets to reveal, and soon Alec's reserved, staid, and proper life is anything but convenient....

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Magic

464 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

New York Times Bestselling Author Jill Barnett is master storyteller known for her beautifully-written love stories rich with humor, emotion, and poignancy. She is the winner of Lifetime Achievement Awards for Love and Laughter and Historical Romance and is a six-time Romance Writers of America RITA nominee and winner of both a Persie Award for Literature and a Waldenbooks Award. Her books have been named Best of the Year by Dallas Morning News, Detroit Free Press, and Kirkus Review and she was the first historical romance author to ever receive a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She stands alongside Judith McNaught as one of only two authors to ever receive a six-star review from Affaire de Coeur Magazine and her work has been published in 23 languages and appeared on numerous bestseller lists. She lives in the PNW with her family.

Reviews

[Christina ~ Brunette Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this charming fairy-tale of a romance, will a lovely and clumsy witch be able to have a starchy and uptight duke say:"I do believe in magic!"
... and finally live happily ever after?

It's not a common occurrence in Regency England that a powerful and cold peer of the realm finds himself with a witch just fallen into his arms, but it's exactly what happens to the Duke of Belmore on one fateful winter day. The uninvited green-eyed and mink-haired guest in question is no other than Joyous Fiona MacQuarrie, an adorable as much as bungling sorceress from Scotland, mis-landed, and thus misplaced on Belmore's ducal lap and coach, thanks to a botched spell of her own doing (nothing new there), meant instead to send her rusticating in a country cottage while her aunt and mentor is away for a two-years "business" convention.
Due to destiny, to magic or to the unwritten law that always wants opposites inexorably attracting each other, the freshly jilted Belmore seizes the opportunity to put a convenient patch on what could likely be his first social besmirching (unthinkable!) by hurriedly marrying the enigmatic beauty who, equally drawn, accepts the proposal... of course without having the time to tell her future husband the truth about her particular and non properly human nature before the eternal vows are spoken.
What ensues is a totally endearing, quirky and funny story of love and salvation, where a young woman finds a balancing centre for her whirly and sparkly self and a lonely duke finds the joy, both with j and J, he needed to unthaw his frosted heart, if only he would let himself admit it.
With well-rounded side characters, witty banters, lazy overweight weasels chewing valets' queues, sneezes that could send Prinny toppling from his regent's throne and levitations capable to raise the arses together with their respective aristocratic ballooning egos, prepare yourselves for a bubbling and lighthearted romp, where at the end you'll rediscover that true love is the most powerful bewitchment of them all... overused words, but this story will make you gladly and blissfully buy them once again.
Oh, and after reading this book, you won't be able to nonchalantly look at rose petals for a while... the ladies for sure...

Written back in 1993, Bewitching has greatly withstood the test of time for me. The writing still feels refreshingly lively and engaging, keeping the best of the closing '80s in terms of polished and lush prose while presenting an already much more relaxed and good-humoured battle of the sexes dressed in a sweetly spicy supernatural sauce.
This was my first Jill Barnett and despite her being one of the "golden-oldies" of the '90s, I strangely hadn't tried any of her books before and now I plan to backlist more, hoping they will leave a happy smile on my face like this one did.

So, why are you still wasting time listening to me? Pick up your magic broom (oh, come on, we all have one!), speed away and, here is really the case to say it, en-Joy.

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways a 4 star with a sweetly innocent heroine, touches of magic and fantasy, more lyrical writing than usual, fun secondary characters, but it just misses the mark for me. Part of the problem is the rigid and cold Duke, yes ANOTHER Duke, despite his insta-attraction to the heroine and besottedness can not set aside the hidebound strictures his horrible father put in place.

Those social and personal constraints are the heart of the conflict but did not work for me personally. The heroine is in love and very sweet. However, there is a 4 star grovel and repentance by the H at the end.

This rating is very much a "It's me, not you."

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread: 1/17/23
Reread: 6/30/20
Loved!!! So cute and funny.

I've reread this book so many times. It's a great book when you're feeling down. A story with a witch (who never gets her spells right) and a prude/snob Duke. It hilarious watching these two fall in love.

I highly recommend!!

Sidenote: I love the epilogue! I keep hoping there is a book that features their children.

[Hannah B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, especially when they were trapped in the snowstorm/the middle portion when it was just them alone together. I wanted more of that!! I think the beginning was a bit slow and I def got annoyed at him being annoyed about the witchery…but like I get it. Then I enjoyed the turn it took in the third act, but it just felt so abruptly introduced that I was a bit thrown (but intrigued and not unhappy about it). I just think we could’ve been eased into it or left clues along the way? And then even more happened right at the end and I was like I just want some peace!! But it ended adorably so I can’t be too mad.

