The Spellmaster of Tutting-on-Cress (2024) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #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 […]
Dear Bartleby (2023) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #4) 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 […]
The Education of Pip (2023) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #3) Set in England 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 […]
One Good Turn (2022) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #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 […]
Letters to Half Moon Street (2022) Sarah Wallace (Meddle & Mend #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 […]
The Prince and the Dressmaker (2018) Jen Wang Prince Sebastian’s parents are searching the country for his bride. They want him to have a say in who he marries (something they didn’t have) but Sebastian has a secret: Lady Crystallia. After following her client’s wishes and getting fired, Frances is saved when a royal courtier […]
A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (2024) Stephanie Burgis (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #1) Set in an alternate 19th century England. After being kept awake for 48 hours by her unscrupulous aunt and uncle, Margaret has been forced into marriage she didn’t want. Margaret set her teapot and cup on a side […]
The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (2015) KJ Charles Set in England in 1894- “I inherited it from my uncle three months ago. The house has stood empty for many years because of its evil reputation. I felt that was an absurd superstition, and I need to sell the place, so I thought I could […]
Flight of Magpies (2014) KJ Charles (A Charm of Magpies #3) Stephen stuffed his hands in the pockets of the topcoat that Crane had insisted on buying him for this chilly winter. It had been a great deal more expensive than Stephen, who accepted gifts with startling gracelessness, had wanted; a great deal cheaper than […]
A Case of Possession (2014) KJ Charles (A Charm of Magpies #2) “And we must act in a civilised fashion in this country, you know.” … “Come with me to the office today, I want you in Limehouse. I’m going to call in some obligations and do a bit more work on Rackham’s affairs. Buy […]
The Magpie Lord (2013) KJ Charles (A Charm of Magpies #1) Merrick frowned. “Got to fight it, my lord.” “Fight what? Give me something to fight, and I’ll fight it—but how the hell do I fight my own mind?” Crane looked at the naked hostility in the other man’s face and posture, and strolled to […]
Rag and Bone (2016) KJ Charles (A Charm of Magpies World) He gave it a cautious shake, heard the faintest rattle. A sealed jug, full of something. He could break the seal, prise off the wax, and have a look inside. Or he could find a rusty hatpin and jam it into his eyeball, because […]
A Queer Trade (2015) K.J. Charles (A Charm of Magpies World) “It’s the way of things. Burn your love letters, or have ’em put in the ground with you, or they’ll be tomorrow’s packing paper.” Hall gave a slightly rueful smile. “I put ’em aside for packing, when I notice, rather than foul use.” “Is […]
A Power Unbound (2023) Freya Marske (The Last Binding #3) Set in England in 1909 Jack felt old and tired. Giving combat orders to young people while heavy with fatigue was like reaching for a guidekeeper: another habit he’d fallen easily back into. He didn’t like it any more than the other. Alanzo Rossi, Alan […]
A Restless Truth (2022) Freya Marske (The Last Binding #2) Set on the Atlantic Ocean ~1908 Grief’s jaws were not blunt of tooth. They snapped shut like a poacher’s trap. “Clarence!” cried Violet, edging sideways on her chair to better display herself to the open doorway. “I’m not decent!” Her cousin scowled and shut the […]
A Marvellous Light (2021) Freya Marske (The Last Binding #1) Set in England in 1908 “You’ve been cursed, and you think this is a time to make jokes?” Blyth shoved his sleeve down again. “I’ve been cursed, so I’ll make all the jokes I please.” A chauffeur was not needed. Robin referred vaguely to friends […]
Viscounts & Villainy (2025) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #3) Set in 1925 in New York & England Yesterday’s cable from Geoffrey was checking whether I was returning to England for the Christmas social season or if I was dead and the title was his now. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sebastian […]
Once a Rogue (2023) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #2) Set in 1925 in New York “Tomcat Lodge,” Sebastian read. “I’m not sure people come here to sleep.” “Not at all.” Wesley eyed it. “In fact, if I were going to imagine an inn where drunks could stagger from an illicit speakeasy and hire company […]
Proper Scoundrels (2021) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic #1) Set in 1925 in London & Paris “You’re his spitting image, you know.” Wesley’s brother had been too, all three of them over six feet tall with the same brown hair and gray eyes. Now only Wesley was left, and he couldn’t set foot in society […]
