Sarah Wallace
Books: Fantasy | Romance | Queer
Fae & Human Relations: Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms (2024), Fire Spells Between Friends (2024), Shade Spells with Strangers (2025)
Meddle & Mend: Letters to Half Moon Street (2022), One Good Turn (2022), The Education of Pip (2023), Dear Bartleby (2023), The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress (2024)
Meddle & Mend
Letters to Half Moon Street (2022) #1
Set in alternate London in 1815
I enjoyed the Fae & Human Relations series Sarah Wallace co-wrote with S.O. Callahan, so I picked up this book awhile ago, but hadn’t gotten around to reading it. I’m sorry I waited, as her influence for this story was Georgette Heyer, and there was no boinking.
This is an alternative history where magic exists and there are no strictures against queer marriages (although there are still rules about chaperones).
The story is told in a series of letters between Gavin and various family members and friends–the majority of which are with his sister Gerry and Charles Kentworthy who he meets soon into his stay in London.
Although Gavin technically should have had a chaperone, it’s clear why his parents allowed him to go to London alone to act as steward to his father.
I liked the quiet atmosphere, but I was alarmed by the number of people inside. I went straight to the dining room and found a little table in the corner. I sat next to a lovely stained glass window, which was pleasant, and no one approached me, which was a relief. It was unsettling, though, to sit in a dining room amongst strangers and to be completely alone.
My evenings at the club have been very strange lately. The manager keeps asking me if I would like to be introduced to people. Did she ever do that to you? I told her I knew no one in London, and then she said apparently some people would like to know me. This was a terrifying prospect, so I begged her to discourage them as politely as she could. She gave me an odd look but did as I asked.
NO! Not people to TALK TO!
It’s delightful.
Gavin is pretty clearly both neurodivergent and demisexual, so it’s unsurprising that he misses all the clues (even if his sister doesn’t).
The fantasy is also lovely, and I like how rules regarding magic seem to parallel those of business for the gentry.
I have never seen a Person of Quality use magic to the amount he does. I would almost describe it as showing off, but he performed magic almost as if it were second nature to him.
If you’re looking for a queer-normative romance with zero boinking, I heartily recommend Letters to Half Moon Street. Especially if you like epistolary stories.
Characters: Gavin Hartford, Geraldine Hartford, John and Veronica Hartford, Sebastian Hartford, Reginald Hartford, Winnifred Hartford, Charles Kentworthy, Viscount Finlington, Dukex of Molbury, Mr. Angelino Bowles, Lord and Lady Kensley, Mr. Fenshaw, Julia Hearst, Miss Lydia Cartright, Miss Lizzy Worcester
August 2026 | Rating: 8.5/10
One Good Turn (2022) #2
Set in London ~1816
Nell Birks doesn’t want the life she grew into. As an orphan plucked off the streets she was glad to have food to eat and a safe place to sleep, but she wants to learn magic rather than continue life as a pick-pocket and thief.
When she interferes on Jack’s territory she is required to do one last job for him as payback. But when that job leads to her and her friend Pip getting caught, she takes the lord up on his offer of escape, and soon begins a magical education she never could have imagined.
She also meets many of the characters from the previous book, Letters to Half Moon Street, including Viscount Finlington who takes her in.
This is another queer cozy fantasy, but not a romance, as Nell is aromantic. Instead we get to watch her building her life on her own terms, and becoming the person she believed she was meant to be.
We also get the set-up for the next book, Pip’s story, which is darker, as Pip was forced into prostitution by a man he believed to be his lover.
Lino put a hand on Nell’s arm. “Nelly,” he said in a soft voice. “Jack used to take him here. He brought him most nights.”
“He wouldn’t!”
He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “He did.”
Nell opened her mouth to argue and then closed it as she thought back to how Pip had been in his last months in London.
Despite the thievery and acknowledgement of prostitution, this is still a cozy, and very lovely.
Characters: Miss Nell Birks, Viscount Bertie Finlington, Mr. Smelting, Philip Standish, Davey Smith, Jack Reid, Charles Kentworthy, Patience Carew, Mr. Hartford, Miss Gerry Hartford, Miss Locke, Miss Betsy Holgraf, Mx. Harriet, Archie, Lino Bowles, Thomas
August 2026 | Rating: 8.5/10
The Education of Pip (2023) #3
Set in Tutting-on-Cress in ~1816
This story overlaps with One Good Turn and we get Pip’s story. Please check the trigger warnings, as Pip has been abused by the man he thought to be his lover, and has been forced into prostitution.
Pip concluded the shame he now felt for his own face and body was yet another lesson he was meant to learn from Jack. Jack had seamlessly changed Pip’s beauty from a weapon to be used on unsuspecting marks to one leveraged against Pip himself. With every stranger’s look of interest, Pip felt his worth diminish.
This story is not a romance, but instead the story of Pip’s slowly coming to understand he is far more than what had been done to him.
I recognize that it will not help for me to explain to you that you are mistaken. No one can make you believe what you have already convinced yourself is true, particularly in regards to yourself.
These stories are fantasies. They exist in a world like–but unlike–out own where queerness is normalized, and good people simply exist and are a lovely counterpoint to the current state of things.
Respecting your person is the very least any of us could offer you. It barely warrants as a kindness, to my mind. But rather basic courtesy.
Characters: Mr. Philip ‘Pip’ Standish, Viscount Bertie Finlington, Mr. Charles Kentworthy, Miss Geraldine Hartford, Mr. Gavin Hartford, Jennings, Dukex of Molbury, Nell Birks, Mx. Harriet, Betsy, Lino, Davey Smith, Jimmy Connor, Tommy Connor, Bill Stark, Jack Reid, Mrs. Rose Hearst, Mrs. Julia Hearst, Mrs. Lizzy Canterbury, Miss Kitty Corley, Lady Maria Windham, Seb , John and Veronica, Sir Alfred Bamble
August 2026 | Rating: 9/10
Dear Bartleby (2023) #4
Set in Tutting-on-Cress in 1817
Seb, youngest sibling of Gavin and Gerry has been sent down for Oxford for one too many pranks.
Father sat me down in his study and told me I need to learn to be a proper gentleman. Ominous start. He listed out all manner of qualities I appear to be lacking: responsibility, gravity, good judgment. Frankly, I forget the rest of them.
So their father has sent him to live with Gavin and Charles. And one of his demands is that Sebastian keep a journal.
Gavin frowned in his usual way and said, “Seb, a journal is for personal thoughts. I would never betray your privacy in such a way. But this does give me a great deal of concern for what your personal thoughts actually are.”
Initially Seb tries his usual tricks and pranks, but he is first ignored, and then firmly told that some things will not be tolerated.
“It is inappropriate to conduct such things with servants. Has no one ever told you this?”
“I would never have taken you for a classist,” I retorted.
“Far from it,” he said. “It is not inappropriate because they are of a lower class than you. It is inappropriate because you are a guest in the home in which they are working. Many would not feel comfortable refusing advances, even if they did not want them.”
But as lessons are forced upon him, he slowly begins to learn that being send down from Oxford–far from being the worst thing that could happen to him may well be the best.
The story is written as Sebastian’s journal entries, and you see (more quickly than you might expect (except not really in retrospect, because he’s not actually a bad person)) mature and grow and learn.
And fall in love.
Although when he was bothering Pip I don’t know how the rest of the family kept from slapping him.
This isn’t quite a romance, as we don’t really meet Seb’s love interest 30% of the way into the book and the focus is on Sebastian’s growth as a person, but he does get an HEA–and more importantly, deserves that HEA.
Characters: Sebastian Hartford, Gavin Hartford, Mr. Charles Kentworthy, Gerry Hartford, Mr. Pip Standish, Viscount Bertie Finlington, Rose, Julia, Aunt Lily and Uncle Gregory, Miss Cornelia Locke, Mr. Laurence Ayles, Major Carlton Wilburforce, Sir Ronald Sinclair, Mr. David Voss, Mrs. Lydia Fossett, Dukex of Molbury, Robert Parks, Mr. Hartford, Mrs. Ridley, Sir James Badgeley, Lady St. John
August 2026 | Rating: 8/10
The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress (2024) #5
Set in Tutting-on-Cress in 1818
Gerry has been hoping to fall in love the way two of her brothers did, but has never felt the way she thought falling in love should be. So she figures she’ll be content running her shop and living with her brother and friends.
But her friends have other ideas.
Rose grinned, making Gerry immediately suspicious. “Oh, we don’t mind!” Rose said cheerfully.
“Would next Sunday do?” Julia said.
Gerry saw that she had fallen into a trap.
Basil Thorne went away to school soon after his mother died, and never quite managed to come back, especially after his father remarried.
When Basil was still at Eton, his father remarried and started to have a great many children. Basil quite liked his stepmother, but he also felt as though his father’s new family was something separate from himself.
Now that his father has died, he suddenly has more family than he knows what to do with, and has decided to stay in Tutting-on-Cress to help take care of everything.
Then she opened the door of the sitting room where the children had been crowding to eavesdrop. Mary seemed thoroughly unsurprised to find them there.
“We have some good news at last,” she told them. “Your brother is allowing us to stay at Verdimere Hall.”
The children gasped as if they hadn’t overheard the conversation
Unfortunately for all of them, they have guests.
“How long are they staying?”
Gavin turned his head a little, waiting for Charles to answer.
“A few months, probably.”
Gerry and Gavin both groaned.
“I am hopeful that John, at least, will learn to be more pleasant by the time he leaves.”
“That’s quite a generous expectation,” Gerry said. “Even for you.”
First off, the children are not adorable plot-moppets, but full-fledged characters, and you can often tell which kid is speaking without being told.
“Does it really matter if the ports are friendly? After all, we could be armed.”
“Yes,” Basil said. “You could be. But you would do better to think in terms of peace first.”
Arabella looked dubious and Basil wondered if it was possible to acquire a position for her in the navy.
Second, I liked the exploration of romance and romantic feelings, and what is normal.
“Just think about it,” they said. “And consider the possibility that you are waiting for a feeling that might not actually come to you.”
This is another lovely queer cozy story where queerness is simply one of many ways of being.
Characters: Geraldine ‘Gerry’ Hartford, Charles Kentworthy, Gavin Kentworthy, Seb Hartford, Mr. Laurence Ayles, Mr. Robert Ayles, Pip Standish, Viscount Bertie Finlington, Julian the Dukex of Molbury, Basil Thorne, Mary Thorne, Levinia, Arabella and Elias Thorne, Grace Thorne, Martin Thorne, Sophia Thorne, Lucy Thorne, Modesty Munro, John and Veronica Hartford, Lily and Gregory Talbot, Julia, Lizzy Canterbury, Rose Hearst, Lady Caroline Windham, Maria Windham, Roger, Mrs. Bailey, Mr. Milton Weatherbee, Mr. Applebough, Mr. and Mrs. Canterbury, Nell Birks, Betsy, Harriet, Patience, and Lino, Mr. Reginald Hartford, Lord Antony Caldwell, Mr. Haines
August 2026 | Rating: 8.5/10
Fae & Human Relations by Sarah Wallace and S.O. Callahan
Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms (2024)
Roger
Barnes failed his Hastings Exam–the magical test that determines which
child can inherit. He believes the is inherently problematic, and goes
up before the Council to propose a different testing scheme.
Many humans, once they reached the age of thirty and came into their majority, had been kicked out of their homes, deemed burdens by their own families. The poverty rate was steadily increasing as more and more low-scoring humans were left with few choices for their futures.
Somewhat to his surprise, his scheme is tentatively accepted and he is asked to create a rubric for his scheme.
Wyndham Wrenwhistle is a dandy and a bit of a rake.
His mother wants him and his siblings to make good matches this season, but all Wyn wants is to go back to the country, where he feels most comfortable.
Wyn wanted to be back in the country where he could enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and nights under the stars without the constant bustling and noise of high society.
The world-building here is fascinating. Queer relationships are normalized, however, Fae-human relationships are seen as not quite the done thing.
Additionally, although fae and humans co-exist in society, their morals remain very different–fae see sexual experimentation as something quite normal, which humans hold the mores of the regency–humans should go to the wedding virgins, and single humans–of either gender–I expected to be chaperoned any time they are around another eligible young person.
So it’s something of a scandal when Wyn and Roger are found to have been working alone on their project in Roger’s rooms.
The weakest part of the story was the “forced” marriage. But once I got past that and just accepted it for what it was, it was fascinating to see the regency mores applied equally to males and females.
“Are you…er…going to stay here while I change?”
Wyndham rolled his eyes. “I have seen the naked form before. And if we can’t get them to retract, we’ll be getting married anyway. So it hardly matters.”
“You haven’t seen my naked form,” Roger muttered.
Additionally although the terms aren’t used, Roger is Ace and Wyn is Aro, so it was very interesting how that worked out as well.
I quite enjoyed the premise, although I wish parts of the story had been tightened up — or expanded– in service of the story-telling.
Cover art: Caras Alexandra
- May 2024 | Rating: 7.5/10
Fire Spells Between Friends (2024) #2
Unbeknownst
to their friends and family, Emrys Wrenwhistle and Torquil Pimpernel-Smith have been lovers since they day the met. Emrys position
is heir and Torqil’s position as disinherited half-fay and half-human gossip columnist meaning they don’t mix in the same circles.
But like Roger and Wyndham, Torquil is now a member of the Council, and things are changing.
Unfortunately, one of the other things changing is that Emrys mother has decided it is past time for him to marry, and is seeking out a proper marriage for him.
Proper being someone of good family and strong magic.
“Such is the price for being the most outstanding sibling in a prominent family,” Keelan said matter-of-factly.
“Why should I be the one to suffer? Would it not make more sense that I be rewarded for my magical aptitude by having the freedom to marry for love rather than duty?” His brothers had been allowed such privilege, as would Aveline when she finally settled down.
Keelan made a thin hum of uncertainty. “Your reward is inheritance. Knowing your future is secure. In turn, you find an equally powerful partner to ensure that your children and grandchildren are guaranteed the same.”
But the work with Wyndham and Roger, creating a ruberic for fey-human magicians and exploring Torquil’s magic–something they had squashed since they were a child.
As soon as they arrived in Wyndham and Roger’s study, Wyndham handed them a purse full of money, explaining that Iris had instructed him to dole out their wages appropriately.
I might actually have enjoyed this more than the first book, probably because I much prefer the trope of friends to lovers than enemies to lovers.
It’s self-published, however, it was well-written and edited. And I really like both the magic and the exploration of that magic in the story. There is boinking, but since Torquil is non-binary, much of it is slightly less explicit, since it isn’t made clear for quite a while what body parts Torquil has. Which is an element I really liked.
Characters: Emrys Wrenwhistle, Torquil Pimpernel-Smith, Roger Barnes Wrenwhistle, Wyndham Wrenwhistle, Miss Aveline Wrenwhistle, Iris Wrenwhistle, Odella Wrenwhistle, Mr. Wrenwhistle, Sal Bailey, Lex, Councilmember Cricket, Councilmember Barnes, Councilmember Williams, Councilmember Applewood, Councilmember Gibbs, Lady Cynthia Proust, Lydia Stanton, Keelan Cricket, Hortense Irving, Mr. Gerald Irving, Mr. Arlen Buckthorn, Mrs. Barnes, Frederica Barnes, Bernard Barnes, Leonora Pimpernel
Cover art: Caras Alexandra
- April 2025 | Rating: 8.5/10
Shade Spells with Strangers (2025) #3
Set in London in 1814
The sequel to Fire Spells Between Friends starts at the wedding between Emrys Wrenwhistle and Torquil Pimpernel-Smith, where Silas Rook-Worth and his family are creating the protection spells and area for the wedding.
Silas’ father, Mr. Rook, took charge when talking to fae customers and Silas took charge when talking to human customers.
Keelan Cricket, there for the marriage of his best friend, is a hopeless romantic who has wanted for almost his entire left to fall in love and get married.
Keelan and Cricket come together briefly, and then assume they will never see one another again, no matter that the compatibility of their magics shocked both of them.
But Silas is half-fae/half-human and is one of the people Torquil Pimpernel-Smith communicated with when they started looking for half-fae/half-humans who would be willing to work with the Council for Fae & Human Relations to discover more about the magic of those who had previously been ignored and even shunned by society.
Briony and Quince’s mother had died when they were both very young. Mr. Rook later married Ruth, a human woman, and they’d had Silas.
Silas and Cricket meet again, only it has been set by Cricket’s mother that he will be partnered with the very eligible Miss Wilton-Reed in hopes a marriage can be arranged.
Miss Wilton-Reed is awful.
Father thought it essential that I make good use of this opportunity. He wants everyone to associate our names with progress and forward-thinking.
Cricket’s mother is also awful.
I had a hard time with parts of this story, with Cricket’s acceptance of the marriage his mother was arranging for him, with a woman with whom he has no interest.
Miss Wilton-Reed would love it, and he hoped that maybe if he wore something that pleased her, she would be nicer to him.
I mean… Just… she’s awful and he just accepts everything as inevitable.
Things of course work out in the end, but it was a bit hard to take.
Characters: Keelan Cricket, Silas Rook-Worth, Briony Rook, Quince Rook, Mr. Rook, Ruth, Miss Aveline Wrenwhistle, Mr. Wyndham Wrenwhistle, Mr. Roger Wrenwhistle, Mrs. Iris Wrenwhistle, Emrys Wrenwhistle, Torquil Pimpernel-Smith, Marten, Leonora Pimpernel, Mr. Hedge-Wyck, Mx. Ellery Badger-Thorp, Miss Anise Gloucester-Stone, Mr. Finkle-Finch, Mx. Fern Hillcrest, Mr. Benedict Brooks, Mr. Arlen Buckthorn, Miss Wilton-Reed, Councilmember Barnes, Mr. Sage Ravenwing, Sal Bailey
Cover by Caras Alexandra
September 2025 | Rating: 7.5/10