I also wasn’t quite in the mood to be reading this—it’s seasonally appropriate and we’re doing a podcast episode on it, but I’m just not quite in the witchy mood right now—so I do think I’ll reread and will probably enjoy it even more the next time. I know this could be a Halloween read, but I think reading it when winter becomes too wintery would fit the vibes.

I’m not sure if I’d read book two, because where the duke could be a dick, the earl actually scares me bc I think it would be worse/the reviews do seem to confirm. I already thought Joy apologized too much, so I’m not sure how Letitia would fair…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️/5

[♥Sharon♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!



This is another one for my liked it but didn't love it shelf. Jill Barnett is a new author for me and while I think the story was nice enough I just didn't end up loving it.

For a good part of the story the hero Duke Alec was an arsehole. I struggled to warm up to him and didn't do so until the the last few chapters. The heroine Joy was rather sweet. She was funny too. The best parts were when she was casting her spells. Especially on Alec. LOL Though he didn't find them funny AT ALL!

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I read this 3 years ago, I think I would be raving this up to the moon. As it is, I really like it!

This was cute, it was funny, and there was some angst. Hugging trees, devouring gothics starring dastardly dukes. Oh my goodness! There were cute lil gags here and the Macbeth scene is so much fun.

But most importantly Jill Barnett knows how to write an epilogue. She kills it at the last sentence which made me squee and sigh. I felt a little stirring in my heart. Similar to Judith McNaught's power of writing the final sentence, which should not be underestimated! I was skimming towards the end but the Epilogue got me like, wait I love this!

Sometimes, the MC characterization felt repetitious without adding on layers to the situation.

Firstly, I love a stuffy duke, and he's got silver hair! Which, I mean. I've loved on a hero ever since The Silver Devil.

And while the romance novel often asks the question, is the hero too set in his ways to change for Love? The duke came off like a cardboard character in the story.

Duke is not understanding about his wife being a witch, he pulls away from her when she uses her magic, but then feels guilty for being rude and then tries to make her happy by taking her to experience something that she mentioned she had the desire to experience. But there's never deeper introspection on the duke's part. Just, ah Scottish has done it again! I guess this is a stylistic choice of the novel to be more slapstick comedy. Otherwise, it might be too angst-y for readers. Just something to note.

Meanwhile the heroine had a little too much "if he just looked at me, he would know he loved me!" going on. And usually, I don't mind heroines with a lil case of hero worship, especially when the scales fall from their eyes.

Also a bit of manic pixie dream girl going on here where the heroine waxes poetic about how looking at things is good. Although she does have a good point when she asks Alec "how will you ever have any memories if you don't create them?" That's right. You HUG that tree, Scottish.

[emtee]

This is a tough book to rate because it’s so unique, I have nothing to compare it to. So no star rating.

If I had to use one word to describe the book, it would be “whimsical.”

”Whimsical describes something playful, fanciful, or quaintly unconventional, often characterized by sudden, odd, or imaginative ideas. It suggests a charming, lighthearted, or unpredictable nature, frequently used to describe art, writing, or personality that is eccentric rather than serious.”

The first couple of chapters went beyond whimsical to pretty silly, and I wondered if I should stick with it. I’m glad I did, because I found a story that was unique, engaging, reminiscent of a fairy tale and unlike any historical romance I’ve ever read.

I really enjoyed it. I liked the imaginative writing/storyline, both MCs, and something I didn’t expect to find: the spice was raw, and hot, and I was happily surprised to find that in this book.

This book won’t appeal to everyone, but if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted and very different type of regency romance, and you can enjoy true whimsy without rolling your eyes, I recommend it.

She glanced past the gardens to an ancient oak. A sprawling tree, it had wide clawing branches as thick as her body. The bark was mottled and ridged by time, wind, and weather. The tree had character. Witches believed that the wonder of life flowed like a magic river through the thick trunk of a tree. The older the tree, the stronger the power. […] She stood and moved over to the tree, stopping in front of it and craning her head to look up to its very crown. She wrapped her arms around the wide trunk and laid her cheek against the bark. Slowly, her weary and saddened eyes drifted closed. She thought there was something soothing about hugging a tree. It was almost like the soft touch of a mother’s comforting hand.

[FicTalk Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Heather

Bewitching by Jill Barnett is not a hot new book just out on the best sellers list. As a matter of fact, it was first published back in 1993. But when someone sent it to me and told me I had to read it, I trusted them completely. I am so glad I did because this book was amazing.

Joyous “Joy” MacQuarrie is a young witch who has problems with her abilities. She often finds herself having to clean up quite the mess. When her aunt is sent to America for two years for council business, she is expected to go to another estate in London.

Alec, who likes to be known as the duke of Bellmore, is told by an old woman on a street corner that he will not marry the woman he is supposed to, but that he will marry the next woman he meets. She says that he will never be bored again. After he is denied by Lady Juliet Spencer, his intended bride, he finds himself in quite the predicament.

Walking one night in the wilderness, Joy winds up in the duke’s arms after, what she thinks, are a few misspoken words during an incantation. Alec decides that Joy will fix the problem he is currently in and asks Joy to marry him…that night. Joy agrees, but knows that she needs to tell him about the fact that she’s a witch. She decides to wait until after they’re married.

Almost immediately after marrying, Alec begins to understand what the old lady meant by never being bored again. Joy changes the Duke’s life completely. His home is no longer quiet and controlled, but it is filled with many strange happenings…from messed up clocks to dancing statues.

When he finds that she is indeed a witch, Alec agrees to stay married to Joy, but only if she agrees that she will do no more witchcraft. But even without reading the book, do you really think that’s gonna happen?

I truly fell in love with this book. It had the right amount of romance. The fact that Alec calls Joy ‘Scottish’ makes me swoon. I love what little ‘magic’ happens when they make love. It had me laughing quite a bit. Joy often finds herself in situations that are comical. You do not want to be around her when she goes into a sneezing fit.

Barnett truly has a way with writing. She has you feeling quite sorry for Joy when she is reprimanded by Alec for more of her magic, but yet you also feel that you understand why exactly Alec is the way he is. If you get the chance to read this book, I think you should jump on it. It was the perfect book for me because it had a supernatural element to it and also, of course, romance.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the woman he was supposed to marry runs off with another man, Alec, the Duke of Belmore finds himself facing humiliation. And with a lifetime of protecting the Belmore name that's something he cannot countenance.

When Joyous Fiona MacQuarrie literally crashes into his life, he sees a way to protect the family name so he skilfully manipulates her into a quickie wedding. But what he doesn't know is Joyous is a witch, and not just any witch. She's the witch whose every spell goes awry, and that's when she's on her game. When she has a cold...well her sneezes could give the gossips in London more grist for the mill that they've ever had.

She drives the austere Duke to distraction, but she could very well be the one person who can save him from what he has become and bring happiness into his life.

Bewitching is quite a hoot. It's a witty and occasionally downright funny love story. I think the love scenes were a little too much...I mean two weeks could pass in a few pages and then the author would spend half a chapter on a single love scene. They seemed a little out of proportion to the story, but setting that aside, this book is a lot of fun.

[Bree Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

♡ Paranormal historical romance
♡ Witchy romance
♡ Bewitching "reimagining"
♡ Grumpy/Sunshine
♡ Caretaking

This was such a unique historical romance!

I say that as if I've read more than a handful, but still.

Basically, if you love Bewitched, you'll love this book. I have vague memories of seeing bits and pieces of the TV show here and there growing up, but I don't remember much about it. I do sort of remember how the hero wasn't on board with the heroine's witchy-ness, and that is very prevalent in this book. Almost to the point where I wasn't sure the hero could be redeemed with how mean he was to the heroine when it came to her powers... which was really sad because she was absolutely adorable. She doesn't have the best grasp on her powers and constantly is messing up (they end up meeting because she accidentally magically travels to the wrong place and lands on top of him LOL).

I found her absolutely charming - she had this wonder about the world that I adored and at first I really did like her with the hero. I thought she would help brighten him up a bit and it'd become one of those I Hate Everyone But You situations, but throughout the middle of the book, he mostly just seemed annoyed by her, although very attracted to her.

I will say, though, I had to give this five stars because in a wonderful turn of events, the hero redeems himself pretty epically - which is not something I see often. And overall I loved the story. It was sweet and fun and different.

triggers: toxic relationship, racism, trauma (they almost freeze to death), ableism, severe illness, severe injury, abuse

[Jenny Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that made me a reader! I remember one time (before I was allowed to read romance novels), lying in bed with my mother, who was reading this book fresh off the bookstands. Periodically, my mother would burst into spontaneous laughter. She even found some of it funny enough (chapter 13, for example) to read it out loud to her impressionable young daughter (me). Over the years, I became more and more curious about it, and as soon as I felt she would allow it, I asked my mother to please find the book that had her laughing so hard those years before and allow me to read it. She did. I am now a grown woman with children of my own, and that copy of my mother's has been read so many times (by me) that she had to buy me a newer copy just so I would quit reading hers before the binding completely gave way. The sequel, Dreaming, is also wonderful and quite amusing, but Bewitching will always have a special place in my heart as it is the book that made me fall in love with reading while I fell in love with Alec, Duke of Belmore and his darling Joyous Fiona MacQuarry.

