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Could it be Magic?
She could teach him a thing or two... — Schoolteacher Gwen DeClerk was stable and reliable--and furious that those were the qualities her new neighbor, international showman Jeremy Kane, found most attractive. She wanted to be lusted after.. the way she secretly craved Jeremy. — Gwen sensed a smoldering undercurrent between them, and she had a choice: remain a timid schoolmarm for th erst of her life or show Jeremy a side of her he had yet to discover. What could she lose? Miss Prim and Proper was about to become Ms Hot and Heavy!
229 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1989
29 people want to read
About the author
Gina Wilkins
387 books85 followersGina is known as: Gina Ferris, Gina Ferris Wilkins and Gina Wilkins. If looking for a specific book please check all names.
Gina Wilkins sold her first book to Harlequin in 1987, and has been writing full-time ever since, publishing more than 90 books for Harlequin/Silhouette. Her books are translated into 20 languages. A lifelong resident of central Arkansas, she attended Arkansas State University, obtaining a degree in journalism. She pursued careers in advertising and human resource development before achieving her lifelong goal of becoming a published writer. The bestselling author is a four-time winner of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers, and has won several awards from the reviewers of Romantic Times magazine. She was a recent nominee for a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
A member of Romance Writers of America, Diamond State Romance Authors and Novelists, Inc., she is a past president of Fiction Writers of Central Arkansas. She is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences, civic organizations and in middle and senior high schools, where she focuses on literacy and goal setting.
Gina and John, her husband of more than 30 years, have raised three “extraordinary” children, two daughters and a son, all pursuing careers in science and medicine.
Gina Wilkins sold her first book to Harlequin in 1987, and has been writing full-time ever since, publishing more than 90 books for Harlequin/Silhouette. Her books are translated into 20 languages. A lifelong resident of central Arkansas, she attended Arkansas State University, obtaining a degree in journalism. She pursued careers in advertising and human resource development before achieving her lifelong goal of becoming a published writer. The bestselling author is a four-time winner of the prestigious Maggie Award for Excellence sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers, and has won several awards from the reviewers of Romantic Times magazine. She was a recent nominee for a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times.
A member of Romance Writers of America, Diamond State Romance Authors and Novelists, Inc., she is a past president of Fiction Writers of Central Arkansas. She is a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences, civic organizations and in middle and senior high schools, where she focuses on literacy and goal setting.
Gina and John, her husband of more than 30 years, have raised three “extraordinary” children, two daughters and a son, all pursuing careers in science and medicine.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2022
Gina Wilkins' Could It Be Magic is a comfy romance read. It’s a sensually-charged Harlequin Temptation from the early 1990s. Gwen DeClerck is a staid, young widow, who had been married to a man twice her age. When Jeremy Kane, a famous magician moves next door, he turns her stable world upside down with excitement and passion.
Gwen owns a lovely house that she shared with her deceased husband. She’s a little plump and considers herself homely, even though she’s not yet 30. Suffice to say that Gwen has a nice settled existence and enjoys her work as a school teacher.
One day she notices a truck pulling into her next-door neighbor’s driveway and movers bringing in boxes.
And an assortment of strange creatures, including… a monkey?
Gwen instinctively knows her life is going to change. She glimpses long, leggy redheads entering the house at all hours. It figures. A playboy has moved next door!
But when she meets her neighbor, he’s unlike any man she’s ever met, and Gwen doesn’t know what to think about him.
Jeremy Kane is a superstar magician who’s a bit of an introvert despite his showmanship ways. He has tall, lithe redheads as his assistants, a far cry from Gwen’s brunette plump cuteness. But any good magician would tell you the “eye-candy” is but a distraction from the trick. Plus Jeremy’s certainly not interested in his co-workers he views in a sisterly fashion.
However, the handsome showman is instantly smitten with Gwen and declares his intentions to make her part of his life.
His pursuit of her takes him to every aspect of her life, from her home to her work, where Jeremy contrives to be Gwen’s winning prize in the “Teacher Has to Kiss a Pig Contest.” To Gwen’s shock, Jeremy shows up in a pig mask to claim his prize. He also performs a dazzling show for Gwen’s eager students.
Jeremy breaks down Gwen’s reserve, and she allows herself to enter what she believes will be a brief fling. Because there couldn’t possibly be anything more for a woman like her and a man like Jeremy?
The title of Could It Be Magic is based on the Barry Manilow song. Gwen hears the song as she’s driving and gets emotional as she realizes how deep her feelings for Jeremy run. She wants more than a temporal romance, but is that even possible? It would take the magic of love to make their relationship last forever.
Jeremy goes doggedly after the woman he desires–and knows he can have a connection with. Modern-day readers may see his pursuit blur into “Stalker-ish” but it’s not written with any nefarious, overly macho intentions. Gwen’s recalcitrant attitude did get a bit frustrating, but she soon melts for Jeremy, so it’s all good.
As said, Could It Be Magic is a pleasant romance novel, worthy of a look.
Gwen owns a lovely house that she shared with her deceased husband. She’s a little plump and considers herself homely, even though she’s not yet 30. Suffice to say that Gwen has a nice settled existence and enjoys her work as a school teacher.
One day she notices a truck pulling into her next-door neighbor’s driveway and movers bringing in boxes.
And an assortment of strange creatures, including… a monkey?
Gwen instinctively knows her life is going to change. She glimpses long, leggy redheads entering the house at all hours. It figures. A playboy has moved next door!
But when she meets her neighbor, he’s unlike any man she’s ever met, and Gwen doesn’t know what to think about him.
