Magdalene O'Shea has a secret. From the time when she was very young, she could shift into any animal form that she desired. Her mother, who already resented Magdalene for ruining her life just by being concieved, refused to believe that Magdalene was telling the truth when the young girl told her what she could do. She told Magdalene that if she persisted in such lies, she was surely bound to hell, to a fiery end.
Magdalene used her powers to get close to boys that she liked, until she was 20, when a man that she liked told her he was in love with her, and would kill himself if she left him. Maggie didn't believe him and he promptly threw himself off a cliff. Maggie was horrified, and ran as fast and far as she could, but was discovered by a man and shapeshifter named Marcus Bocelli, who, after hearing her story about the man who had thrown himself from the cliff, told her she must atone for her crime. He will teach her how to use her powers, and she must use them in the service of good, and light, and love.
Fourteen years later, Maggie is tired of her job. She wonders for how much longer she will have to continue to atone for her crime. Every time she thinks she is done and can settle down to a normal life, Marcus will appear with a new job that he insists it is extremely important she take on. Since her job consists of teaching damaged men to open their hearts and love again, she must sincerely love the men she takes on. Now, each job is becoming no more than a job, and it feels wrong to approach it that way.
Marcus appears back in her life, and gives her a job he says will be the most important of her life. Julian McDonald is a wealthy entepreneur whose life was darkened when his wife and young son went down in an airplane wreck. He threw himself into his work, but he could be so much more, and he is being groomed to be such. However, he must be able to love in his new position, and since Magdalene is their best operative, Marcus has decided to give her the job. Magdalene sees that she could easily step over the line and fall in love with Julian in the wrong way and want him for herself. Nonetheless, she agrees to take him on.
Magdalene meets Julian at a charity auction, and piques his interest by challenging his bid on a watercolor painting painted by a local student. At the auction she also meets D., a local television journalist and shockingly direct woman. D and Maggie become quick friends, especially when they escort each other to dinner and manage to once again intrigue Julian, but also confuse him.
When Maggie hasn't heard from Julian within a week after the auction, she breaks into his house as a falcon and plants her business card in a place where he can't fail to see it. Unfortunately, she hasn't counted on his dog being there, and must abandon the body of the falcon, which she possessed, and instead takes over Julian's dog, Maxamillion. From this, she learns Max has really bad hip joints, but is able to lead him to her card.
A few days later, Julian meets her for dinner at her shop, Soul Provisions, which sells books, jewelry, CDs and candles, along with other things for people to pamper themselves with. He's made reservations at a Chic restaurant, but instead she takes him to her house and forces him to relax by making him take off the armor of his suit. He eats the dinner she prepared, and has a wonderful time. The next weekend, he "kidnaps" her and takes her to his house in Bermuda for dinner, but they end up staying the night.
While she is there, Maggie attempts to swim in the ocean in dolphin form, but becomes entangled in some fishing nets, and is rescued by a barracuda, who also happens to be the housekeeper... and a shapeshifter as well. She tells Maggie that Maggie has a choice. If she wants to stop doing work for the organization and retire, it is up to her. She also tells Maggie something about the organization she works for. It's not much, but it's more than Marius has ever told her.
When she returns to Philadelphia, Marius returns to see her. He's perturbed that, while the housekeeper gave a good report on Maggie, Marius was reprimanded for not giving her an adequate background on the organization. Maggie is so fed up with him by this point that she really can't care. In fact, she takes pleasure in the fact that it was Marius who got reprimanded, not her. She also tells him this will be her last job. She wants to be free and have a normal life, with a husband and children. Marius enjoys the chase and capturing different women, she doesn't really enjoy her job. Soon after, Maggie and Julian become lovers.
After a few more weekends together, Maggie pushes Julian to talk about his family, even though he doesn't really want to. After pointing out a few home truths about Julian's family life, Julian blows up, runs out, and decides not to return to her. But later on, he talks to his older female assistant, who gives him another few home truths about his own behavior. He rewards her by letting her husband surprise her with a trip to his home in the Bahamas over the coming weekend. Then he returns to Maggie and they talk out his problems with relationships. When he asks her to marry him, Maggie reveals that he has been her project and that she cannot marry him. She tells him that great things are awaiting him, and that he will soon meet another woman whom he will fall in love with and marry.
Julian is approached by a senator and is invited to become the Senator's protegé, taking over for him in politics. He is introduced to a young woman named Victoria, who would be the perfect wife for his political career, but he tells the senator that his heart is already engaged, and when the Senator asks the woman's name, he tells him, "Maggie". He turns down the senator's offer, and finds that Victoria and Maggie say many of the same things. Victoria learned hers from a man she was recently involved with...
After breaking up with Julian, Maggie becomes very sick, and eventually, realizes she is pregnant. When Julian returns and tries to minster to her, she drives him away by showing him her powers. He leaves, thinking that she is some sort of monster. Eventually, Julian decides to take the senator up on his offer and goes to see him at his estate. The Senator has also invited Maggie to join him, and reveals to her that he is her father. At first, she is upset with him, but when she sees Julian on the estate, she realizes she still loves him, and Julian realizes this as well when he gets jealous of Marius. When the senator is shot by a sniper, she and Marius take care of the assassin, while Julian phones for help. But will the organization allow Maggie to take Victoria's place and marry Julian?
This book was an extremely good read. Both characters are intelligent, passionate and capable of surprising each other as well as the readers. Maggie's plight, her frustration with having to live a life where she must atone for a thoughtless act over and over, really came through. Marius, who had been her mentor and lover, came off as very manipulative, as seen through Maggie's eyes. Since he's Italian, he tries using his charm to manipulate her, but by the time of the beginning of the book, it's obvious she won't be falling for it any longer.
I really enjoyed the ending of the series, and the sequel will apparently focus on Marius and Maggie's friend, D. Since Marius is portrayed as someone who is rather manipulative and enjoys chasing women, I'm not sure he is exactly the kind of man who is a romance hero. But we'll see.
I also read Death Note #13: How to Read, which gives timelines for the series, and gives notes that makes the storyline and high-level plotting more accessible to readers. The book also answers reader questions, has interviews with the writer, Tsugumi Ohba, and the artist, Takeshi Obata, separately, and then one together. It's packed with information and stuff on all the important character, and includes a section in the back with traditional Japanese four-panel comics featuring the characters from Death Note, and the original story that the series grew out of, as well as a hilarious look at the Shinigami Ryuk's take on the series.
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