Wonderstruck (2021) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan #3) Set in New York, London, and Paris in 1925 Three tables had been pushed together in the middle to accommodate a big family, one toddler making an enormous mess as she gleefully ate spaghetti with her bare hands. “We don’t owe our hearts to people who hurt […]
Starcrossed (2020) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan #2) Set in 1925 in NYC “I’ve had my every minute scheduled by my family. Clearly this trip was a wonderful decision on my part. I might even have seen Rory for two whole minutes the other day.” “Speaking of children,” Arthur said dryly. “Yours are as well-mannered […]
Spellbound (2019) Allie Therin (Magic in Manhattan #1) Set in 1925 in NYC “Quality gin doesn’t run itself from Toronto.” Arthur scoffed. “Fifth Avenue deserves rotgut. Half those arseholes call for segregation during the day then have the nerve to slither into Harlem for culture at night. Be nice to bounce those hypocrites straight out […]
A Matter of Magic: Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward (1991) Patricia C. Wrede (Mairelon the Magician) This is just such a cozy and comforting read. She was glad she wouldn’t have to wear the rags she’d had on earlier, but she was rapidly becoming uncomfortable with the number of things Mairelon was giving […]
The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love (2024) India Holton (Love’s Academic #1) Set in Europe in 1890 I’d forgotten how very silly India Holton stories are. That’s not to say they are bad, because they aren’t, but if you aren’t expecting the silliness it can be a bit of a surprise. Devon might be guiltless […]
Stormsong (2020) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle) Grace has escaped with her brother after the destruction of the aethernet, but when she senses a terrible storm coming she knows she has to return to Aeland to protect her people. A storm spread out miles wide, spinning away from the Cauldron off the coast. It was […]
Witchmark (2018) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle #1) I reread this so I can finally finish the series. Mr. Elliot dragged in a tattered breath. “I got too close. They needed the souls. The war—” He gagged and rolled away from me, retching. I held him steady. “Don’t try to talk.” He dragged in ragged […]
Spectred Isle (2017) KJ Charles (Green Men #1) Set in London in 1923 (T)he Empire that had covered a full quarter of the earth was beginning to look less like an immutable and unchanging truth and more like hubris. As a normal sort of Englishman, Saul’s reaction to religious enthusiasm was usually to remove himself […]
Shade Spells with Strangers (2025) Sarah Wallace & S. O. Callahan (Fae & Human Relations #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’ […]
A Matter at New Year’s (2024) Ashley Gardner (Robert Archer Paranormal Mysteries, #1) Set in Alt-London in 1824 Robert Archer, back from war, left the New Year’s celebrations thinking of little more than his bed, when he came across three were-beats. It was said that weres couldn’t be killed with ordinary weapons. There was rumor […]
Confounding Oaths, Audiobook (2024) Alexis Hall narrated by Nneka Okoye (The Mortal Follies #2) Set in London in 1814 I really love Nneka Okoye’s narration. And of course Alexis Hall’s snark. And whereas in the enlightened twenty-first century the marriage of a British aristocrat to a Person of Colour is a wholly unremarkable thing that […]
Fire Spells Between Friends (2024) Sarah Wallace and S.O. Callahan (Fae & Human Relations #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 […]
An Affair for Aumont (2022) J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry (The Lords of Bucknall Club #5) Louis-Charles Aumont was in love with Luke Winthrop, but turned down his offer of marriage, after which Luke joined the army and was killed at Waterloo. Since then Aumont worked as a spy for France, and avoided those who […]
Mortal Follies (2023) Alexis Hall narrated by Nneka Okoye (The Mortal Follies #1) Set in Bath in 1814 I am that knavish sprite that frights the maidens of the villagery. I am Oberon’s jester—was Oberon’s jester, that’s rather the issue. I am called hobgoblin by some and, contrary to what certain people might have told […]
A Sanctuary for Soulden (2021) J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry (The Lords of Bucknall Club #4) Set in alternate England during the Napoleanic Era he caught sight of Lord Christmas Gale, on his hands and knees, searching under a table in the near-empty Green Room. This was a bit unusual, even for Christmas. Soulden walked […]
A Power Unbound (2023) Freya Marske (The Last Binding Book 3) Set in England in 1909 Spinet House was a young thing, built by a master carpenter-thaumoluthier and his energetically creative wife. It was a fortress. It was a musical, magical puzzle box. It was a fucking headache. When Alan had written up his fawning, […]