Jeremy Kane is a superstar magician who’s a bit of an introvert despite his showmanship ways. He has tall, lithe redheads as his assistants, a far cry from Gwen’s brunette plump cuteness. But any good magician would tell you the “eye-candy” is but a distraction from the trick. Plus Jeremy’s certainly not interested in his co-workers he views in a sisterly fashion.
However, the handsome showman is instantly smitten with Gwen and declares his intentions to make her part of his life.
His pursuit of her takes him to every aspect of her life, from her home to her work, where Jeremy contrives to be Gwen’s winning prize in the “Teacher Has to Kiss a Pig Contest.” To Gwen’s shock, Jeremy shows up in a pig mask to claim his prize. He also performs a dazzling show for Gwen’s eager students.
Jeremy breaks down Gwen’s reserve, and she allows herself to enter what she believes will be a brief fling. Because there couldn’t possibly be anything more for a woman like her and a man like Jeremy?
The title of Could It Be Magic is based on the Barry Manilow song. Gwen hears the song as she’s driving and gets emotional as she realizes how deep her feelings for Jeremy run. She wants more than a temporal romance, but is that even possible? It would take the magic of love to make their relationship last forever.
Jeremy goes doggedly after the woman he desires–and knows he can have a connection with. Modern-day readers may see his pursuit blur into “Stalker-ish” but it’s not written with any nefarious, overly macho intentions. Gwen’s recalcitrant attitude did get a bit frustrating, but she soon melts for Jeremy, so it’s all good.
As said, Could It Be Magic is a pleasant romance novel, worthy of a look.
May 6, 2018
Gina Wilkins really wrote some nice oldies I am discovering lately. This is another one of her good ones. The hero is a magician who moves next door to the heroine who is a widowed-teacher. The hero is attracted to her from the start and makes that clear but the heroine doesn't think she fits him and his world. She thinks of herself as laid-back and even married a man 20 years older since she craved security. I really enjoyed seeing these two get in deeper and deeper with each other, even the hero who normally felt restless with things that made him want to leave. Very nice oldie.
December 4, 2018
Several of this author's books are reeads for me, but this was my first time reading Could It Be Magic. I'm giving it 4 stars only when keeping in mind that it was originally published in 1989.
For the first third or so of the book, I struggled with not dnf'ing it because of the Hero. He wouldn't take no for an answer, didn't take no for an answer, and frankly it was a little creepy. No matter how many times the heroine said some variation of "no", he would show up anyway, or grab her and not let go, or deliberately embarrass her in some way with sexual innuendos. He even broke into her house while she was asleep to leave a breakfast tray beside her bed. Honestly, that would have been the point I called the cops. But in 1989 and the trends of the romance genre thirty years ago, his behavior was nothing unusual for a hero.
Thankfully, the creepy vibe eventually died down and the rest of the book was a decent romance between opposites. If you are a fan of Wilkins' writing, you'll probably like this one. Just don't judge it by today's standards of acceptable behavior. 30 years ago he was probably a cute, smitten hero rather than a restraining-order candidate.
For the first third or so of the book, I struggled with not dnf'ing it because of the Hero. He wouldn't take no for an answer, didn't take no for an answer, and frankly it was a little creepy. No matter how many times the heroine said some variation of "no", he would show up anyway, or grab her and not let go, or deliberately embarrass her in some way with sexual innuendos. He even broke into her house while she was asleep to leave a breakfast tray beside her bed. Honestly, that would have been the point I called the cops. But in 1989 and the trends of the romance genre thirty years ago, his behavior was nothing unusual for a hero.
Thankfully, the creepy vibe eventually died down and the rest of the book was a decent romance between opposites. If you are a fan of Wilkins' writing, you'll probably like this one. Just don't judge it by today's standards of acceptable behavior. 30 years ago he was probably a cute, smitten hero rather than a restraining-order candidate.
July 15, 2025
This was an enjoyable and emotionally satisfying story - albeit incredibly dated. I discovered it was written in 1989, some 36 years ago and there were times when it was really obvious how long ago that was. Behaviour that would nowadays be described as stalking, outbursts of temper that would be seen as verging on domestic abuse. However I put those thoughts to one side and managed to enjoy what was a sweet and yet remarkably spicy romance.
However, GW is such a good writer that the characters and the plot maintained my interest throughout. I missed an epilogue - something you find much more frequently in contemporary Mills and Boon. I would have liked to see them down the line with Gwen much more at ease and with better self-esteem and Jeremy calmed by his lovely wife and family and their marriage thriving.
However, GW is such a good writer that the characters and the plot maintained my interest throughout. I missed an epilogue - something you find much more frequently in contemporary Mills and Boon. I would have liked to see them down the line with Gwen much more at ease and with better self-esteem and Jeremy calmed by his lovely wife and family and their marriage thriving.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2023
The H is a magician and h is a high school english teacher and are neighbors. They are truly the protagonists and any secondary characters including the h's best friend, H's assistants, their pet monkey and dog are all colorful but still secondary.
Despite the H having had a colorful playboy past as a celebrity doesn't indulge in flirtations and infidelity. Both of them know who they are and what they feel but not so much what the other feels but they communicate and grow together. Its a simple story and well written.
Despite the H having had a colorful playboy past as a celebrity doesn't indulge in flirtations and infidelity. Both of them know who they are and what they feel but not so much what the other feels but they communicate and grow together. Its a simple story and well written.
July 9, 2020
Please I want a soft copy of this book but I can't find it.. any assistance. Thanks
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews