With A Kiss of Fate, Mary Jo Putney makes her long-awaited return to historical romance. The novel, which features a touch of the paranormal, is the tale of a young couple from a mysterious clan known as the Guardians who have used their power over nature to positively influence world events for hundreds of years. This premise is interesting and, even though it falters somewhat in the execution, this book has many touching and exciting moments.

Though Gwyneth Owens, the widowed Lady Brecon, was born into the clan without any powers, she is respected within the Guardian community for her scholarship regarding Guardian lore and history. After her father's death, she married his employer and continued to maintain the library her father had once run. Though the marriage was not a passionate love match, Gwyneth was quite fond of her late husband and she is now content in a life revolving around her studies and time spent with her sister-in-law.

This all changes when Gwyneth makes the acquaintance of Duncan Macrae, a man she is both drawn to and intimidated by since he is well known as one of the most powerful weather-mages of his time. As someone born without power, Gwyneth fears that she cannot be his match and that his power will overwhelm her. As a result she avoids him. However, as tensions simmer between Scotland and England, Gwyneth eventually finds herself in a position where she is forced by the Guardian leadership to link herself to Duncan - a turn of events that both frightens and excites her.

When reading Putney's writing, it is obvious that she is a master who can plant her characters firmly within their time and place with the skillful use of details. She includes plenty of history within the layers of her story without any jarring, out-of-place lectures. For example, much information about the Jacobites and their uprisings is worked into the story, but I never got the feeling that any of the characters was acting as a docent within the novel.

However, the underpinnings of the plot with regard to the Guardians were less secure. First of all, very little is explained about how the Guardians are organized. It is obvious that the clan has a very definite scheme of organization, but it is never fully explained. As a result, it sometimes seemed as though the Guardians were coming in and out of the story at times when they would serve as a convenient device to move the plot along. For instance, the entire manner by which Gwyneth's original "I'm drawn to him but I fear him" conflict is solved feels a bit contrived. Instead of seeing the characters work through their emotions, it felt as though the unexplained rules of the Guardians were being used as a rather heavy-handed plot device simply to bring them together.

Since it is difficult to fully buy into the world of the Guardians as presented here, it is sometimes also just as hard to feel attached to Gwyneth and Duncan. On the positive side, both are sympathetic and interesting characters. Gwyneth, as a scholar of Guardian lore unused to experiencing these powers firsthand, is a strong, intelligent woman and seeing her growth throughout the book is a lot of fun. Duncan is also a likable hero. Though not as tortured as some Putney heroes, his struggle between his oath as a Guardian and his loyalties as a Scot makes for an intriguing story. However, the use of Guardian power between hero and heroine - not to mention some slightly silly Guardian-enhanced sex - can be a touch off-putting.

If Putney put more time into her world-building here, the Guardians could have been more convincing. However, without this background and careful attention to mythology, the Guardians and their powers just are not as compelling as they could be. Still, Putney gives readers a likable hero and heroine, together with a great setting and a truly dramatic conflict and, for that, this book certainly warrants a qualified recommendation. Whether or not you want to shell out hardcover money on this one is tough to say, but my gut suggests waiting for the paperback.