Thank you, Mrs. Barnett, for writing this wonderful book!

[Mslvoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have fell in love with this author. From the moment I pickup this book, I fell in love with Joy and Alec. The Seymour also makes me smile with his words. This book totally bewitched me. Full of fun and wit. Absolutely delightful!

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! Fun witchy historical romance read perfect for Halloween or Christmas!

[Mary Rayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love :

✅Historical Romance
✅Sunshine/Grumpy trope
✅Witches
✅Care Taking trope
✅Amazing cast of side characters
And most importantly
✅Hilarious book to cackle with

Then this book is definitely for you.
I love it so much!

This is a story about a young Scottish Witch named Joyous who is just horrible at controlling her powers and one day she literally lands on Duke of Belmore, our hero, out of nowhere and knocks him flat on his back.
Alec is an arrogant, cold Duke who sees nothing important than his duty and his title, unlike Joy who is vivacious and sees beauty and love in anything.

They meet, they instantly form a connection but the problem is that Joy is a witch and Alec doesn't know it and Joy is not sure he would react well to the news.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MYSELF NOW. JILL. JILL!! I AM WEEPING

CW: Sexual content, bullying, medical content

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starchy duke that doesn’t smile enter marriage of convenience to a Scottish witch that can’t control her magic

[Jessen Reads Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[A Romance Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

This was a fun, sweet, lovely Historical Romance! I really liked the grumpy/sunshine relationship, it was very well done!

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Интересненькая тут история случилась, конечно.
Весь из себя правильный и приличный английский герцог, пережив легкое ущемление своей гордости в виде сбежавшей невесты, спонтанно женится на первой встречной девице. Которая, внезапно, оказывается шотландской ведьмой. И заверте...
Ну и что... герой - натуральный и искренний мудак почти всю дорогу, с женой поступает сначала как предки-мудаки завещали, а потом по настроению, но осадочек присутствует. Только две ведьмочки и довольно радикальные меры понадобились, чтобы его перевоспитать.
Героиня - чудесная, тут у меня нет комментариев.

В романе много очень дивных моментов, он вообще эмоционально как такие американские горки, туда хомячка - оттуда хомячка, я такое прям люблю.

Но, наверное, лучший момент романа это когда у ведьмы-тётушки героини заканчивается терпение. И тут наконец-то герой-мудак - стандартный для любовного романа типаж же, получает не просто урок, а хороший, смачный воспитательный пендель. Вот прям так, чтобы хорошенько пострадал пару месяцев. И этот сюжетный ход, скажу я вам, приносит очень много радости и читательского удовлетворения!

[Pamelabyoung · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Bewitched meets English peerage and all. I like so much about it....the magical part of a young, naive Scottish witch marrying a boring, stuffy, full-of-himself Duke, the strange spells that happened when she sneezed, her inability to successfully cast most spells, and the like. But since I bought it for only 99 cents on sale for my Kindle, I shouldn't complain that it was a bit too much like a trashy paperback romance novel, should I? I am some kind of a junior high fool, I know, but I still want to laugh out loud when I read some of the lengthy descriptive passages about the "length of his manhood" and so forth. I apologize for my immaturity. Still, it was kinda cool that, as a result of her inability to control her magic, they were showered with pink rose petals every time they made love. Okay, see....I'm giggling again. I would have handled it all much better if the lights dimmed, the petals fell, and the rest was left to my imagination. I need a mature audiences warning to avoid waking up my family with my laughter in the middle of the night.

[Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Publishers Weekly: In 1813 Alec Castlemaine, a callous English duke who compares courtship to horse trading, faces rejection from his meticulously selected betrothed, who decides she cannot live without love. That same night, Joyous Fiona MacQuarrie, a Scottish witch with faith in fairy-tale endings, messes up a travel incantation and "zaps" herself into the duke's lap. Unbelievably, she explains away her sudden appearance, and the duke, wanting to salvage his pride, marries her immediately. After she reveals her powers on their wedding night, the duke forbids her to perform any hocus-pocus. Inconveniently, she can't always control her magic.

