Remember the Magic is an acceptable read. There’s nothing all that wrong with it, but nothing that stands out either.

In the sixteenth century, Sydney Wyrrd left Scotland and the chieftain she loved in order to spare him the trouble of being associated with a witch. She lived the next five centuries alone, until the assistance of her fellow witches gave her the opportunity to return to Scotland in the 1500s, and to Duncan.

She returns thirteen years after she originally left. Duncan never forgot her, although he is on the verge of marrying the daughter of a neighboring chieftain in order to merge their clans. As soon as he sees Sydney, his feels for her return in full. But it is a dangerous time to be a witch. When a number of misfortunes befall his people, many start to wonder about Sydney. Now that he has her back, Duncan will do anything to keep her with him, even if staying might put her life at risk.

There’s not much to the story. For a book that lasts more than 300 pages, it’s remarkably straightforward and uncomplicated. Sydney runs around treating people’s various ailments, which makes other people suspicious. She and Duncan fall back in love. Rumors build, there’s more falling in love, rumors, love, etc. It’s not a difficult read, even if it’s not exactly compelling. The characters are inoffensive, though not very deep. Sydney is the typical serene good witch, radiating kindness and love. She doesn’t exhibit any deeper emotions, which makes her a pretty one-note character. Duncan is similarly stalwart and honorable in a rather bland way, even if his continued suspicions about whether Sydney is a good or evil witch continue too long and are excessively repetitive. Still, it is a sweet relationship with a reasonable amount of chemistry.

The story follows a predictable path, pretty much going where the reader expects it to. It’s not difficult to figure out who is really responsible for the strange happenings in the village and who is really involved with evil. By the time Sydney thinks “I should have known this from the start” near the end of the book, it’s hard not to agree with her. The plot is so straightforward there’s little room for period detail or atmosphere. It really is just the witch hunt plot and the romance, with little else.

Remember the Magic is a decent way to pass a few hours, an inoffensive if unspectacular read. At the very least, the characters and storyline probably won’t annoy, even if that’s mainly because they’re not engaging enough to make you care all that much about them either way.