Theory of Magic

A blind marquess who detects lies...

A spinster who hides behind deceit...

Can even magic bring them together?


Scorned by suitors for her statuesque size, Harriet Stansbury bolts when opportunity offers a position in a mad marquess’s eccentric household.


Once a dashing rakehell, Duncan Ives, Marquess of Ashford, lost his eyesight in a murderous assault. Abandoned by his fiancée, unable to ride the vast fields of his estate, he vents his frustration on political reform. On impulse, he hires the intriguing, smoky-voiced Harriet even though he knows she’s lying—like him—with almost every word she speaks.


At first Harriet is a godsend, oddly anticipating what he needs and abating his worst rages. But when her stepfather accuses Duncan of ruining her, the scandal threatens everything he’s salvaged from the wreckage of his life. Avoiding scandal for the sake of his country, Duncan agrees to marriage. With her secret gift of empathy, Harriet isn't so certain. She's falling in love with the impossible marquess, but dare she risk her wounded heart for a man who can’t love her? And can Duncan learn to trust a woman whose tempting curves paralyze his good sense, but who is far more than she seems?


Review: “Known for her masterful talent for writing whimsy, humor and mayhem, Rice gives the reader a delightful romantic adventure in . . . her Unexpected Magic series”—Joan Hammond, RT Reviews 4 ½ stars