This is a fast, fun read. I really loved this book the first time I read it. Joy is a spunky, sweet heroine who breaks through the ice surrounding Alec's heart. Of COURSE he's going to fall in love with her. There were some very cute moments and times when I chuckled out loud, and overall the book made me smile.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 or 4 stars. Audible, narrated by Anna Johnstonbrown. I would have enjoyed this enchanting, heartwarming, and occasionally funny paranormal regency romance much more if I'd read it, because the narrator gradually wore me down with her über-articulation. Every syllable sits up straight — even the ones that should be more relaxed — every t is ttttotttally sharp, every d is dddistinct. She pronounced the word ducal wrong every single time -- at least a dozen. "Doo-call" she said. The doo-call crest. Gahh. And misspoke livery! Hello?

What a shame, because this narrator has a voice I could listen to for hours on end with pleasure. Mellifluous. Expressive. Authentic portrayal of various emotions. Male voices are credible.

But the overly stressed pronunciation distracted me from the story.

An amusing yet poignant story, if predictable and redundant. I liked the scenes with Stephan. Wish he'd shown up earlier.

Lots of explicit sex. Lots of roses.

Nothing to sneeze at. ;-)

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was so cute, and the heroine reminded me of Bewitched one of my old favourite shows. The heroine is a witch whose spells go wrong. The hero is a fuddy-duddy but when he is jilted he marries the heroine and didn't count on her witchiness, her goodness or anything else really. The hero is a jerk to her many times over. But boy does her aunt make him work for it at the end to get her back. I enjoyed this so much!

[Judi Fennell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My ALL TIME FAVORITE book EVER!

Utterly adorable and fun!

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting, but it was so much and so delicious. I adored it. The characters, the set up. The magic and the grumpy/sunshine fun.

It was so great! So much fun.

[britta ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightful little romp with a free spirited Scottish witch and a starchy staid English Duke…what could go wrong? 🪄

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think the tv show Bewitched in a Regency romance setting with Darren being a relly grumpy Duke. Happy reading!

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

.
The Duke, Alec, was raised by a heavy-handed father that drilled into him that no one in their family conceded to a love match. The harsh man had not even allowed Alec to enjoy being a child, constantly grooming him as the next stoic Duke. His arrogance almost cost him his peace of mind.

When it came time to find a wife to produce an heir, he contacted someone to find a suitable wife. Unfortunately, his carefully selected bride rejected him by letter and married another just prior to their wedding day.

A flower peddling lady told him that he would marry the next lady that he met and that his life would never be boring again. Turns out she knew what she was talking about. The woman he married was a breath of fresh air and filled his world with magic.

I enjoyed the humorous bits the most and then the character's growth. However, the connection between the H/H seemed week in general. I did not enjoy the explicit sexual scenes. Those I could have done without. I feel confident the author could have conveyed the intimacy without so much detail. I did not understand why she was required to bargain with the aunt near the end..

This book is able to stand on its own. It was a lengthy stand-alone story, which I find refreshing. There is an adorable H.E.A.

Unfortunately, there were some grammatical errors that distracted from the read. It is not a clean read, which is disappointing. Due to these things, I debated on a 3 or 4 and settled on 4 in the end.

If you enjoy humor, magic, and historical romance - then I would recommend that you give this book a try!

[Cheesecake]

DNF at halfway, SOoooo I won't star it.
The story was something I would enjoy; naive cheerful girl and closed off judgmental guy. She teaches him how to love and enjoy life, blah blah, yadda yadda...
BUT.
It was just so TEDIOUS.
The problem for me was mostly the writing style. The simplest actions are spelled out when they don't need to be. It made a lot of the book just D-r-a-g. The action parts drag even more than the other parts.

Also, Joy is a numbskull. She's supposed to be naïve and clumsy, but she's really just an idiot.

And then there's the whole 'witchcraft' thing, which is just silly. It's like the Bedknobs and Broom Sticks type of witchcraft.

safety is fine as far as I went. But I didn't even bother skipping to the end for this one.
She's a virgin. He's had mistresses, but doesn't have one now. He was about to become engaged to another girl but she dumped him just before he meets Joy. I don't think he cared except it tweaked his pride.

[Gogol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, tedious, mind numbingly so. This writer, who should not be let loose on innocent, unsuspecting readers, actually modelled this book on the structure of third rate movies that used to be commissioned by television channels for Christmas time around the 1980’s.
I cringed on behalf of the writer and found it embarrassing to read through her struggles in order to create a “charming, bubbly, magical” romantic comedy. Instead of trying so hard on such little substance, she’d have perhaps done better, had she read more, or studied better, or had found a decent editor, or best of all an accomplished ghost writer. The hero, and I use the term very loosely, was an abusive, narrow minded, rude, douchebag, the heroine was a masochistic, stupid doormat. I mean even she knew that she was stupid. Tstl heroine if there ever was one. And the boring plot line, and tedious mishaps, and awful pacing that made me want to tear the pages out and put the book out of its misery.