Night Magic

Combining elements of Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast, this is a modern fairy tale for adults. A beautiful, sensitive young girl falls in love with a brilliant older man who is so profoundly scarred both physically and emotionally that he literally cannot face the light of date. Despite his deep apprehensions, he allows her to enter his world of darkness, where they communicate their love for each other through music. Fearful of what he most craes, Erik nevertheless becomes convinced of Marisa's love. He nurtures and tutors her as she matures from girl to womanhood, while she, in turn, teaches him to trust and gradually coaxes him into the light. "Night Magic develops a hypnotic, erotic rhythm that, if you succumb, will rock you all night long." New York Post. " � Her situations are intense, her characters unique. In this latest endeavor Erik and Marisa are memorable � Anyone not a fan of Ms. Allen already will be after Night Magic." The Pittsburgh Press ** From Publishers Weekly Following the author's engaging Dream Train , this tedious romance, based on the tale "Beauty and the Beast," is particularly disappointing. At 16, Risa Crane falls in love with the mysterious Erik D'Anton, a gifted architect who, hideously scarred in a car accident, lives as a recluse. After two years' of evening trysts in Erik's subterranean music room (Risa has the voice of an angel), they marry--but Risa's gentle efforts to draw her husband to the outside world are obstructed as Erik refuses to have the child she desperately wants, and becomes ever more fearful of losing her to another man. Allen's gushing prose seems more suited to preteen fantasy than an adult novel, even one slated for the "women's market." Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Isobelle Carmody's Obernewtyn Chronicles established her at the forefront of fantasy writing in Australia. Her books published in the U.S. include two in the Little Fur series for young readers ( The Legend Begins and A Fox Called Sorrow ), two in the Gateway series for middle readers ( Night Gate and Winter Door ), and four in the Obernewtyn Chronicles for young adults. She lives in Apollo Bay, Australia, and Prague, Czech Republic. Declan Lee works as an illustrator and fine artist and his work is featured in collections in Australia and Germany. He has illustrated a number of book covers and readers for young children. Magic Night is illustrated in pastels, his preferred medium.�

In Night Magic, Charlotte Vale Allen rewrites The Phantom of the Opera and sets it in a Connecticut suburb.--New York Post.

Publishers Weekly

Following the author's engaging Dream Train , this tedious romance, based on the tale ``Beauty and the Beast,'' is particularly disappointing. At 16, Risa Crane falls in love with the mysterious Erik D'Anton, a gifted architect who, hideously scarred in a car accident, lives as a recluse. After two years' of evening trysts in Erik's subterranean music room (Risa has the voice of an angel), they marry--but Risa's gentle efforts to draw her husband to the outside world are obstructed as Erik refuses to have the child she desperately wants, and becomes ever more fearful of losing her to another man. Allen's gushing prose seems more suited to preteen fantasy than an adult novel, even one slated for the ``women's market.'' (May)