A Restless Truth (2022) Freya Marske (The Last Binding, #2) Set in England and across the Atlantic Ocean in 1909 There was a parlour game: one stared at a tray of objects before it was taken away, adjusted, and placed back in front of one’s eyes. Some things added. Some things removed. Robin was excellent […]
A Marvellous Light (2021) Freya Marske (The Last Binding, #1) Set in London in 1908 They left Miss Morrissey in a halfway tidied office. At a certain point in the re-filing process, she’d given up all pretence that she wasn’t seizing the opportunity to impose order on what seemed to have previously been a rather […]
A Case for Christmas (2021) J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry (The Lords of Bucknall Club #2) Set in alternate England during the Napoleanic Era Chant was well versed in the difference between rudeness for rudeness’s sake and rudeness born from an anxiety that was rapidly becoming unmanageable. “What do you need from me?” Gale hesitated. […]
Death by Silver (2023) Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold (Lynes & Mathey #1) Mr Edward Mathey is a metaphysician hoping to get his new practice established. Mr Julian Lynes is his friend from school and a private detective. When Ned is consulted by an old school mate, he asks Julian to assist–despite the fact the […]
Confounding Oaths (2024) Alexis Hall (Mortal Follies #2) Set in England in 1815. Mr. John Caesar wants his sisters’ coming outs to go well, so they can make good matches and be taken care of. But it won’t be easy, because they aren’t quite like the rest of society. Alexis Hall comes out the gate […]
Mortal Follies (2023) Alexis Hall Set in alternate England in 1841. This isn’t just a story of love and curses and betrayal and hot springs and sacrifices. It’s a story of all those things told by the most unreliable of story tellers. I am that knavish sprite that frights the maidens of the villagery. I […]
A Power Unbound (2023) Freya Marske (The Last Binding) Set in England in 1909 The final book in the Last Binding Trilogy centers on Alston, Lord Hawthorn who has been arrogant and supercilious throughout the series, but here becomes Jack, and Alan, Alanzo Rossi, who met Alston, Maud, and Violet on the ship from America […]
A Restless Truth (2022) Freya Marske (Last Binding) Set in England in 1908 (or so) One of the things I especially like about this series are the lovely secondary characters. “Miss Debenham,” he said, warm with pride, “meet Lady Albert Barton. My wife.” Oh. Lady Albert Barton rolled her eyes and sat down heavily on […]
A Marvellous Light (2021) Freya Marske (The Last Binding) Set in England in 1908 Another time period I love–not yet modernity, but some of the trappings are starting to appear. A chauffeur was not needed. Robin referred vaguely to friends of his who owned motorcars and had taught him the knack of it in Hyde […]
The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After (2006) Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer (Cecelia and Kate) (Cecelia and Kate) Set in England in 1828 Thomas has convinced himself that he is being clever. He (he and Ripley, the coachman, to be exact) will drive to London and back, enjoying himself thoroughly the while. In […]
The Grand Tour: Or, The Purloined Coronation Regalia (2004) Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer (Cecelia and Kate) Set in Europe in 1817. The weakness of this story is that I don’t believe the Cecy’s narrative as being “written testimony”. There was just too much personal stuff that seemed unlikely to have been put into […]
A Matter of Magic (1988) Patricia C. Wrede (Mairelon the Magician) “(B)hey’re mixing magic at random, from the sound of it. Half of it’s Welsh, half of it’s Scottish, and half of it’s cribbed from someone’s classical education, with a few things that are entirely out of someone’s imagination thrown in for good measure. They’ll […]
Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (1988) Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer (Cecelia and Kate) Set in England in 1817 (Horace Walpole is by no means Aunt Charlotte’s favorite author, but the opportunity to hire the genuine Mayfair town house he genuinely died in for the Season has given her a new […]
A Matter of Magic (1994) Patricia C. Wrede An orphan living on the streets of London, breaks into a caravan and is discovered not just to be breaking and entering, but also a girl masquerading as a boy! Girl eventually becomes the ward of her rescuer and falls in love with him! Now we have […]
A Restless Truth (2022) Freya Marske (Last Binding) Set in England prior to The Great War, around 1907 or 1908. Maud Blyth went to America to find Elizabeth Navenby and warn her she is in danger. Unfortunately, barely before the have left port, Mrs Navenby is killed, and Maud feels partially to blame. Luckily, her […]